standard of rehearsal rooms

[Roger2611]

We have used Parlour Studios in Kettering for the last couple of weeks, first day, there was not lead to the left speaker and the right speaker had a blown driver, so pretty useless, we had to borrow gear from an empty room just to be able to rehearse.

2nd day they had replaced the speakers and got the PA working properly but the mic leads were both playing up, fortunately we had brought our own mic's and leads which was usefull as one of the mic's was trashed as well.

We are in again tomorrow, so we will see what we gat then, I haven't bothered trying any of the bass cabs provided as I assume they will have blown speakers!

We pay a lot of money to use these places, I know gear gets damaged but I think they should make more effort to ensure equipment works when bands arrive to rehearse

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1426893767' post='2723315']
What, already? Does that mean we're one of the last bands to play in Denmark Street?
[/quote]

No! They're demolishing the tatty block behind the North side of Denmark Street, including Enterprise Studios and part of the 12 Bar Club. Most of the North side is not affected, and the South side won't be touched.

The Alley Cat survives to service another generation of puzzled Japanese tourists.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1426938009' post='2723657']
We pay a lot of money to use these places, I know gear gets damaged but I think they should make more effort to ensure equipment works when bands arrive to rehearse
[/quote]

Well there's the problem in a nutshell. Actually we DON'T pay a lot of money. Most of these studios charge very low rates at peak and next to nothing the rest of the time. The bands come in and trash the place, the toilets, and the equipment, and then complain when it's not all as new the next time they turn up.

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and work out how much it would cost YOU to set up and run a rehearsal facility. Then factor in getting £10 per hour for each room at peak hours, but having to supply everything all day long.

No one is getting rich out of this.

[discreet]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1426938684' post='2723671']
No! They're demolishing the tatty block behind the North side of Denmark Street, including Enterprise Studios and part of the 12 Bar Club. Most of the North side is not affected, and the South side won't be touched. The Alley Cat survives to service another generation of puzzled Japanese tourists.
[/quote]

Thank God for that! Puzzling Japanese tourists with obscure Indie music is a tradition that needs supporting! I'm guessing I won't see you at the Alley Cat again though, Jack... and frankly you won't see me there again either, so it's all good!

Edited March 21, 2015 by discreet

[Mcgiver69]

Don't know you guys but the more rehearsal rooms I visit the more appealing Jamhub looks. Have a friend in the US that got one for his band and haven't looked back since.

I'm planing to get one soon, can't stand all the rehearsal rooms in my area. If the sound is not appalling then it's the equipment that is crap or a combination of both and resist to pay for a "full equipped room" only for me to need to bring my gear and get billed in the process.

No way Ramon! or it was Jose???

[Johnm93]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1426852661' post='2722695']
Anyone know of a good rehearsal room (pa only) situated somewhere between KT10 (elmbridge, esher area) and the west side of Croydon ?
[/quote]

Have you tried Rock Bottom in West Croydon...?

[Marvin]

Options are severely limited where I live. My band is lucky at the moment to have a slot at a decently priced place. The problem is though that it's not being maintained and it's only be open a year. Other bands leave ttheir gear there and treat the floor like an open bin.

There's only one other dedicated studio in the area, it's not easy to get to and only open 2 nights a week.

[spectoremg]

I thought for years there wasn't any cleaning gear allowed in rehearsal rooms? A lot of them are unnecessarily sh£thole-like.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Has anyone recommended Bell Percussion Studios in Acton yet? Excellent, very new facilities. http://www.bellperc.com/studios
(I'm not connected in any way except as a neighbour; I was invited purely by chance to their opening party a couple of months ago and saw the rooms and the equipment with my own eyes and camera.)

[Number6]

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1426959297' post='2724098']
Has anyone recommended Bell Percussion Studios in Acton yet? Excellent, very new facilities. http://www.bellperc.com/studios
(I'm not connected in any way except as a neighbour; I was invited purely by chance to their opening party a couple of months ago and saw the rooms and the equipment with my own eyes and camera.)
[/quote]

A bit too far to travel to regularly but i work a lot near Acton and Bollo Lane so may take a look.

[ras52]

I'm just back from my first trip to Music Room in New Cross: expecting the worse having read about some other places mentioned here, and I'm glad to say I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend it.

[kevin_lindsay]

Being based close to Glasgow, my band has been using Berkeley 2 studios for some time now. It's an absolute pleasure to play there.

