Criterion 3. Area and shape.
Don’t choose a large rehearsal hall if you only have one or two guitars with a combo amp. Large halls are designed for surround sound, and your instruments will simply “get lost” in them. A large hall or room is larger than 20 square meters and is designed for massive speakers, if you want “steaks” (…), but only at medium volumes, good, tight bass, and high-quality drums with drumheads of a certain thickness and grain. For a beginning mini-band, rooms from 9 to 12 square meters are suitable. However, the shape of the room can and should vary. It’s important to understand that in a square room, instruments need to be arranged slightly differently than, for example, in an oblong or semicircular room. But that’s not the point here. Let’s move on.
Criterion 4. Reviews.
It’s also helpful to check the website (if they have one; a good studio should, in fact) for reviews about the studio’s work, conditions, staff attitude, etc. (Personally, I rarely look at reviews, as I like to communicate directly and form my own opinion about the person or the services offered).
Criterion 5. Options.
Many recording spots offer not only the opportunity to rehearse, but also to record your music, chat with a sound engineer who specializes in your style, listen to other bands, meet new interesting people, and make friends. You can also find a makeup artist, sound or lighting specialist, screenwriter, poet, and other creative people there. As a bonus, having a coffee or playing a board game can also be enjoyable and help you spend time productively.
Criterion 6. Room/building acoustics.
Bands that ignore the acoustics of the rehearsal space risk recording a sound that’s completely out of character. You can rehearse together perfectly, without missing a single note and maintaining tempo and rhythm, but the overall picture will only be complete with properly selected room acoustics.
When playing electric instruments, it’s best to choose a room with sound-absorbing decor. Classical string instruments will sound best in spaces similar to philharmonic halls. Wind instruments are quite loud and require space upward, not to the sides. Jazz or blues utilize a wide range of sounds, comparable to a symphony orchestra, so for these genres, it’s best to choose a wide and tall room and let the music fill the hall. Rock and metal are accented by the drum kit, and the best acoustics for them are long, low frequencies and short, high frequencies that seem to “melt” into the air.
Checking the acoustics is easy. Remember how children rejoice when they clap their hands in an empty hall or room, and when the fluttering sound of an echo or fading reverberation reaches them. Similarly, when you first come to inspect a room, clap your hands, follow the sound, listen to the intonation, and determine the acoustics. If you like it, if this auditory dialogue resonates with you, then you can make a decision.
But that’s not all!
to be continued…
