Piano Recording Studio Near Albany NY
Three Steinway grand pianos, 30 minutes south of Albany International Airport.
One Soul Studios is a piano recording studio near Albany NY, located in the hamlet of New Baltimore — directly along the Hudson River, between Albany and the town of Hudson. The property covers six acres of woods at the edge of the New Baltimore Conservancy and the Scenic Hudson Land Trust.
Three Steinway grand pianos with distinct voices. A tracking room with a 22-foot ceiling designed around the acoustic demands of a concert grand. A dedicated piano technician. Onsite lodging for sessions that run longer than a day. For musicians in the Capital Region, the drive is 30 minutes.
Three Steinway Pianos, Three Tonal Characters
2005 Hamburg Steinway D
A modern concert grand with exceptional projection and a broad dynamic range. Before arriving at the studio, this piano served as the principal concert instrument in Lausanne, Switzerland. Radu Lupu, Martha Argerich, and Hélène Grimaud have all performed on it. The tonal range spans from extreme delicacy to full orchestral-level power.
1904 New York Steinway B
A Golden Age instrument from the Queens factory in New York. The character is intimate — warm, harmonically dark, and suited to the kind of close-mic recording where subtlety matters. The sound is closely associated with the work of Bill Evans.
1883 Centennial Steinway D
Among the rarest Steinways still in playing condition. Built between 1875 and 1884 for the 1876 Philadelphia World’s Fair. Rebuilt for this studio, it carries a dry, period-specific tone suited to the repertoire of Couperin and Scarlatti.
An appointment can be arranged to visit the studio, play all three, and select an instrument before the session.
The Tracking Room
The main room measures 32 by 24 feet. The ceiling reaches 22 feet at the highest point. Quadratic Residue Diffusers, Helmholtz absorbers, and acoustic polarization keep the frequency response balanced across the spectrum. The decay time sits at approximately 0.8 seconds — enough resonance to let a Steinway’s sustain develop naturally, enough clarity for the player to feel connected to every note.
Three isolation booths connect to the main room, allowing ensemble recording with clean separation and unbroken sightlines between players. A variable acoustic system adjusts how live or damped the room sounds from session to session. Climate control runs year-round to keep all three pianos stable regardless of the Capital Region’s seasonal shifts.
Onsite Lodging in New Baltimore
The studio functions as a residential facility. Three bedrooms — two queen, one full — and a fully equipped private kitchen are available for artists staying on multi-day sessions. The arrangement removes the need for a hotel and keeps the work and the rest in the same place.
The property sits at the edge of protected land along the Hudson River. A kayak launch is five minutes away on foot. Hiking trails begin one mile east through the Scenic Hudson Land Trust. For musicians flying into Albany International, the studio is one drive from the terminal — no second stop, no separate accommodation to arrange.
Getting Here
853 Route 144, New Baltimore NY 12124 USA
- Albany (downtown) — 30 to 35 minutes by car
- Albany International Airport (ALB) — 30 minutes
- Schenectady — 40 minutes
- Troy — 35 minutes
- Saratoga Springs / Skidmore College — 45 minutes
- Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson) — 1 hour south
- Berkshires / Williams College / Tanglewood — approximately 1.5 hours east
- New York City — 2.5 hours
- Boston — 2.5 hours
What Artists Say
Frequently asked questions
How far is the studio from downtown Albany?
Approximately 30 to 35 minutes by car, south on Route 144 along the Hudson River. Albany International Airport is the same distance.
Is onsite parking available?
Yes. The property is a six-acre wooded estate with parking directly onsite. There is no city parking to manage.
Can the studio accommodate ensemble sessions?
Yes. The tracking room connects to three isolation booths that provide separation while maintaining visual contact between all players. A vintage Ludwig drum kit, a Pearl Pro Export kit, two congas, and a set of timbales are available onsite.
Which piano is best for my project?
Each of the three Steinways has a different character. An appointment can be arranged to visit the studio and play all three before the session date, so the choice can be made in person.
Is there a piano technician on call?
Yes. Bobby Avey is the studio’s dedicated technician and tone master. Tuning, voicing, and regulation are handled before each session and adjusted as needed during the work.
