Ideas for setting up a jamming studio.. What jammers want!!

[Ritz79]

Hello there, as the thread implies, im thinking of setting up a jamming studio. I've lost touch of the jamming scene, and thinking of making a comeback, playing and setting up . I use to play like 20 yrs ago at Dans(penisular), jurong east, bukit timah& potong pasir (buildings has been demolished already). I.m still a noob btw.

Anyway wanna ask what do you guys look for in a jamming studio? In my time, we only look at the cost.

A season jammer friend of mine told me an amplifier makes or breaks the studio. So that would be top of my priority list.

Any other suggestion?

Location is very much a factor, but so is the rent. Was thinking of areas like east coast/litle india/joo chiat, but parking may be an issue. But after jamming, therea great food nearby.

Let me know what you guys think.

Really appreciate all your views/comments.

Ritz

 

[Godspeed64]

Hello. Cost is always a factor. As a rule I personally don't go above 20 per hour, since most higher-end studios cost around there. There was one new studio (that has since closed) down around 2 years ago that violated that line, whilst giving an inferior experience to other studios in the price range. Of course it can go at a higher rate, but equipment and room size, basically how good a deal it is, comes into play.

General equipment in terms of how good the equipment is, and maintenance, plays a huge part in determining which studio I would go to. Investing in good amps go a long way because they can maintain some value if you ever intend to offload it. In fact for the longest time I avoided Beat Merchants, because after a long hiatus and having spent close to 2k on gear, I jammed there using a Behringer amp with a ripped cone. I avoided that place for 3 years at least, whether or not they improved in that time.

Acoustics matter as well. Most studios have their equipment placed in a room with no thought. I don't fancy the "amps against one wall approach" because I've seen too many bands fighting for volume with each other. I prefer something like Backbeat's Bigger room, where the equipment goes in a circle and as a band, songwriting becomes a breeze as you become sensitive to each individual element. Acoustics is also something I wish more bands and studios understand. As a musician I think one should be aware of how the sound you attempt to make, is reliant on factors outside of your playing.

While it doesn't matter to me but definitely will affect you, consider location because that will determine your customer base. Studios in the central areas like Bugis and Jalan Besar, and those slightly further down like LiveAmp, tend to be a lot more full than heartlands ones. You can consider places that have no studios and hope that there is a market, or think about the congested areas and know that these places still stand despite the competition a few streets away.

Most of these are my opinions, but hope it helps. This business is cost-heavy, and you'll see your fair share of idiots who cannot maintain equipment for nuts. I suspect it will be quite frustrating, so all the best to you and your endeavors.

 

[Composer of Requiems]

I second the acoustics comment. Nowadays I think that's the most important factor that can make or break a good studio. I suppose the average beginner band won't realize it, but how good the sound is doesn't depend on how big/expensive/powerful the amps are. I've been to some popular studios with large rooms, really large and expensive branded amps, but it just echoes like crazy and it takes too much effort and time to EQ until everyone can be heard clearly. When I go to a studio I want to be able to reach that state with minimal effort.

 

[Ritz79]

Thanks for your all your advices. Personally I think above $20 is on the high side too.
I'm looking for a location that is near to mrt, preferably sheltered so rainy days would not be an issue for people carrying their equipments. Won't be easy to find one that is going for a good price.

Alternatively I would be looking at B1 industrial areas . Like oxley hub, ubi which is near tai seng mrt.

Let's hope I can find a good place .

Cheers

Ritz

 

[17wil]

oxley and ubi are good places, esp since it is quite accessible.

 

[Ritz79]

Yes, but Oxley and UBI are B1 zonage. Must get URA approval to do it legally. Hopefully within the next 2-3 months, the business can start to run.

wish me luck

 

[Ritz79]

Thanks to those who replied and also privately msg me. Few more question -:

Is recording function, a key component in a studio?

What else do jammers wanna see at a jamming studio? Of cos there would be picks, drum sticks , other musical accessories available? Besides that?

How much would you pay to jam on the average? Im thinking $16-18 per hour. Does that figure sounds right?

PLease let me know. Its a heavy investment, but i wanna do it right too.

