WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
London Recording Days - the most cost-effective way to record audition tapes
Individual Bookings - tailored to your needs
Remote Work - editing, audio repair, mastering
(Or, if you’re only here for my rates and terms, venue guide, recording day notifications, guide on how best to prepare, or how to scan pdfs of your sheet music, click the relevant link)
For a description of how I work and what I offer, simply keep reading :)
HOW DOES IT WORK?
On the day, I will arrive at the venue and set up for around 30-45mins before being ready for a sound check. Many clients use this as a chance to warm up or rehearse with their accompanist. Set up time and style will depend on the venue, as I have to match my approach to the acoustic on offer. There is also the option of using my background unit for video, as seen in the picture below. It's very popular with people who record in churches and don't want to have an altar in the background of the video.
Once I've set up and we're happy with the sound, we can start recording. Various approaches are possible, depending on what style of working suits you. Some people like to record a few full takes, getting notes from the pianist and myself in between takes on things that can be improved, ending up with a selection of full takes to choose from. Others will record a full take, listen back, then re-record any sections they thought needed improving. There's also the option of working in sections from the word go, and then splicing them together in post-production. Having 2-3 cameras makes all these options viable even for video. Some may call it cheating, but bearing in mind how hard the recording process is stamina-wise, and how heightened listeners'/viewers' expectations are when judging the finished product (as compared to a live performance, say in audition), I'd normally say it's not cheating to present the best singing that happened on the day.
Some applications specify a requirement of unedited video. This means they want a single take with only one camera angle. This is why a lot of people work in complete takes, in order to have unedited versions of the best whole takes on file, as well as a fully edited demo. Or if all you want is an audition tape, let me know, because those require less setup and a lot less editing, so can be a great budget option.
After the recording is done it takes me about 20 minutes to pack up. Then I take all the material home and you'll have 2 options. Either you leave me to do a draft edit myself, then critique it in a back-and-forth email exchange until we have something you're happy with. Or, if you don't mind critically listening to yourself, I can send you raw versions of everything we recorded, for you to make your own selections and for me to then stitch those together. Once we have edits decided, I go on to shape the sound, remove noise, edit video. You'll get to weigh in at every stage of the process. You'll end up with downloadable video/audio files that you can then do what you wish with, as long as you give me a credit when posting them publicly ;)
If you want to read some of my tips on how to prepare for a recording session, click here.
INDIVIDUAL BOOKINGS
Demo Recordings
My standard service - 3 cameras and a stereo audio recording (most often combining multiple microphones, but this depends on the acoustics of your chosen venue). This provides a good balance of flexibility in post to make an engaging multi-angle video, while keeping the audio setup relatively straightforward.
A typical 3-hour session (1 hour of setup, 2 hours of recording) is normally enough for 3 arias, which means it usually ends up costing around £450 (scroll down for detailed rates). You will also need to factor in pianist fee, venue hire, and piano tuning (if needed), as for individual bookings I leave these matters up to the client.
I do sometimes use clients' demo recordings for promotional purposes on social media, as well as my website. If you would rather I didn't, then please let me know.
Audition Tapes
Say you already have some publicity videos, but have been asked for a recording of a specific piece for an application, then you might not need all the bells and whistles of a full production. I can turn up with a minimal rig, which saves on setup time. The idea is to get a product that's better than using a Zoom recorder and your smartphone, but at a price point that won't break the bank. So, if you’re absolutely sure all you need is single takes, then I can bring my smallest setup on public transport, and (assuming off-peak travel) can offer a £50 discount on my regular rate for this basic recording service.
In a 2 hour session you should be able to get 3 arias and pay £240 for single-take videos. Again, you would be resposible for booking the pianist, venue, and tuning.
RATES + terms and conditions
Please bear in mind that the bulk of my services are priced and designed with use for promotional purposes in mind. I and my collaborators are happy for you to use the resulting recordings and videos for non-commercial purposes (website portfolios, agents’ websites, non-monetised social media, sending out to casting panels, etc). If you want to discuss commercial release, I’m more than happy to come up with a bespoke quote for you.
