FAQ

Getting here and Location

Where is the studio located?

We are located 20 minutes from London’s King Cross and 30 minutes from Central London with easy travel links across London and onwards to Europe.

Nearest Train Stations:
Overground: Crouch Hill Tube: Archway or Finsbury Park
Buses Routes W7,W5,41,91

Nearest Hospital The Whittington


Is there anywhere to stay near the studio?

The nearest options we recommend are:

The Bull & Last
thebullandlast.co.uk


The Standard, Kings Cross.
standardhotels.com/london/


Is there anywhere nice to eat near the studio?

Absolutely! We are situated close to numerous restaurants, wonderful cafés and food stores. Please feel free to ask our friendly staff for advice and we will be more than happy to recommend options. We can also arrange private catering.

There are also lots of nice places to eat at / from near the studio including:

Bar Esteban – baresteban.com
Cocoro (highgate Branch) – cocororestaurant.co.uk
Coffee Circus – coffeecircus.co.uk
Caffeinate – caffeinaten8.co.uk
Dunns Bakery – dunns-bakery.co.uk
Gokyuzu – gokyuzurestaurant.co.uk/greenlanes
Jolene – jolenebakery.com
Pandan Leaf – pandanleafthaionline.co.uk
Sacro Cuore (Crouch End) – sacrocuore.co.uk
Sourdough Sophia – sourdoughsophia.co.uk


Parking, access and load in

Does the studio have parking?

The Church Studios has three car park spaces, one allocated to each studio.

  • Dimensions for location trucks:
    Gate – 3 metres
    Width – 3.20 metres
    Length – 19 metres.
  • Alternatively, free parking can be found at Harringey Park across the street from the studio (after midday only).
  • Or Crouch Hall Rd Car Park which is situated 4 minutes away from the Studios.
    Open Mon – Sat, 8am to 6.30pm (Over 4 hours = £8.10 – PBP).
    Free on Sundays.

Where can we load in from?

The main entrance is on Crouch Hill, Crouch End and loading and unloading is by the car park.


Can I reserve parking space for the crew?

We have limited space in our car park so we’d suggest you get in touch with the studio manager in order to accommodate. Pictures of the car park can be found here. Please let us know if the production company is bringing trucks or big vans.

On site parking spaces (three) allocated daily, situated 40 yards from the Studios.

Alternatively, free parking can be found at Harringay Park across the street from the studio (after midday only).

Or Crouch Hall Rd, Car Park which is situated 4 minutes away from the Studios. Open Mon – Sat, 8am to 6.30pm (Over 4 hours = £8.10 – PBP). Free on Sundays.


What are the lift and door dimensions?

Entrance door: 2m tall – 1,11m wide
Lift: 2,30m tall – 2,59m long – 91cm wide
Door out of lift room (upstairs): 2,20m tall – 98cm wide
Maximum workload for the lift is 500kg

Car Park Dimensions

Gate measurement: 3 metres
Once inside: 3,20 metres wide
Length: 19 metres


Booking & Policies

What are the terms and conditions of booking a session?

A full breakdown of booking terms can be found within our booking terms and conditions page.


Does the studio run a work experience program?

Unfortunately, we are not running any kind of work experience or internship program, long-term or otherwise. Please check back here for future updates.


Health and safety informtation

The Health & Safety contact point is at Reception. First Aid contact point is at Reception and there is an additional First Aid Kit in the Kitchen.


Studio facilities and general use

Can I use my own laptop and interface in the studio?

Yes, of course. Although feel free to use our own studio computers and desktop monitors if you would prefer. If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our huge range of plug-ins and floating equipment available for you. Our engineers will set up the studio to your request.


Does the studio provide residential or catering facilities?

Please get in contact with us so we can help find the best accommodation option for you.

Whilst at The Church we can arrange a variety of different catering options – anything from breakfast, lunch and dinner deliveries to private chefs and caterers.


Are there rooms suitable for string and choir recordings

Definitely. Please do get in contact with us, so we can find the best space for your needs.


Studio measurements and ceiling heights

See the flooring plans on our website.
Studio 1 / Studio 2 / Studio 3.


Filming at the studio

Can I use the studios for filming purposes?

Yes, please contact us with what you had in mind.


When can crew members arrive and load in /out?

We ask production crews to arrive at least a few hours before the shoot. Please make sure to communicate any early arrivals to the studio manager so that the building can be open and ready. We politely ask all production crews not to leave any equipment for collection the next day. If anything occurs and equipment is to be stored at the studios, please liaise with the studio manager as a fee might apply.

The main entrance is on Crouch Hill, Crouch End and loading and unloading is by the car park.


Does the studio have a green room / hair & make-up space?

Both studio 1 and 2 have different spaces which can be allocated to crew and VIP guests. We recommend using the mezzanine in Studio 1 and the B Room in Studio 2.


