LOS ANGELES, CA –– Sixteen emerging music creators from across the United States spent five days inside Larrabee Sound Studios, gaining something that can take years to find in the music industry: meaningful access to the people, places, and experiences that shape careers in recorded music.
The second annual Larrabee Studios Creator Series, led by 18-Time Grammy-winning mixing engineer Manny Marroquin in collaboration with Sony Corporation's audio division ("Sony Audio"), brought emerging engineers, producers, and songwriters inside one of the world's most respected recording environments for five immersive days of mentorship, hands-on studio experience, candid conversation, and real-world education.
Rather than learning about the music industry from the outside, participants worked alongside accomplished creators and executives, wrote and recorded music together, experienced world-class studios and technology, and built relationships across the creative and business sides of the industry.
"The hardest part of breaking into this industry is getting access," says Manny Marroquin, Mixing Engineer & Creator Series Founder. "There are talented creators everywhere who just need the opportunity to be in the room, learn from people who've done it, and build real connections. That's what the Creator Series is about. If you've been putting in the work and wondering what your next step should be, this is your chance."
IN THE ROOM WITH THE PEOPLE SHAPING MUSIC
More than 300 emerging engineers, producers, and songwriters from across the United States applied for the 2026 Creator Series, representing a diverse range of backgrounds, musical styles, and creative perspectives. From that applicant pool, 16 creators were selected for the five-day experience.
"Getting access to these rooms in the first place is difficult, especially for songwriters. The Creator Series gave us real proximity to talented, successful people who genuinely wanted to pour into us and see us win. That kind of access doesn't just give you information; it gives you perspective and opens up a world of possibility," says St. Ciré, Los Angeles-Based Singer-Songwriter.
Throughout the Creator Series, Marroquin invited friends and colleagues from across the industry to share their expertise and experiences. The mentor and guest lineup brought together an extraordinary group of acclaimed artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, and executives, many of them Grammy winners and nominees, including H.E.R., Linda Perry, Jeff Gitty, Ricky Reed, Randy Spendlove, Jesse Carmichael, Bruce Flohr, Rex Kudo, Nikki Flores, Camper, and many more.
Beyond panels, discussions, and Marroquin's mixing masterclass, participants collaborated to write and record original music with producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Cheche Alara. David Silberstein and Haley Evans of Mega House Music shared insights on music publishing and building sustainable careers.
Jessica Fajfar, Senior Counsel with RafterMarsh US and Director of the CREATE Law Clinic at USF School of Law, led a discussion on AI and entertainment law, exploring what creators need to understand as technology changes how music is made, protected, and commercialized, while mastering engineer Zach Pereyra took participants through the final stage of the recording process at Larrabee Sound Studios.
The learning continued outside the studio through dinners and conversations with Marroquin and industry guests at VERSE LA and the first-ever dinner at his new restaurant, Mensano, creating additional opportunities for connection and relationship-building.
That combination of education, creation, technology, conversation, and community is central to the Creator Series. Hosted at Larrabee Sound Studios, whose rooms have helped shape recordings by artists including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Madonna, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Adele, and Maroon 5, the program gave its 16 selected creators the opportunity to experience the creative process up close, in the same rooms where records are made and careers are built.
FROM CREATING AT LARRABEE TO IMMERSIVE SOUND AT SONY
The experience extended beyond Larrabee Sound Studios through the program's collaboration with Sony Audio.
The creators experienced immersive audio firsthand in 7.1.4 and 360 studio environments through a specially produced listening session by Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Neff-U, giving participants an opportunity to hear how music and sound are evolving beyond traditional stereo environments.
The experience also gave participants direct access to members of Sony's professional audio team, creating opportunities for hands-on education, technical insight, and candid conversation around the tools and workflows shaping modern music creation.
Participants received an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Sony's professional sound environments, including a tour of Sony Pictures Entertainment mixing facilities, a 360 Reality Audio demonstration at Sony Audio's primary LA studio hub, and a walkthrough of Sony Music Entertainment studio spaces.
"Creators are at the center of everything we do," says Jun Makino, Vice President, Personal Entertainment Business, Sony Corporation of America. "Programs like the Larrabee Studios Creator Series give us an invaluable opportunity to work alongside creators, see firsthand how they make music, and understand what they need as their creative processes evolve. Those relationships and real-world insights help inform the next generation of tools and workflows we develop to support creators in bringing their ideas to life."
For Marroquin and the team behind the Creator Series, the experience reflects a simple idea: talent may be everywhere, but access isn't. The Larrabee Studios Creator Series was created to help change that one room, one relationship, and one emerging creator at a time.
ABOUT LARRABEE SOUND STUDIOS
Larrabee Sound Studios has been a leader in the Los Angeles music industry for more than 50 years, earning a reputation as one of the world's premier recording and mixing facilities.
Originally founded on Larrabee Street in West Hollywood, the studio evolved under the Mills family and later Kevin Mills. In 1991, Larrabee North (today's Larrabee Sound Studios) was established in North Hollywood and became home to landmark projects, including Michael Jackson's Dangerous.
Since then, its studios have welcomed artists including Beyoncé, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Bruno Mars, Adele, Taylor Swift, Dr. Dre, Rihanna, Maroon 5, and many more. Today, Larrabee continues to shape the sound of modern music while opening its doors to the next generation through the Creator Series. www.larrabeestudios.com/creatorseries
ABOUT MANNY MARROQUIN
Manny Marroquin is one of the most sought-after mixing engineers in the music industry, known for his genre-spanning versatility and commitment to serving the artist's vision. His credits include Bruno Mars, The Rolling Stones, Alicia Keys, Imagine Dragons, Lizzo, Kanye West, Rihanna, John Legend, and Christina Aguilera, among many others. Across his career, Marroquin has contributed to more than 40 #1 albums, 100 Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, and 12 #1 singles on the Hot 100, earning 18 Grammy Awards. www.mannymarroquin.com
ABOUT SONY CORPORATION
Sony Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and is responsible for the Entertainment, Technology & Services (ET&S) business. With the mission to "create the future of entertainment through the power of technology together with creators," Sony aims to continue delivering Kando to people around the world.
Kando is a Japanese word that roughly describes the sense of awe and emotion experienced when encountering something beautiful and amazing for the first time. sony.com
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