Hours

A Day is 10am-8pm (10 hours)

AM Half Day: 10am-3pm (5 hours)

PM Half Day: 4pm-9pm (5 hours)

Reset is part of your session. Everyone working or playing the session resets the space. Please budget your time accordingly.

BOOKING POLICIES

• Please inquire about last-minute availability. The fastest way to find out if a date is available is to leave a voicemail at (510) 972-TAPE, and send a followup text.

• We quote new projects in Days and Half Days. Please don’t ask our hourly rate. Ongoing projects naturally transition to hourly after the initial session.

• We do not require anyone to hire an in-house engineer or assistant. We offer a free two-hour training to guest engineers in advance of the session.

RESERVATIONS: Studio Rental or Rehearsal fee is required at time of booking. If a record label is paying for the session, the full amount, including labor, must be completed in advance. Cash, ACH, PayPal, Venmo, and the Cash App are typical. PayPal requires specific settings to be fee-free. We can accept credit cards or PayPal drawn from a debit or credit card, but you pay the 3.3% service charge. Please inquire if your bookkeeping requires that you pay by check.

CANCELLATION: Reservation fees are not refundable under any circumstances. However, sessions may easily be rescheduled if reasonable advance notice is given. This can include a long term IOU if need be. // Please do not come in if you are ill or coming down with something. We will work it out. // Aside from sudden illness or other clearly communicated emergency, cancellation on less than 48 hour notice may result in an inability to use the studio in the future.

DAY OF SESSION: Engineers and assistants are paid directly by the client at the beginning of the session, not at the end. To quote Steve Albini, “You should arrive at the studio with the means to pay for your session.” Cash and peer-to-peer payment methods are accepted.

REHEARSAL + DIY: This discounted arrangement is based on trust. Multiple-day bookings and touring projects are welcome and encouraged. Our lot can accommodate a van and trailer, or a tour bus with trailer for a small fee, except on Sunday mornings. // No control room access. The live room, side room, iso booth, and our comprehensive facilities are fair game. There is a shower. // We have extensive backline, a complete professional PA system with monitoring, and several small format console options. Rental fees are low and some things are free; just send us a list in advance. // You are welcome to record yourself with your own rig. This is an excellent option for bands that know what they’re doing but can’t get a professional sound at their practice space. We will make sure you have everything you need to be extraordinarily productive. Microphone borrowing is limited to common live sound models and the prewired SDC pairs strategically mounted to the ceiling.

Standard Rates

Standard Rates apply to all label- or broadcast-sponsored projects, and projects self-funded by musicians with middle-income day jobs and above. By paying Standard Rates, you enable us to offer assistance to very low income Black, POC, trans, and queer projects. Please do not propose a lower rate unless you qualify for Community Rates or Financial Aid as described below.

Full Day Half Day
Studio A Rental  $375 $200
Rehearsal + DIY        $300 $175

Community Rates

Community Rates apply to self-funded low income clients, minimum wage earners, local food & beverage service industry, marginally funded arts collectives, and 501(c)3 non-profits. Please state clearly if all members of your band or project qualify, or ask if you’re unsure. Special consideration given to middle income solo artists who are entirely self-funded and paying multiple supporting musicians. This is an honor system and we do not need to know specific income.

Full Day Half Day
Studio A Rental          $275 $150
Rehearsal + DIY        $200 $125

IN-HOUSE LABOR

Full Day Half Day
Engineer      $250 $125
Assistant $150 $75

An assistant is a fully qualified engineer and equal team member. Guest engineers would be wise to budget for an assistant for the setup portion of their first session here, and we often recommend an assistant for any full-band setup that needs to get tracking ASAP.

FINANCIAL AID

Studio time in the Bay is prohibitively expensive for many musicians. Community Rate is carefully designed to enable as much access as possible, while covering our baseline expenses. The only income here is through sessions and rentals, so the more Standard Rate bookings we have in a given month, the more flexible we can be that month.

We are happy to offer a Studio Rental discount below Community Rate if your project is all of the following: A) Bay Area based, B) primarily Black, POC, trans, or queer, C) self-funded, and D) Very Low Income or Extremely Low Income. You must show us that the music is ready and the band is well rehearsed, demonstrate that you have assembled the most comprehensive recording budget within your means, and be candid about the circumstances. If all of that lines up, we got you.

We can not discount labor fees, but in-house labor is not a requirement here. We can accommodate and support your guest engineer if they are qualified and experienced, including a free two-hour personalized training in advance of the session. You’ll want to budget for an in-house assistant if your engineer is coming from a strictly digital background, or is otherwise unfamiliar with large analog consoles and complex patchbays. We have all the DAWs, and any plugin can be installed. Engineers are welcome to bring their own computer; please inquire for interface and peripheral details.

Accessibility

This is a low-scent (but not no-scent) environment. Cleaning products are unscented or close to it. Electronics-specific chemicals are in use in the space ongoing – but not in advance of, or during, sessions. If you have a particular sensitivity, please do let us know and we will accommodate.

We are partially accessible to some folks with limited mobility. There are a total of three steps down from the parking lot to the studio, not all at once. The restroom is one step up and is not large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. We will have an ADA compliant entry ramp in the future, which will also enable faster equipment loading. Currently, temporary ramps are an option with advance notice.

Given advance notice, we can accompany any session with a high-quality live audio stream. We can accept high quality audio in return. We can also communicate via any of the typical teleconferencing services, and we maintain one camera that may be positioned anywhere in the space. Please let us know in advance if additional remote access services are required.