The reasonability to design and build the studio was given to Howard Weiss, with the design brief of: Ed wants a room where “we could make records;” a place he could use at any hour and not be concerned with disturbing anyone.
The name “5150” comes from California law enforcement code for a mentally unstable person (a possible danger to themselves or others). Van Halen picked the name as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the creative chaos and craziness that often accompanies the musical process.
Eddie built the studio in 1983. It was intended to give the band an independent recording space, free from time and financial constraints associated with traditional recording studios. The band recorded all of their albums from “1984” onwards there.
The studio has been equipped with high-quality recording equipment, and has been gradually updated over the years. The control room at 5150 has been equipped with a variety of vintage and modern recording gear, and the studio itself has been noted for its warm, live-sounding rooms.
Despite Eddie Van Halen’s passing in October 2020, 5150 Studios remains a symbol of his creative genius and dedication to music. It was a place where Van Halen, along with his bandmates and other musicians, could experiment and push the boundaries of rock music.
The studios initial gear list included two Teletronix LA-2As. four UREI 1176s, EMT 140 stereo plate reverb, MXR Digital Delay, Quantec Room Simulator, Lexicon Prime Time and Super Prime Time digital delays, two UREI 550 filters, eight Valey People Kepex gates, Pultec PEQ 1 equalizers and gear was constantly upgraded over the years.
The studio was built around a UREI 24/12 console that was heavily refurbished for the task, an Ampex MM 1200 24 Track analogue tape machine, with an Ampex ATR 800 and ATR 100 two track mastering tape machines.
The first album to emerge from the 5150 Studio was Van Halen’s 1984 release, 1984, including the smash hit Jump. The band imploded shortly after this time, and brought in Sammy Hagar to replace David Lee Roth, and together in the 5150 Studio, they created their next masterpiece, the album named after the studio, 5150 (released in 1986), featuring the smash hits Why Can’t This Be Love, Love Walks In, and Best Of Both Worlds.
