Bedtime stories from mum or dad
You read your child's favourite stories: to help them fall asleep, as company while you travel, or as a memory for later. In your voice and at your pace, with quiet piano music underneath if you like.
Audiobooks at Tonstudio Leipzig for families, children and personal memories.
Audiobooks.
Audiobooks.
Audiobook recordings at Tonstudio Leipzig.
Some stories only sound right in one particular voice, the voice of mum, dad or grandma. At Tonstudio Leipzig I record personal audiobooks for families, in your voice, at your pace, from 290 euros.
Your voice
instead of a stranger reading
With music
quiet piano music underneath
Children too
can read as a gift for someone
Some stories only gain their depth through the right voice.
A shop-bought audiobook has a professional narrator: trained, clear, in studio sound. That can be lovely. But it is not your mother, your father or your child. A personal audiobook moves you differently, because the voice is familiar.
At Tonstudio Leipzig, personal audiobooks come from all kinds of occasions: parents reading bedtime stories for their children, grandparents recording fairy tales for grandchildren who live far away, relatives reading a favourite book for a family member with failing sight. Or people recording their own life story as an audiobook for the next generation.
These recordings share one thing: they come from a personal occasion, not the market. They often stay valuable for decades, sometimes even more so once the voice is no longer there. For a proper assessment of your project, book a first consultation in the studio shop. Short organisational questions about booking are welcome by email or phone beforehand.
What is possible
Six occasions for which personal audiobooks are made.
Audiobook projects usually grow out of one clear occasion. Here are the most common examples.
Reading a favourite book for a relative
When a family member can no longer read, because of an eye condition, failing sight or simply age, an audio recording is often the loveliest gift. You read their favourite book in your own voice, instead of a stranger's from the audiobook market.
Recording fairy tales for the grandchildren
Grandparents often live far from their grandchildren. A recorded collection of fairy tales or favourite stories still brings their voice into the child's room every evening, no matter the distance.
A life story as an audio heirloom
Your own life story or the memories of someone you love, recorded as a complete audiobook: structured in chapters, at a calm pace, sometimes across several sessions. A family heirloom that is genuinely listened to, not left in a cupboard.
Children reading as a gift for someone
Recordings with children are something special: the voice, the unselfconscious emphasis, the laughing between sentences. A child reading a story for grandparents or relatives is a gift nobody forgets.
Reading your own writing as an audiobook
Have you written your own stories, memories or poems? Read them as an audiobook instead of leaving them only on paper. For your family, for one person, or simply for yourself.
Packages
Three package sizes for audiobook projects of different scale.
Audiobooks vary enormously in length, from a bedtime story to a complete life story. The three packages suit the most common projects and start from 290 euros, including editing, with background music as an option.
Short
One story or a few chapters
Ideal for a bedtime story or a favourite chapter as a gift. Up to 30 minutes of finished audio, one studio session, editing out pauses and slips.
Standard
A book or a collection of several stories
The most popular package: a complete children's book, a fairy tale collection or a favourite book for a relative with failing sight. Up to two hours of finished audio, several sessions where needed, editing included, background music optional.
Large project
A life's work or an audiobook in several parts
For larger projects: a life story running several hours, a family novel, or memories in several parts. Recordings spread across several appointments, edited together into one audio series.
Background music
Quiet piano music under bedtime stories, atmospheric sounds for fairy tales, soft guitar for memories. Produced here, matched to the pace and mood of your story.
Chapter mastering
For longer projects: a clean final mix with chapter markers, a consistent level across all chapters and mastering for phones and MP3 players.
What stays
What a personal audiobook gives, far beyond the reading itself.
An audiobook is more than a recording. Something happens during the recording, at the handover and for years afterwards, something a bought audiobook cannot give you.
01 In the studio
You read as if your child were sitting in front of you
While you read, you think of the person you are doing it for, the child, the mother, the grandchildren far away. You can hear that connection in the recording later. That is the difference to any bought audiobook.
02 On the first night
The child hears a story in their mother's voice
When your child first hears a bedtime story in your voice, even though you are not in the room, it is a special moment. Trouble falling asleep often disappears with that very first night.
03 At the handover
Grandparents receive a recording of their grandchildren
When children read for their grandparents, it delights them every time. The voice of a grandchild in their ear, whenever they want it.
04 For relatives with failing sight
A daughter's familiar voice instead of a stranger
For relatives with failing sight, a personal audiobook does not only replace reading, it gives closeness. That comforts and gives a feeling of togetherness, even on a hard day.
05 In ten years
A voice from a time long gone
In ten years the child is grown up, the parents are older, and some voices may no longer be there. That is exactly when the audiobook becomes especially valuable: a voice from a time you can otherwise barely remember.
06 For the generations to come
A family heirloom you listen to rather than look at
Most heirlooms sit in a cupboard and are rarely looked at. An audiobook is different, it gets listened to: on journeys, in the evening, on quiet Sunday afternoons. That keeps the person present in family life, even when they are no longer there.
Preparation
How to prepare calmly for your audiobook recording.
A good recording needs no professional narrator, just a little preparation. These six points help you sound relaxed and natural on the day.
1
Choosing
Which book or which text?
Choose the text carefully: a favourite book, a collection of short stories, or your own writing. Several shorter texts on a related theme can be combined into one coherent audiobook.
2
Read it through
Read the text aloud beforehand
Read the whole text out loud at home at least once before you come to the studio. That shows you the difficult passages in advance and helps you read more fluently on the day.
3
Voice
Warm up your voice and look after it
On the day: drink plenty of water, avoid ice cold drinks, and do not eat too heavily. A rested voice sounds warmer and clearer. Before the first take we do a short reading test together.
