This is one of Edinburgh's better practice facilities. the rooms are well-equipped with top of the…read moreline gear, and the outside practice rooms are really big, so great if you've got a lot of guys in your band. Because of the wooden floors and ceilings, the sound in the inside rooms can be a bit boxy, but I would still recommend The Depot because it is cheaper than Banana Row and also has great gear. However if you're looking for some place on the cheap, Forest Cafe has a totally passable room at half the price.

The Broken Drum Studio is the dark horse of Edinburgh's music studios. If you are a musician or in…read morea band, this is the place to go. My favourite place! Not only is the drum-kit huge (and on an impressive rise) and more than ample for any ambitious percussionist, but the owner also offers drum tuition of a very high standard. (He also has extensive history of musicianship -- he helped me with my clarinet skills and corrected me with my rather lacking knowledge of music theory of which I am a grade 7, and was generally a very helpful guy about it too -- too often I encounter pretentious or arrogant musicians). The equipment is top notch too: plenty of amps with strong dynamic range; more than enough to accommodate the picky guitarist. Mics are good too -- plenty to patch up to instruments -- and for the vocalists too obviously. The owner will help make recordings too -- he seems to know a great deal about the industry and editing. I have dabbled in jazz and nu-metal -- two vastly different sounds and two different worlds of recording, but the software as well as the hardware being used at the studio is definitely my first choice. All of it is reasonably priced; and, having been in more one band, I can say he was really helpful with the times too -- my vocalist works a night shift and has pretty odd times to record, but, as I say, the owner was happy to accommodate. I am making this place sound like a dream; but I suppose it is -- any one who has been in a band has to deal with the crappy reality of getting the crew together and the general expense of it all -- already there is stress; and often that can hinder playing; but The Broken Drum Studio is certainly more chilled out than the other places I have been to. I think they do discounts as well -- sorry, I cannot remember that. But great all in all. Check it out.

I discovered Swanfield Studios through a groupon deal for singing lessons. I decided to try it out…read moreand if I showed any potential, would pursue my secret rockstar fantasy as my new hobby (if I didn't do it now, I may never) and ended up spending half a year here on weekly lessons. I was extremely nervous on my first visit but was quickly put at ease when I opened the door to the cheery faces of the studio. At first I was surprised at how young some of the tutors looked - some would be younger than me (I'm in my late 20's) and was a little worried about how experienced/qualified they would be. This was only based on the experience of my piano teacher when I was a child who was about 80 and sometimes hit my fingers if I played a wrong key. But my concerns quickly dissolved as it turns out these tutors had either music degress or other qualifications and were highly experienced - with a few if not all pursuing their own music careers at the same time. The studio itself sits amongst a number of businesses in a industrial estate in Bonnington. Initially it is small but split into maybe 4 practice rooms and a wait room. It does lack a polished studio look you see on tv with the brick walls being painted over, basic funrnishings, a toilet (useful when dealing with nerves), a coffee machine for self service and I don't think any rooms were sound proof but that didn't take away from the quality of teaching/service provided. I liked that every time I walked through the door I was always greeted by a smiley 'Hi Valerie how are you?' by whoever was manning the desk. Since I shared a similar age with a few of them, we often engaged in banter as well. I went through 3 teachers during my time here - 2 left to concentrate on their own music careers but I wasn't put off. Each was very friendly, made me feel relaxed and although had slightly different ways of doing things this did not interfere with my progress. Basically they leave it up to me to tell them what I wanted to achieve from the lessons and let me choose the music; inputting their choices to help out when I hit a wall. I just wanted to enjoy the experience of singing without the pressure of working towards exams so did a little a theory and was encouraged to absorb more as I got a bit more serious about it and now I have bought a book for a little extra help at home. Along the way I have learnt various scales and techniques for warming up the voice and best practice for looking after it long term. I got so into these I found myself occcassionaly blaring them out at traffic lights whilst waiting to cross roads (only realised I had opened my mouth after the funny looks I got). Another benefit I obtained was boosting the projection of my speaking voice as sometimes I am quietly spoken. A really valuable thing I learned were breathing techniques - I don't know if I have breathed the wrong way my whole life but this taught me to breath the opposite way to my normal style and as a result have felt a lot more relaxed in general and have even stopped using my inhaler for the gym as I suffer from mild asthma. I'm glad I got to explore a lot of music genres to broaden my technique and had a lot of fun, also sharing giggles with my tutor if I hit a wrong note - quashing any fears of failure. I work different shifts each week so the studio were really flexible to accommodate my needs and didn't mind if I had to skip a couple weeks until my next lesson. I noticed a lot of ages using the services and facilities here from young children to older people, individuals and groups - and the staff were equally as friendly and professional to all. So I am not a rock star yet but my experience here was very valuable and has given me a lot to work on and nurture my ability. The studio provides tuition in a range of music styles and instruments, music production, mixing and mastering, as well as a recording studio and events and workshops.

