You want to set up a home studio and every YouTube video recommends a different microphone. You have put 800 euros into equipment and your sound still is not right. At Tonstudio Leipzig you get independent audio consulting, with no affiliate commissions, no brand preferences and no sales pitch.
Audio consulting is the fourth pillar of the coaching group, and it is fundamentally different from a workshop, lessons or a course. With the three learning formats you have to invest time to build a skill. With consulting you get a clear recommendation without having to learn anything yourself. Which microphone suits your voice. Which DAW suits your workflow. Which acoustic measure in your room gives the biggest effect for your budget. Whether your mix is really ready to hand over or still has weaknesses that will become a problem later. This is consulting, not coaching, and for many hobby musicians it is the most important first step before putting money into equipment.
The decisive difference from online tests and YouTube reviews: the consulting is brand neutral. There are no affiliate commissions, no bonuses from manufacturers, no hidden advertising deals. What gets recommended is what suits your specific situation, your budget and your use case, even when that is a cheaper product or no new purchase at all. Anyone who has ever fallen for a “best microphone of 2024 according to a YouTube video” and wondered whether the reviewer was getting affiliate money knows why that separation matters.
Three consulting formats are available: the compact consultation (60 minutes, online or by phone) for specific individual questions, the studio consultation (90 minutes on site at the studio with listening examples on real equipment) as the standard, and the setup audit (a home visit in the Leipzig area, three hours of analysis on site) as the premium option. You book a detailed initial consultation as a paid session directly in the studio shop. If you need detailed advice with a fixed appointment, book the format that fits. Also available as a gift voucher for someone facing a big equipment purchase.
Audio consulting covers six main topics, from comparing microphones to mix feedback. You can focus on one topic or bundle several into one consulting block. Just describe briefly what it is about in your enquiry.
For when you are building a home studio from scratch or completely reworking an existing one, from choosing the hardware (microphone, audio interface, monitors, headphones) through the acoustics to the software. You get a complete setup plan with reasons, in which order you should invest and which components you can leave out for now.
The most common consulting request. Which microphone suits your voice (large diaphragm condenser, dynamic mic, ribbon mic), which one for acoustic guitar or piano, which one for spoken recordings. With listening examples of different mics on your own material, compared in a real studio instead of a YouTube demo. Brand neutral, with your budget as the frame.
Your recording or mixing room does not sound right? I look at whether it is a reflection problem (echo between parallel walls), a bass problem (room modes), a diffusion problem (too little scattering) or something else. Suggested measures with clear costs, from DIY diffusers to professional acoustic treatment. Measurable on site with the setup audit.
For when you do not have a DAW yet or are torn between several: Reaper, Cubase, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Studio One, Bitwig, Reason. Which suits your workflow, what the strengths of each are, where the learning curves lie. Plus plugin recommendations within your budget (there are very good free options that most top ten lists never mention). Advice on virtual instruments too.
You have made a mix or a master and are not sure whether it is really ready to hand over. You send the audio file, I listen to it on reference monitoring at the studio and send back an annotated audio file, with specific timestamps for what works and what does not yet. You do not have to learn anything, you get a clear second opinion.
Monitoring is the most important investment for anyone mixing seriously, and at the same time the area where most people mixing at home spend badly. I work out which monitors suit your room (nearfield or midfield, ported or closed), which headphones for which task (mixing, tracking, reference), and in which order you should invest.
Three standard formats, depending on the depth and the effort: the compact consultation for specific individual questions, the studio consultation with listening examples on real equipment as the standard, and the setup audit as a home visit for the greatest depth.
Ideal for one specific question: which microphone, which DAW, a particular acoustic question, short mix feedback via screen share. By Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or phone. You describe briefly beforehand what it is about, I listen to your material in advance (if there is any), and in the consultation I get straight to the recommendation, without a long preamble.
The most popular format. On site at Tonstudio Leipzig, with listening examples on real studio equipment: different microphones compared on your own voice, a monitor test with reference tracks, the acoustics experienced directly in the studio room. That is the strength of the on site format: many decisions become clearer at the ear and on the real gear than in any theoretical discussion.
