Farm Factory Studios
REHEARSALS - RECORDING - MUSIC ACADEMY
About Farm Factory Studios
Under new ownership (since April 2015) we are dedicated to maintaining our industry-standard facilities and great customer service.
We have seven rehearsal studios. All rooms are fully fitted with professional sound proofing to give you the best sounds and acoustics possible. All our Rehearsal Studios are equipped with a P.A. system and Vocal Microphones.
Drum kits, Guitar Combos, Heads and Cabs, Bass amps and Cabs, Guitars & Bass Guitars are available to hire.
Click Here for rehearsal prices
As of August 2021, we took over operations for GuitarStrings&Things - an online musical accessory business. Therefore, we keep in stock, a large range of guitar and bass strings, electric, acoustic, twelve string and singles. Also we stock Pro-Mark drum sticks, spare Remo snare heads, plectrums, ear plugs etc.
CLICK HERE TO ORDER ONLINE
We have a wide range of refrigerated drinks, coffee, tea, chocolate bars and crisps available.
Click Here for more information about recording at Farm Factory
Here For Culture
Now, in these challenging times, it’s everybody’s turn to show our support for culture. With an unprecedented investment through the Culture Recovery Fund, the government is #HereForCulture so it can continue to weather the storm of coronavirus and come back stronger.
And we are #HereForCulture too.
#HereForCulture is a movement that unites the public, government and cultural organisations in support of our fantastic cinemas, theatres, music venues, museums, galleries and heritage.
By being #HereForCulture, we aren’t just supporting the people in the industry, we’re also supporting communities across the country.
Book a Rehearsal
ALL WEEKDAY EVENING REHEARSALS ARE NOW BOOKED ONLINE:
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
PLEASE NOTE: Daytime, Friday evening & weekend bookings are not bookable online. Please email info@farmfactorystudios.com or call 01707 392030 to book.
Cancellations can be made up to 48 hours before the start of the booking
If you wish to book more than 4 hours, or you want to make a single musician booking, please email us or call us on 01707 392030
Rehearse Safe
Mic Cleaning
Microphones will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between rehearsals. We will also be providing free disposable microphone covers. However we would recommend that you bring your own microphone if you are at all unsure.
Hand-Sanitiser & Soap
One of the most important things that we can all do to protect each other is to wash our hands at regular intervals and hand-sanitise after touching equipment. The toilets will be well stocked with soap and there will be hand-sanitiser available at reception, in each room and outside of the toilets.
Vocalist screens available: We have a limited number of free to use, portable vocalist screens available (enough for one per room if all rooms are operating). Please ask at reception if you would like one for your room.
Dolly demonstrates the correct use of a vocalist screen!
Do Not Attend Rehearsals If:
If you have been asked to shield or if you have any of the following symptoms: New cough, High temperature, Loss or change of taste or smell.
Many Thanks
The Farm Factory Studios Team
Our Rehearsal Rooms
Rehearsal Prices
| Studios 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7 | 2 Hours | 3 Hours | 4 Hours | 5 Hours or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Without Equipment Hire | £29 | £40 | £46 | £11.50 per hour |
| With Equipment Hire | + £6 | + £8 | + £10 | + £2.50 per hour |
| Room 6 | 2 Hours | 3 Hours | 4 Hours | 5 Hours |
| Without Equipment Hire | £34 | £44 | £54 | £13 per hour |
| With Equipment Hire | + £6 | + £8 | + £10 | + £2.50 per hour |
Single Musician rate: £10 per hour
Does not include equipment hire. Only Bookable 24 Hours in advance and is subject to availability.
| Instrument Hire (in-house use only) | Price per hour | |
| Electric Guitar | £3 | Please book in advance if required |
| Bass Guitar | £3 | Please book in advance if required |
Please Note: Cancellations must be made via the online booking system with at least 48 hours notice from the start of the booking.
NO EQUIPMENT HIRE: Room, PA, Mics & Stands Included.
