Industry news & advice blog

Welcome to the first instalment of our blog series through The Unsigned Guide’s partnership with legendary recording studio Strongroom in Shoreditch (who are offering a massive 50% discount - full details here!). So let's hand over to Strongroom's Bookings Manager, Ella Harris, who presents a cheat-sheet for you to maximise every studio experience.


Whether you’ve been recording in studios for years or you’re planning your first session, hopefully this handy Top 5 list can provide some information on how to not only help make the booking process go smoothly but also help you get the most out of your session:


1. Rehearse
Now this might seem a tad obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people turn up to their session unrehearsed and unprepared. The better you know your tracks, the more time and money you’ll save. What’s more, you’ll also have a much less frustrating session! No one is expecting perfection but I promise you that you won’t regret that extra rehearsal!

Work out what you’ll realistically be able to rehearse enough to be studio-ready and then you can move on to planning.


2. Plan
You’re rehearsed. You’re ready. So what’s next? You need a plan. What is it that you’re wanting to achieve during your time in the studio? When you send your first email to enquire about studio time, let us know what your goal is! We receive an awful lot of “I’d like to book some studio time” emails. Ok, for what?!

If you’ve got an idea of what you’d like to achieve, how much your budget is, and any particular dates that would work for you include all of that in the email. We will use all of that juicy info to advise what will help you achieve that goal.


3. Ask Questions
The biggest piece of advice we can give you is that if you’re uncertain about something, then just ask! It’s that simple.

We love showing people around Strongroom. If you’d like to come and visit our studio before you make a booking then let us know and we can give you a tour to get a feeling for the place, answer any questions to help you feel as comfortable as possible before your session!


4. Listen
Following on quite closely to asking question is a pretty crucial one – it’s a good idea to listen to our advice!

For example, if you send us an email saying that you’re wanting to record an entire EP with a full band in a 10hr session, and we reply saying that we advise that you’re going to need more time than that, you can rest assured that it’s because you’ll need more time! As a studio, we want you to not only have a great time during your session, but we also want you to get everything done and be happy with the results.


5. Let Us Know About You
When you book a session with us, we try and match you with a member (or members) of our Engineer Team that are going to best suit your music. So when you email us it’s great to include a link to any previously recorded music (whether it be a demo track or you playing live) to give us an idea of your vibe.

You can also send us links to your socials to give us a better idea of who you are. Sounding a bit like we’re setting you up on a date?! It is a bit like that. We want to make sure that everyone on your session is as comfortable and relaxed as possible so everyone not only has a great time, but also so that you get the best results.