If I can't get a spot in a friends room at Muthers Studio for a rehearsal, then I'll come to Rich…read moreBitch. They've been going for almost thirty years, and they area pro set-up. If you are reading this and you are a Birmingham University student, you may be pleased to know that this legendary studio is tucked down an entry road off the Bristol road, not far from the Uni. A location that is outside of the city centre means you can hire a room for between £12.50 and £15.50 an hour. One is big enough to use as a (small) dance studio, and that's exactly what it's called. I've used that for rehearsals for theatre performances, and you might want to do the same. There are recording facilities here too. If you are making a music video, the studio also have a green screen room. There is an emphasis of Raaaawk! in here, but we are in Brum, so there's no surprise there. I'm mentioning that because if you are in a quieter band, you may have slight bleed between some of the rooms, but not so much that it impedes your session. The studios, foyer and all other areas at Rich Bitch are all beautifully lit with minimal decor making the studio a pleasure to be in. I think there is a woman's touch at play here! She might be Rich but she sure ain't no....

Another rehearsal studio that has been around longer than most musicians on the scene, Rich Bitch…read moreis tucked away behind Selly Oak's main drag. As a rehearsal rooms, it's pretty standardised, with the same bog standard amps and PAs you find in rehearsal rooms everywhere. There's various sized rooms with a varying price range to match, the cheapest being £12.50 an hour . I've never experienced any problems when using it, apart from it maybe being slightly less ventilated than I'd like. The equipment always seems to work, and the acoustics in whatever room we've ended up rehearsing in have always seemed quite good too. It has a recording studio too but I can't comment on that as I no nothing of it. Rich Bitch also gains extra points for being the only place in Selly Oak you can buy guitar strings - if you're a guitar player, you'll know how important that is.

Fazeley Park is a rehearsal space and recording studio in the heart of Digbeth. It is just a small…read more5 room place with rooms for bands to rent long term and one room dedicated as recording studio which could also double up as a social club with it's silver curtains and dingy lighting! It is run by musicians who have been a part of the Birmingham music scene for almost 20 years so they know what they are doing. While it doesn't have the facilities that a bigger studio might have you get a much more homely, personal vibe and if you record there you get a very distinct sound with the recordings, something that is becoming a trademark of the place among the garage rock and indie world. They also occasionally have private parties there as part of ColdRice which are also things of legends now too!

Oxygen Rooms offers the full package - rehearsal studios, an array of recording and production…read moreservices and hd video production services too. It's 30 quid an hour for recording and production, 200 quid for 8 hours and 8 pound for off-peak rehearsals. They have deals for the committed amongst you who want to devote a large chunk of hours to honing your 'riddims'. They have a lot of gear to lend for the unequipped amongst you too. It's a great quality studios for the dedicated musicians out there. You can get down and focus on producing some fine music at Oxygen knowing that nothing's been compromised on. A lot of established acts use Oxygen so that is confirmation that it is a bona fide studio.

Muthers, lock up your children, and make them record music!…read more On a back street in Digbeth lies a hidden gem at its gentrified core. Muthers Studio offers professional music recording at incredibly cheap prices. When I first walked in I was greeted by the friendly and knowledgeable Dave, who assisted me with the mastering of a new album from a friends band I help manage. The inside of the building was well decorated, yet it still maintained that industrial Digbeth feel that surrounds the area. The level of service was outstanding and the whole building had a great vibe. I could tell he knew what he was talking about because the tracks we recorded, mixed and mastered sounded like they were cut from Abbey Road. OK, I've never been to Abbey Road and I'm guessing it isn't as rough around the edges as the building that houses Muthers. Yet Muthers has a charm that can never be reproduced. A charm steeped in history and hard labour, now replaced by an over riding ethos of art and creativity The equipment they use at Muthers is top range (analogue and digital) They also have a bar that offers soft drinks, food and tea whilst you work/chill/relax (delete as appropriate). Some well known local bands can be seen walking in and out of their respective rooms, either using the facilities for recording or practising. I found that getting into conversation with the patrons of Muthers was a very easy task. When I left I had a whole network of contacts from the Birmingham music scene. These have since proved to be very useful in my music networking! ie going out on the razzle and chatting about bands for hours. Muthers is more than studios, the company and the building is an integral part of the music scene here in Birmingham. I have had great feedback from friends across the country that I have recommended Muthers to. The patrons of Muthers tend to come back again and again, I am now a regular and signed up to Yelp to spread the word for anyone out there that wants to record their own sounds into a professional and marketable format.

When I first moved to Birmingham, I was DJing most days of the week across a combination of bars…read moreand clubs throughout the city. From this, I took an interest in music production and started to study a course that taught me how to produce music. I was using Logic which is software that you can use on your mac. Although you can download a varied collection of beats, basslines and vocal samples, I wanted to create something fresh and new. I met a male vocalist who was into the same scene as I was, dance music. His voice was amazing and we started to write some lyrics. As we were both beginners, we didn't have any experience in recording. We came across Muthers Studio and they were really helpful from the moment we called them. We hired the studio for a few hours and recorded our new voice samples which were then mastered for us (at an additional cost) so we could add them to our track. Highly recommended.

