Why prep saves studio time
Our vocal booth is about 12 m² — you hear yourself clearly without the rest of the building. That exposes fatigue, shaky lyrics and wrong backing files immediately. A Vocal and speech recording studio hour is €85; a half day is €295. You want those hours for performance, not for hunting a WAV on your phone.
We usually reply within 2 business days. Book early: free cancellation applies up to 7 days ahead; after that the 30 percent deposit in our terms and conditions applies.
One week out
Treat your voice as an instrument that tires. Skip marathon rehearsals, loud nights out and last-minute rewrites in the booth. Print or export lyrics, mark breaths and tricky consonants, and know your beat or guide track structure by heart.
Send a short brief: genre, dynamics, reference links and whether you plan stacked doubles. Our engineer can prep mic choice and routing; we have 32 inputs, but in the booth you typically use one or two capsules at a time.
Night before and morning of
Sleep is the cheapest upgrade. Alcohol dries mucous membranes; very spicy meals can cause overnight reflux you will hear on the condenser. Pack lyrics, charger, optional own headphones, room-temperature water and lossless instrumentals on a stick or cloud — test the download at home.
Allow travel time to Grote Bickersstraat 74, Amsterdam: about twelve minutes from Centraal on foot. From Amsterdam Centraal it is about a twelve-minute walk via Haarlemmerdijk; bus 22 serves Haarlemmerdijk (Bickersgracht stop). The entrance is on Grote Bickersstraat, next to the courtyard bike parking. Arrive ten minutes early rather than rushed; breathing helps more than an extra espresso.
Food, drink and medication
Hydrate through the day, not only at the door. Many singers skip dairy and nuts beforehand because of mucus; moderate coffee is fine for most voices. Eat lightly about two hours before: a full stomach restricts the diaphragm, an empty one fatigues you faster.
Bring inhalers or antihistamines as usual and tell the engineer. With sore throat, hoarseness beyond a few days or pain when singing, see a doctor and reschedule via contact or +31 20 244 89 17. This article is not medical advice.
Warm-up: body, breath, voice
Start with shoulders, jaw and tongue — tension hides there for speakers and singers. Long «s» or «f» exhalations stabilise airflow. Lip trills or a soft «ng» siren wake the folds without shouting.
Then vocalise in the song’s range. Do not open with the highest chorus; build gradually. For rap or narration, run articulation drills slow, then fast. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough; longer often tires you before take one.
In the booth: monitor, distance, breaks
Let the engineer set your cue mix before you say «ready». Too loud in headphones makes you hold back; too quiet and you push. Many artists leave one earcup off to hear themselves in the room — say so and we adjust level and bleed.
Keep pop-filter distance steady — about a hand’s width works for most dynamics. Step back on loud lines. Ask for breaks: silence and water beat ten takes on a tired voice. We mark takes as you go so you can stay in the performance.
What we handle and what you bring
Before you arrive we load tempo map, markers and structure. Headphones, pop filter and water wait in the booth. After the session we store projects per our archive policy (24 months); ask for a secure copy of raw takes before you leave if needed.
Bring checklist:
- Final lyrics and cue notes
- Backing track as WAV or AIFF, consistent sample rate
- Reference tracks for discussion, not cloning
- Own headphones if you rely on them
Continuing with balance and edits? Read mix delivery formats and stems or see mixing. For several players tracking together, band recording budget fits better than this vocal guide.
Summary
Lock lyrics and structure before you walk in, sleep and hydrate on time, warm up without forcing, and speak up about monitor mix and breaks. That is how you get the most from €295 or whichever block you book. Availability questions: contact us — we are open Mon–Fri 10–22, Sat 11–18.
