ABOUT

David Ivory is a Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum recording engineer, producer, studio owner, and music industry entrepreneur whose work bridges Philadelphia’s legendary Sound of Philadelphia studio tradition and the city’s modern neo-soul and hip-hop movement. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Ivory has helped shape influential recordings while mentoring the next generation of music creators.

Ivory began his career as an entrepreneur, founding Iris Sound Studios in 1984, a distinctive geodesic-dome recording complex in the Philadelphia region. The studio quickly became a creative hub for both regional and international artists, hosting sessions with legendary performers including Bo Diddley, Brazilian jazz master Airto Moreira, Essra Mohawk, and numerous Philadelphia musicians. In 1989, Iris Sound was honored with Studio of the Year, recognizing its growing influence on the regional recording scene.

Following the success of Iris Sound, Ivory spent the next decade working as an independent producer and engineer at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, one of the most influential recording studios in music history and the birthplace of the “Sound of Philadelphia.” During this period, he engineered several landmark recordings, including The Roots’ Do You Want More?!!!??!, Illadelph Halflife, and the Grammy-winning Things Fall Apart, along with Erykah Badu’s groundbreaking debut Baduizm and Kindred the Family Soul’s Rhythm of Life.

Throughout his career, Ivory has collaborated with a wide range of influential artists, including Cassandra Wilson, Rufus Harley, Jill Scott, Sweetback, De La Soul, and many other artists who helped shape the modern Philadelphia music scene.

Ivory’s work also extends into rock, where he produced Philadelphia band Silvertide for J Records, arranging, producing, and co-writing material for their debut release American Excess. He also played a key role in discovering and developing Pennsylvania rock band Halestorm, guiding the group to a signing with Atlantic Records in 2006, before they went on to become Grammy Award winners.

A member of the Recording Academy for more than 25 years, Ivory served as President of the Philadelphia Chapter and later as a National Trustee for two terms, representing music creators at the national level.

Today, Ivory continues producing while serving as Director of the Sound Recording and Music Technology Program within the Mass Media Studies and Production Department at Montgomery County Community College, where he oversees the program and teaches advanced music production in the college’s state-of-the-art SSL Dolby Atmos mixing facility, a $2-million immersive audio studio complex he helped design to prepare students for the future of music production.