You’ve got songs ready and you want to record them properly. That raises the question: what does it cost to rent a studio, and what do you actually get for it? In this post we lay it out, using the rates at Foltaazje in Leeuwarden as an example.

What are you paying for?

At most studios you don’t just pay for the room, but mainly for three things: the acoustics, the equipment and the engineer. That combination is what decides how your recording sounds. A great room with a poor engineer gets you as little as the other way around.

That’s why at Foltaazje we always work with an engineer. You don’t need to worry about microphone choice, cables or software: you focus on playing and singing, we make sure it’s captured well.

Our rates

Recording day: €500 per day, including engineer. For bands, drums, live instruments and bigger sessions.
Vocal recording: €150 for two hours, including a basic edit. Ideal if you have an instrumental or beat and only want to record vocals.
Mixing: €450 for a full single mix, from grouped stems.
Mastering: €75 per single.
Production: from €500 to polish a demo, from €1500 for a full electronic production.

All prices exclude 21% VAT. You’ll find every option on our recording, mixing & mastering and production pages.

What do you get for that?

Foltaazje is located in the former Zalen Schaaf, a historic theatre in the centre of Leeuwarden. You work in:

Studio 1, with a high-end speaker setup, hardware synthesizers, effects and microphones;
Studio 2, with perfectly balanced acoustics for mixing and mastering;
two live rooms, with a dry drum booth, a vocal booth, amplifiers, drums and an acoustic piano. Fully soundproof, so you can play at any volume.

Take a look at the spaces in the gallery on our about page.

How much time do you need?

That depends on what you’re recording. Some rules of thumb:

Vocals on an existing beat: two hours is usually enough for one song, if you know your lyrics and melody well.
A singer-songwriter with guitar: half a day to a full day for a few songs.
A band: count on a full day for one to three songs, depending on how tight you are and whether you record everything together or instrument by instrument.

Not sure? Tell us what you want to record and we’ll help you find the best setup.

Get the most out of your studio day

The biggest cost in a studio is time lost on things you could have prepared at home. Rehearse your songs until they’re second nature, know your tempos, and bring a reference track of how you want it to sound. Our post 5 tips for your first studio session explains how to prepare.

Booking

Want to lock in a day or session? Request your recording session or get in touch. We work by appointment, Monday to Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00.