Live and band recording

Capacity and lineup

The live room suits duos up to five musicians at once; larger ensembles need alternative mic plans or multiple days. Drums, bass, guitar, keys, percussion and one lead vocal live are typical; extra singers often move to voice recording for isolation.

Up to 8 people in the building including crew and friends — tell us if you expect an audience. Minimum age 16 for unattended bands; younger groups with supervision and consent.

Playing together or track-by-track

Ensemble: everyone plays at once; bleed between microphones is part of the character. We use baffles and polar patterns to keep vocals readable.

Semi-live: rhythm section live, solos and doubles later — efficient when arrangements are dense.

Track-by-track: one player at a time with click or guide; slower but maximum control. Pick what fits repertoire and budget; compare hourly €98 with session €355 on services.

Microphones and backline

We draw from the 18 microphones in the building: dynamics on snare and guitars, condensers on overheads and acoustics, DI for bass and keys where it helps. A house drum kit is not standard — bring your own or hire locally; we mic what you bring.

Bring guitar amps; we have isolation setups and attenuators to tame level. Discuss room sound vs close miking in intake so setup time stays short.

Engineer and monitoring

Saskia or an assigned recording engineer runs routing, cue mixes and takes from the control room (about 20 m²). Each player gets a headphone mix; drummers often need extra kick and click. We do not roll blindly: between takes we review timing and dynamics before you restart.

Want rough mixes during the session? Fine for internal feedback, not a substitute for mixing. External producers may sit in the control room by arrangement.

Band preparation

Tune guitars and drums beforehand; replace strings that hiss. Rehearse with a click if you plan to use one in the studio. Send demos or tempos ahead so we prep a Pro Tools or Logic template.

Bring tuners, spare strings, sticks, cables and power strips. Vocal preparation applies when singers book booth time the same day. Getting here: The studio is on Bilderdijkstraat in Oud-West, about a ten-minute walk from Leidseplein. Trams 1 and 7 serve the Bilderdijkstraat stop, roughly three minutes on foot from there. The entrance is at street level, which makes bringing cases or instruments straightforward.

Delivery and next steps

Standard delivery is multitrack WAV, 24 bit, 48 kHz, labelled per channel (e.g. OH_L, SN_TOP, GTR_RHY1). Optional rough stereo mix for a quick check. No finished mix included — that is mixing with 2 revision rounds.

Mastering after the mix. Files via download or SSD; retention 24 months. See terms and conditions for liability after that window.

Rates

Amounts include 21% VAT; business invoicing with 14-day terms is available.

Overtime per half hour by agreement. Free cancellation up to 7 days ahead; afterward deposit may shift once within 6 months. 30% deposit on booking.

Not included and house rules

No house drum hire, backline insurance, catering, photographer or video crew unless booked separately. Non-smoking building; alcohol in moderation and never near equipment. Respectful levels toward neighbours — we stop takes if sound causes issues outside the room.

Privacy and imagery: privacy policy. General questions: FAQ; booking: contact or 020 261 4873.

Included

• Recording engineer for booked time
• Microphone choice and placement for your lineup
• Patchbay routing to control room
• Individual headphone mixes
• Multitrack WAV export as agreed
• Basic gobo placement for bleed control
• Session archive for 24 months