The three cost lines
At Variatesystems tracking is booked by the half day or the full day. An eight-hour day in the live room costs €495, a four-hour block €275. Mixing comes next, at €220 per track or €950 for an EP of up to five tracks, with 2 revision rounds included. Last is mastering: €65 per track or €540 for an album of up to twelve tracks.
All of these prices include 21% VAT. If your band is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK) and charges VAT, you can reclaim it; the net amounts are on each service page.
How much studio time do you need?
Tracking time is the big unknown. As a rough guide for a well-rehearsed band playing live and adding vocals and a few overdubs afterwards:
| Approach | Time per song |
|---|---|
| Played live, few overdubs | 1 to 1.5 hours |
| Live basics, vocals and guitars separately | 2 to 3 hours |
| Built up layer by layer | 4 hours or more |
Setting up and dialling in sounds takes an hour to an hour and a half at the start of the day, especially with a drum kit. Count that in even if you only record two songs.
Worked example: a five-track EP
A four-piece band wants a five-track EP. The basics are played live, vocals and solos go on afterwards. A workable plan:
- Tracking: two full days, 2 × €495.
- Mixing: the EP rate of €950 for all five tracks.
- Mastering: five times €65.
If you would rather spread the cost, start with one half day at €275 to test one or two songs. You will hear how the band sounds in the room and can judge more accurately how long the rest will take.
Where budgets usually leak
The lines that overrun are rarely the expensive ones. They are the unplanned ones:
- New strings and drum heads fitted in the studio that still need to settle.
- Songs that are not finished, so arranging happens in the live room.
- A drummer with no click experience on a song recorded to a click.
- Extra mix changes after the included revision rounds.
Rehearse with a metronome a few times if you plan to record to a click. Fit new strings a week ahead and change drum heads a few days before the session.
The live room and who fits in it
Our live room is 42 m² and works for bands of up to 6 musicians playing together. Each instrument gets its own channels, so the mix stays flexible. The studio has 3 rooms, which means vocals or an acoustic guitar can go in the booth while the rest plays in the live room.
If there are more than 6 of you, talk to us first about recording in two groups. That changes the schedule and therefore the budget.
Deposit, cancellation and payment
To confirm a date we ask for a 30% deposit. You can cancel free of charge up to 7 days before the session; after that 50% of the rate is due. Business clients pay by invoice within 14 days. Everything is set out in the terms and conditions.
We keep your session files for 12 months, so if you want a song remixed later you do not need to deliver the tracks again.
Grants and funds in the Netherlands
For professional releases there are Dutch schemes that can cover part of the production cost, including national and Amsterdam-based culture funds. Conditions and deadlines differ per scheme and per year, so check them on the fund's own site before counting on them. Any application goes more smoothly with a budget that has a quote for each cost line; we can draw up an itemised one on request.
Your next step
Send us the number of songs, your line-up and a demo or rehearsal recording through the contact form. We will come back with a proposal and the number of sessions. Read what band and live recording includes, and how to prepare the tracks afterwards in delivering tracks for mixing. If you sing as well, preparing a vocal session will help.
