Vocal and spoken-word recording

Booth and control room

The vocal booth is about 7 m² and isolated from the live room so you are not distracted by other instruments. Through the window you see the engineer in the 20 m² control room where monitoring and routing are adjusted. That visual link helps with timing, ad-libs and discussing a take without breaking flow.

Up to 16 mic inputs are available; for vocals we usually pick from a small set of condensers and dynamics. No mic is universally right — we listen on two or three options on the same verse before committing.

Microphone and placement

The capsule you sing into is only half the story: where you stand shapes tone as strongly as the model on the stand. We adjust distance, height and pop-filter angle until low end, presence and sibilants feel right in the cans — not only on our meters.

Hip-hop and intimate pop often sit closer to the grille; theatre and jazz lines may need more room tone. Bring up your home mic preference in the brief; we either patch it in or pick a studio match that behaves similarly in our booth.

Headphone mix and comfort

You get a personal cue mix: more or less instrumental, extra click, a touch of reverb only in your ears — whatever keeps you in pitch and on the grid. Ask for tweaks anytime; an uncomfortable mix leads to tension and early fatigue.

• Water and a lyric stand in the booth
• Adjustable light so you can read without squinting
• Stand, sit or handheld where it fits the performance
• Breaks when your voice needs them — fewer strong takes beat hours of tired vocals

See our guide vocal warm-up for singers for simple prep at home.

Who this is for

Vocal and spoken-word recording is for anyone who needs a professional vocal capture: pop and rock singers, rappers, spoken-word artists, demo singers pitching publishers, podcast hosts who want an isolated voice (without the full podcast package) and band members overdubbing after band recording.

Minimum age for an unaccompanied session is 16. Younger participants are welcome with written consent from a parent or guardian and an adult present. Sessions are by appointment during Mon–Fri 10–20, Sat 10–18; check contact for availability.

What to bring

The better prepared you are, the more booked time goes into performance. Send at least:

1. Instrumental as WAV (ideally without guide vocal) or a aligned stem export
2. Lyrics, marked by section if that helps
3. Tempo (BPM) and key if you know them
4. Two reference tracks whose vocal tone you like — for direction, not copying

Already working in Ableton, FL Studio or another DAW? Export stems or bounce the backing and note the start point. For mixing later you can book mixing with us or elsewhere; we deliver clearly named files.

Comping, edits and scope

Basic comping of the best lines is part of a normal vocal session: one lead and any doubles you tracked in the booth. Light breath edits and removing obvious false starts often fit in that time. Heavy tuning as an effect, time-stretching or rebuilding whole phrases from dozens of snippets is not included by default — we quote that separately or schedule a mix session.

Mastering is a separate service (mastering). Vocal recording delivers raw or lightly edited stems; final song balance happens in mixing.

Formats, delivery and retention

We record at 24 bit / 48 kHz unless your project needs another sample rate and you tell us in advance. You receive WAV files aligned from the start of the song plus a short note on which takes we used. On request we send a working Pro Tools or Logic session via download link; large packages can go on your own SSD.

Morigliolink B.V. keeps a back-up for 12 months after the session, then deletes it unless you arrange an extension. Always keep your own copy. More on data and audio: privacy policy.

Rates and booking

All amounts include 21% VAT. Consumers pay as agreed; business clients receive an invoice with 14 days payment term after delivery, as set out in the terms and conditions.

Hourly fits short overdubs or voice-over blocks. Half day suits most singles with doubles. The per-song rate applies when scope and backing are fixed upfront — we confirm in writing. Booking requires a 30% deposit; free cancellation up to 7 days before the session. Questions? 020 737 0842 or [email protected]. Getting here: The studio is on Overtoom in Oud-West. Tram 1 (Overtoom stop) and tram 7 (Marnixplein stop) are a short walk away. From Amsterdam Zuid station, allow about 15 minutes on tram 1 towards Centraal. Bike racks are in front of the entrance; car parking is limited — use Q-Park Byzantium (Overtoom) or on-street spaces outside blue-zone hours.

Included

• Engineer at the desk for your booked time
• Microphone choice after a quick comparison
• Personal headphone mix
• Basic comping of tracked vocals
• WAV export on session day
• Back-up stored 12 months on our systems
• Booth and control room access by appointment