WITH EQUIPMENT HIRE: Room, PA, Mics & Stands, Up to ANY 3 Hire Items Included.i.e. Drum Kit, Bass Amp, Guitar Amp. Extra hire equipment available from £3 per hour (minimum 2 hours).
To avoid disappointment, please book your backline in advance. Backline includes: Drums (not cymbals), guitar combos, head & cabs, bass amps & cabs
BACKLINE AVAILABLE : AMPEG SVT350 BASS HEADS, AMPEG SVT350 8x10 BASS CABS, MARSHALL HEADS & CABS, MARSHALL COMBOS, CRATE HEADS & CABS, CRATE COMBOS. PEARL DRUM KITS, YAMAHA DRUM KITS & MORE
Opening Times
These times are intended as a guide to availability and are effectice until further notice:
Monday to Friday: 10am - 11.00pm
Saturday: 11am - 5pm
Sunday: 11am - 7pm
Bank Holidays: Subject to bookings & prior arrangement
CANCELLATION POLICY
Please Note: Cancellations must be made using the online booking system with 48 hours notice from the start of the booking.
Please note that the opening times listed above are intended as a guide to availability. During quiet periods (usually daytimes), the office / reception may not be staffed. If this is the case when you call, please leave a message and we will endeavour to call you back and deal with your enquiry as soon as possible. Alternatively, please email info@farmfactorystudios.com
We highly recommend that you use the online booking system as this will be the quickest way of booking the time slot that you want.
Farm Factory Limited staff endeavour to open up a minimum 5 minutes before the first booking of the day. If you arrive early and there are already rehearsals in progress / the facility is already open, you will be permitted to load in early. This is subject to your room being clear / available and is at the discretion of the studio manager on duty.
Please click here to read our rehearsal terms and conditions in full.
How To Cancel
No exceptions to the rule, the Farm Factory Limited cancellation policy will apply barring an act of God / force majeure.
General Bookings
Please note all cancellations (except block bookings) within 48 hours of the rehearsal will be charged in full, this also applies to any hire equipment booked.
We do not accept provisional bookings. All bookings are definite and can only be cancelled with a minimum of 48 hours notice.
All Cancellations can be notified via the online booking system, by calling 01707 392030 (please leave a message if you get through to the answerphone) or by email
Recording Facilities
Recording studio avilable with or without Engineer
Due to the changing needs for recording facilities we have set up an option for 'do-it-yourself' recording sessions or you can book with an Engineer included as you always have in the past.
If you take the option of engineering the session yourselves, we will supply all the studio equipment (not instruments) required to record your session, including a powerful iMac loaded with Cubase 7.5 and also Logic 9.18.
If you wish, you can take the session home to carry on working, bring in a portable hard drive, large memory USB stick etc.
You also have the option of bringing in your own PC / Mac, simply connect to our Motu interface, USB or Firewire.
If you need an Engineer, just call us and we will supply one, obviously the price will reflect their services.
Bringing in Your Own Studio Equipment
For sessons lasting at least 8 hours or more, if you would like to bring in your own powered monitors, interface or even your line mixer as a preference we should be able to plug them up via our patch bays. Your own microphones are welcome also.
Booking Times
Booking times are available the same as the opening & closing times of the Rehearsal Studios
Booking Terms
To make a booking, call us on 01707 392030 or email us at info@farmfactory studios.com. Alternatively, you can make a provisional booking using this online form.
Please don't be offended if we ask you for a deposit to secure the booking (we probably won't if we know you). This is a non-refundable deposit, unless you cancel your booking within 7 days of the first hour booked, the deposit will be subtracted from your final amount due.
A card security deposit may be required for new customers before your session begins, regardless of the amount of time booked. This will be returned in full or can be used as payment at the end of the booked time, providing all the equipment is in working, present and undamaged condition.
Any equipment broken or stolen will be charged at replacement value.
