I was just told I have to call tomorrow to talk to the general manager and that I couldn't rectify what should have been a simple situation tonight. When I went to pay for my room I told them to add the balance to the card on file. So I got a receipt which says the total amount I expected to pay. I didn't think twice about it until I saw that I had been charge the deposit PLUS the full amount. Easy mistake right? I called thinking I'd point it out and that'd be the end of it. Nope. I was put on hold for a long time to listen to a terrible soprano sax "on hold" version of "My Favorite Things" only to be told that was their policy unless requested... WHAT? First of all, I did request when I went to pay and second of all who makes that policy that if you don't ask for whats rightfully yours we can take it??? I have never been so shocked by a policy that is basically stealing. There are so many less crowded rehearsal and recording spaces in NYC without staff constantly in the way in the hallway moving equipment around, better sound proofing, a higher lever of taste and comfort and often even cheaper rates that didn't take money right out of my pocket. With a 10 plus year career in creating touring shows, working in music departments on Broadway, and producing high profile recordings, I will be taking my business elsewhere, unless something is done about this when I talk to the general manager I was so rudely pointed in the direction of tonight. I can't believe this guy didn't want to help a customer with such an obvious problem. And as for their "we double charge you unless you ask us not to" policy. That's doing some pretty terrible business in my opinion. Please take your business to UltraSound Studios, Funkadelic, or Michiko. read more

May band members and I are very satisfied with Smash Studios. We book rehearsal time fairly regularly. The staff is very accommodating, which is great. We feel like they know us and are rooting for us to succeed. There are some technical challenges from time to time and sound from other sessions does bleed on occasion, but, overall, Smash is our first choice for rehearsals. read more

Decent spaces but staff is terrible. My band booked this space a dozen times before we had to cancel a session. We gave more than 24h notice and told them we would rebook next week but they still refused to refund. They also charge you more if you use a credit card because of "tax" as they explained to me. No need to hide the fact that they evade their taxes I suppose! Alas, we will take our business elsewhere. read more

i love this place. friendly and professional people and beautiful studios. currently renovating the hallways but i'm sure it will be all nice and clean soon. read more

I've been to Smash a few times so far, as well as a few other rehearsal studios in the area with my band. We all agree that Smash is by far the best value. The rooms are completely set up for the artist, they have gear you actually want to use, and it always works. The AC is also a plus. The guys that work there are cool and always willing to help you out. read more

This place is great. Service is excellent - they are always super helpful in setting up - and everything is in great working order. Friendly and helpful and they know their stuff. Sound quality is excellent and the 3 hours for the price of 2 is a really fantastic incentive. Time flies at Smash - thanks guys! See you soon! read more

My band recorded a four song EP this past week. We play Rock. This was my second recording experience at Smash this past year. I also recorded a single with some friends for a side project this past winter. I have been a client of Smash Studios for well over 20 years, since the early 1990's. I've been around and recorded quite a bit, too. Smash has always provided me and my various bands and projects with great service and scheduling for rehearsals as well. They also have some of the best recording equipment and gear and truly try to cater to a band's needs. My band is a simple Rock n Roll power trio setup with guitar, bass, drums with two vocalists. Our songs were road tested and well rehearsed prior to going into the studio to record (which is my preferred method before laying down tracks because I like to get them as close to a professional production in a very indie manner). As such, we had a game plan of how to divide our time (we squeezed all this into a four hour block; a very tight time frame) and knew exactly what we wanted out of the production. This time out, Ariel, was our engineer. He took the time to understand the band's goals and sound and worked quickly and efficiently setting up our sound in the studio. We were able to set up and mic all the instruments as needed rather quickly after a dry run of two takes. We encouraged him to offer his recommendations, which we were open to- always good to have another ear- and was very helpful in what he suggested sonically, and in the production mix. He was also pretty sharp using pro-tools equipment. (Considering the records I made using older media of analog and digital tape, cutting, pasting and splicing was easy and quick by comparison; pro-tools didn't leave me too cold as earlier versions of computer mixes had in the past.) Craig and the regular staff at Smash are always cool and very hospitable. As far as our recording experience, our demo sounds really good. We were able to lay down the basic tracks live for the music and had time to overdub vocals and backup vox to our liking. I was very pleased with our mix; the sound was well balanced and everything we need was on our raw tracks. We probably needed an extra hour or two to get the post production mix down more to our liking. Still, we left with a very solid EP which will serve as a demo for our band's web page (our goal for the record). A five hour block should get a polished and professional band an easy demo, a single or a quick EP cut. The rate for the recording ($75/hr) is certainly fair considering the level of equipment, expertise and convenience. I'd recommend going for one of their recording specials for block recording time (get on their e-mail d-list!). Rest assured knowing many professional and well-known acts record here as well. I'm at Smash rehearsing enough to have bumped into the entourages of some pretty familiar national touring and recording acts. I'd like to thank Clay, management and all the staff at Smash for another great record. Thank you for continuing to hold the torch of NYC Rock N Roll high into the future! Elliot, Double Birds https://www.facebook.com/doublebirdstotheworld/ read more

I usually have a pretty good experience here. I don't do any recording and it's just a small group so I can't comment much for those looking for something else. The staff is always friendly and the equipment seems a bit old but works well. On the couple of occasions where we've had equipment issues, they've replaced it right away. As others have commented there is a bit of noise pollution from other rooms but I've never been particularly upset with it. One thing that has bothered me about booking with Smash is that I have often been quoted inaccurate prices (including my most recent booking on 8/13/16). They have made the rates harder to find (I don't think they're on the website anymore) so it's not like I can double check either. I would suggest that they retrain the staff on peak vs off-peak hours, put the rates back on the website in a visible location, and if a staff member quotes the wrong price, own up to the mistake and honor the quoted price. read more

HORRIBLE!! I booked space with this studio thinking to try new rehearsal space in the city. They asked for my credit card info on the phone to secure a "deposit." I gave them my info, believing that they would only use it if I authorized them to do so. The week of rehearsal approached and I became sick. I called them the morning before and told them I had to cancel. They said no and that they had sent an email stating that they required 48 hours notice. I got the email, but had not seen the part about cancelling that was way below the confirmation. I tried to suck it up and go the next day, but was so sick I did not even have a voice. I emailed them and told them that there was no way i could rehearse that night and that they were not authorized to charge me for the space, given that I had given them 31 hours notice and had no control over my health. I was charged not only a $35 deposit, but also the $31 for the space I had cancelled well in advance. I called and asked it to be returned and they refused. I had to go into the bank while I am sick and file a claim against them. RIDICULOUS! I have never even heard of anything like this. There is plenty of nice and affordable rehearsal space in the city without unreasonable and immoral policies that enable managers to make unauthorized charges to your account and who will charge you for cancellations due to medical reasons 31 hours in advance. Trust me, DO NOT BOOK HERE! read more