Recording session fees for individual bookings*
2 hours - £200
3 hours - £240
4 hours - £300
day rate - £350 (2 sessions) or £400 (3 sessions)
* plus relevant expenses
Post-production fees (per piece* unless stated otherwise)
single camera, single take - £30
fully edited, with up to 3 camera angles - £60-70 depending on complexity of edit
audio only - £25-50 depending on complexity of edit
audio/video hourly editing rate - £45
I reserve the right to charge a deposit before I accept a booking. This is non-refundable if you cancel, but can be carried across if you reschedule. In cases where no deposit is taken, any cancellation with less than 48 hours notice will be subject to a cancellation fee of 50% of the planned session fee.
I’m happy to travel for recording sessions. For distances up to around 40 miles, which covers most of Greater London, there’s no extra fee. Anything above that, I will charge a standard mileage rate.
* When I say 'per piece', I mean a standard length aria/song (3-5mins). If you are recording a longer piece, or want any additional work done (like a showreel with the best sections of each recorded piece edited together with your headshots or performance photos), then do let me know exactly what it is you're planning to record, and I'll do my best to come up with a tailored quote. In the case of longer pieces (over 6mins) I may charge more for the edit, because of the extra work required, in line with my editing rate of £45/h.
The above post-production rates relate to my ‘standard product’, which is promotional recordings of classical chamber music. For other ensembles or sound/video requirements, please get in touch for a quote.
London Recording Days
An all-inclusive service with bookable slots, where we spread the fixed session costs (venue hire, recordist fee, pianist fee, etc) among several singers to deliver a cost-effective way of getting demo recordings. If you would like to be one of the first to find out about when these new dates are added (slots can disappear very fast), sign up to the mailing list below. There will be no spam, or marketing rubbish, I promise.
For more information, availability, and to book, visit the London Recording Days booking site.
New dates get announced to the mailing list before they reach the booking site, so to maximise your chances of getting your preferred dates, please consider signing up to our mailing list. Emails are infrequent, always on topic, and your data is not shared with anyone.
Concert Recording
I am happy to provide concert recordings, both audio and video, provided the venue is appropriate and all required permissions have been obtained. Get in touch for a quote and to talk over what requirements you have. A good starting point is letting me know what instrumental and vocal forces are involved, and what venue your performance will be at.
A typical recording will involve me setting up during a rehearsal on the day of the performance, and be filmed with at least 3 cameras using available light. Microphones will be set up in a way that is as unobtrusive as possible, though there is always a balancing act between obtaining the best sound and keeping mics out of the audience’s lines of sight.
The most affordable service involves just me, with static camera angles, and this usually ends up costing £500-700.
I am happy to recommend colleagues I can partner with to achieve more elaborate results with operated cameras, lighting rigs, etc.
Commercial Releases
If you’re looking to record for commercial release, I offer multitrack location recording, mixing, and mastering. These kinds of projects are much more bespoke and intricate than the standard offerings above, so please get in touch to discuss your project and I’ll be happy to provide a quote, venue advice, etc.
My guide rates for such work are as above for the recording sessions themselves (£350-400 per day) and around £35 per minute of final material for the edit/mix/master.
Self-Recording
If you’re interested in learning how to record yourself using affordable equipment, check out my Recording Basics course here.
Editing, Mixing, Mastering and Audio Repair
My hourly rate for audio/video editing, mixing, mastering or audio repair is £45. If you have a recital you recorded and want to extract a single piece from, give the sound some TLC, correct colour in the video, have multiple recordings you'd like to use extracts of to create a showreel, or want to master a recording for commercial release - get in touch for a quote.
Planning
Timing-wise, if you’re thinking of sharing a session with someone else, or extending from my standard 3 hours, I find it’s best to allow 1 hour for ‘technical faff’ (set up, sound check, take down), 30mins per piece, plus a buffer 30mins for breaks or unforeseen circumstances. When sharing and tag-teaming (A records one piece, then B records one while A rests, then vice-versa, etc), that buffer isn’t as important, as each singer recovers while the other records. Don’t forget to give your pianist a break though ;)
Do bring extra arias, just in case there’s time and your stamina is holding up.
Do think about consistency in appearance, in case we edit multiple takes together - hair, pocket squares, jacket buttons; all these things are easy to miss in a recording environment without a dedicated ‘continuity monitor’. I do try to keep an eye on this, but I’m already juggling 3 cameras, microphones, audio monitoring, and taking notes on musical things…
PDF sheet music
I often ask clients to send me pdf copies of their sheet music for my own reference use, as well as to pass on to the pianist (in the case of drop-in recording days). If you’re not sure how best to prepare these, this guide is for you.