The greatest depth. I come to your home (in the Leipzig area, up to around 40 km), look at your home studio directly on site: the room acoustics, the monitor position, the microphone setup, the cabling, the DAW configuration. Three hours of analysis on site plus a written list of measures afterwards. Journeys outside Leipzig are possible with travel costs.
Available as an extra with any consulting format: a written summary with specific model suggestions, price ranges, where to buy and the reasons behind each. It makes sense if you want to compare in your own time afterwards, share it with your partner or your bandmates, or pass the recommendation on to someone as a shopping list.
Four to eight weeks after the first consultation, once you have taken the first steps, a shorter follow up (30 to 45 minutes) on the questions that only came up once you started using things. Sometimes you only notice after buying that the microphone position is still not right, or that the new plugin sounds different in your own setup.
Home visits are possible outside the Leipzig area too: Halle, Markkleeberg, Borna, Grimma, Wurzen, with travel costs by distance. For enquiries from further away (Dresden, Chemnitz, Erfurt) it makes sense as a day appointment with an additional arrangement for an overnight stay, or as an online version with photo and video analysis instead of a physical visit.
Anyone who has ever searched for “best microphone 2024” knows the problem: ten tests, ten recommendations, three different winners, all with an affiliate link. At the studio it works differently, and three factors make the difference.
What gets recommended is what suits your specific situation, not what earns me the most. There are no affiliate deals with Thomann, Amazon, Music Store or manufacturers. No hidden bonuses for “premium brands” or “test winners” either. That sometimes makes the consulting less spectacular than a YouTube review, but more honest.
In the studio consultation on site you can compare different microphones on your own voice, listen to studio monitors directly and experience the acoustics in a treated room. YouTube reviews compress audio examples to 128 kbps MP3 and expect you to compare, through your phone speaker, something that can only really be judged on studio monitoring. That is the decisive advantage of consulting on site.
With every recommendation you also learn why: why this microphone suits your voice, why this DAW is better for your workflow, why this monitor will work in your room. That is what makes the recommendation valuable in the long run: you can apply the principle to future decisions instead of having to ask again every time.
These three factors make the difference between a recommendation you have forgotten in three weeks and one that shapes your audio decisions for years.
Well founded consulting does not only work once. It changes the way you make audio decisions in future. Here you can see what typically changes and when.
Anyone facing a larger audio investment knows the feeling: thirty browser tabs open with different microphones, five YouTube reviews with contradictory recommendations, two forum threads where the professionals are arguing. In the end there is more confusion than at the start. That is the typical state people arrive in.
Within the first twenty minutes most people notice that the question is not “which microphone is the best” but “which microphone suits my voice, my room, my budget”. The question gets smaller and more concrete. Suddenly there are two or three sensible options instead of twenty.
With the written list of recommendations, or the on site analysis from the setup audit, you have a concrete to do list right away: what to buy, in which order, in which price range, from which supplier. The equipment does not come from marketing promises, but from the honest assessment of someone who works with all kinds of setups every day.
When you install the recommended microphone, the recommended monitors or the recommended acoustic measure and it really does sound the way it was described in the consultation, a completely different confidence in your own equipment builds up. You know why it sounds the way it does, because you understand the reasoning.
Once you have understood the principles behind good audio recommendations, the relationship between room and monitor size, between microphone character and voice type, between DAW and workflow, you can make future decisions more calmly too. You stop being impressed by YouTube hype videos and start asking the right questions before you invest.
Many clients come back years later for a second consultation, when the next equipment upgrade is due, when they move into a new studio room, when a first album project needs advice on mastering. Consulting as a relationship of trust over the years, not as a one-off transaction.
Good preparation for a consultation is less a question of theory and more a question of concrete information. Here are six points I know from many consulting conversations.
Think it through briefly before your enquiry: what is the specific question I want answered? “Which microphone” is good. “How do I improve my home studio” is good. “Everything about audio engineering” is too broad, and that is what courses and workshops are for. The more concrete the question, the more precise the recommendation.
The budget is the most important boundary in any consultation. “What does the best microphone cost” is a pointless question. “Which microphone for 200 euros”, “which microphone for 600 euros” or “which microphone for 1,500 euros” are useful questions. Be honest about your budget in the enquiry, otherwise I recommend either too cheap or too expensive.
