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| Criteria Recording Studios | |
|---|---|
| Name | Criteria Recording Studios |
| Type | Recording studio |
| Established | 1958 |
| Location | Miami, Florida, United States |
Criteria Recording Studios was a landmark recording facility in Miami, Florida, renowned for its role in popular music, film scoring, and broadcast production from the mid-20th century onward. The studio hosted sessions for a wide range of artists across rock music, pop music, soul music, disco, country music, and Latin music, attracting performers, producers, and engineers from Los Angeles, New York City, and international markets. Its influence extended into record labels, film soundtracks, and live television broadcasts.
Founded in the late 1950s by industry entrepreneurs, the studio emerged amid expansion in the American recording industry that included facilities such as Sun Studio, Abbey Road Studios, Capitol Studios, Motown's Hitsville U.S.A., and American Recordings. During the 1960s and 1970s it became a destination for sessions connected with Atlantic Records, Capitol Records, RCA Records, Columbia Records, and Universal Music Group. The studio saw visits from artists associated with The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Cream, and The Who as touring and recording circuits shifted. In the 1970s and 1980s, its fortunes intersected with the rise of disco, funk, R&B, and synthpop, bringing collaborations with figures linked to Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin, Quincy Jones, and Berry Gordy. Economic changes in the music industry paralleled transactions involving corporate entities like Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, EMI, and regional players. The facility adapted through periods of renovation tied to technological shifts exemplified by transitions from analog consoles to digital workstations popularized by Avid Technology and Digidesign.
The studio complex included multiple live rooms, control rooms, isolation booths, and mastering suites comparable to spaces at Electric Lady Studios, Westlake Recording Studios, and Ocean Way Recording. Its equipment inventory over time incorporated consoles and outboard gear from manufacturers such as Neve Electronics, API, SSL (Solid State Logic), Ampex, Studer, Shure Incorporated, Neumann, and AKG Acoustics. Microphones and signal processors by Telefunken, Pultec, Fairchild, and Universal Audio were standard in sessions with orchestras, horn sections, and rhythm tracks reminiscent of productions for Stax Records, Blue Note Records, and Verve Records. The studio’s capabilities supported scoring sessions for film and television productions linked to Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and syndication houses, enabling work with arrangers who had credits on projects for John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Hans Zimmer, and Bernard Herrmann. Digital audio workstations and MIDI integration featured technology by Roland Corporation, Yamaha Corporation, and MOTU for sessions with synthesists associated with Vangelis, Kraftwerk, and Giorgio Moroder.
The studio hosted sessions for prominent acts from a diverse roster including artists connected to Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Bee Gees, The Eagles, AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown. Pop and rock projects aligned with production teams linked to Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, and Jeff Lynne were recorded or mixed there. Disco-era sessions featured performers associated with Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, and KC and the Sunshine Band. Soul, funk, and R&B work included musicians tied to Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Sly Stone, and Rick James. Country and crossover artists from labels like Capricorn Records and Mercury Records used the facility, as did Latin stars connected to Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Buena Vista Social Club, and Gloria Estefan. The studio contributed to soundtrack sessions for films and television shows involving composers and performers associated with Elvis Presley, Madonna, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen.
Sessions involved leading producers and engineers frequently linked in credits with major projects: producers related to Giorgio Moroder, Arif Mardin, Tom Dowd, Quincy Jones, Phil Ramone, George Martin, Steve Lillywhite, and Rick Rubin; engineers and mixers who worked across projects for Andy Johns, Eddie Kramer, Bob Clearmountain, Chris Lord-Alge, Tom Lord-Alge, and Al Schmitt. Studio staff collaborated with arrangers and session leaders connected to Don Costa, Paul Buckmaster, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Rowley, and session musicians affiliated with the Wrecking Crew, Funk Brothers, and Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.
The studio’s footprint influenced recording practices in Miami and across Florida while intersecting with international markets in London, Los Angeles, New York City, Nashville, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Rio de Janeiro. Its sessions contributed to genre cross-pollination between artists associated with Latin pop, reggaeton, salsa, merengue, and mainstream pop, echoing the careers of performers associated with Ricky Martin, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez. Archival releases and reissues by labels such as Rhino Entertainment, Legacy Recordings, and Island Records have drawn on master tapes preserved from sessions at the facility, referenced in retrospectives by media outlets like Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME, and The New York Times.
Ownership and management evolved through partnerships, corporate acquisitions, and licensing arrangements involving regional investors, music publishers like ASCAP and BMI, and major label interests including Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group. Strategic alliances referenced entities such as Live Nation Entertainment, AEG Presents, Concord Music, and studio management firms active in the industry. Financial and operational shifts followed trends in recording economics observed at facilities like Electric Lady Studios and corporate restructurings analogous to events at EMI and Sony Music Entertainment.
Category:Recording studios in Florida