Can I bring my own equipment?

Of course – we are happy for you to bring your own equipment to the studio.


What equipment do you have and can we use it?

Depending on availability, we would be happy to provide backline on request. The equipment available in each studio can be found here Studio 1 / Studio 2 / Studio 3. There is also a floating list of equipment that is shared between the studios. That can be found here

We can provide tables, mirrors and clothes rails. Please discuss with the studio manager as to what you might need so we can allocate accordingly.


Where can we store equipment?

Several rooms and spaces surrounding Studio 1 are suitable for storing items. On film sessions generally, some of these spaces might be used for hair & make-up, TV monitors, so this is worth considering and as always we strongly recommend a recce ahead of the session.

Studio 2, although smaller, has a control room, live room and a booth off to the side, so please consider these are your only spaces if using all three rooms and need to store equipment on top of this.


Can we use light from outside the building?

Unfortunately it is not possible to set up lighting equipment outside the building for filming.


Can we use an extra screen outside of the studio for client/producer?

Yes, we ask that this is made clear in advance of the session so the appropriate preparations can be made.


Can we use haze machines?

We do not allow hazers or smoke machines to be used.


Does the studio have catering and / or space where people can eat?

We are happy to organise catering and arrange breakout spaces for the crew. Please note that this space is likely to be set-up in the same room as the shoot. Should you require more space, please discuss with the studio manager / consider renting another studio for such purposes.


Gaffer Information

Studio 1

· 63 amp, single phase, (blue connector) in the cupboard on the back wall for ALL lighting and tech equipment. Please provide a C-form adapter and distro to use this.
· 13 amp sockets on balanced power supplies off distros scattered around the room, for audio only.
· 13 amp domestic sockets on north wall (underneath windows) available for anything non audio or lighting related.
· Breakers located in the S1 machine room, and for lighting and domestic power downstairs by side entrance – please speak to the assistant on the session.

Studio 2

· 13 amp sockets on single 30amp ring main in Live Room
Breakers are located in the S2 machine room – please speak to the assistant on the session.

Studio 3

·13 amp sockets on single 30amp ring main in live room
·Breaker is located in the S1 machine room – please speak to the assistant on the session.


Logistical Considerations for Studio 1

The building is old and so the floors in Studio 1 are creaky in some places. There is also no control room in Studio 1, so everybody is in the same room together. There is some space for overspill in the old controI room and booths at the back of the room if they’re not being used for another purpose.

As mentioned above, there is no control room in Studio 1. Traditionally, the performers would be in a separate room to the engineer and other personnel working at the mixing desk.

Much of the musical equipment in the studio is here permanently, though some of it can be shifted around within reason to accommodate your setup. Please make sure there will be enough space for your setup as well as all the gear and people you plan to bring.

It is advised not move the pianos once they are tuned. This can cause tuning issues and might affect the sound quality of the recording.


Technical Considerations for Studio 1

We require all lights to be powered on our 63 amp circuits (As they can interfere with microphones and adversely affect the balanced power system that powers all of our audio equipment).

Please consider how any audio recorded will be synced to picture and speak with the engineer about any requirements you have with regards to this.

Musicians will most likely need to be wearing headphones or require some sort of monitoring while they play.

If filming and recording audio simultaneously, then microphone positions may have to be positioned based on how they look, which may not be ideal for audio quality, and vice versa.

Sometimes, audio is recorded in advance of filming, and then for filming, musicians then mime to playback. This allows microphones to be positioned based on how they look; musicians don’t need to wear headphones; pop filters can be removed from microphones; camera operators can move freely without worrying about noise; and musicians/actors can leave when no longer needed.


Live session specific FAQs

Can the band use headphones if required?

You will be put in touch with the engineer or assistant on session who can help discuss headphone and monitoring options. We can provide headphones and up to a maximum of 8 mixers. Should you prefer that headphones are out of shot, you may want to record the audio first and have the artist mime to playback. The artist might also want to use in-ears, but these must be provided by the artists themselves. If IEMs/wireless systems are needed, these will have to be hired, for which we are happy to arrange and send a quote.


What time can our audio team begin to set up?

We allow a couple of hours before the beginning of the session to set up. The Church Team will aim to have most things ready ahead of your arrival but please allow enough time for last minute changes.


Is there space for an audience?

Depending on the size of the crew, band, audience and what you would like in and out of the shot, this can be possible provided numbers are managed. We always ask that we have an exact idea of how many people are on the session and elsewhere in the building.


Can we have a mix on the day?

It may only be possible to deliver a monitor mix and the multitracks at the end of the day, depending on how much time within the session is allowed for it. It is a good idea to factor this into your schedule for the day, and our engineers are well placed to advise on what is possible. You may also wish to book extra time for a mix session.


Can we have a live audio feed to the camera?

For camera reference, we can provide a stereo feed via 2 XLRs.