The grandmother in Sydney wants to record a bedtime story for her grandchildren. The father in a care home can no longer travel. For exactly these families I produce remote recordings: if the person you love cannot come to the studio, the recording comes to them.
Most audio projects for families are made at the studio in Leipzig, but not every family can manage that: some live too far away, others are too ill or frail to travel. Travelling costs time, money and energy, sometimes it simply isn't possible.
Remote recordings exist for exactly these situations. The person records at home, in the care home or abroad, with a phone or a USB microphone, and uploads the file through my password-protected cloud server in Germany. At the studio in Leipzig I do what I would do with a recording on site: editing, noise reduction, sound optimisation, on request background music. The finished audio sounds warm, clear and high quality.
What makes these recordings so valuable: they make family projects possible that would otherwise never happen, from a bedtime story from Sydney to a life interview with a father in a care home before it is too late. The distance gets smaller, the family comes together again, at least in the audio.
The typical occasions families come to me with.
Fairy tales, bedtime stories or family tales, recorded at home in Sydney, Toronto or Auckland. At the studio in Leipzig it becomes an audiobook recording with a professional sound, as if the grandmother had come round in person.
When the children have emigrated and the parents are celebrating a milestone birthday, a personal audio message recorded in the new country is the most honest present to play on the morning of their birthday.
When the journey to Leipzig is no longer possible, the recording is made right there, with help from a family member, in several short sessions at the resident's own pace. The result becomes a family heirloom.
Three siblings in Berlin, Melbourne and Vancouver each record at home, and in Leipzig it all gets combined into one shared audiobook for their mother's 70th birthday, with transitions and background music.
When travel is no longer possible, a life interview or a letter in the form of a voice still happens at home, in familiar surroundings and at a calm pace.
Instead of a written email for a farewell or birthday: a real audio production with professional editing, a letter, a text or a small audio story from a foreign country.
From a short audio message to a large family project.
A birthday message, bedtime story or spoken letter from one person. Up to 10 minutes of final audio, studio work with editing and sound optimisation, a finished file.
The most popular package: a complete audiobook, a life interview from a care home or a detailed letter. Up to 90 minutes, several raw sessions possible, background music optional, a chapter structure.
A birthday audiobook with contributions from several countries: coordination, consistent editing, mastering.
If unsure with technology: a briefing by phone or video call, written instructions with pictures, a recommendation for a suitable microphone at a modest price.
Quiet piano music or discreet atmosphere, matched to the occasion, produced by me.
Simple enough for people unsure about technology too.
In the simplest case a modern phone is enough, for more quality a USB microphone for 100 to 200 euros. Simple instructions with pictures come from me, understandable for grandparents too.
You or a family member upload the finished audio file through my password protected cloud server, without storage in someone else's cloud, reachable from any country.
Noise reduction, sound optimisation, editing, background music on request, combining into an audiobook with chapter structure and mastering. The finished audio sounds warm, clear and high quality.
For live guidance I can also set up a real-time connection through Cleanfeed or similar browser-based tools, with no software to install. Just mention it when you ask.
Six moments where the effort particularly pays off.
She is no longer just the distant voice on the phone but someone who is in the grandchildren's room every evening, a new kind of closeness.
A recorded story closes a gap phone and video calls cannot fill: it comes every day, without a time zone and without anyone having to be awake.
Three voices, three stories, one shared piece of audio, as if the siblings had sat down together especially for the occasion.
Short sessions spread over several weeks add up to a family heirloom that can no longer be lost.
The recording makes a voice available that would otherwise have become unreachable, that is its priceless value.
Several recordings made over the years build a family audio archive that still gives a picture of the scattered family in 50 years.
Six points that make the difference with every remote recording.
Ideal is a small bedroom with curtains, carpet and bed, which absorbs sound. Avoid empty, tiled rooms with high ceilings or lots of glass, the sound of the room matters more than the microphone.
Windows closed, air conditioning and fridge off, phone in flight mode. Even a quiet hum is clearly audible in the microphone.
Not too close, not too far: hold a phone in front of the chest, a USB microphone a hand's width away. Too close booms, too far sounds echoey.
Before the real session, send 30 seconds of test audio. A short reply from me stops a whole recording from turning out unusable.
Several short sessions of 15 to 30 minutes beat one 90 minute marathon. I cut out pauses later, quality counts, not efficiency.
A family member takes over recording, pausing and uploading, the speaking person only has to talk into the microphone.
The four calm steps of every remote production, from enquiry to finished audio.
A short enquiry: who is to record, where, what occasion. I reply the same day with an assessment and a package suggestion.
The person recording gets instructions with pictures, on request a phone call. A test audio comes to me for a quality check.
The person records at home, in one session or spread over several, and uploads the result through the cloud server.
The finished production is delivered as WAV or MP3, on request directly by cloud link to the person receiving it.
My studio is in Leipzig, the reach is worldwide.
Family members help with the setup on site, the editing happens at my studio only a few kilometres away.
Same language, same time zone: grandparents in Hamburg, parents in Vienna, relatives in Zurich, everything runs as smoothly as an appointment in Leipzig.
Emigrants in Spain, Sweden, Italy, Poland or France, minimal time difference, good internet almost everywhere.
Classic countries of emigration with a large German diaspora, where flights for a family project would be unrealistic. The time difference needs a little planning but is easy to manage.
Siblings in Berlin, Toronto and Melbourne each record at home, in Leipzig it all gets mixed into one shared gift recording.
Your question is not here? A short message is enough.
A remote recording is an audio production where the person speaking or reading does not have to come to the studio. They record from home, from a care home, from a hospital, or from abroad, and I make a full audio production out of it at the studio, meant for families whose loved one cannot make the journey to Leipzig.
In the simplest case a modern phone is enough. For higher quality I can recommend a USB microphone for about 100 to 200 euros. For demanding requirements I guide you through setting up a small home studio by phone or video call.
You or the person recording upload the audio file through my password protected cloud server in Germany, from any device and any country. With people unsure about technology I help with the upload.
At the studio I work on the raw recording professionally: noise is removed, the sound of the voice is optimised, pauses and slips are cut out, on request with background music. The finished result is often hard to tell apart.
That happens very often. In those cases a younger family member helps with the recording setup, the older person only has to speak into the microphone. Where needed I give the helper a 20 minute briefing by phone.
Yes, that is in fact one of the most valuable occasions for remote recordings. When someone you love is too ill or too limited for the journey, recordings can be made in short sessions across several days, with consideration, pace and dignity.
Yes, gladly, and it is in fact one of the loveliest formats. Each person records from home, and all the recordings get combined in Leipzig into one coherent family piece with editing and background music.
Yes, that is a popular combination. Part of the family comes to the studio in Leipzig, part records from abroad, all combined into one coherent audio project. The distance is no longer a technical obstacle.
Depends on the scope. A short audio message is often finished within one to two weeks, a complete family audiobook with several contributors typically needs four to eight weeks, because several people have to be coordinated in time.
Remote recordings start from 90 euros and are priced individually, depending on length, number of contributors and extras such as background music. You receive an honest estimate the same day.
This page is written for private remote audio projects for families and personal occasions. If you work for a voice artist, an audiobook publisher, a dubbing studio or an advertising agency and want to book a live session over Source Connect or Session Link, have a look at the separate business site of Tonstudio Leipzig for companies and freelancers.
Write me a short note about who is to record, from where, and for what occasion. I often reply the same day with an honest assessment.