RE: Question about leasing a small studio space in Sydney

[mavdime]

Hi all,

I've had a bit of a change in living arrangements and looks like I'm going to be stuck in an apartment for a while, so exploring my options for getting a small studio space in the Eastern Suburbs or Inner Sydney...

My requirements are pretty minimal... really all I need is a bedroom sized space where I can bring my own treatment and gear and leave it set up so I can just come in and make noise and leave...(I work 4 days a week so would only really be using the space 2 days a week and occasionally on evenings after work)

I have done quite a bit of research to try and find a residential warehouse space where i could live as well, but these seem pretty hard to come by these days and I've struggled to find anything...

Another Turtlerocker has a mix space for lease in Sydney which sounds good, but way above my current budget unfortunately...

would anyone here be able to share any recommendations about where to look to find a space in Sydney, what to look out for, any specialised websites for finding residential warehouses, etc, etc

thanks!

Manny

[lostblues]

Haha I also wonder this from time to time. Curious to see what anyone has to say. I assume people will mention Marrickville area. There was Vintage Sounds in Sydenham which I tried to lease out but the greedy-ass owner ended up giving the place to a mechanic who paid more than they were asking and they've torn the whole place out.

[Sammas]

Haha I also wonder this from time to time. Curious to see what anyone has to say. I assume people will mention Marrickville area. There was Vintage Sounds in Sydenham which I tried to lease out but the greedy-ass owner ended up giving the place to a mechanic who paid more than they were asking and they've torn the whole place out.

I have never been to Vintage Sounds, but I doubt that the owner has walked away with pockets full of money. That usually isn't why studios close...

[The Tasmanian]

I'm with Nath - it very unlikely the owner is cleaning up with money..

Whats this greedy ass BS?
- how do we know the guy is not struggling to pay all of his loan repayments /tax / rates /overheads ?
Sydney has very expensive real estate - and the building owner pays huge costs.
There aint no real estate charity for studio owners!

Manny - all I can suggest is keep looking - think big & be prepared to pay a bit more than you want to, it will only drive you to be more productive to cover the extra outgoings.

[number1son]

Hi Manny, just wondering if you've managed to find a space yet. I'm in the same position, maybe we could team up and split costs?

Andrew Covell

[mylesgm]

There's someone on the Facebook audio forum that has a space that they are trying to share lease. Maybe look them up?

[number1son]

Thanks for the tip Myles. As I don't really do FB, can you steer me in the right direction?
Cheers:)

[lostblues]

Sorry Nathan and Chris - I meant the owner of the building, not of the business - he was actually a really nice guy.

What is this audio forum you speak of Myles?

[Ben M]

That space is in Coogee. I messaged the guy and its 3x4m. Coogee isnt really close enough to Newtown for me.

Seems like quite a few of us still looking for rooms. I'm still keen on a shared mixing and OD space in inner west.
Keep me in the loop if anyone finds anything around Newtown..Marrickville..Annandale..etc.

[Sammas]

What about King Sound Studios? It isn't exactly Newtown either, but it is closer than Coogee. It is on Little Regent Street, just behind the Medina Hotel near Central Station. I was in there a few weeks ago dropping some equipment off. Nice spaces. From what I gathered, Joe the proprietor of the facility rents the rooms out for short and long term stints, as well as on a time share basis.

[gigpiglet]

just as an interesting point - given bens comment of "a lot of people looking for rooms"
it costs a lot to build, and takes a lot of time to run a good room.
having just sold a building with a few of them in it i know!
there are plenty of people as ben mentions who dont have the need/ arnt in the position/ dont have the funds/ dont require the exclusivity to build a room of their own.
and there are also a reasonable number of shitty cheap rooms available that either arnt well built, arnt in a good spot, dont have good enough security, and all manner of other things that makes them not really workable.
im interested that when you cant rent a tiny apartment in inner city sydney for less than 500 bucks a week, why anyone expects to get a professionally designed and built income earning room for less than that.

im not having a dig at anyone here looking for a space to work.
but i am interested in the conversation of what people think its worth.
filming/ photography studios (not soundproofed/ no gear) go for 500/ day
and there arnt enough of them so people can charge more.

shitty rehearsal rooms go for 120/ half day (or day, depending on how shitty)

video suites with some (fairly cheap and not tied to hardware) software, a few screens and a couch go for up to $100/ hr in video world.
my studio B was "double duty" as an edit suite and it made a lot more money doing that even though i did it a lot less as its not more core business, than it did doing audio.

where does a decently designed, well constructed, mixing room sit in the price range to you guys looking for one?
does it need to have a booth?
does it need to have access to a proper live room?
is a huge outboard and mic collection thats available as a separate hire but onsite already a bonus?

if there was an understanding about what people want, then maybe someone could get a business plan out of those requirements and make it appear?

