Inside Hofstra University’s New Music Recording Studio

Hempstead, NY (November 10, 2025)—Located just outside of New York City on Long Island, Hofstra University’s Music Business program has gained a strong reputation for preparing students to work in all segments of the industry. Now it’s building on that momentum with the new Hofstra Music Recording Studio, which opened in Spring 2025.

Nearly three years in the making, the two-room facility was a team effort, conceived by Terry Tompkins, Music Business Program Coordinator and Associate Professor of Music Business; designed by Andy Swerdlow of New Providence, N.J.-based Criterion Acoustics; built by the University’s Physical Plant group; and equipped under the guidance of Kenyatta Beasley, Assistant Professor of Music (Production and Technology).

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Previously used as a keyboard lab, the two rooms on the lower level of Monroe Hall underwent a radical transformation that saw the ceilings raised, HVAC re-routed, storage created, acoustics treated and more. “It’s a balance—you want to build a professional, real studio, but it has to be an educational space as well,” Beasley explained. “We didn’t want a bunch of students graduating who only worked in-the-box.”

With that in mind, the facility pointedly co-mingles the virtual and the physical so that students who might be used to software emulations of classic equipment can get hands-on with the real thing. The control room centers around a 32-channel SSL Origin console and backs that up with a credenza packed with industry-standard outboard units from Manley, Avalon, Rupert Neve Designs, Empirical Labs, API, Universal Audio and others.

The mic locker is similarly kitted out with familiar offerings from Audio-Technica, sE Electronics, AEA, Neumann, Royer and more.

Elsewhere, Neumann and Kali Audio speakers dot the room, and there’s an EAW P.A. for when it’s time to get that pounding club sound. Dolby Atmos immersive monitoring is likely to be added in the near future.

Creating the studio was a top priority for Tompkins, who came to Hofstra ideally suited for running the Music Business program, having done everything from working as a musician and managing bands to booking festivals and doing A&R at Columbia Records, where he signed John Legend. Taking advantage of its proximity to the Big Apple, the program has landed students in key internships, built a faculty with notable track records at the major labels and seen its enrollment jump from 25 to 150 students in just eight years. Now equipped with the new studio, the program aims to make further inroads into music production.

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“The music department as a whole has an amazing faculty that really cares about the students and is fully invested in the work that they do,” says Tompkins. “That commitment shines through. We’re passionate about it!”