A few years ago I was DJing most days of the week across a combination of bars and clubs throughout…read morethe city. From this, I took an interest in recording music. I met a male vocalist who was into the same scene as I was, dance music but wanted to create something different. We hooked with a band and started to write some lyrics. As we were both beginners, we didn't have any experience in recording. We came across Madhouse Rehearsal rooms and they were really helpful from the moment we called them. We hired the studio for a few hours and recorded our new track which were then mastered for us (at an additionall cost). Great experience and very popular with musicians in the city

Madhouse is one of the cleaner, more upmarket (if you've been to some of the less salubrious…read morefacilities around Brum, you'll know what I mean) rehearsal rooms in the city centre. The walls are lined with pictures of the owners posing with various rock glitterati and the rooms come equipped with Marshall amps. It's all very rock - as are a lot of the bands that rehearse there. I've used this studio several times over the years and always found it well-equipped and clean. I've also found it one of the more expensive places to rehearse, but you get what you pay for. They also sell strings and drumsticks to people not using the rooms, which is always handy when you're on your way to a gig and realise you need a high E or you've forgotten something.

I first heard about The Space in May of 2014 and knew that it would be a very cool venue for an…read moreevent. Looking around at the places in the city, I wanted to have a Launch event for #BrumHour at a creative and fresh venue. The owner, Chandeep has been a great champion of BrumHour, so it felt right that the venue would be the best host. I went down to The Space for the first time at the start of August 2014 and the three rooms vary a lot in size. However, they are all painted a brilliant white with high ceilings and huge windows to let a lot of natural light in. The main room is the carter room and can host around 50 people. When I came to host my event at the start of February 2015, I had 30 people and 5 tables with creative businesses from around Birmingham to share their project work on them. Chandeep was very clear about pricing, and timescales and this gave me a huge confidence boost that everything would run pretty smoothly. I hired the venue for 4 hours and used it for a 2 hour event including setup and going live. It can be used as a dance and drama rehearsal space, a creative gallery, a small theatre room or even a board room! Check out the website for more photos.

Amazing service. You know a great business when all the tiny details, from initial enquiry all the…read moreway through to completion are perfect. I am a really fussy bu**** and like things just so. I like businesses that go the extra mile. I like people who anticipate what will make my life easier. The Space scored massively on all these counts. So, we needed a small meeting room away from our busy office to strategize and plan. All our usual meeting options where full, other venues either couldn't be bothered responding or were to pricey or not quite right. Normally a local coffee shop or similar could fit the bill, but not for this kind of meeting. I knew of The Space through Twitter, as another Jewellery Quarter business, so I dropped them a line. I quick response confirmed everything I needed to know and prices where very competitive. Booking was super easy. We all arrived to be greeted by the helpful and friendly owner (I think) and shown around. Our room was perfect. Tea and coffee and biscuits provided, self serve. The tea mugs were neatly arranged, the tea spoons were ready in clean water, water jug and glasses all arranged on the table, the heater was on, the chairs and tables just right. What this attention to details means is that we could simply relax and focus on the business of the day. It was a great meeting and the venue and service received went at least some way towards allowing that to happen. Worth noting that although The Space is kinda in the middle of an industrial estate it's also very close to the bus routes on Great Hampton St, the JQ station and maybe 5-6 minutes walk from Snow Hill. You can also grab a nice lunch at the equally excellent The Lord Clifden if you need to, tho the venue does do meeting catering upon request. Highly recommended all 'round!

If you've ever so much as tried forming a band in the Birmingham area, you'll have heard of…read moreRobannas. For years and years, aspiring youngsters and cynical musos have all practiced plying their trade down there. Near to the much-neglected Gun Quarter (the Jewellery Quarter's outlaw sibling), Robannas has over the years taken up more and more of Cliveland Street. This is no bad thing, as the city centre needs a big, well-known rehearsal rooms. Over the years, the place has become cleaner and the standard of equipment in the by-the-hour rooms has improved. The staff are always helpful and the owner Rob has a reputation for throwing some very wild parties there. Over the years, I've rehearsed and recorded there with various bands and it's an experience which has become more and more pleasant over the years. I still have to visit to buy single guitar strings (something they sell which is a big bonus).

Robannas is an institution on the Birmingham music scene. You ask any musicians from Birmingham…read morethat have seriously gigged and I guarantee they will know Robannas. They've had their fair share of famous customers (Napalm Death and Pussycat Dolls to name two) but what about their services? Well my band used them for quite a while until we managed to find free rehearsal space elsewhere and we never had any problems with them . The staff were always helpful and polite, the equipment worked, the rooms weren't particularly spectacular but weren't particularly bad either, though it was often fairly easy to hear other bands practising through the walls. Prices are pretty similar to what you'd expect with discounts for bulk bookings eg fifty pound for an all day session. It's a good, solid, friendly place that I've no qualms recommending to a friend.

Kingpin Studio is a small facility discreetly hidden away at the end of a dark alleyway on Dudley…read moreRoad, right by where the riots were going off last summer. But don't let that put you off! It's not that bad an area at all and the main thing is the studio, which is warm, secure and comfortable. My band have used this facility a few times and we've been very impressed with the results of the recording and the expertise of Dave (the main guy) and his quiet but very knowledgable assistant. The 64-track studio is equipped with a drum-kit and guitar amps. There is also a sort-of loft space with an amp so that you can play live with the drums but the sound won't leak at all. There is also a green-screen in the studio which can be used for shooting videos, although we've not tried that facility.