[mylesgm]

sorry, couldn't find the post on FB. If it pops up again I'll put the info here.

[waitup]

Rooms are often available where I lease up at 301 castelreagh st. They're all well built, well treated rooms. Let me know if you want me to put you in touch with the appropriate people.

[mylesgm]

Here you go.... Don't know anything other than this.


Dylan Adams
8 April at 14:30
Mix & composition suite in boutique recording complex
$125
Sydney, Australia

Located in Coogee & available from the 1st of May is a over dub, mix & composition suite in boutique recording complex to share my room with me.

Some equipment provided includes
*UA Apollo Quad converters
*UA LA 610
*Sebatron VMP 4
*GAP PRE 73
*Guitar booth w/orange 12' ceslestion vintage 30,
*Vox AC 30
*Orange AD 30
*Yamaha NS 10's
* 4 Channel Headphone amp w/TB
*Genelec 1029a's
*1977 Yamaha RM1608 Console
*Clearly labeled patch bay
*Well treated room

BYO computer (Laptop or imac to just plug into the converters)

Also happy for you to bring your gear down and park it in the racks if you so chose.

Hours of use would be Monday to Friday, although weekends can be used by negotiation. I'm working at another studio full time, but want to keep this space for projects of the rock n roll variety.

This suite is part of a larger recording facility, a 2nd control room (occupied by the lovely Luke Bertoz), 2 live rooms + and iso booth + my GTR iso booth which all show up on the patch bay and can be hired for larger projects. Very versatile.

This space would suit audio engineers, music producers, mix engineers, sound designers & composers. This is for rent for a single person, not bands, or writing duos, sorry.

Price is $125 per week all inc power + internet etc

Come down to the beach and make some music! PM if you wanna have a chat/come down and check out the space

[number1son]

Hi guys, just talked to Nic from Deep Sea Arcade on Sunday. He/the band has a space in Chippendale they use to record/rehearse/mix etc. With just a bit of work (some accoustic treatment - I have the necessary panels/materials) and possibly 1 wall will be ome a highly usable space. Prob not for full band/drum recording, but for vox/guitar/o'dubs, absolutely fine.

Anybody wanna pm me? 0425 262 594. Let's talk.

He wants around $200 pw. I need around 20 hrs/week, mostly "office hours". So if anybody does evenings/late night sessions, could be the business.

Andrew

[gigpiglet]

hey andrew.
just to clarify.. as im still interested in the questions i asked in my previous.

so you are saying the space you are looking at is 200/ week
and you want to work 20 hours/ week
so thats $10/ hour
and you are looking for someone to share that space with to make it cheaper?

dont get me wrong, im not having a go at what you are doing or what your requirements are, but i am genuinely interested in what people want/ need/ expect in a room for $10 or less per hour...

keen to hear your thoughts

[mavdime]

Hi Andrew and Ben and everyone else,

Sorry for the late reply.. I'm still also keen for sharing a room... Another fellow David was also keen to share a room..

Gigpiglet - thanks for your insights... I hear what you're saying in terms of the quality of any room within the particularly low budget I (/we ) have.. speaking for myself at least, while I accept that any room I get may not be as well constructed or ideal from a sound perspective as possible, it still is a step up from trying to mix out of my apartment where I am battling nanny neighbours who sleep at 7pm and a neighbour above me who stomps on her floorboards like an elephant : ) My requirements at this stage is having a room where I can mix in the evenings and part of the weekend.. happy to ship in my own gear to use in this space - a tracking space would be a bonus but not mandatory (for me at least)

mylesgm - have sent you a message... I live in Clovelly so Coogee is actually an ideal location for me!

Thanks all!

[Linear]

hi,

i can vouch for dylan, he's a good guy.

Chris

[mylesgm]

mylesgm - have sent you a message... I live in Clovelly so Coogee is actually an ideal location for me!

Thanks all!

That space is not mine, that was copied from a post on Facebook. You need to talk to Dylan Andrews, whom I also don't know.

[Ben M]

@gigpiglet - Some good points there G. And I look forward to the survey.

For me- Im not expecting a professionally designed room/space for the price I'm willing to pay. I'd be more inclined to do things internally myself if possible to bring it up to where I feel comfortable. But sound proofed (as best as possible) and not in direct ear shoot of residential would be big points..plus something to turn into a booth..
Access to small basic kitchen and toilet.
Sharing a space (ie. I would have 3.5 days in the week) I would be happy to spend anywhere between $150-$250 per week.