Very good results can be achieved using a smartphone using a dedicated pdf scanning app. There are multiple free/cheap options out there. I use Scanner Pro on iOS, as well as forScore’s built-in scanning utility.
Key things to watch out for:
black&white or grayscale colour is best, most apps have options for this
try and keep the physical score as flat as possible
adjust brightness if your app allows, so that the score is easily legible
double check if the music is in focus when scanning each page
if your app has crop functionality, do crop in so the music fills the image
file size: if your pdf is too big to attach to an email it will work very slowly on pdf-readers like forScore and might turn pages too slowly to be of use to the pianist; there are free websites that will compress pdfs for you without visibly losing quality (Google ‘reduce pdf size’, I have used ilovepdf.com with good results); a good file size to aim for is 0.3-0.5MB per page
if you opt for finding a pdf score online, do check it for mistakes or editorial differences
please don’t send in jpg photos of individual pages
if your aria has a da capo section, you can consider copying the repeat into the file at the end (or scanning it twice)
writing in your breaths, ornaments, or cadenzas isn’t a necessity, but can be very useful in a drop-in recording slot setting where rehearsal time is limited
VENUES
These are only intended as a guide to places I've worked before. Clients often have access to other places (music colleges, their local churches, private residences of sponsors, etc) and I'm happy to work pretty much anywhere I can park my car. As a rule, always aim for a decent piano and a large space. Practice rooms, while affordable, will never give you results comparable to a proper performance venue. Anything too boomy can also throw up problems with the sound.
St Margaret’s Church, Putney
This church is in a quiet area and their attitude towards recordings is very much one of trying to help out singers on a budget. The acoustic is generous but not boomy. The rates are affordable (young singers qualify for their non-commercial rate) and they’ve just bought a new Yamaha C7 grand piano, which is a significant upgrade over the previous instrument. Updated sample recordings coming soon!
https://www.stmargaretsputney.org/venue-hire
St Peter’s Church, St Albans
Not in London, but it is in the city where I myself am based, which is why recording here affords you a discounted rate for the session, to reflect my lower travel costs. The church has a good acoustic, is heated in winter, and has a Bösendorfer grand piano kept in good condition. You’ll save £30 (or £10/h) on my session fee if you decide to record here, and St Albans is on the Thameslink line, which takes only 25mins from St Pancras, so it’s not as far from London as you might think.
https://www.stpeterschurch.uk.com
The person to email here is Carolyn Alexander, the Church Administrator, as their general email address doesn’t always guarantee a prompt response. c.alexander@stpeterschurch.uk.com
St Mary’s Merton Park
A church in a quiet area of Wimbledon, a bit off the beaten track in terms of access to public transport, but affordable with a pretty good piano and pleasant acoustic.
https://www.stmarysmerton.org.uk/page/11/get-touch
St Stephen’s Church, South Dulwich
In a quiet area right next to Sydenham Hill train station, this church has a reasonably well-kept Kawai grand piano (as ever, tuning on the day is recommended for best results) and a generous acoustic that many singers enjoy performing in. In my opinion it’s slightly too generous to get away with a black backdrop (it’s still sound like a church), but not so boomy that you lose any sense of clarity. At the time of writing, it’s also reasonably priced.
https://www.ststephensdulwich.org/concerts/concert-venue-hire/
St John the Divine, Kennington
Large church in South London, very generous acoustic (bordering on boomy), with a well-kept Steinway Model D.
Blackheath Halls
The brutal truth about venues in London is that you get what you pay for. Everyone is after the holy grail of amazing acoustic, pristine piano, and low cost. If you can afford to pay a bit more, though, the Great Hall is an incredible option! The Recital Room is not quite as amazing, and sounds much better with an audience in, the empty room gets a bit boomy.
https://www.blackheathhalls.com/hire-blackheath-halls
Rosslyn Hill Chapel, Hampstead
A fantastic acoustic to sing in and the church is far enough from the main street for traffic noise not to be a problem. It has a newly refurbished concert Steinway, though this has led them to raise their prices recently.
