Very good this place. Used it many times over the years and for our studio album, (Glory Days)…read more Even did some live recordings up on the 5th floor which has a big stage, (so gives you the feel of a proper gig/showcase). Oscar Novak MANDRAKE www.mandrakemanchester.com

Whist these rehearsal rooms at Big Fish might have a silly name, the quality of rehearsal space is…read morevery professional. During a recent visit, my guitarist accidentally walked into the wrong room to find that he was interrupting an Elbow rehearsal! They were polite, and he quickly scampered away. Well, if it's good enough for Elbow, then it's certainly good enough for me. The rooms are all of a big size, and full of character too. The rehearsal rooms are set out over five floors of an old mill, and all of the old brickwork and window fittings remain. The showcase rooms on the 3rd and 5th floors are amazing, with stages and big PAs giving you the option to practice as a line-up or even do an industry showcase. That's what these rooms are built for. There are plenty of different sized rooms to choose from though. Heck, they've even got an interactive map on their website. Go check it out! The sound can rattle about a bit in the bigger rooms, so it may take someone skilled in that department to get everything sounding balanced. Price wise, it's a bit more expensive than some of the other rehearsal studios in Manchester, but the character of the rooms really makes up for it.

We were originally booked acroos the road at NQ stuidos to host auditions - but no one showed up to…read moreopen the doors and let us in. We then stumbled across Hope studios who had multiple rooms for us to use. Prices and customer service were fantastic - would use these studios anytime.

From the owner: Hope Studios offers accessible, affordable, quality rehearsal space for Manchester's thriving…read morecreative scene. We offer rehearsals rooms by the hour, day, or week for theatre rehearsals, dance, workshops, photography, meetings, you name it. We also have a gallery space with affordable wall space for rent for artists.

This is something of a Salford gem, a hidden little miracle for local music students and…read moreprofessional players. Did you know that Justin Timberlake once walked in here at stupid o' clock in the morning with Duran Duran to record a collaboration? Yes indeedy, it was when he who is labelled the Trousersnake was performing at the MEN. Rumour has it he flew Jessica Biel into Manchester and hired out... Nando's. Aw, and they say romance is dead. Back to Blueprint though, and I met the lovely guys at the studio when I popped in with the BF during our first dating months. He was laying the smack down in terms of an ex band member, asking Blueprint what the guy owed. But that's another story. I was bowled over by how nice these studio men were. They've got a huge, squishy living room of a reception, with a little room in which you can play pool (y'know, if you've got musician's block or if you're the girlfriend) complete with a vending machine stocking the finest of fizzy wares. I'm not a musician and won't pretend to be. But my other half is and he swears by this studio. I also won't feign a knowledge of equipment, just trust me in that he knows what he's dealing with, and he loves it here. The staff are amazing and throw a Christmas party every year for the artists who've worked with them. I'm not sure JT made the last one, I'll have to check. It's a superb studio and one that a lot of my friends have used... and then used again. Plus it's got one heck of a funky website if you care to take a gander. You could say it's the blueprint for how a studio should be run. Oh, look at me go.

From the owner: Professional rehearsal and recording studios for hire, plus a rigged hall for live show recordingsread more

Recording onto tape is becoming a lost art in today's increasingly digital world of music. However,…read moreRestrike studios are kicking it old school with their Otari tape machine. They've got Pro Tools as well though, so we recorded the drums, bass and guitars on the tape machine for that old-school feel before throwing it all on to the computer and finishing the tracks. My band came into Restrike for a long weekend of demo recording. Three days at Restrike costs a reasonable £350. We did three tracks over the weekend, which is quite a heavy workload and basically involves people nailing their parts in one or two takes and then moving onto the next thing. We weren't mixing or doing any production as we went along, so by the end of the second day we were worried about the overall quality of the recordings. However, the final day, spent mixing with the studio's owner Cormac, brought everything to life. For the money we spent and the amount of material recorded in a short space of time, we were very happy with the results. Restrike's live room is huge, which allowed everyone to set up their gear at the same time and we just switched quickly from instrument to instrument. There's a side room too with pool table, dart board, computer games and Cormac's geeky selection of Star Trek videos. Lots of fun for the inevitable hours spent doing nothing during recording.

Courthouse provides exceptional work at a very reasonable cost. Jon has a very good ear and has…read morealways delivered what we needed on time and often under budget. Highly recommend Courthouse.

From the owner: Courthouse Studio is Manchester's premiere independent professional recording, writing, mixing &…read moremastering studio.

Greenhouse rehearsal studios provide high quality rehearsal space for some of the biggest acts in…read morethe Manchester music scene. Acts such as Doves, Elbow and Ian Brown have all used the Greenhouse to hone their live act. Despite this, normal musicians like me can still get in and use this excellent rehearsal space for a bargain price. I've been in loads of rehearsal rooms all over the country, including many in London, and these are absolutely the BEST I've ever been in. Greenhouse run two rehearsal rooms, including the Ancoats-based G2 as well as their original Stockport studios. The rooms are clean, spacious and carpeted wall to wall. There are plug sockets everywhere, which is just the best and most sensible idea ever. The PA is loud and crackle free, and the sessions are long and priced at just £25. It's amazing value for money. There's no backline provided, which has always been fine for me. That means you'll be bringing your own mics, stands, drum kit and amps. If you'd like to hire backline for your rehearsal, then prices are listed on the Greenhouse website. Once you actually get playing, the size of the rooms mean that there's plenty of space for you to get your sound right and actually hear what everyone in the band is doing. I couldn't recommend G2 more highly.