I was almost about to rant on about how the City of Sydney could enable these spaces by using unused buildings/spaces.. creating arts hubs around recently developed areas.
If you kick all the artists out of their spaces in an area because of com/res development..that area gets pretty boring and lifeless pretty quickly. Right?
It's there responsibility to insure that inner/outer city areas have a good mix of cultural and artistic spaces. It's foreign to me why they don't clean up unused spaces that have been sitting empty for several years and offer them with reasonable leases for creatives.
But..also
They don't know there's a need unless we tell them there's a need.

...anyway I won't rant on about that.

[mavdime]

mylesgm - have sent you a message... I live in Clovelly so Coogee is actually an ideal location for me!

Thanks all!

That space is not mine, that was copied from a post on Facebook. You need to talk to Dylan Andrews, whom I also don't know.

Ah cool, will do... Thanks for the heads up

[gigpiglet]

thanks for the reply ben
interestingly - clover moore did something very much along the lines of what you are saying with the unused spaces.
i think it was more aimed at theatre/ rehearsal type stuff..
but there IS a city of syd concept similar to what you mention - i just dont have/ cant remember the details.
ill do some research when i have a moment.

anyway - for your 150-200/ week shared space. would you leave all your gear in there? would you expect the other person sharing the remaining half the week leave their gear there?
would you use each others gear?
FYI this was almost exactly the situation with my old B room with Gary and Todd working in there (also remember i offered it to you when you where looking - but you said that it wasnt big enough for all the gear you wanted to put there!)

[mylesgm]

Space is a big problem and what people expect for the money paid is often very unrealistic, me included.
"Sound proofed" is the big issue, what do people mean by sound proof? And when people are offering hot desk style positions in open plan offices for 200 or more a week you've got to think that 200 a week for a sound proofed space with access to amenities, secure etc is just unrealistic and yet it happens.

And then you see studios that are built that are often empty and I just wonder how the owners make it work... to be honest it's all a mystery to me and I just keep doing what I do.

[Ben M]

thanks for the reply ben
interestingly - clover moore did something very much along the lines of what you are saying with the unused spaces.
i think it was more aimed at theatre/ rehearsal type stuff..
but there IS a city of syd concept similar to what you mention - i just dont have/ cant remember the details.
ill do some research when i have a moment.

anyway - for your 150-200/ week shared space. would you leave all your gear in there? would you expect the other person sharing the remaining half the week leave their gear there?
would you use each others gear?
FYI this was almost exactly the situation with my old B room with Gary and Todd working in there (also remember i offered it to you when you where looking - but you said that it wasnt big enough for all the gear you wanted to put there!)

Yes so I'm saying 150-250 per week as my share for half the time. So that's a 300-500 $ for a reasonably sound proofed shell. Just clarifying. I'm imagining having a mutual shared setup but yes leaving a ton of gear in the space which would be used for songwriting, overdubbing and mixing. Songwriting isn't necessary my income stream but sessions and mixing would be..
As you know I have a tracking space here down in the valley. So no big need for other spaces.

Re: City of Sydney, yes I know it well. My good friend Sammi C was the director of the artistic space "Queen St Studios" at the Frasers development space there at Central Park on Broadway.
Now she has another space in Ultimo called Ready Made that is movement rehearsal space (awesome room btw). Provided by SydneyCC. So the good news is they are trying. But much more of it please.
It works very well. In fact it works well for many artistic codes dance, theatre, movement, visual arts.. But us sound peeps do have requirements.
I feel that if someone was to put a business plan together based around this Multi spaced mixed media arts hub typa thing. I'd think a meeting down at city hall with clover would be a good idea.
Maybe we should start a local Sydney music guild to lobby it.

[gigpiglet]

well ive done my fair share of DA's ben..
and ive got the money in the bank.
and clover lives just around the corner on "surry hills finest street" (which is actually in 2016 redfern)
maybe we should write that plan and go have a coffee?

BUT - would anyone rent the spaces or would they all be not exactly what was needed?

hence the questions
(oh and also cause i at this point would be happy to rent! i dont need to build in a hurry, and i might just spend my money on a beach house instead)

[Ben M]

(oh and also cause i at this point would be happy to rent! i dont need to build in a hurry, and i might just spend my money on a beach house instead)

Ha I have no doubt that you'll do both of these anyway.
Always happy to have a coffee and a chat brother. Catch you next week.

Perhaps some other room renters on the forum can chime in and share experiences, expectations..costs...

Cheers

[lostblues]

I just had this thought of several control rooms linked to one tracking room in kind of a circular pattern around the tracking room - this way everyone gets what they want!

[mylesgm]

Just built that. 3x control rooms, one tracking space.

[lostblues]

But you're in melbourne, of course...

[mylesgm]

There is that. But it's no small undertaking anywhere and there are always compromises unless you have a bottomless pit of money...