A brief run-down of the recording equipment available:
- Separated Sound Treated Control & Live Room
- 27" Imac with Cubase 7.5 or Logic 9.18
- More plug ins than we can possibly list
- Motu 896 mkIII Hybrid Interface - USB & Firewire
- Focurite Octopre II Dynamic Mic Pream
- Eve 307 Studio Monitors
- Yamaha HS5 Stusio Monitors
- Mackie Big Knob Studio Control Box
- Samson S Phone 4 Headphone Amplifier
- HP 24" Monitor Screen (2nd screen)
- Sound Control Total Isolation Headphones
- AKG Headphones
- Microphones: Rode K2, Shure SM57s, Shure Beta 52A, AKG D112,
- AKG D40 Drum Mics, AKG C1000s, Lewitt Drum Mics, SE-X1
- Drum Mic Clips, Mic Stands
- Assortment of Wiring Looms, Digital Cables, Patch Cables
- Comfy Sofas!
Recording Prices
Without an Engineer: £20 per hour
With an Engineer: £35 per hour
To make a booking, call us on 01707 392030 or email us at info@farmfactorystudios.com.
Alternatively, you can make a provisional booking using our online form.
Booking Terms & Conditions
Please don't be offended if we ask you for a deposit to secure the booking (we probably won't if we know you). This is a non-refundable deposit, unless you cancel your booking within 7 days of the first hour booked, the deposit will be subtracted from your final amount due.
A card security deposit may be required for new customers before your session begins, regardless of the amount of time booked. This will be returned in full or can be used as payment at the end of the booked time, providing all the equipment is in working, present and undamaged condition.
Any equipment broken or stolen will be charged at replacement value.
Enquire About Recording
Please don't be offended if we ask you for a deposit to secure the booking (we probably won't if we know you). This is a non-refundable deposit, unless you cancel your booking within 7 days of the first hour booked, the deposit will be subtracted from your final amount due.
A card security deposit may be required for new customers before your session begins, regardless of the amount of time booked. This will be returned in full or can be used as payment at the end of the booked time, providing all the equipment is in working, present and undamaged condition.
Any equipment broken or stolen will be charged at replacement value.
Live / Rehearsal Recording
Live / Rehearsal Recording at Farm Factory Studios
Here at Farm Factory Studios, we have recently brought back our popular live recording service. This consists of up to 8 channel simultaneous recording through our digital interface, recorded into Logic Pro 9.
At the end of the session you can take away a CD of the recording or if you are taking away the stems to work on later, or mix yourself, a USB stick or external hard drive will be required so we can drop the Logic session or stems onto it (depending on if you are using Logic or another DAW at home).
WHO IS IT FOR?
Live / Rehearsal recordings can be a great tool for any band. Maybe you need to send venues a demo CD? Or you need some good quality Live takes on your social media?
A Live / Rehearsal recording is a great way to achieve this.
They can be used as a reference recording to see how you sound with some clarity, which is usually not possible if you have recorded onto a mobile phone etc. Some bands use it for pre-production purposes, before they go into the studio to record properly and others as just a record of the session or for fun.
Click here to listen to some examples on our Sound Cloud page: https://soundcloud.com/farm-factory-studios
HOW IT WORKS
Rehearsal recordings will take place in room 2, where you and your band will setup as normal for a rehearsal. Our engineer will then come in and place microphones around the room in suitable places to capture the best sound. A quick test to check levels, and you are good to go.
The engineer will press record and leave the session running until you want to stop. Because of the nature of the recording you will be unable to correct parts or record overdubs as this is purely designed to capture a live session.
WHATS NEXT?
At the end of the session, we will either then burn the audio to a disc (which is unedited), or give you the session files so you can mix the audio yourself. A separate mixing service is available if required.
WHEN IS IT AVAILABLE?
Our Live / Rehearsal recording is available on Mondays (daytime and evening), Wednesday (evenings), Friday (evenings), Sunday (daytime).
