Larrabee Studios Opens the Door for the Next Generation in Music Creator Series

Some rooms change the way music sounds. Some rooms change the people who walk into them. Larrabee Studios has spent more than five decades doing both.

This summer, the legendary North Hollywood studio will once again open its doors to a new class of emerging artists, producers, engineers, and songwriters through the second annual Larrabee Studios Creator Series, a fully funded five-day experience designed to give young music creators access to the kind of rooms, tools, mentors, and conversations that can shape a career.

Applications are open now for the 2026 program, which will take place August 11–15 at Larrabee Studios and on the Sony Lot in Culver City. Fifteen creators from across the United States will be selected to attend at no cost. Travel, lodging, meals, and all programming are covered.

The Creator Series is led by Manny Marroquin, the 18-time GRAMMY-winning mixing engineer whose credits include Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, John Legend, Lizzo, Imagine Dragons, The Rolling Stones, and many more. Marroquin has long been known not only for his technical mastery, but for his ability to serve the artist’s vision — to disappear into the music when needed, and elevate it when possible.

“I’ve been in rooms that changed my life, and nobody charged me to be there,” Marroquin says.

“A producer took a chance on me. An engineer showed me something he didn’t have to show me. That’s how this works. We’re just trying to pass that forward and make sure the next generation of creators gets the same shot, regardless of where they come from or what’s in their bank account.”

The idea of access is at the heart of the program.

For five days, participants will move through an immersive arc of mentorship, professional studio time, industry panels, creative collaboration, and exposure to the real-world business of making music. The experience begins with arrivals and a welcome dinner on August 11, continues with three full days inside Larrabee Studios from August 12–14, and concludes August 15 with a final day on the Sony Lot, where participants will receive insider access to Sony Audio’s professional facilities.

Sony Audio returns as an overall partner for the series, supporting the program while providing participants with access to professional tools and technology, including the MDR-M1 and award-winning MDR-MV1 open-back headphones, select microphones such as the C-80 and C-100, and Sony’s 360 Virtual Mixing Environment, a spatial audio technology designed to recreate the acoustic experience of a professional studio through headphones.

But the point of the Creator Series is not simply to hand young creators new gear. It is to place them inside a professional ecosystem with working engineers, producers, executives, and mentors and let them see how records are actually made at the highest level.

“The Larrabee Studios Creator Series reflects the kind of creator-first initiative Sony Audio is proud to support,” says Ross Caravati, Manager of Content Development at Sony Audio.

“By working alongside Manny and the Larrabee team, we’re helping emerging creators step into a professional studio environment, engage directly with the technology and people shaping modern music, and leave with tools, relationships and perspective they can carry into their careers.”

Larrabee is not just any studio. Its rooms have been part of the story of modern popular music, hosting work by artists including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Madonna, Lauryn Hill, Usher, No Doubt, Maroon 5, Adele, Taylor Swift, Dr. Dre, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Kanye West, The Rolling Stones, and countless others.

Originally founded on Larrabee Street in West Hollywood by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, the studio evolved under the Mills family and later Kevin Mills, becoming one of the first SSL-equipped studios in the country. In 1991, Larrabee North — now Larrabee Studios — was established in North Hollywood and quickly became home to landmark projects, including Michael Jackson’s Dangerous.

Today, Larrabee remains one of the country’s last full-service, state-of-the-art studio complexes. In an era when much of music production has become portable, solitary, and screen-based, the Creator Series makes a different argument: that rooms still matter, mentorship still matters, and being in the right creative environment can still open doors.

For 2025 participant Danny Dash, the experience offered a rare look into the intersection of art, technology, and professional discipline.

“The Larrabee Creator Series gave us a chance to witness how music is made at the highest level,” Dash says. “Not only did we experience the love of art from some of the greatest creators of our time, but we also saw how they merge artistry with groundbreaking technology.”

Applications for the 2026 Larrabee Studios Creator Series are open from May 18 through June 26, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST. Winners will be announced July 10, 2026.

Program Details

Dates: August 11–15, 2026

Location: Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, California

Participants: 15

Eligibility: U.S. residents, age 21 and older; all music genres welcome

Cost: Fully funded, including travel, lodging, meals, and programming

Application Window: May 18–June 26, 2026

Winners Announced: July 10, 2026

Apply: larrabeestudioscreatorseries.com

For emerging creators ready to step into the room — literally and figuratively — the Larrabee Studios Creator Series offers something increasingly rare: access, mentorship, professional experience, and the chance to build relationships inside one of the most respected recording environments in the world.