Live recording

Who live tracking suits

Live recording works for bands chasing a single cohesive take, bands shaping demos with real feel, or projects that want bass and drums captured together before overdubs at home. Small ensembles — trios with upright bass, horn quartets — also use the room when spatial playing beats stacking overdubs.

The live room comfortably fits about 5 people at once; bigger crews need a planned layout so everyone can move safely around kit and amps. Participants must be at least 18; younger musicians are not accepted unless agreed in writing under our terms and conditions.

Room layout and routing

The live room spans roughly 38 square metres across 4 rooms on one floor. One iso booth (1) is available for vocals or a solo source while the rest of the band stays in the main space.

Up to 32 inputs and 16 mic preamps cover drums, guitars, bass, keys and overheads. We log which mic sits on which channel so a later mix — here or elsewhere — sees consistent track names.

Drums, amps and DI

Drums usually get kick, snare and overheads plus spot mics on toms or ride when the arrangement asks for it. Guitars and bass run through combos or heads with cabinet mics; we can add DIs for a clean parallel capture.

• Bring your sticks, tuning and favourite snare; the house kit is ready but personal details help.
• Place amps where we agree during the brief; moving them mid-take costs time.
• Keys and synths feed the desk direct or via DI; say if you want onboard effects printed.

Monitoring while you play

Each player gets a headphone mix with their instrument and the rest of the band. The engineer balances from the control room and adjusts when you flag something too loud or too quiet, so talk between takes stays minimal.

Recording without a click? We rehearse intros and outros first. With a click, we map tempo changes before rolling.

Typical session flow

A half-day often covers setup, soundcheck and three to five songs with full passes plus targeted overdubs. A €920 day (eight hours including setup) can reach eight to ten songs when arrangements are tight.

We note which take feels strongest; we do not deliver a release-ready mix, but a rough balance so you can choose material for mixing. Need more time? Extra hours bill at €138.

Rates and booking

All rates are consumer prices including 21% VAT. €138 covers studio, engineer and standard mic kit. €920 buys eight hours with setup included; overtime is hourly.

Bookings require a 35% deposit; cancel free up to 5 days before the session. Business clients receive invoices with 21-day payment terms. See terms for full policy.

What to prepare

Send a setlist with tempo and key, reference tracks with a similar live aesthetic, and who plays what. Tune guitars and bass at home or budget fifteen minutes at the start.

Our guide plan your session budget helps estimate hours for tracking plus later mixing. For stem naming and export, see export stems for mix.

Delivery and next steps

After the session you receive multitrack WAV files (24-bit, 48 kHz unless agreed otherwise) via a secure download link. Session notes describe takes and any problem bars. Rough stereo mixes are for listening only, not release.

Mixing and mastering are separate services; revisions there follow 3 rounds as stated in the terms. Prozoneova keeps archives for 18 months — download and back up locally.

Not included

We do not provide final mixes, mastering, arrangement coaching or hired session players. Travel and parking in Amsterdam are yours; route details sit on contact under The studio is on Transformatorweg in Westerpark. Bus 21 stops at Haarlemmerweg (about a seven-minute walk); from Amsterdam Centraal it is roughly a twelve-minute cycle via Haarlemmerweg. You can park bicycles at the entrance; cars use paid street parking or Q-Park Westerpark on Van Limburg Stirumstraat, about an eight-minute walk..

Damage to gear you bring is outside our scope; use studio cables and stands where possible. Questions about level or neighbours? Discuss upfront — we work within normal hours: Mon–Fri 10–21, Sat 11–17.

What's included

• Recording engineer for booked time
• Drum, amp and DI microphone kit
• Individual headphone mixes
• Multitrack WAV export after session
• Rough balance for reference
• Session archived 18 months
• Briefing and take notes