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.

Well, it's not every day you find yourself in a professional music studio, no siree. And my, was it…read moreamazing! I shall give you some context first, as although it would be awesome, I am not some kind of upcoming, next-big-thing music maestra (sigh), although my dad has been writing songs for a long time and has enough for a full album. So, seeing as I have music contacts, I arranged for him to record it in a proper studio. And boy, did I pick exactly the right place!! Marcus Alexander was our studio engineer for the day, and has been a friend of mine for quite some time, so he was how I found out about 80 Hertz. The studio is based in The Sharp Project, which has been built as sort of a counter point to Media City; an alternative space to use, if you will, and therefore has all the facilities necessary for almost any media work; there are studios in which they film T.V. for Channel 4 and Sky, media lawyers have offices there, there are web development, promotional and advertising companies... Basically, anything you may want in the world of media, you will find it here! Back to the studio though; upon arrival we were treated with a really friendly welcome and brew (always a winner), and were given the tour by John, who was helping Marcus, while my dad was able to set up and get his bearings around the studio. It was all of our first times in that environment as we were told to "Make [ourselves] at home" and were given free reign of the facilities such as the kitchen, canteen, vending machines, and were given an access pass allowing us into and out of the building for smoking purposes. We immediately felt comfortable, though obviously the initial hour or so we were trying to get used to the environment, but I highly recommend this studio for anyone who wishes to record an album or lay down a track in Manchester. I am aware there are alternatives, of which I am not yet versed, but I know that the way in which we were treated by everyone involved in the studio was lovely to each of us, and our first day of recording was hard work, but tonnes of fun! None of us can wait for day two of studio antics, and whether you are looking for an unusual gift for a budding musician, or something to further along your own musical ambition, 80 Hertz is a wonderful place in which to live and love the rock'n'roll experience!

From the owner: Music Composition | Recording | Mixing | Masteringread more

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

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.