4
Pauses
Planning realistic sessions
A concentrated reading session lasts about 60 to 90 minutes, after which the voice tires. For longer audiobooks I plan several sessions, so the voice stays fresh and the audiobook sounds consistent throughout.
5
Mood
What should the recording carry?
Calm enough to fall asleep to? Playful for children? Comforting or reverent? Think about the mood beforehand, it helps me with the music and the edit.
6
Keeping it secret
If the audiobook is to stay a surprise
If the audiobook should stay a surprise, tell me at the first contact. I adjust how we communicate and how it is handed over. Your content stays secure on a data protection focused cloud server.
How a session runs
How your audiobook recording runs actually goes.
Here is how your audiobook production works, from the enquiry to the finished audiobook.
01
Inquiry: idea, text, occasion
Send me your idea: who is reading, who is receiving it, which text, and roughly how long it is. You can send the text as a file or a cloud link. I get back to you with an honest assessment and a package suggestion.
02
Appointment: reserving studio time
I reserve studio time to match the scope, several sessions for longer projects. You get a short checklist to prepare. If you want background music, we settle the mood and style in advance.
03
Recording: reading with guidance
At the appointment I show you the studio and we do a short microphone and reading test. We record at your pace, with breaks where you need them. I give notes on breathing and flow and record difficult passages more than once.
04
Editing and delivery: a clean final mix
After the recording: editing out pauses and slips, improving the sound, adding background music if you want it, and mastering. Delivered as WAV files in studio quality or as MP3, split into chapters.
Getting here
Audiobook productions for Leipzig, Halle and central Germany.
My studio is centrally placed in the south of Leipzig, five minutes from the Bayerischer Bahnhof. Easy to reach by tram, city train and car, even with children or older family members.
Location
The studio in the south of Leipzig
Bernhard-Göring-Straße 17, five minutes on foot from the Bayerischer Bahnhof. Reachable by tram, city train and car, with parking nearby.
35 min
From Halle (Saale) to the studio
Halle is about 35 minutes away by city train, and roughly half an hour by car. Many families from Halle combine the recording with a day in Leipzig.
15 to 25 min
Markkleeberg, Schkeuditz, Taucha
From the towns around Leipzig you reach the studio in fifteen to twenty five minutes: Markkleeberg, Schkeuditz, Taucha, Markranstädt, Borna, Grimma.
under 2 h
Saxony, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt
Leipzig is under two hours from Chemnitz, Dresden, Jena, Weimar, Erfurt or Magdeburg. A day trip works well for a shorter recording, and for larger projects we plan several appointments.
Family
When the whole family comes together
For audiobooks with several family members, for example parents reading in turn or siblings sharing chapters, the family often comes together at the studio from different cities. Leipzig is well connected as a meeting point.
Remote
Texts and manuscripts in advance, without travelling
You can upload texts in advance through the data protection focused cloud server. I estimate the recording time and plan before you have to travel at all. The studio appointment then comes with a clear plan.
Frequent questions
Questions about audiobooks at Tonstudio Leipzig.
Here are the answers that matter most before you get in touch about your audiobook project. If your question is not here, a short message is enough. I answer in confidence and without any sales pressure.
This page is written for Private clients and families with personal audiobook projects.
For example: parents reading bedtime stories for their children. Grandparents recording fairy tales for grandchildren. Relatives reading a favourite book for a family member with failing sight. Or your own memories and writing as an audiobook.
Yes, and it is one of the most moving audiobook projects there is.
You read bedtime stories, fairy tales or your child's favourite book, in your own voice and at your pace. So the recording is there when you travel, or when the child needs a memory of you later.
Yes, a small audio drama with several narrators is possible too. Instead of one voice, two to four people read different roles, which works well for family projects.
Tell me beforehand how many narrators are taking part, and I will plan the appointment and process accordingly.
Yes, that is an especially valuable occasion.
When a family member can no longer read, because of failing sight, an eye condition or simply age, a personal recording is often the loveliest gift: their favourite book in your voice instead of a stranger's.
Yes, gladly. Recordings with children are something quite special.
The voice, the unselfconscious emphasis, the laughing between sentences. A child reading a story for grandparents or relatives is a gift nobody forgets.
That depends on the scope.
A short story or a single chapter is often read and edited within two to three hours.
A longer book I split across several sessions, because the voice tires after about 90 minutes of concentrated reading.
Yes, and it is often what completes an audiobook.
Quiet piano music under bedtime stories, atmospheric sounds for fairy tales, soft acoustic guitar for recordings of memories.
I produce suitable music myself, matched to the pace and mood of your story.
Not a problem. Most parents and grandparents who come to me are standing at a studio microphone for the first time.
I explain how it works, give tips on breathing and flow, and keep recording until you are happy with your voice.
Send me the book, script or text as a message, or share it through my password protected cloud server in Germany.
That lets me estimate length and a realistic recording plan in advance. With very personal texts, confidentiality goes without saying.
As standard, as WAV files in studio quality (24 bit), split into chapters or tracks.
On request also as MP3 to send quickly.
Yes. If the audiobook should stay a surprise, for a big birthday, anniversary, wedding or confirmation, mention it at the first contact.
I adjust how we communicate and how it is handed over. Personal content stays entirely confidential.
Yes, that is an especially moving format.
You can record memories and anecdotes about a loved one as an audiobook, as a lasting memory for everyone who loved them.
Also several family members can contribute different chapters.
This page is written for private audiobook projects without a commercial background.
For publishers, authors planning to publish or commercial purposes, there is the business site of Tonstudio Leipzig.
Do you want to record a personal audiobook?
Let us talk about your audiobook idea.
Tell me briefly what you have in mind: bedtime stories for your child, fairy tales for the grandchildren, or a family heirloom. I usually answer the same day with an honest assessment. For a fixed concept, book a first consultation in the studio shop.