R&B Recording Studio in Brooklyn

Analog warmth. Performance on tape. No plastic.

Contemporary R&B production leans heavily on plug-ins, template sessions, and vocal processing that smooths out everything that makes a great take a great take. Raw R&B, the kind made in the Voodoo or Mama's Gun tradition, is built on the opposite: a great singer in front of a great microphone, a live rhythm section that responds well to each other, and a console that gives the mix its character without trying to rescue it.

What we bring to a R&B record

It all starts with the singer. The Neumann U 67 through the BAE 1073MP into the Neve 8424 is the core of what we recommend for R&B vocalists. The LA-2A on the vocal chain provides optical compression that breathes with the performance rather than clamping down on it. Gibson ES-335 through the Fender 1968 Twin Reverb or the 1966 Ampeg Reverberocket gives you the vintage feel from the best R&B records. Play a Fender Precision Bass into the Ampeg SVT and saturate it with some reel-to-reel tape, and the Neve 8424 bus summing gives the mix analog density. We track for performances, not playlists.

The room

  • Lead vocal: Neumann U 67 into BAE 1073MP, Universal Audio LA-2A optical compression

  • Backing vocals: Neumann U 87 Ai pair into BAE 1073MP

  • Guitar: Gibson ES-335 into Fender 1968 Twin Reverb or 1966 Ampeg Reverberocket, SM57 on cab

  • Bass: Fender Precision Bass, DI through BAE 1073MP as foundation, Ampeg SVT blend for body

  • Drums: Tama Starclassic Maple tuned lower than for rock, Coles 4038 overheads into BAE 1073MP, Millennia HV-3D on room mics, LA-2A on overhead bus

  • Console: Neve 8424, analog summing for warmth and density

  • Bus: Serpent SB4001 bus compressor for glue

  • Synth: Moog Grandmother for sustained pads, Sequential Prophet Rev2 for fuller arrangements

You track it. We mix it.

Send us your session files and we mix them through the Neve 8424 console at 610 Dean Street. Your guitars go through real amps in a real room. Your drums get the same preamp chain we use for in-studio sessions. You get back a mix that sounds like it was made by people who listen to the music you make.

How it works:

  • Export your tracks as WAV stems, 24-bit minimum, consolidated from bar 1

  • Send us a reference mix or reference records so we know what you are chasing

  • We mix through the Neve 8424 with our full outboard chain

  • Re-amping available: send DI guitar and bass tracks and we run them through the amps in the room

  • Two rounds of revisions included

  • Turnaround: 5-7 business days on most projects

Get in touch below to talk about your project.

If you are chasing these sounds...

The records that define the approach we understand and can work toward.

  • D'Angelo — Voodoo

  • Erykah Badu — Mama's Gun

  • Maxwell — BLACKsummers'night

Our room does not yet have a Rhodes or a tape machine, which are central to the classic neo-soul sound. We will have them soon, and we can get warm with our other outboard gear for now. If your session requires a Rhodes, let us know and we will source one.