Vocal and spoken-word recording

Who this service is for

Solo artists finishing a single, rappers preparing an EP, songwriters who need a clean demo, jazz or pop singers over backing tracks, and bands adding vocals after band recording — the booth covers these cases. Voice-over for internal video, podcast intros or audio drama works too when you bring the script.

The minimum age for sessions without a guardian is 16; younger participants need an adult present and prior agreement via contact. We are open on weekdays and Saturday per Monday–Friday 10:00–19:00, Saturday 11:00–17:00, closed on Sunday..

Booth, routing and monitoring

The vocal booth is about 9 m², treated for a dry but comfortable sound. Signal runs through rack preamps (up to 12 channels available in the building) to multitrack in the control room. You get your own headphone mix: more or less vocal, instrumental, light reverb or click — adjustable during the session.

Nearfield monitors (2 pairs in the studio) are set up for critical listening, so you hear what the engineer hears when we review a take together.

Microphone choice and placement

There is no single best mic — only what fits your tone and genre. We often start with a large-diaphragm condenser for detail, a dynamic for powerful rap or close rock, sometimes a ribbon to soften harsh highs. You sing or speak short lines; we compare in the control room and decide together.

How close you stand to the grille, mouth height and pop-filter tilt change sibilance and body in the recording. We adjust those details before we call a take finished.

Singing, rap, doubles and voice-over

For singing we work verse by verse and chorus by chorus, with room for ad-libs on separate tracks. Rap often needs tighter timing: we can put click or grid in your headphones if that is your habit. Voice-over is planned in paragraph blocks with retakes for pronunciation.

Doubles and backing vocals are named consistently in the session (for example choir_L, dbl_chorus) so mixing stays fast later. If you want an obvious pitch effect, we record it on a separate track beside a natural pass.

What to bring and how to prepare

Bring:

• Instrumental as WAV, ideally without guide vocal, or a stem export from your DAW
• Lyrics on paper or phone, plus tempo and key if you know them
• Two or three reference tracks whose vocal tone you like — genre matters more than lyrics
• Your own headphones if you are used to them

Avoid ice-cold drinks right before the session; rest and light warming help. Read vocal warm-up before recording for simple home exercises. Questions about rights on lyrics or beats — note them in your message; legal details are in terms and conditions.

Delivery, formats and turnaround

We record at 24-bit, 48 kHz by default unless your project needs another sample rate — tell us in advance. You receive vocal WAV files aligned from the start of the song, plus a short note on which takes were comped. On request we also deliver the full multitrack session or a rough monitor mix for home review.

Files go via secure download link or to your drive in the studio. Comping and light breath edits are part of session time; heavy tuning or time-stretching is outside standard recording and can be quoted separately. For full-song post-production you can book mixing with us.

Rates, VAT and booking

All listed amounts are consumer prices including 21% VAT. Business invoicing is available at €90.08 per hour excl. VAT, with 14-day payment terms where applicable.

Book via contact or 020 737 4826. Confirmed dates need a 30% deposit; free cancellation up to 7 days before the session per terms and conditions. After delivery, up to 2 short revision rounds on agreed comped tracks when requested promptly.

What is not included by default

Hourly rates cover studio, engineer, basic comping and same-day export. Not included:

• Full mixing or mastering of the song
• Extensive tuning, creative vocoder chains or translating scripts into other languages
• Extra hours when you want many doubles or a whole album in one visit without the half-day rate
• Travel or location recording outside Van Ostadestraat 184, 1073 TS Amsterdam

Unsure about duration? Describe your project in the contact form; we estimate hours and suggest half day or hourly booking. General questions live on FAQ.

Included

• Engineer for the booked time
• Microphone comparison and basic soundcheck
• Personal headphone mix
• Comping of agreed lead takes
• WAV export on session day
• Session backup for 24 months
• Directions on the contact page