Al Houghton first opened Dubway Studios in the infamous Music Building across from the Port Authority Bus Station in the mid-eighties. Word quickly spread about the lone engineer in a tiny studio who conjured up amazing sounds using only one blown speaker and a beat-up four-track. In the thirty years hence, Al’s culture of client rapport, creative input, and technical excellence have been imprinted on a studio that is an oasis of talent, experience, and expertise. Having expanded through two facilities, the third and most versatile home of Dubway Studios now houses an entire staff of creative, collaborative experts who look forward to bringing your project to life.
After a decade in a band’s rehearsal room (a former button warehouse in Hell’s Kitchen), Al moved to Chelsea, enlisting Chris Bowman to implement a beautiful studio build-out, with architect John Storyk’s expertise. Dubway evolved from a one-man operation to a staffed enterprise and Al partnered with Mike Crehore (a fellow Music Building denizen) shortly afterwards. The following 14 years saw Dubway expand into TV, film, audio books, remote recordings, and crystallized the ethic and creativity of the original shop into a breeding ground of talent and camaraderie.
In 2011, Dubway moved to its current downtown location, with an expanded live room for ensemble tracking. Mike Crehore took construction of the new Main Floor studios in hand, focusing 25 years of studio and building experience into an ergonomic and versatile multi-room experience. Moving a studio is no simple task, but thanks to Dubway’s ever-energized, stalwart, and resourceful crew, we did it. (This time, more challenging than the half a dozen sweltering July trips in Jim Santo’s van that got Dubway from Hell’s Kitchen to Chelsea - but just as exciting). Then, in 2019, Dubway expanded into the LA studio market, opening Dubway West, with Dubway engineer Chris Montgomery leading the facility. The studio is home to a beautifully restored Audient console and has already hosted high-profile recordings by major artists, with much more to come.
As Dubway expands more deeply into the media arts, including games, apps, and educational tools, the smarties there continue to keep Dubway’s core of care and creativity vibrant.