Planning a budget for band and session recording

Where the money goes

Studio time is the main line item: €120 per hour or €850 for an eight-hour day block, including 21% VAT, engineer and use of the live room plus booths. Extra hours beyond the day block: €145 per hour. On top of that you often have mixing (€280 per track or €950 for up to ten tracks) and sometimes mastering (€65 per track).

Rehearsal at home or in a practice space is outside our invoice but drives how many studio hours you actually need. Do not under-estimate: a song that «feels almost done» can still eat half a day if arrangement and tempo are not settled.

Space and headcount

Our live room is about 28 m²; drums and amps go there, bass, guitar and keys can use booths. We cap sessions at 6 musicians at once — enough for a typical rock or indie line-up, not a big band. The facility has 3 rooms and 32 inputs so routing stays flexible without constant repatching.

Smaller sessions (two or three players) are often more efficient per hour than a full line-up waiting on every drum take. Agree upfront what is tracked live and what is overdubbed; it saves hours. Workflow details are on band recording.

Scenario: four-song EP

Example: four songs, well rehearsed, you want drums and bass live, guitar and vocals partly overdubbed. Conservative math:

This is not a quote: tempo, complexity and how tight you play change everything. Send a demo via contact; we reply within 2 working days with a proposal.

Scenario: one single, tight deadline

One song in one day is possible if arrangement and tempo are fixed and you can play what is on the demo live. Then plan: morning setup and soundcheck, afternoon takes, evening comping and maybe one overdub. Without prep, half a day block disappears into experimenting.

If vocals are only ready late in the day, book vocal booth time — see vocal preparation. Do not combine major last-minute arrangement changes with «we must release tomorrow»; that is where €145 beyond the day block comes from.

Booking, deposit and cancellation

Confirmed dates need a 40% deposit on the agreed amount. Business clients can pay on invoice within 14 days after delivery when agreed. Free cancellation up to 7 days before the session; after that, the balance may be due under terms and conditions.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10:00–22:00, Saturday 10:00–18:00. Closed on Sunday.. Evening sessions are popular in Amsterdam; allow travel time — The studio address is on Columbusplein in Amsterdam-West. Trams 13 and 14 stop at Columbusplein; from there it is about a three-minute walk. By bike you can use the racks along the square in front of the entrance.

Mix and revisions in the budget

Mixing is usually offline after tracking days. At Resourceworks, 2 revision rounds are included per mix agreement; extra passes are billed by the hour or per track as agreed. Deliver stems and references in the format from our mix file guide to limit back-and-forth.

Mastering (€380 for up to twelve tracks) comes after final mix. Rights and credits are separate — mastering and rights explains what a studio deal does and does not transfer.

Saving time without cutting corners

• Rehearse until you can play the songs blind; the studio is not a practice room.
• Send multitrack demos or a live ref ahead so the engineer can prep mic choices.
• Decide per song what must be live; overdub only what you need.
• One decision-maker in the room — debates at the desk cost takes.
• Bundle mix: €950 can beat four separate track fees.

Need podcast recording or voice-over and video in the same week? Email [email protected] or call 020 - 707 4829.

Summary

Start with the day rate €850 for full tracking days, budget €145 as buffer, add mix and master from track count, and remember the 40% deposit and 7-day cancellation window. We have worked from Amsterdam-West since 2019 with 3 recording spaces — transparent planning matches how we work about us.

Ready to run the numbers on your set list? Request a proposal.