Have you had problems trying to book a rehearsal room lately? If so, you wouldn’t be alone. For a while now, musos from all around Perth have been suffering from what seems like a severe shortage of decent places to practise their craft, a huge waiting time before follow-up bookings can be made and the (sometimes unjustified) cost to do so...

Enter Homewood Studios. Five rehearsal rooms, located to the East, varying in size and cost and according to owner Paul Homewood, catering for the needs of almost anyone.

LOCATION

86 PRESIDENT STREET, WELSHPOOL, 6106

The most noticeable thing about these studios is just how quiet the surrounding area is. You could have heard a pin drop out in the carpark, and I was worried that unless there was good isolation in these rooms, we were going to get neighbour complaints in about an hours time. I had to remind myself that we were in an industrial area and the reason why it was so quiet was because it was 6:30pm and everyone had gone home! Having a quiet surrounding area is great if you want to get out of your jam space for a few minutes for a quiet moment of reflection or smoking.

The complex itself is lit up and easily recognizable from the street, thanks to the large sign on the exterior wall.

PARKING

Parking is generally on par with other studio around town. There is a large roller door for loading gear in which should be able to be driven through to unload, should the weather be nasty. It would be nice to get the areas adjacent to the main driveway sealed as it’s a prime parking area. There isn’t a lot of room to park on the actual front block itself, but as mentioned, with no one around for miles once 6pm hits, its easy to line cars up down the street if need be.

Security lighting adds an extra measure of safety for those worried about leaving their cars in darkness all night.

CLEANLINESS

Without a doubt, Homewood is the cleanest rehearsal room I’ve ever seen. It could be because everything is brand spankin’ new and things will wear over time, but as Paul is quick to point out, there is a big difference between cleanliness and generally wear and tear. Homewood studios are professionally cleaned every day, inside and out. It certainly shows. All the bins were emptied, the floors were spotless, the toilets were white and there were no bad adours – NOTHING. It probably had more in common with a hospital wing than your typical rehearsal room.

People who like their rooms clean and tidy should be flocking to Homewood in no time at all.

LAYOUT

Homewood Studios incorporate a ‘corridor’ type setup, with five rooms to the left and an outdoor area to the right. The design came about from ideas Paul had researched from many studios around the World. Its good to know that thought goes into these things.

One large table and 6 chairs rest in the middle of the complex for people to gather round. Directly opposite the table are fridges, TV and coffee machine, as well as the all-important Homewood clock.

I find it amazing how many rehearsal studios do not have clocks, especially given how many musos I know who turn off phones and remove their watches to play their instruments without damaging them.

There is a large (yet to be completed) outdoor area for the smokers which at present is just bitumen and a little unsightly, but as the studios continue to be worked upon, there are plans for some work to be done here.

Internally, the place is very clean but it could feel a tad clinical for some people. Don’t expect large carpeted chill-out zones with huge 6-seater moth-eaten lounges.

ROOM DESIGN, OUTFITTING & SOUND

These rooms are certainly going to be appealing to people who like to feel comfortable and ISOLATED from the other bands when they rehearse. Homewood has five rooms, sized 6mx4.5m, 6mx4.5m, 8mx4.5m, 6.8mx4m and 5.3mx4m. All are air conditioned. The rooms are outfitted with Yamaha MSR400 speakers and Yamaha MG series desks. Each room had mics and stands a-plenty.

Now here’s where Homewood really starts to stand on its own. Each room has significant acoustic treatment with baffles, reflection panels and bass traps lining the walls. The walls are 32mm thick then stud with acoustic insulation, air gap, stud, 32mm – So each room is built as a separate ‘box’ – ie theres no touching structure from one room to the next – Fantastic if you don’t want to hear the band next to you. Even the ceilings are treated, so when you come out into the main foyer of the studios, ambient noise is much lower.

The 8mx4.5m room

Obviously, because of the extensive work with treatments, the rooms also sound fantastic. Musos will be able to hear every note with clarity and this is something lacking in just about all other rehearsal rooms around town, in my opinion. Paul extensively tested each room with pink noise and sine waves in order to isolate and fix problematic frequencies.

The rooms are quite large. This one even has its own drum kit and bar fridge!

Some would ask why all this would be necessary if its just a rehearsal room? Isn’t this all just overkill for a place you are going to turn up to, crank out some tunes and go home?

Well, maybe – Or you are a pro band or someone who cares about the sound enough to want to hear it reproduced properly.

When we rehearsed we heard so much more going on around us, and the accuracy of the acoustics allowed everybody to hear themselves easily without being tempted to turn themselves up. We were also able to balance levels and hear where inconsistencies with our guitar sounds were potentially problematic. Basically, because Paul cared about the studio’s sound, it enabled us to care about and focus our band sound.

4/6ths of Evolution Machine and Duane Bonney, ready to rehearse

COST

It’s important to consider just what has gone into these studios when you think about a ‘fair price’ to charge. The rooms start at $55 and go up to around $90 for the large 8m room - which in my opinion is fantastic value. A simple check of what that same money gets you at other rooms around town would probably have you in agreement, too.

SUMMARY

These rooms are a breath of fresh air for people who have always hated the sub-standard condition they are made to endure at other rehearsal room. They are not the cheapest rooms in Perth, but there are more than enough ‘cheap’ rooms to go around. Some of us want GOOD rooms, and will be prepared to pay a little more for a far more rewarding rehearsal session. Homewood offers us this, and if you’re serious about your band, your gear and your rehearsal environment, Homewood will more than likely become your favourite place to play.