http://rosslynhillchapel.org.uk/venue-hire/
St Gabriel's Church Pimlico
Another fab acoustic, though not quite as quiet in terms of street noise as Rosslyn Hill. The piano is an old Steinway that's a bit of a beast, but comes across quite well on recordings. Tuning has on occasion been an issue, so enquiring about when it was last done is recommended, and if one can afford it, it can be a good idea to have it tuned specially for the session. Other than that, booking is affordable, and if you tell them I'm recording you, then you'll get a modest discount.
http://www.stgabrielspimlico.com/news/bookings-and-facilities/
St Paul’s Knightsbridge
A fantastic acoustic with a well kept Steinway to boot!
https://www.stpaulsknightsbridge.org/who-we-are/contact/
Hinde Street Methodist Church
A very good acoustic, affordable, good piano, but it's located on a busy street corner, so there's a lot of noise to contend with. This is normally manageable in the editing stages, but leads to long editing times, and every now and again something unfixable can mar a recording. As long as you're doing reasonably loud repertoire without any long general pauses, it'll probably be fine, though close mic-ing is a necessity here.
http://www.hindestreet.org.uk/venue-hire.html
National Opera Studio
Most singers will audition here sooner or later. It's not quite as affordable as some of the above options, but (almost) guarantees a well-kept piano. Make sure you book their largest space and that there won't be people practicing next door. The acoustic isn't as generous as a church, and the space has a clean studio look.
http://www.nationaloperastudio.org.uk/
St Michael's Highgate
Back to churches, and compared with some of the above, this one is definitely pricey, but you get what you pay for. The acoustic is gorgeous, the Steinway is kept in great condition, and it's very quiet (the church, not the piano).
https://www.stmichaelshighgate.org/Groups/244721/Venue_Hire.aspx
Regent Hall
An unexpected gem in central London. This is a very impressive concert hall, complete with decent piano and good isolation from traffic. Prices are fairly steep though.
https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/regent-hall
1901 Arts Club
For those on a budget, this is worth looking at. It's not a great acoustic (very dry, singers sometimes tend to push), but the piano is a hit with pianists. The pedal mechanism does make an annoying shimmering noise that is very noticeable on recordings, but I've become fairly adept at editing it out. Most suited for more mellow repertoire, as loud opera gets very tiring very quickly in this space.
http://www.1901artsclub.com/rehearsals-and-auditions.html
St Mary's Perivale
A small church in West London that hosts regular concerts. This means the Yamaha piano is always in decent condition, the acoustic is pretty nice to sing in (though not as luxurious as some other churches).
http://www.st-marys-perivale.org.uk/contacts-001.shtml
Hampstead Parish Church
It's a church in Hampstead, as the name suggests. The piano is well-kept, the acoustic is quite boomy, but manageably so. You may get people wandering into the church during the session, as it is kept open to the public (though this may be open to negotiation).
Royal Academy of Music - The Angela Burgess Recital Hall
A brand new recital hall, apparently available at a discount to RAM alumni. The piano is quite a beast (Steinway concert grand), but sounds great. The acoustic records well, though isn't the most generous to sing in.
Chiswick Rehearsal Room
For those on a budget, this space in West London can be a compelling option. It’s not ideal - low ceilings and a street just outside make for a boxy acoustic with the potential for external noises, plus it can be tiring to sing in for extended periods of time, but the piano is a good instrument and well kept. It’s not my favourite place to work in, but decent results can be achieved.
https://www.chiswickrehearsalroom.com
Craxton Studios
Often used by opera companies for auditions, this North London house can work well as a recording venue. There is a school nearby, so daytime recordings may have some noise to contend with if the children are playing outside.
Razumovsky Academy
By all accounts this is a gem of a venue, though I haven’t had the pleasure of working there yet. If you don’t mind being backlit by the window (check out their video examples on the media page), this seems like one of the best piano/space combos in North London, though definitely on the pricey side.
The Amadeus
The Upper Hall here is an interesting option for classical recordings. Being a converted chapel, the acoustic with an empty space is quite generous. The piano when I was last there was in need of a proper servicing, but apart from that this could be a solid option.
Henry Wood Hall
A space soaked in classical recording history, often used for rehearsals by larger ensembles and companies. It may be overkill for a voice-and-piano recording, but it is a phenomenal acoustic in a quiet area of London, with a Steinway D to boot, so if you’re thinking of making a commercial recording, this definitely warrants investigation.