14 large room- each one air conditioned, full PA and mikes.
Bass rigs - either Aguilar, EBS or Ashdown heads into Ampeg 8x10" cabs
Guitar - two Marshall half stacks
CD playback and recording facility included in each room.

£28 for 3 hours.

A couple of weeks ago Biffy Clyro were in the room next door to us.

http://www.berkeley2.co.uk/

Edited March 22, 2015 by kevin_lindsay

[stuckinthepod]

Ours has carpet, REAL CARPET. That is all.

It's a bit of a hole really, it the middle of nowhere. When I went for my audition with the band I texted my last known GPS coordinates to the wife.

[cheddatom]

I've tried most of the rooms around stoke, and they're generally pretty bad, however, my good friend and business partner Ant runs Riff Factory rehearsal rooms in stoke and the PAs are ace. Whether or not you like the bass rigs is obviously subjective, but the fact that it's clean, has a ladies loo, and decent, loud PAs, makes it better than everywhere else locally IMO

[pineweasel]

[quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1426931179' post='2723508']
Anyone in London used http://www.kafristudios.co.uk/ ? I'm going there next month and wondered what to expect.
[/quote]

Was in there last week. Purpose built rooms in a railway arch, has a slightly unfinished feel to it but the gear was good and all set up ready for us. Only downside is no decent boozer nearby.

[Rumple]

[quote name='pineweasel' timestamp='1427212394' post='2727277']
Was in there last week. Purpose built rooms in a railway arch, has a slightly unfinished feel to it but the gear was good and all set up ready for us. Only downside is no decent boozer nearby.
[/quote]

Well I'm not going there then I'll take a hip flask!

Joking aside thank you for the info.

[phil.c60]

We've been rehearsing at a new place in Hove: PA Studios. New rooms, new gear (for the most part) smart TV with Youtube in the rooms, and reasonable PA - new, and plenty big enough for rehearsal volumes for the size of the rooms. There is also a bigger room for those who'd like to bring all their own gear. Run by Phil a very nice guy, amenable and helpful. It was recommended to us, and I'd recommend it to anyone else.

[phil.c60]

Oh - not run by me, in case you were wondering he just happens to be Phil, too.

[subrob]

If anyone is interested in a shared permanent room/ lock up in central Manchester, drop me a message.

[Happy Jack]

Will music be involved at all?

[UglyDog]

I've sworn that I will never use a rehearsal room again. Too many shysters and grotty holes around for my liking. These days we rehearse in a nice village hall. Lots of tea and coffee ("you need to bring your own biscuits though"...) available in the kitchen, working heating, scrupulously clean bogs, and nowhere near 30 quid a night. Yes we have to take our own gear but in these days of lightweight kit it's not a big deal.

[synthaside]

In answer to the studios around Esher question , We rehearse here @ http://www.airplaystudios.co.uk/ which is pretty much Sunbury , its clean, the PA's are good they include 4 Mic's per room (shoddy mice stands ) . The bigger rooms have excellent Pa's and they guy who runs the place is a session drummer who set it up as a place to practice . Thus easy going and quite picky about the studio room kits , we use an electric one anyway.

The prices are tidy and parking ample and free. [b]They do not provide Amps/ backline, [/b]you can rent a less than fantastic rehearsal amp from the guy for 2 quid on top of your room charge, or do what i do and use the free storage to hide your Trace Elliott from the Mrs ;-).

[CamdenRob]

Mixed experiences last week with a couple more London studios.

Panic Studios in Acton was pretty ropey... ubiquitous ashdown piece of crap for the bass amp and crusty old guitar amps from various long dead manufacturers., also a less than fresh mouldy aroma throughout...

Other one was K Town studios in Kentish Town. Not bad really, Hartke Bass rigs, reasonable kit and PA and didn't smell of stale piss.. although it's apperantely owned by one of the guys that used to run enterprise so that may change.

[Lw.]

Rehearsed at a different from usual place in Reading last week (can't remember the name but it's a the ropey looking industrial estate between the station & the Rivermead Sports Center) - one of the guitar cabs only had 1 (of 4) speakers working, the drum kit slowly fell apart throughout the night & none of the knobs on the bass amp worked - all of them just span round & round without doing anything! It was moderately clean though so that's something - thankfully we're back to the usual place (Rhoom) which is ok if a little cold.

[pqs]

I have used Airplay in the past as well clean studios but no backline. What I did like about them is the on line booking would use them again if I was rehearsing local. There is also a studio opening in Feltham although not sure if it is advertising they just sent me a FB message as I used to be in a band with the drummer for a short time.