Robert Orbach leaning on the Vine St-facing wall mural of Gold Star Recording Studios

GOLD STAR RECORDING STUDIOS

Founded by David S. Gold and Stan Ross in October 1950, Gold Star Recording Studios was located at 6252 Santa Monica Boulevard near the corner of Vine Street in Hollywood.

The studio name was a combination of the names of the two owners -- (Dave) GOLD and STA(n) R(oss). Gold Star started out as a demo studio but quickly started doing master recordings for record labels.

The studio was renowned for its unique custom-designed recording equipment and for its unrivaled echo chambers, designed and built by Gold.

Stan Ross at the mixing console of Gold Star's studio A during a session for Sonny & Cher's 1965 album "Look At Us"

The "Star" of the show

STAN ROSS

Stanley Herbert Ross was born Dec. 15, 1928, in New York City to Irving and Anna Rosenthal. At 15, he moved to Los Angeles, where his father worked as an electrician in Hollywood.

While earning his diploma at Fairfax High School, Stan got a job at the renowned Electro-Vox Recording Studios and spent about four years learning from recording pioneer Bert B. Gottschalk.

“Stan was born with a musical ear,” said David Gold, “he would come up with ideas for people who were recording, things that had never been tried before.”

Dave Gold smiling with the record cutting lathe he built for Gold Star

The Sound of "Gold"

DAVE GOLD

Recording technology wiz David S. Gold personally designed and hand-crafted the recording technology on which the classic Gold Star and ‘Wall of Sound’ recordings were recorded.

But perhaps Dave’s most influential achievement was Gold Star’s legendary “perfect” echo chambers. Years of research and experimentation would culminate in a chamber that was miles ahead of what any other recording studio in the world could offer, and the chambers quickly became a favorite of legendary artists and producers, such as Phil Spector, Sonny Bono, Herb Alpert and Brian Wilson.

Stan and Dave smiling together with their original custom Gold Star satin jackets at the Grammy Museum