Standard Rate

$600/day with engineer ($350 up front + $250 day of)
$350/half day with engineer ($225 up front + $125 day of)
$350/day rental only (total up front)

Standard Rate applies to all label- or broadcast-sponsored projects, and projects self-funded by musicians with middle-income day jobs and above. By paying Standard Rate, 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 Rate or Equity Rate as described below. A project rate may be negotiated if you are booking at least seven (7) days at once.

Community Rate

$500/day with engineer ($250 up front + $250 day of)
$300/half day with engineer ($175 up front + $125 day of)
$250/day rental only (total up front)

Community Rate applies 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.

EQUITY RATE

$400/day with engineer ($150 up front + $250 day of)
$150/day rental only (total up front)

Equity Rate applies if your project is all of the following: A) Bay Area based, B) primarily Black / POC / trans / queer, C) entirely self-funded, and D) Very Low Income or Extremely Low Income. Please state clearly in your initial communications how you qualify for this rate, so that we are on the same page.

REHEARSALS

Standard Rate $105
Community Rate $75
Equity Rate $60

Rehearsals are three hours and highly subject to availability. Backline may be included upon request. Rehearsals do not include use of the control room. Payment is required in full in advance. New clients may be required to pay a refundable security deposit.

LABOR

Engineers ($25/hour) operate the console and/or DAW, and are ultimately responsible for scheduling and studio access. Assistants ($15/hour) support the engineer. An assistant is a fully qualified engineer and equal team member who knows where everything is, and will make coffee or do errands if you ask nicely. New guest engineers would be wise to budget for an assistant for setup and teardown.

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 offer free training to new guest engineers in advance of the session. This is best done a few days prior, so that you can finalize input list, mic choices, et al.

  • Reset is part of your session. Everyone resets the space. Guest engineers reset the console and wrap cable. Please budget your time accordingly.

  • No smoking tobacco or cannabis in the building. We have a lovely private yard for that. Vaping is fine wherever. No candles, no lighters, no incense in the studio.

  • No cologne or perfume. Please copy-and-paste the scents section (below) to anyone who needs to see it.

STUDIO HOURS: A studio day is ten (10) hours, typically 10am to 8pm. Half days are five (5) hours, typically 10am to 3pm or 4pm to 9pm. We can accommodate rock and roll hours of 12pm to 10pm if you are booking 3+ days.

HOURLY WORK: Short sessions for film and broadcast include an engineer and are billed at $100/hour Standard Rate, or $75/hour Community Rate. If you’re a band looking to come in and just do a couple of hours of overdubs or vocals, calc what you need based on these rates.

RESERVATIONS: Rental fee is required at time of booking, while labor is typically paid day-of-session. If a third party is paying for the session, total payment is up front. Cash, ACH, Venmo, and PayPal are all good. Please inquire if your bookkeeping requires that you pay by check.

PayPal requires very specific settings to be fee-free. You must select Friends & Family, and your funding source must be an actual bank account. Not a debit card. A bank account. We can accept credit cards or PayPal drawn from a debit or credit card, but you pay the 3% service charge. We will ask you for the service charge if you don’t get the initial payment right. Double check before you hit send!

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. 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.

Please do not come in if you are ill or coming down with something or have had a recent Covid exposure. Let us know. We will work it out.

SCENTS

This is a low-scent environment. Survivor Sound can not accommodate anyone wearing cologne, perfume, essential oils, or any personal care product with a strong odor. Any strong scent that enters the space may be problematic for staff or future guests with sensitivities, and we reserve the right to make immediate note of it. Natural body odors and very mildly scented products are not an issue.

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 let us know and we will accommodate.

Accessibility

We are accessible to some folks with limited mobility. The path to the studio is flat and unobstructed, and the studio is all on one level. The restroom is one step up and is not large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. Sliding door thresholds between the recording areas require raising of the foot.