From the owner: Recording, mixing, mastering and tuition.read more

Over nearly 25 years in bands i have used just about every rehearsal space in Edinburgh (right back…read moreto the vaults in Niddrie St with water running down the walls). A lot of bands put up with less than adequate facilities. For me you need clean and well equipped. In terms of well equipped - good reliable backline, good PA/monitors etc. The Wel Rehearsal facilities are just about the best I have used. Lots of extras available - kitchen, coffee, touchdown desk, strings. The manager/owner Keith is incredibly helpful. An added bonus (though not sure this will last) is that there always seems options for bookings. It costs us £35 for a 2.5 hour session.

Just at the point of a phone call I found dealing with them a negative experience . The two…read moredifferent people who took the enquiry seemed to have some ego issues . They were not capable of having a two way interaction . I enquired about their drum options , the first guy tried to disempower me but failed , cause I did not pronounce the word Pearl in a way that suited his inflated sense of being. However I used the word Pearl in two unrelated conversations earlier in the day and in one latter with proper Scottish people and one person from Yorkshire they understood my use of the word. However it was not down to that one bone of contention , the person I refer to at colour sounds was not friendly and when I asked if they can put the cymbals on before a session he said most drummers know how to do it and made similar negative passive aggressive comments , His tone was silly and pretensions. Not many can afford an acoustic kit so if I've been practising on electrical kits or other more affordable compact kits that are appropriate to use in economic standard modern build accommodation . But I guess I should get out until I learn how to put cymbals in and off . I asked for what I state cause I was going into a unfamiliar environment , dyselxic and did not want to go trial and error with other peoples equipment . The second guy when I tried to ask if all the kits avaliable at the time would be pearl could not give a straight answer then finally said just all you need to do is turn up and be here. The he said everyone is a pearl when the other guy said some are pearl others are cheap . That was after he made his big I don't know what your on about attempt.\ He could have just answered the question without needing to get his jock strap out . I ditched the booking as I did not like the guy believing he had some form of authority over me . As a perspective paying customer I make enquries and I decide . I don't just go along with some aspiring jobsworth if they iratate me I just work harder to keep building a home studio and save for the accoustic . With reharsel spaces like Banna Row and Colour sounds I get inspired to work faster and harder to get that done. I'm not surprised less and less young people are drawn to forming bands and dealing with pretensious staff at studios . How don't have any great power over the market in fact they are lucky to cling on as home recording and a wider availability of good recording tools and practice kits that can be played so as not to disturb others in the home environment win out .

I use this studio every week to practise with my band, we love the space, the very helpful staff,…read morethe equipment is great and the location is brilliant. This studio is a well-hidden gem for musicians wanting to practice and record in Edinburgh without a doubt! I totally recommend it and so do the tons of bands that practise there every week.

It's been a while since anybody has reviewed Banana Row, and in that time, I think there's been an…read moreupgrade of equipment. We were very impressed with what was available. In terms of service, the guy at the front desk didn't seem too interested, simply greeting us with a hello and then telling us which practice room was ours. And that was that. If you're coming to do a practice session, you do kind of want to get straight to it. So, this didn't bother us at all. - It was the practice space, equipment and cost per hour which was important to us. It was £9 an hour for a duo. The cost goes up dependent on the number of people because the room is bigger. We would usually practice at home during the day but my current schedule doesn't allow this so often, and we were cautious of bothering neighbours in the evening. Obviously, if you're a big loud band you just can't practice at home so places like Banana Row are a necessity. Also, the rooms are all soundproofed with that funny black foam on the walls which magically keeps all the noise in. - We didn't hear a peep from any other bands! We will definitely be using Banana Row more often as it was great to have piece of mind when practicing. And as a weekly thing, it isn't too costly.

Being a beginner to the whole music scene, I was quite intimidated by the prospect of booking…read morerehearsal space for lessons. However, the guys here are really laid back aboutwell, everything! and genuinely pleased to help out, and they go out of their way to make everything as easy as possible for you. As well as having a whole range of equipment you can rent out, they also sell all the basics like sticks, clutches, earphones and the like on site, which is very useful if you get there and discover you've forgotten something! Their rates are very reasonable - you can book one of their smaller rooms for £6 p/h for one or two people, or £12 p/h for one of their band-sized rehearsal rooms. They also have a full suite of custom-built editing equipment, and you can rent out their recording studio and sound engineer for £35 p/h once you feel you've had enough practice!