Saved by Technology

This store is the go to for recording gear. As a guitar player, I am not an expert when it comes to music technology so I don’t dive too deep in it. Going here is like having an appointment with the Apple genius bar, but all music related ! The staff will do whatever they can to make sure your setup is the best for what you need, and they’re all really knowledgeable. The stuff inside is always changing and they are always on the cutting edge (Makes me feel like I need an upgrade!). Highly recommend, one of the city’s best kept secrets.

Saved by Technology or SBT as it’s known by people that spend too much time there, is a music boutique but in the loosest sense of the word. It’s been a «mom and pop» operation since it started but the store is somewhat lacking in what you would normally consider a boutique to look like.
SBT has been around since 1985 and was one of the first stores in North America to sell synthesizers. The store started out of the basement of the owner’s parents and soon moved to the building they are still in today.
Breadalbane is a side street just off Yonge south of Wellesly. If you walk past the Sobeys Express and into the alley behind (turn right) then continue to walk till you see the SBT sign you’ve found what might be the best job I’ve ever seen at camouflaging a store.
When you head inside you are likely to see several people playing with various music programs, noodling with an electric drum kit or synth or in the middle of a heated debate about the problems with the music industry today. I have heard many people say that walking in the door is actually quite intimidating because it’s a small shop and more than likely everyone that works there will look at you the second you walk in the door.
By small I mean the sales floor might be the size of a bachelor apartment but they’ve packed that place to the gills. If you’re looking for anything, and I mean anything to record an album or outfit a studio of any kind, they have it. Now just to clarify, they do not sell traditional instruments, they are a recording store. You can by synthesizers and plug ins for any sequencer but if you’re looking for guitars or a bass you have to go somewhere else.
Their prices are actually pretty good comparatively speaking as this stuff is never cheap. More often than not they have Long & McQuades and Steve’s beat by at least a few bucks and sometimes quite a bit more. It’s not uncommon to buy one small thing and end up dropping $ 300 in the process but if you know anything about recording you know that isn’t much to spend on an interface or a mic.
You might feel claustrophobic if you’re in there for long. The place has bad air circulation and in the winter it seems like the heat is either being bellowed by the devil himself or icicles are starting to form on the staff. This shouldn’t deter you though because those guys know there stuff and if you want to do anything from run redundant live pro tools hd rigs for a concert (they’ve worked with the Stones, AC/​DC and Linkin Park to name a few) or recording your voice into Garage band in your bedroom they can and will help and it will be done right the first time.
Now if only they’d slap a decent coat of paint on the place. Sigh…