Cheers

Ritz

 

[soft]

Hi Ritz

I always thought that a video camera with audio feed from the mixer would be a great add-on. Bands can take a video of themselves during the rehearsal.

 

[Ritz79]

Ah.... I never thought of that.

 

[17wil]

16 - 18 is an affordable cost. Usually it shouldn't go past $20++, unless it is state of the art equipment like tube amps or boutique amps haha. That is just my opinion, feel free to defer.

As James mentioned, having a video camera is good, but i think it is more of a want and something that would set you apart from the cost, hopefully not incurring more costs due to that though.

 

[Ritz79]

I'm consolidating all your feedbacks, and if the studio materialise, i may consider your inputs either now, or in phases.

Cheers

 

[Tosh79]

Hi.
May I suggest genre specific rooms?
Pre-booking of the rooms with prepayment options?
Amp setting recommendations? (Even amp has a sweet spot). Recommendations of hooking up amp-modelling effects pedals the right way? (Hopefully will prolong the lifespan of the equipment).
The video with audio thing suggested earlier(Administrator : Soft) will be a good way to help everyone improve and have memories.

Just suggestions. Hopefully this helps.
My best wishes to your up and coming Jamming Studio bro.

 

[bignoodle2709]

Hi Ritz.

Perhaps you could also look into furnishing some of your drum kits with auxiliary equipment or perhaps engage an employee or two who knows a little more about drum kit maintenance than your average studio cashier.

Having auxiliary equipment (such as cowbells, splash and china cymbals, mounted tambourines, etc) may seem like exaggerated costs at the start, but I believe that the jamming experience provided will retain many customers, simply due to the fact that there are not many 'affordable studios' that can provide such extensive coverage of auxiliary equipment.

Being a drummer myself, it is quite frustrating to try out a new studio for the first time, only to discover that the drum kit that you're playing on is in poor condition (chipped cymbals), or is lacking a proper basic set-up (missing rack toms). Granted, they are pretty extreme cases and for most music genres they'd still do just fine (albeit rather "bare-boned"), but I would like to think that proper maintenance of your music equipment will go a pretty long way in cost-savings.

Of course with these points being said, they don't just apply to the drums and should be taken into consideration for all equipments. (just thought I'd highlight some concerns from a drummer's viewpoint)

Hope this helps, and good luck with the business idea.

Cheers!

 

[aquanaut]

Full band equipment....Steinway grand piano...array of korg and Yamaha synthesizers, DW professional drumset...Marshall amps...ampeg bass amps...percussion set up...vocals booth....fender and Gibson guitars....all for under 8 dollars!

 

[noconflictbanana]

Might be a tad bit biased here since I'm a drummer, but acoustics is a big factor for me. Sometimes the room is too cramped and there's a lot of interference with the instruments.

For drums, good cymbals. When you're probably buying cymbals, a cheap entry level set at $300 would be more attractive than a $800 professional set in the short run cuz of the $500 price difference. But then there is the cost of replacement you have to take into account when they crack. Cracks are inevitable because of some drummer's hard-hittingness and technique.

But there's a way to mitigate the frequency of them and actually extend their shelve lifes la, which is HARDWARE. Ironically, many cymbals break cuz small accessories like cymbal sleeves go missing and they are absolutely absolutely crucial to keeping a cymbal healthy and preventing keyholes/cracks. Drums don't need to be too expensive, unlike cymbals where the sound is uneditable.

For drums themselves all you need are not-too shitty shells and hardware. Don't need a $3000 dollar kit, a $1000 can suffice, as it all comes down to tuning and the drum heads. For hardware, cymbal stands dunneed to be too expensive, but must be from a trustworthy brand to ensure sturdiness and durability.

A very important factor for many drummers nowadays is double pedals. This one cannot compromise on, cuz there is a very big quality gap between cheap pedals and expensive ones. Roughly 300-400 can get a very decent pair.

All in all, for equipment, maintanence is the most important thing. Many studios have shitty equipment not because they're not professional level, but because they're in bad condition and not properly taken care of.

Another more important factor is accessibility. Having a studio right outside an MRT station will be VERY attractive to many.