Why prep saves paid studio time
At Magyaranzo you pay €95 or a half-day block of four hours. Minutes spent hunting lyrics, guessing levels or re-downloading a beat are minutes not spent performing. The booth is isolated for focused work; what you sort at home shows up immediately in how many takes stay in the comp.
Send a short brief via contact before the session: genre, tempo, which sections you want and whether you plan guide vocals or final leads. We load the session with markers and a headphone mix that matches your habit.
Three to five days ahead
Lock the lyrics. Rewriting between takes costs more than booking an extra hour. Print or export lines with breath marks and any ad-libs you actually want. Listen to the instrumental daily in short bursts so every entry point is automatic.
Avoid a loud gig or shouting match the night before. If your voice is already tired on arrival, we would rather reschedule sections than force a chorus under pressure. Free cancellation applies up to 5 days before the date; after that the 30% deposit rules in our terms and conditions apply.
The night and morning before
Sleep beats any warm-up hack. Skip alcohol and very spicy food; both dry or irritate mucous membranes. Pack lyrics, charger, headphones if you use your own, water and non-menthol throat lozenges if you like them.
Check From Vijzelgracht metro (line 52) it is about a 7-minute walk via Ferdinand Bolstraat to Maasstraat. Tram 4 (Stadhouderskade stop) is roughly 5 minutes on foot. On-street parking is limited; P+R or garages near Overtoom are easier. and our hours: Monday–Friday 10:00–20:00, Saturday 11:00–17:00. Closed Sunday.. Arrive with a few calm minutes to spare. We are at Maasstraat 47, 1078 EP Amsterdam; call 020 737 0418 or email [email protected] with last-minute questions.
Food, drink and vocal hygiene
Drink room-temperature water through the day, not only in the booth. Many singers skip milk and heavy cheese for a few hours before recording; learn what affects your voice at home. Eat lightly about two hours ahead — empty stomach makes breath unstable, a heavy meal fights the diaphragm.
If you smoke, allow time outdoors before singing. Persistent hoarseness or pain means postpone the session and see a clinician; we do not want takes that harm your instrument.
Warm-up without shredding
Loosen shoulders, neck and jaw first. Long steady exhales on «s» or «f». Lip trills or soft «ng» sirens in a comfortable range, then vocalises in the song’s tessitura.
Do not open with the highest chorus. Run a verse or sixteen bars you know well to find flow. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough; over-warming can fatigue you before the first real take.
Backing track and file formats
Deliver WAV or AIFF without a limiter on the master; MP3 is acceptable only if it is your only source and you accept the loss. Include BPM and key. Send at least one day ahead using the upload link in your confirmation so we can check it on our monitors.
Label multiple versions clearly (with or without backing vocals). For rap or doubles, say which lines you will stack live versus later — that shapes how we prepare comp lanes.
In the booth: headphones, distance, breaks
Adjust your cue before chasing «the one». Too loud in the cans and you sing quietly; too quiet and you push. Many artists leave one earcup half off to hear themselves in the room — tell us so we can balance bleed.
Keep a consistent distance to the pop filter, about a hand’s width. Slide back slightly on loud phrases. Ask for breaks; silence and water beat ten tired passes. More workflow detail lives on the vocal service page and in FAQ.
What we prep and what happens after
Before you arrive we pick microphones for your voice and prep the booth. During the session we mark takes so you can stay in performance mode. We keep raw files for 24 months per our archive policy; request exports in time if you want your own backup.
Moving on to mix or master? Read export stems for mixing if you supply material yourself, or band session planning if live instruments follow. Book through contact — we usually reply within 1 business day.
Quick checklist
- Lyrics final; instrumental tested (WAV/AIFF, BPM noted).
- Sleep, water, light meal; no alcohol right before.
- 10–15 minute warm-up: body, breath, then voice.
- Files and questions shared at least one day ahead.
- Cue level agreed, steady mic distance, breaks planned.
These tips are general and do not replace medical advice. When in doubt about vocal health, recover first, record second.
