A band breathes differently when everyone plays at once than when you stack overdubs later. At Misfiredexa we reserve the live room and control room for your line-up: drums on floor marks, bass and guitars through cabs or reamp, keys direct or DI. The aim is a multitrack that keeps your groove intact, ready for mixing or your own export.
This service suits rock and pop bands, jazz combos, funk rhythm sections and any project that wants at least three elements captured live. Solo artists on backing tracks usually book vocal recording; larger ensembles should contact us first so we can plan mic counts and seating.
Process
Briefing
Send songs, tempos, a rough set list and references for drum and guitar tone. We confirm the mic plan, time slot and deposit under our terms and conditions.
Setup
Drums are tuned and placed, amps sit on floor marks, DIs are checked. Everyone gets a headphone mix before take one.
Tracking
Full passes, sections or same-day overdubs. The engineer marks takes and rides gain; you focus on playing and dynamics.
Wrap
Quick listen in the control room, multitrack or session export, and clear next steps for mix, mastering or the 24-month archive policy.
Live room and routing
The live room is about 34 m² in a townhouse in Oud-West. Curtains and gobos tame reflections so drums stay focused and guitars do not ring. Signals hit the desk through the patchbay with 20 inputs; we stock 19 microphones for overheads, rooms, amps and DIs.
2 iso booths sit next to the live room for vocals or extra guitars later the same day, so you can punch without tearing down the kit. Reamping happens in-room: a morning DI can feed a cab in the afternoon if you want to reshape tone.
Who it is for
Live recording fits bands chasing a demo, EP or album with real interaction, projects that want less timing repair later, and artists used to rehearsal spaces who need a quieter, controlled room. Producers or labels sitting in on a reference session are welcome — mention it when booking so we keep seats in the control room.
Hours: Monday–Friday 11:00–20:00, Saturday 10:00–16:00. Closed on Sunday.. Weekday evenings and Saturday mornings fill quickly; allow at least 2 business days for us to answer your request. Directions: Tram 13 stops at Eerste Helmersstraat; from that stop it is about a 2-minute walk to number 78. From Amsterdam Centraal, tram 13 towards Amsterdam Sloterdijk takes roughly 15 minutes. By bike from Leidseplein it is about 7 minutes via Overtoom and De Clercqstraat..
How a session day runs
A short booking starts with setup and soundcheck; a full day leaves room for several songs plus overdubs. Eva Bos leads tracking; Maarten van Dijk handles scheduling and facilities. You set the pace — some bands take three full passes per song, others build one track layer by layer.
Between takes we watch levels so mixing stays comfortable later. A rough balance for inspiration is fine; final balance and loudness belong to mixing or mastering, not the raw multitrack.
Gain, amps and monitoring
Amp gain staging trips many live sessions. Read amp gain for live recording before you arrive; in the studio we check headroom on DIs and cab mics and avoid clipping on the way in.
Each musician gets a separate headphone mix: more click, less guitar, extra drum room. Bring your in-ears if you use them — we carry common adapters. Otherwise we use closed-back headphones cleaned between sessions.
What to send and bring
Send a set list with tempos, reference tracks, and pedalboard notes if routing is unusual. Bring cables, picks, sticks, spare strings and your own amp if tone depends on it; we provide basic cabs and DIs.
Drummers: fresh heads help. Guitarists: flag if you want reamp time blocked. Keys: a photo of outputs helps routing. Minimum age in the studio is 16; younger musicians only after contact approval.
Delivery, formats and archive
Default delivery is 24-bit / 48 kHz WAV, one file per channel from the same zero point, plus a rough stereo bounce for listening. Need the native DAW session? Request it when booking so we match versions.
Files go out via secure download or your SSD. We keep a project copy for 24 months, then delete per our privacy policy. Back up locally. Book mix or master separately — see services for rates.
Pricing, VAT and exclusions
Live recording bills by the hour or day block; the engineer is included in the hourly rate. Listed prices include 21% VAT. Business clients receive invoices with NL830830893B01; payment terms may be 14 days after approval.
| Option | Price | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Hour with engineer | €125 | Soundcheck plus one or two songs, or overdubs |
| Full day (8 h) | €920 | EP day: setup, multiple songs, extra passes |
Not included: mixing, mastering, extra musicians outside your booking, session players we hire for you, catering, off-street parking fees, repair of damaged rental gear. Cancellation and the 30% deposit are in the terms and conditions; free moves up to 4 days ahead.
After tracking: mix and master
Live multitracks often need more mix time because bleed and room are part of the sound. Joris Meijer can mix offline or finish in the studio; align headroom before sending stems — see headroom when sending stems.
For streaming release, mastering handles final loudness and sequence as a separate line item with one revision round included in the mastering fee. More questions? FAQ or 020 261 8473 / [email protected].
Included
- Recording engineer for booked hours
- Microphones, DIs, basic cabs and headphones
- Patchbay routing to multitrack
- Individual monitor mixes
- Take notes and basic edit markers
- WAV multitrack export after session
- 24-month project archive
FAQ
How many players fit at once?
Four or five is typical: drums, bass, guitar, keys plus vocals in the room or a booth. Larger line-ups need a heads-up so we can extend mics and monitoring.
Do we have to play everything in one pass?
No. Many bands track drums and bass first, then overdub guitars. Others play fully live and punch solos only. We adapt to your set list and time.
Can we bring our own amps?
Yes if they are safe and fit the room. We mic cabs on floor mats; very loud rigs can be attenuated or reamped. Skim our gain checklist first.
Full day versus hourly cost?
An eight-hour block is €920; a single hour is €125. Multiple songs usually make the day cheaper per hour. Net for accounting: €760.33 and €103.31 excl. VAT.
When do we receive files?
Small sessions often export the same evening; large multitracks within 2 business days. Rush delivery may be possible for a fee if the calendar allows — ask when booking.
Is mixing included?
No. Mixing is billed per track or per hour as its own service. We can mix for you or you can take stems elsewhere — see mixing for rates.
Other services
Vocal recording
Lead and backing vocals in an iso booth; engineer handles gain, monitoring and takes.
€95 · per hour
Mixing
From multitrack to stereo mix in the studio or from delivered stems; export in your preferred format.
€185 · per track (offline)
Mastering
Final loudness and balance for streaming and download; one revision round included.
€72 · per track
Voice-over recording
Speaker on a directional mic in a quiet booth; suited for ads, e-learning and audiobooks.
€78 · per hour
Recording in Amsterdam?
Talk through your next session
Briefly describe what you want to capture: we reply within 2 working days with a slot proposal and written price, no obligation.