The Les Paul Foundation have announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art facility that honours the legacy of legendary music pioneer Les Paul. Based in the historic United Recording building at 6050 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, The Les Paul Recording Studio features a restored collection of Les Paul’s original gear, including his groundbreaking audio console and eight-track recording setup.
The studio centres around the custom mixer built by Les Paul and Rein Narma in the 1950s. Known as ‘The Monster’, the innovative console boasted in-line equalisation and vibrato effects — features that were cutting-edge at the time — and is credited with marking the birth of multitrack recording. The restored console is housed alongside Paul’s prized Ampex 5258 Sel-Sync machine, the first eight-track recorder ever produced, which was affectionately called 'The Octopus’! The restored equipment pays homage to how integral it was to the pioneering multitrack recording techniques that had such a huge impact on the music industry.
The Les Paul Recording Studio features a collection of meticulously restored equipment that was all originally owned and used by Les Paul.
“We’ve painstakingly restored Les Paul’s original gear to working condition, allowing today’s artists to record using the exact tools that revolutionised popular music. Combined with the newest technology and digital recording tools, The Les Paul Recording Studio will welcome musical artists, producers, engineers and students to a new and innovative studio environment that is the only one of its kind in the world.” - Michael Braunstein, Executive Director, The Les Paul Foundation
Les Paul spent years experimenting and developing new recording methods in his home studio, with many of the resulting techniques shaping the future of music. Multitrack recording, sound-on-sound, close miking, overdubbing, speed manipulation, echo and more were all pioneered by the inventor. The Les Paul Recording Studio highlights those groundbreaking achievements, and will also serve as a new way for artists, producers, engineers and students to record and study music.
More information about The Les Paul Recording Studio can be found via the link below.
