The Legend Continues..
“Why would I want to own a studio,” Walt Disney responded to the suggestion of his company’s director of recording Tutti Camarata. “I’d rather be a client.” Was this gentle Walt’s way of asking his music man to seek employment elsewhere, or a subtle nudge to encourage entrepreneurship? Tutti presumed the latter, and so it began. It was a perfect little brick structure, once an automotive repair garage. The walls, ceiling, and floor all slanted toward one corner of the cavern where the excess automobile fluids trickled into a drain. Non-parallel surfaces are ideal for acoustic control—and ideal for a studio! Tutti kicked the tires a few times and declared “I’ll take it!” Little did he know that the small step he took in 1958 on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood would soon be joined by the stampede of giants.
Once he got the engine up and running, Sunset Sound’s one studio began cranking out Disney recordings for “Bambi”, “Bedknobs & Broomsticks”, “Mary Poppins”, “101 Dalmatians” and dozens of others, many in the then state-of-the-art format: magnificent mono. Fortunately the formats evolved as quickly as the stellar giants revolved in and out of the studio’s doors over the next few years. In short order, it was “Goodbye Goofy, Hello Rock’n’Roll.”
Oh, there were a few sputters along the way, even a backfire or two, but that Studio 1 eventually grew into a three-room complex, driven by a credo of technical and musical excellence without compromise. Sunset Sound geared up from a Model-T, added RPMs of horsepower, and cruised into the classic collection it is today. No one can yet refer to the company as an Edsel: now with son Paul in the driver’s seat, it’s too busy racing into the future!
Sunset Sound purchased The Sound Factory in 1981 and opened it as its low-cost alternative for overdub sessions. Over time, however, it developed its own dedicated client base and thrived for nearly 30 years as a subsidiary of the flagship facility, racking up numerous Gold and Platinum recordings. As the industry continued to evolve, the Sound Factory adopted a leasing business model and rented out its rooms to long-term producer tenants for private use.
The Sound Factory property and studios were altogether sold to another party in 2017, and Sunset Sound decided to exclusively focus on its founding facility once again. Most of Sound Factory’s valuable microphone collection and outboard equipment were integrated into Sunset Sound.
What goes around comes around.
OUR PAST CLIENTS
Sunset Sound Clients 1962 - Present
Studio I
The Doors, Van Halen, Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Macy Gray, Bee Gees, Doobie Bros., Whitney Houston, Barry Manilow, Oingo Boingo, Luis Miguel, Rolling Stones, Dave Grusin, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Lee Ritenour, Fourplay, Richard Thompson, Yes, Brian Wilson, Beach Boys, Annette Funicello, Carly Simon, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Bangles, Fishbone, Randy Newman, Sly & Family Stone, “Fabulous Baker Boys”, Vonda Shepard, Tom Petty, “The Firm”, Sheena Easton, Patti Austin, Aaron Neville, “Mary Poppins”, Sam Cooke, The Turtles, “101 Dalmations”, Lovin» Spoonful, Buffalo Springfield, Janis Joplin, Genesis, Kenny Loggins, Jackson Browne, “My Best Friend»s Wedding”, Reel Big Fish, “Dr. Doolittle”, “The Truman Show”, “Tootsie”
Studio II
Van Halen, Led Zeppelin IV, Sheryl Crow, Smashing Pumpkins, Matthew Sweet, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Celine Dion, Earl Klugh, Alanis Morrisette, Michael Jackson, Toto, Lita Ford, Robert Palmer, “Dick Tracy”, “Dune”, “Days Of Thunder”, “Rocky II & IV”, Ry Cooder, Richard Marx, Aretha Franklin, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Crowded House, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Holliday, Olivia Newton-John, Melissa Manchester, Barbra Streisand, Roberta Flack, Rick James, “Major League”, “Great Balls Of Fire”, Michael Feinstein, “Wayne»s World”, “Wayne»s World II”, Alice Cooper (Muscle »73), Leo Sayer, “The Waterboy”, “The Big Lebowski”, “Pleasantville”, Doyle Bramhall, Weezer, “The Prince Of Egypt”, DDT, Poison, Andy Williams
Studio III
The Surfers, Elliott Smith, Social Distortion, Sugar Ray, Mary Lou Lord, “Midnight In The Garden Of Good & Evil”, Earth Wind & Fire, Prince (Æ81-»87), Dan Fogelberg, Hiroshima, Rancid, k d lang, The Wallflowers, Beck, Mr. Mister, Stevie Nicks, Belinda Carlisle, Kix, Desert Rose Band, Air Supply, Counting Crows, Deborah Harry, Jody Watley, Neil Diamond, Rita Coolidge, Lionel Ritchie, Sam Phillips, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Jones, Van Dyke Parks, Gillian Welch, The Refreshments, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Thisway, Melissa Etheridge