This week we’ve been lucky enough to pin down the proud owners of the new Vorpal Studio, it's recently had a fresh rebrand and has opened with some amazing packages and opportunities!
Jake and Adam have been working with The Mix via Band Academy for some time, and we’re so excited for this new opportunity to worth with them in a new capacity.
So you guys have opened Vorpal Studio here at The Mix - exciting times! Let’s go back to the beginning, how did you both meet?
J: I was putting on a charity gig with my brother in our hometown, he went to the same school with Adam. Adam came along and played drums with us that night, we hit it off and before long we were going around each other's houses and started writing songs together.
We joined together with two other friends shortly after through our shared love of music and started a band, Polar Collective. We actually played at the official launch of The Mix! We learnt a lot of skills in Polar Collective that we now apply to running the studio, we're both pretty much self-taught. Adam's more on the music technology side, whereas my interests lie in the video editing side.
Have you both always wanted to run your own recording studio?
J: I used to have my own makeshift recording studio…
A: I'm not sure you'd call it that, it was an old 4-track in your shed! We love the after-school clubs and the activities that we run already, but the studio has always been a pipe dream for us - somewhere that bands could come, and somewhere we could still be involved with making music. Our video editing services allow us to help bands promote their brand and their music, it's a really cool opportunity for us.
What other opportunities are there for people to get involved with Vorpal?
A: Children's birthday parties are always good fun!
J: Yeah - the parties are a mix are all the different activities we run in the school clubs, combined into two hours of fun and madness!
A: We're offering Vorpal as a rehearsal space as it's a great well-equipped studio, it's great to have Cabbages & Kings onsite too so bands can grab a drink or bite to eat during opening hours. We're also doing 1-1 coaching and 1-to-band coaching - this can involve song writing, help with managing an online presence, it covers everything we learnt whilst being in a band.
From Jake's side of things we can assist with viral videos, filmed and edited ready to upload to Facebook or YouTube, and we offer showreel-style videos too. If you're approaching a venue to hold a gig it's a great tool to show them your band performing live, rather than a polished music video.
J: There are many musical theatre groups locally – to support new talent we're looking to offer voice reel sessions for anyone who is toying with the idea of moving on to a performing arts college or similar.
A: This is hot off the press, but we're looking at introducing instrument tasters. Instead of committing to buying an instrument and purchasing lessons on top, we're looking at offering a reduced price for four lessons on a specific instrument, so that the customer can get an idea of whether or not it's for them. We're working on a deal with a local instrument shop in Ipswich, so that if they would like to buy an instrument after their taster lessons they can buy one at a reduced rate.
What's a viral video?
J: When Adam and I were in Polar Collective we found a bit of a formula with our videos. We did cover videos of recent songs, alongside older classics. The idea was using 30-60 seconds to highlight a part of the song, short but sweet and easy to watch. Videos now auto-play as you scroll down Facebook, the audience reach is so much wider than our full music videos. We understand the algorithms Facebook uses and how to best promote posts. We'll record it and edit it ready for a band to upload. We can provide all the tools a band needs to boost their profile.
Are you offering any discounts or offers to begin with?
J: We are indeed - if you're booking through a charity, even if you'd like a bespoke package you'll be eligible for a 20% discount. Same for schools, you could organise a trip for the pupils offsite for a workshop in the studio, that would be discounted too.
We want to make it as affordable as possible. We looked at running a big commercial recording studio in Stowmarket which we are hoping to still do. One of the reasons we love having Vorpal here at The Mix is that you are surrounded by young people who have so much potential, but they may not have the funds to unlock it. As a band we had to teach ourselves everything as we couldn't afford to do it on a commercial level so we want to pass on our knowledge so hopefully others can benefit from it.
How can we get in touch with you?
You can find out everything that we do over at www.vorpalstudio.com, but if there’s something else you have in mind just email us – info@vorpalstudio.com. There are flyers with our services available at The Mix reception too. If you’re representing a school and would like Band Academy to run a club for you, you can find more information on that here.