The Village

The Village is a recording studio complex at 1616 Butler Avenue in West Los Angeles, housed in a 1920s Masonic Temple that was also once the West Coast headquarters of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation movement. According to The Village, musician Geordie Hormel bought the 22,000-square-foot building in 1968 and opened it as one of the first 24-track studios. Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, The Rolling Stones, B.B. King and Bob Dylan have recorded here, the studio says, along with Lady Gaga, Coldplay, John Mayer and Cage the Elephant, and its film work includes The Bodyguard and A Star Is Born (2018).

Studios and rooms

• Studio A: a vintage 40-input Neve 8048 console with 1081 and 1073 modules and 72 channels of Flying Faders automation.
• Studio B: an 84-channel Neve 88R with full mix recall and a Neve SP2 scoring panel.
• Studio D: a 72-channel Neve 88R with full mix recall. The studio says Fleetwood Mac recorded Tusk in this room.
• Studio F: a Dolby Atmos room with an Avid S6 control surface, designed by Vincent Van Haaff.
• Moroccan Room: a 42-by-33-foot former Masonic throne room that The Village describes as the only Moroccan ballroom that doubles as a recording studio. It has hosted orchestras, full bands, video shoots and music awards.
• Auditorium: a 39-foot-6-inch by 43-foot hall with an 18-by-29-foot pre-auditorium, used for concerts, weddings and parties.

The studios run Pro Tools HDX, and each room page lists its microphones, outboard gear and the equipment available to rent.

Services

The Village records orchestras, film scores, rock bands and hip-hop and pop artists, and mixes in every format from mono to Dolby Atmos. It also takes voice-over, audiobook and podcast sessions on request, hosts live performances and events, and is an approved audio house for SAG-AFTRA. Sessions are booked through the studio’s contact form or by phone.