For many of us, recording studios are an unknown entity; strange, dimly lit spaces only glimpsed in behind the scenes music docos and biopics, home to those bleary-eyed producers who occasionally shout, “We got it!” in hoarse, sleep-deprived voices and generally spend their lives fiddling about with some knobs.

But using the movies as a point of reference for recording studios is a little like basing one’s knowledge of the art of seduction off the James Bond films, or using The Fast And The Furious as a guide to buying your first car. Recording studios, far from being shady, mysterious dens of magic, are instead thrillingly mundane spaces where esoteric, hard to pin down ideas and concepts are transformed into the songs we know and love. They’re not manna-soaked caves – they’re factories.

Of course, some are better than others, and not all recording studios were made equal. To that end, here is our run-down of the six best recording studios in Australia – the unmissable spots where the country’s prize sonic sausage gets made.

Studios 301

A Sydney-based institution, Studios 301 has provided sanctuary for artists as diverse as INXS, U2 and Yeezy himself, Kanye West. As we covered in an article last year, 301 has the benefit of history behind it, as “Australia’s largest and oldest recording studio, [and] boasts an incredible discography.” The space was even requisitioned by the Purple One himself when Prince stormed the joint back in 1992 to lay some of his sultry tunes down to tape.

Studios 301 mixing desk

The Grove Studios

Another Sydney institution, The Grove Studios is a five-star facility that has hosted sessions by such ‘Strayan luminaries as Eskimo Joe and The Whitlams. Understandably then, it’s not exactly a cheap spot to record in – the two professional studios are “available to hire for up to $675 a day.” Yowsers.

The Grove Studios

Pearl Shell Studio

Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly and Peter Garrett walk into a recording studio. That’s not a joke, that’s just an average day at Broome’s Pearl Shell Studio, a legendary space with its own distinct, earthy sound. You don’t go to Pearl Shell to polish your songs to the point of unrecognizability – you go there to capture them as purely as you can. No wonder it’s a joint so beloved by musicians from all walks of life then.

Pearl Shell Studio: Image by Fi Poole (ABC)

Sing Sing Recording Studios

Head over to the website of Sing Sing Recording Studios in Melbourne, click on the “artists” drop down menu, and prepare to find yourself overwhelmed. The studio has hosted more musos than you can poke a drumstick at, and everyone from Body Jar to Clairy Browne to Archie Roach has stumbled into the space, looking to lay down some tape.

Sing Sing recording studio

Head Gap

Head Gap looks more like the warehouse gangsters stumble into at the end of a shoot-out than an actual recording studio, but don’t let that put you off: the cavernous spot boasts some of the best acoustics in the game, and has been repped by luminaries as diverse as Kim Deal and Courtney Barnett.

Head Gap studios

Heliport Studios

How could you not love a recording studio with a name like “Heliport”? Boasting a “unique recording experience”, the Queensland based space has the advantage of top of the line equipment, an instantly welcoming vibes and some killer views. It might be a cliché to suggest you’ll never want to leave, but, uh, you’ll never want to leave.

Heliport Studios

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