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Using Farm Factory Studios Live Recording service is a cheaper option than booking a session in the studio (along with an engineer). Prices for live recording vary depending on requirements and the length of the session .
To find out more send us an email or call us on 01707 392030
The Musiclab Academy
The Musiclab Academy is a progressive and innovative music school . We have academies located within Farm Factory Studios, and a school in Hoddesdon. We teach drums, guitar, vocals, bass and keyboards to students of all ages and abilities.
Starting in September 2007 with just 15 drum students, The Musiclab has now grown to teach many pupils of all ages and abilities on guitar, drums, vocals, bass and keyboards.
We're really passionate about music and dedicated to providing quality, high-energy tuition within a safe, friendly and relaxed environment. Our tuition style is very much geared towards developing the student's creativity.
Classes are social and fun and designed to not only develop the student's skills on their chosen instrument, but to encourage interaction with other students and to build self-confidence. All students are encouraged to take part in our regular student gigs, where they get to showcase their skills to an enthusiastic audience of family and friends.
We believe the greatest motivation for progressing as a musician is very simple - enjoyment! If the student is enjoying their studies, then motivation will remain high. We also encourage our students to develop and maintain a professional attitude and approach to their studies to ensure that each individual has the best opportunity to achieve their full potential.
We specialise in group classes which offer great value for money and also provide several other key benefits. Our fully equipped music studios are suitable for anyone aged 5 or above.
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE AND BOOK A FREE TRIAL SESSION
Guitar Strings & Things
As of August 2021, we took over operations for Guitar Strings & Things - an online musical accessory business. Therefore, we keep in stock, a large range of guitar and bass strings, electric, acoustic, twelve string and singles. Also we stock Pro-Mark drum sticks, spare Remo snare heads, plectrums, ear plugs etc.
You can place an order online here
Of course you are welcome to buy direct from us at reception. In most cases, we'll be able to offer you a further discount!
Contact Us
Live Streaming Enquiry
Live Streaming Services
- Professional Live Streaming Service
- Totally Integrated with Paywall and Ticketing
- Covid-Secure Broadcasting
- Studio Quality Sound
- Multi-Camera Set Up
- Video Background and Visual Integration
- Stream Live from our studios in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
- In some cases it is possible for us to take the service “mobile”
- Permissible under current guidelines (for paid work)*
*The latest assessment of the guidance from the Musician’s Union is:
Professional Activity: Studios remain open for professional recording, rehearsal, broadcast and streamed performance where the venue is Covid-secure. Professional recording, rehearsing, broadcast and streamed performance can also take place in theatres, concert halls, and outdoors, provided this is done in line with Covid-secure guidance.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the current situation, for us musicians, is the fact that we can’t get out and play to an audience at the moment. We’ve all got everything crossed that we’ll be back out there at some point this year, but until then, we’ve all got to be a bit more creative in trying to reach an audience.
We’ve been putting a lot of thought into it here at Farm Factory and have been busy during the past couple of months setting up our new online streaming gig service. We’re able to accommodate everything from solo acts to full band performances, all shot multi camera with a live mix that is fully integrated with a paywall / ticketing service.
After the stream you get a complete video performance and audio mix of your gig to use for getting yourself some actual gigs when we’re allowed out again! If it sounds like something that might tickle your fancy, head over to farmfactorystudios.com for more info on the services we offer.
If this sounds like something that might tickle your fancy, CLICK HERE and fill out the ENQUIRY FORM
See below for more examples of our Live Streams OR CLICK HERE
The Beatniks - Maggie Mae (streamed from The George III, Hoddesdon):
Stylus - Run To You (streamed from Farm Factory Studios, Welwyn Garden City):
The Beatniks - Help! (streamed from The George III, Hoddesdon):
xcerts - Full Gig (streamed from Farm Factory Studios, Welwyn Garden City):
F.A.Q
How do I cancel a rehearsal booking
What size are your rooms?
What are your opening times?
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Blog
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