The building at 2323 Corinth Avenue in West Los Angeles was originally constructed in the 1960s as a light industrial dairy processing plant. Its reinforced concrete structure provided structural integrity, natural acoustic isolation, and thermal control. Bank of America later acquired the facility to house mainframe computer servers, relying on the building's thick walls and heavy-duty infrastructure for operational security.

In 1978, the management team for Earth, Wind & Fire purchased the property to serve as headquarters for Maurice White’s American Recording Company (ARC) and its distribution venture with CBS Records.White partnered with audio engineer, producer, and parametric EQ inventor George Massenburg to design and manage the custom facility, originally known as George Massenburg / ARC before becoming The Complex. Massenburg designed the control rooms to precise acoustic specifications, making it a true reference-listening environment.Inside these control rooms, Massenburg hand-built his three legendary GML Nova 8700 analog mixing consoles and developed his prototype GML parametric EQs, compressors, and high-end outboard hardware. Driven by GML technology, the facility became a home base for classic records by Earth, Wind & Fire, Weather Report, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Prince, Quincy Jones, and Lionel Richie.

During the 1980s, the facility expanded vertically by adding a second story to house specialized music industry tenants. Among them was Joe Gastwirt’s Mastering Lab, which operated upstairs in what is now the main conference room.Between 1987 and 1991, Grammy-winning producer/engineer Greg Ladanyi (Fleetwood Mac, Don Henley, Toto, Jackson Browne) joined as a collaborator and co-founder of the studio operations alongside George Massenburg. Together, they produced and engineered defining hits for artists including Fleetwood Mac (Behind the Mask), Don Henley (Building the Perfect Beast), Jeff Healey (See the Light), and The Church (Under the Milky Way).During this era, historical writing and tracking sessions also took place with Brian Wilson and Andy Paley, alongside collaboration visits from Maurice White. Following ARC's tenure, the studio transitioned through independent ownership, including international investments from Japanese entertainment groups.The Complex Studios today retains one of the Nova 8700s, still in use and available for ADR/VO and Mixing work in our Studio B. During the 80’s, The Complex added a second story to house a collection of music-related tenants, among them Joe Gastwirt’s mastering lab, which resided in what is now our upstairs conference room. It continued for a while to crank out gold records before ARC eventually sold the building to a succession of independent owners, including the first of three star-struck Japanese groups.

Inside the Control Room: George Massenburg at The Complex (1981)
This historic frame captures a young George Massenburg inside the main control room at The Complex during the studio’s prime era. Filmed in 1981—during the mid-to-late recording sessions for Earth, Wind & Fire’s Raise! album—this footage captures the facility right as the main control room layout was being completed and brought fully operational under the ARC/The Complex name.

In this iconic documentary segment, Massenburg offers a rare look into his role in shaping the studio's technical identity:

Custom Equipment Development: Standing beside the console and outboard racks, Massenburg discusses engineering custom audio hardware specifically tailored to meet the exacting technical standards demanded by Maurice White and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Acoustic Engineering: Massenburg details the intentional design of the control room’s acoustics, emphasizing a pristine reference-monitoring environment that allowed engineers to hear every detail without room distortion.

Creative Collaboration with Maurice White: He highlights his technical and creative partnership with Maurice White, explaining how the state-of-the-art facility granted artists absolute freedom to experiment with complex, multi-layered arrangements.

Origins of GML Gear: The rack equipment visible directly behind Massenburg showcases prototype GML (George Massenburg Labs) hardware—including the legendary GML 8200 parametric EQs and early 8300 preamps—being built, tested, and integrated directly into the facility's main racks.

About Greg Ladanyi — Producer, Engineer & Co-Founder of Studio OperationsAround 1980, Grammy-winning engineer Greg Ladanyi expanded his career into record production. Over the next decade, he became one of the most sought-after producer/engineers in rock music. He co-produced, engineered, and mixed Don Henley’s acclaimed first two solo albums, I Can't Stand Still (1982) and Building the Perfect Beast (1984), and co-produced Fleetwood Mac’s 1990 album Behind the Mask. At the 1983 Grammy Awards, Ladanyi won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical for his work on Toto IV.