Helpful for home studio consulting, acoustic consulting and the setup audit: photos of your current room, a list of the equipment you have (microphones, interface, monitors, headphones, DAW) and sample recordings showing how it sounds so far. That way the consultation does not start from zero but from your actual situation.
The use case is decisive. A microphone for recording your own singing is a different one from a microphone for audiobooks, a monitor for pop mixing is a different one from one for classical music, a DAW for beat making is a different one from one for live recording. Tell me specifically in your enquiry what you want to do with it. Several use cases? Name those too, and I will find the best compromise.
For mix and master feedback: the current mix as WAV or high resolution MP3, and reference tracks you were aiming at are welcome too. For DAW consulting: examples of your current workflow. For acoustic questions: photos and a short audio recording from the room (a speech test or clapping, for example). That way I can prepare and the consulting time goes straight to the substance.
Microphone and monitor consulting are strongest on site, because you can compare by ear. DAW consulting and mix feedback work just as well online. Acoustic consulting without an appointment on site is possible, but the setup audit as a home visit covers considerably more. Just describe in your enquiry what suits your topic, and if you are unsure I will recommend the right format.
So that you know what to expect, four calm steps from the enquiry to a concrete recommendation.
By email or phone you briefly describe the specific question, your budget and your current setup. I answer the same day with a recommended format: a compact consultation online, a studio consultation on site or a setup audit as a home visit. You choose the format you feel most comfortable with and that suits the question.
You send material in advance (photos, an equipment list, audio material, example mixes), depending on the topic. I listen to it beforehand, so that the consulting time is used productively and I do not spend thirty minutes on “tell me more about your setup”. The date goes in the calendar and you get a Zoom link (online) or the address (on site).
The consultation itself: I go through your questions and give concrete recommendations with reasons. In the studio consultation on site with listening examples on real equipment, in the online consultation with a screen share of your software or comparative audio examples. You ask along the way, and I explain wherever something is not clear.
If booked as an extra: the written list of recommendations with specific models, prices and where to buy arrives by email one to three working days later. With the setup audit, a detailed analysis from the visit including the order in which to take each measure. If you want, a follow up consultation is arranged straight away for four to eight weeks later, once you have taken the first steps.
Studio consulting takes place at Tonstudio Leipzig, setup audits as home visits in the Leipzig area. The compact consultation runs online from anywhere in Germany.
Studio consulting at the studio on Bernhard-Göring-Straße. Setup audits as home visits in Connewitz, Südvorstadt, Schleußig, Plagwitz, Lindenau and Markkleeberg with no travel costs. Home visits make particular sense for acoustic and setup questions that can only be judged on site.
Setup audits in Gohlis, Eutritzsch, Möckern, Wahren and other northern districts with no travel costs within Leipzig. You reach the studio consulting in Zentrum-Süd quickly by tram or by car around the inner ring road.
Halle (Saale), Markkleeberg, Schkeuditz, Borna
Home visits from Borna, Grimma, Wurzen, Torgau, Riesa, and from Chemnitz and Dresden too, are possible as day appointments with travel costs. Often it makes sense as a complete setup audit, because a longer journey is less worthwhile for a compact online consultation. Alternatively an online audit with photo and video analysis instead of a physical visit.
The compact online consultation runs by Zoom, Teams or phone, and works just as easily from Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hanover or Bremen as from the next town over. A mini setup audit by photo and video analysis can also be booked online, when a physical visit does not make sense.
The studio is at Bernhard-Göring-Straße 17 in 04107 Leipzig, in the middle of Zentrum-Süd, within walking distance of the Karli and the city centre. Parking in the courtyard, step-free access on the ground floor. Studio consulting with listening examples directly on the studio equipment.
Here you find the most important answers before you enquire about your consultation. For a first conversation, book the format that fits in the studio shop. For detailed advice there is the paid initial consultation, or one of the three consulting formats directly.
Workshops, lessons and courses are learning formats: you learn how something works.
The Audio consulting is different. You get a clear recommendation without having to learn anything yourself.
Which microphone suits your voice, which DAW suits your workflow, which acoustic measure has the biggest effect in your room, whether your mix is really ready to hand over.
Consulting is advice, not coaching, and for many people learning privately it is the most important first step before putting money into equipment.
