BAND REHEARSAL STUDIO RENTAL FAQ
Question: What is the cancellation policy?
Answer: You can cancel your reservation up to 24 hours prior to your appointment time and receive a full refund. This can be done via the link on your confirmation email or in the online scheduler. There is no credit or refund given if you cancel inside of 24 hours as that spot on the reservation calendar is effectively consumed as most anyone who was looking to book the studio saw that it was already booked.
Question: Why do you have scheduling blocks on weeknights?
Answer: We don’t like the blocks either, but we tried other ways and the only thing that seemed to work reasonably well in North Austin (down south there are a lot more musicians that want to play at varied times throughout the day and night). Without the blocks, everyone would book 7-9pm as nobody wants to start at 5pm or 9pm. The only thing that seems to work is to have an “early shift” for those who want to rehearse right after work and a “late shift” for those who wanted to go home and eat dinner before rehearsing. That is how 6-8pm and 8-11pm became our blocks. There are no blocks on weekends and the drum room doesn’t have any blocks at any time.
Question: How big are the studios?
Answer: Check out the descriptions and photo gallery on the band rehearsal studio rental page - there are dimensions, photos, and other information that will help you determine which studio is best for you.
Question: Does Waveform have amps or other gear like keyboards to rent for a session?
Answer: Unfortunately, we do not have any gear other than drums/cymbals/microphones for rent for a session. We used to have guitar and bass amps, but there was not much demand for them.
Question: What equipment comes with the studio?
Answer: The 4pc and 5pc studios come with QSC K12 PA cabinets, individual a/c, 2 mic stands, 2 stools, WiFi, and 1/8in headphone adapters for the Mackie ProFX8 mixers. The 3pc studio has all of that but only one stool and 1 QSC K12 PA cabinet. As options, you can add a "core" drum kit, a cymbal/pedal package, or a vocal mic/cable package. The drum room comes with a drum kit (minus a crash cymbal…feel free to bring one).
Question: What do the studio names mean?
Answer: Their names reference how many musicians are in the band. We sized each studio so that when a group walks into the studio they are pleasantly surprised with the size for how many people they have to fit. Also, the acoustic treatments, geometry, and cubic volume all relate to this number in terms of sonic performance. The 3pc is meant for a thin-sounding group 2-3 people (often times with no vocals) and it will thicken things up. The 4pc is meant for a standard 4 person rock group and will sound compressed and punchy. The 5pc is meant for 5-6 people and works well with horns, keys, or multiple vocals. Note: Any room (unlike a stage where the PA is pointed away from the microphones) is going to have feedback issues. There are mixing notes on the PA mixers, please read them and it will help you get a good sound and minimize feedback…the cabinets are top-notch and not an issue…mixing and placement are the keys to success. Other rehearsal studios in town use Mackie Thumps which are not very good. We have QSC K’s because we care about the sound :)
Question: Can I come and tour the studio?
Answer: You can take a quick peek at the studio right when we open for our “core hours” at 6pm on weeknights and noon on weekends. We never really know when the studio will be free and available to tour as many times reservations are made online only hours beforehand. Additionally, we are not on site during weekday daytimes unless someone has booked a shoot. However, if you come at 6pm on weeknights or noon on weekends, the studio might be booked, but the band who rented the studio will be loading in and not actively playing and you can take a quick look around. We tried to showcase the studios the best we could in the photo gallery on the band rehearsal studio rental page - hopefully you can get a good idea of the studios.
Question: What time can I load in? When do we have to load out?
Answer: Please understand that we only have 3 music studios for bands. If we had 30 studios, we could book in such a way that there were no “back to back” sessions. Alternatively, we could charge more and then put in 15 minute buffers between sessions. So in an effort to keep prices at a minimum, we do not have buffers. You are expected to leave a clean studio by your scheduled end time. Most of the time there is another band waiting to get into the studio or it is our closing time when your time has ended. If you need more time, we offer discounts for longer sessions specifically to make our studios work for you the best they possibly can :) Our approach to this is simple, it is about respect. We try our best to keep our facility/gear top notch because we respect the craft and we expect that you try your best to respect our facility, staff, processes, and scheduled times. If we feel that a group or person is not holding up their end of the bargain, we reserve the right to enforce our policies and that may result in the booking customer being charged a $25-50 fee. Think of it just like renting a hotel room or a car - the booking customer is responsible for everyone in their group.
Question: Why do you book the photo studio during weekday daytimes and not the music studios?
Answer: There is not a critical mass of customers who want to rehearse during the day times on weekdays.
Question: Do you allow minors in the studio?
Answer: No. Soundproof room with no windows + minors…sorry, but we can’t do that.
Question: I keep calling you and getting a voicemail message…are you there?
Answer: Since our studios are booked online, our staff only being onsite during core hours (nights/weekends), and hopefully the answer to most every question can be found on our website, there is no business phone in the facility. If you call and get our business voicemail, please leave a message or send us an email using the contact form below. We will get back with you as quickly as possible :) We could hire a person to answer a phone throughout the day and evening, but that would drive up the price we charge for using the studio and we are trying our best to provide the absolute best rates without sacrificing quality.
Question: Where do I park and will someone meet me when I arrive to the facility?
Answer: Waveform has its own parking lot in front of the facility and it is about 3 feet from the front door. The facility is very easy to navigate and our staff will greet you by the front door.
Question: What do the drum kits come with?
Answer: Each “core” kit comes with 3 cymbal stands, a hh stand, drum throne, and snare stand - plus the drums. Check out the photo gallery on the band rehearsal studio rental page for photos of each kit. Usually the drummer brings their own kick pedal and cymbals, but you can add that on to your session as well as a separate option.
Question: Why do you not provide microphones as part of the PA?
Answer: Most singers want to use their own mic. But if a band needs some, we have them as an additional option. We clean them each time someone gets the mic package…so we have to charge for that. As far as cables, we used to provide that until some bands either took the cables or swapped out their broken cables for ours…so we stopped.
Question: Can I record a music video at Waveform?
Answer: Yes. If you have a videographer, please have them contact us. We don’t market our studio as a video studio and there are some restrictions. We do not allow any live performance (ie, no drums/cymbals/etc) in the photo studio. However, you can totally do that in the 5pc music studio - just make sure the concept matches what you can do in the studio in terms of lens focal length and esthetics of the studio itself. Note: You will not want to bring “hot” lights into the music studios.
Question: Why do I have to pay with a credit card to make a reservation and why don’t you take cash?
Answer: By not taking cash and having all reservations paid for in advance, our staff can concentrate on providing a clean and safe environment for our customers. It also affords them the time to help customers who are unfamiliar with the studio setup, learn the equipment, and make sure everybody gets off to a good start. From other perspectives, not taking cash lowers the risk of robbery and helps us keep our prices low in a variety of ways.
ADDRESS/DIRECTIONS
8204 N Lamar Blvd. Austin, TX 78753
Building A
Driving: From 183, go north approx. 1/4 mile and turn left into Waveform's parking lot which is directly across from Texaco.