In 1984, Ladanyi married Laura Grayson-Ladanyi. From 1987 to 1991, he served as a key collaborator and studio co-founder alongside George Massenburg at The Complex Studios on Corinth Avenue in West Los Angeles.

During his tenure at The Complex and throughout his career, Ladanyi worked with a diverse roster of iconic global artists—co-producing and engineering tracks for Fleetwood Mac, The Jeff Healey Band (See the Light), The Church (Under the Milky Way), REO Speedwagon, Clannad, Caifanes, Jaguares, and Engenheiros do Hawaii, alongside several prominent Japanese acts. He continued working internationally under Ladanyi Entertainment and later Maple Jam Music Group, producing records around the globe throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
Source Article: alchetron.com

When Maurice White and George Massenburg founded the facility at 2323 Corinth Avenue, they originally named it "The Complex"—a name reflecting their vision of a multi-faceted creative hub housing recording, rehearsing, and media production under one roof.Over the decades, as the facility evolved from a pure record-making center into a multi-stage video, post-production, and broadcast hub, the name naturally updated to "The Complex Studios".To Avoid Confusion: This historic West Los Angeles production facility at 2323 Corinth Avenue should not be confused with an unrelated Hollywood theater and rehearsal building that operated under a similar name. The Corinth Avenue property remains the true, original home built by Maurice White and George Massenburg, featuring two full Green Screen Sound Stages and legendary audio control rooms.

In the 1990s, as the recording landscape shifted, The Complex expanded its focus into music rehearsals, commercial sound design, and major-film and television ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement).Television & Animation: The studio served as a primary voiceover and ADR recording hub for The Simpsons during its iconic prime run, alongside shows like King of the Hill and Sesame Street.Film Score & Soundtrack Work: Voice, dialogue, and soundtrack work for major motion pictures were tracked here, including The Lion King, Star Trek, Austin Powers, Romeo + Juliet, That Thing You Do!, and The Last of the Mohicans.A-List Talent: High-profile figures who worked in the facility during this era include Tom Hanks, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Harrison Ford, and George Clooney.

In 1999, the property was acquired by its current ownership group, LATV, LLC, encompassing broadcast television networks and a turnkey production arm for digital video and sound engineering.

Today, The Complex Studios operates as a full-service production and post-production facility:Audio Post & Preservation: Studio B retains one of the three original GML Nova 8700 consoles built by George Massenburg. Kept operational in its original room, it remains available for mixing, voiceover, ADR, and specialized audio production.Sound Stages & Video Production: The facility features two full Green Screen Sound Stages with wall cycloramas, complete with production packages for Satellite Media Tours (SMT), commercial video shoots, live television, webcasts, music videos, and independent film productions.

STUDIO B
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People in the Photograph
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Left (seated on console edge): George Massenburg, legendary audio engineer, producer, parametric EQ inventor, and studio co-founder.
Center (seated in tank top): David Foster, hit songwriter, producer, and keyboardist who co-wrote tracks like "After the Love Has Gone" with Maurice White.
Right (seated with glass): Maurice White, founder and leader of Earth, Wind & Fire and co-founder of ARC / The Complex.

History & Context
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Timeframe: 1981 (during the May–September recording sessions).

Background: The photo captures the high-profile production team behind Earth, Wind & Fire’s hit album Raise! (released in October 1981).

Significance: Taken inside Studio A (now Studio B) at 2323 Corinth Ave, this shot captures the facility operating under its early ARC / George Massenburg Studio banner. In the photo, David Foster holds up an official session tracking sheet at Massenburg's newly built custom GML console alongside Maurice White, showcasing the historic collaboration that produced multi-platinum records at the complex.