No. The consulting is brand neutral and I receive no commissions, affiliate shares or referral bonuses from manufacturers.
What gets recommended is what suits the client's specific situation, budget and use case.
That is an important difference from online tests and YouTube reviews, where hidden advertising deals or affiliate links often influence the recommendation.
Six main topics:
setting up a home studio (a complete setup plan), microphone consulting (which mic for a voice or an instrument), acoustic optimisation (how to make the room sound better), DAW and software consulting (which DAW, which plugins), Mix and master feedback (a second professional opinion), monitoring setup (speakers and headphones).
Just name the topic in your enquiry and the consulting block is shaped around it.
Always before larger investments in equipment.
An hour of consulting costs a fraction of what a wrong investment in the wrong microphones, unsuitable monitors or oversized plugin bundles costs.
It also makes sense when an existing home studio does not sound right and you do not know where the problem lies: the acoustics, the microphone, the monitor position or the DAW setup.
If you want to act quickly before spending badly, you are in the right place.
Three standard packages:
Compact consultation (60 minutes online or by phone) for specific individual questions, Studio consultation (90 minutes on site at the studio with listening examples on real equipment) as the standard and Setup audit (a home visit in the Leipzig area, three hours with analysis on site) as the premium option.
Extras: a written list of recommendations, a follow up consultation after you have made changes, a home visit outside Leipzig with travel costs.
You book the format that fits directly in the studio shop.
As standard, the consulting session itself: I go through your situation, I listen, and I give concrete recommendations with reasons.
As an extra you also get a a written list of recommendations with specific model suggestions, price ranges and where to buy.
With Setup audit zusätzlich eine schriftliche Analyse vor Ort deines Homestudios mit konkreten Maßnahmenvorschlägen.
you also get a written analysis of your home studio from the visit, with specific measures to take. Mix and master feedback eine kommentierte Audiodatei mit Hinweisen an konkreten Zeitstempeln.
Is the consultation available online too? Yes. The is online as standard (Zoom, Teams, phone) or bookable as a short appointment at the studio.
is online as standard (Zoom, Teams, phone) or bookable as a short appointment at the studio. Studio consultation takes place on site, because that is where listening examples on real studio equipment are possible (comparing microphones, testing monitors, hearing the acoustics).
takes place on site, because that is where listening examples on real studio equipment are possible (comparing microphones, testing monitors, hearing the acoustics). The is always a home visit, because the acoustics, the cabling, the monitor position and the setup can only be judged on site.
What about mix or master feedback without a learning format? A classic request. You send your current mix or master, I listen to it at the studio on reference monitoring and send you back an annotated audio file
in which I mark at specific timestamps what works and what does not yet. Unlike lessons or a workshop, you do not have to learn anything. You get aprofessional second opinion
to take back into your own work.
How does a setup audit on site work? I come to your home (in the Leipzig area, up to around 40 km), look at your home studio
, listen to examples on your monitors and headphones, check the microphone position and the acoustic reflections, and look at your DAW setup. Afterwards you get aconcrete list of measures
: what can be improved immediately at no cost (repositioning the monitors, for example), what works with small investments (absorber panels, for example), and what makes sense with a larger budget. Home visits outside Leipzig are possible with travel costs
Can I send material beforehand?
Yes, and it is very welcome. Mix and master feedback: the current mix as WAV or high resolution MP3.
: the current mix as WAV or high resolution MP3. Homestudio BeratungHome studio consulting
: photos of the room, a list of your current equipment, sample recordings. DAW BeratungDAW consulting
: examples of your current workflow, a list of the plugins you already have.
What if I am still unsure after the consultation? A follow up consultation
is possible, as a shorter compact session four to eight weeks after the first one, once you have taken the first steps.
Sometimes questions only come up once you have started. This follow up is typically shorter (30 to 45 minutes) and concentrates on the open points. If you need it, I can also answer a short question by email
This page is written for private individuals, hobby musicians and private home studio setups.
If a company needs audio consulting for staff training, a podcast setup in house, conference audio, sound for marketing, or if an educational institution has audio rooms, have a look at the separate business site of Tonstudio Leipzig, where there are suitable consulting formats including invoicing and longer project support.
Write to me about your consultation.