Embassy Studios Announced as Finalist for 2027 NAMM TEC Awards Studio Design Project Category
Redefining the Manhattan studio landscape
Luxury recording complex designed by MAOarch sets a new standard for full-service audio production suites in NYC
New York, NY, October 1, 2026—Phase One Network announces that Embassy Studios, the firm’s newly opened high-end audio production complex and creative hub in midtown Manhattan, has been named as a Finalist in the Studio Design Project category of the upcoming 2027 NAMM TEC Awards. The TEC Awards are the annual celebration of accomplishment and innovation within the Pro Audio Industry and will be held as the closing ceremony of the 2027 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA, starting Thursday, January 28, 2027.
Embassy Studios is located within a historic midtown tower overlooking Bryant Park and the Empire State Building. The studio complex was designed and built by a multidisciplinary team that included boutique luxury architecture firm MAOarch, acoustic and A/V consulting firm LSTN, interior designer Lisa Babar, and general contractors CS Scott.
Envisioned as a bold reinvention of the New York City destination studio experience, Embassy Studios is a one-stop-shop for high-level industry creatives that offers top-level spaces for writing, recording, producing, mixing, and supplemental content creation. The holistic approach reflects the needs of modern recording artists who require a facility that can deliver on both the creative production side and the marketing side of their work.
“In essence, Embassy is not merely a recording studio; it is a comprehensive creative ecosystem with modular capabilities incorporating Dante integration,” explains Embassy Studios Chief Operating Officer Vanessa Sanchez. “This allows artists, engineers, and producers to move seamlessly between rooms while maintaining consistent signal flow and monitoring references for higher-quality end results.”
“We aspire to be a catalyst for creativity, inspiring legendary artists along with the next generation of storytellers, musicians, and creators in a rapidly changing media landscape.”
Part of Embassy’s unique footprint as a production space is the bright and open architectural character that reflects the space’s origins as a high-end midtown showroom. MAOarch designed the space to seamlessly blend together its existing look and feel with the technical requirements of a top-tier audio production space.
"With Embassy Studios, we took an unconventional approach; instead of imposing a studio within a space, we let the building's history inspire the design” states MAOArch President Maori Hughes. “The historic Engineering Building had so much to offer with its soaring ceiling heights, expansive arched windows, and the kind of architectural character that simply cannot be replicated. We wanted to celebrate those qualities, rather than work around them.
Marrying that history with the precision of a world-class recording facility required an extraordinary level of coordination and a very meticulous eye at every turn. We made a deliberate choice to preserve the openness and natural light of the building, creating a studio that wasn't afraid of windows, that felt bright and elevated rather than isolated.
We were truly fortunate to collaborate with an incredibly talented group of consultants who brought dedication and care to every challenge. We believe Embassy offers the perfect creative conditions: a serene, light-filled environment steeped in history, where the mind quiets and the creativity explodes."
A full-featured creative hub for experienced professionals
From a technical standpoint, each of Embassy’s production environments has been precisely crafted with a modern, integrated workflow in mind. Embassy rooms individually utilize a hybrid analog/digital ‘best of both worlds’ approach that provides top-quality analog sound and character with the convenience, speed, and connectivity of cutting-edge digital technology.
The studios are outfitted with top-of-the-line SSL recording consoles alongside AVID HDX Systems, utilizing Augspurger, ATC, Focal, and PMC speakers for monitoring depending on the space, and extensive access to analog and digital outboard equipment from Manley, Neve, API, Universal Audio, Empirical Labs, and others. There is also a specialized studio space for Dolby Atmos Mixing. A centralized Dante-enabled network enables seamless multi-room recording and writing sessions in any space in the facility, as well as remote collaboration and content capture.
In addition to its primary recording rooms, Embassy also offers dedicated production suites and a podcast room optimized for creative production, writing sessions, voiceovers, and content capture. These spaces also provide integrated Dante connectivity, flexible routing, and integrated video capture tools designed to streamline collaboration and documentation. This includes Embassy's Multimedia Room, which is a versatile space made to accommodate press interviews, podcast recordings, live streaming, and creative video sessions. Equipped with Bird Dog PTZ cameras, NewTek Tricaster Mini, professional mics including the Shure SM7B, and streaming-ready workflows, it’s ideal for multimedia production and promotional content capture.
“Being selected as a finalist by the NAMM TEC Awards Committee in the Studio Design category is an honor,” says Embassy Studios Founder and President Frank Babar. “For us, this recognition is an affirmation of the instincts that have guided our work. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the enduring legacy of recording studios and to play a small part in shaping their future.”
For more information on Embassy Studios, please visit: https://www.embassystudios.net/
About Embassy Studios
Embassy Studios is an independent recording complex located in Manhattan, New York. Designed as a full-service creative hub, Embassy offers world-class acoustics, advanced analog and digital workflows, immersive audio capabilities, and integrated production infrastructure to support the modern music industry.
Ashley Kinchen
