Indie pop with a spoken word edge
Quiet voices, direct lyrics, electronic beats and an intimate closeness. This direction works well when your text is personal and should not sound like classic pop singing.
Spoken word and Sprechgesang at Tonstudio Leipzig, between speaking and beat.
Your voice.
Your voice.
Spoken word at Tonstudio Leipzig.
You make music that sits between speaking and singing. Not classic rap, not classic singing, but something of your own. That is exactly what I record at Tonstudio Leipzig: spoken word and Sprechgesang, calm, personal and with a professional sound. What you end up with is a recording that carries your text and sounds like you.
Between
speaking and singing, your own way of expressing it
No experience
your own beat is possible, and I help you choose
Modern
indie pop, synthwave, future bass, experimental
Finished
mixed, mastered and ready for streaming
Spoken word is the artistic connection between speaking and music.
If you want to record spoken word, you are probably looking for an artistic form of your own. Perhaps your text is too rhythmic for pure poetry, but too free for classic rap. Perhaps you do not sing all the way through, but work with voice, attitude, pauses and atmosphere. That is exactly where I start with you.
Spoken word needs sensitivity, because your text is at the centre. My studio in the south of Leipzig is deliberately personal. You can try takes, test different speaking speeds and move between speaking, whispering, rhythm and light singing. If you do not have a beat yet, I help you choose one or produce a suitable foundation. If you bring your own beat, I record your voice straight onto it.
The result is a track that carries your voice clearly. Professionally recorded, placed cleanly in the beat and, if you wish, fully mixed and mastered. If you are not sure which package fits, we start with a paid initial consultation. After that you get an honest assessment for your next step.
Inspirations
6 artistic directions that can inspire you.
Spoken word can sound quiet, direct, poetic, electronic or very raw. Here are a few directions that can help you with your own idea.
German lyrics with Sprechgesang
German lyrics, personal themes and a voice that does not sing everything out. Ideal when your song needs more feeling, language and attitude than classic melody.
Experimental indie direction
Sprechgesang over edgy beats, guitars, pads or experimental sounds. This direction fits when your text should carry attitude, friction and a character of its own.
Slam poetry meets electronic beat
If you come from the stage, your text can be just as strong in the studio. I help you turn your performance into a musical recording that does not sound artificial.
Future bass and synthwave vocals
Speaking voices can make electronic music feel very close and human. That suits synthwave, future bass, indie electronic and experimental beats.
Personal audio diaries and audio art
Personal texts, pads, field recordings and voice can become a very individual piece of audio work. Good for projects that should be art rather than a classic song.
Packages
Three packages for your spoken word project.
From a single track to an EP: I help you find the right form for your voice, your text and your beat.
Spoken word single
One track, fully recorded & mixed
Ideal for a single track. You bring your beat and I record your voice cleanly on top of it. Several takes, punch in, comping, a subtle mix and delivery as WAV and MP3.
Sprechgesang EP
Three to five tracks as one body of work
For 3 to 5 tracks with a consistent sound. I look after recording, running order, mix and mastering, so that separate ideas become one coherent piece of work.
Beat match recording
Complete package including beat production
You have a text and still need the right musical foundation. I help you with the beat, build a fitting atmosphere and record your performance on top of it.
Voice recording only
If you only want to record the voice, you receive clean raw recordings with take markers and, on request, a comping suggestion. After that you can carry on yourself or have the mix done elsewhere.
Pitch and auto tune accents
For particular moments I can add subtle pitch effects, auto tune accents or atmospheric processing. You decide whether it should sound natural or deliberately electronic.
Mastering optional
For a release I can master your track as well. It then sounds balanced, clear and dependable on headphones, speakers and streaming platforms.
Your voice in the studio
3 factors that carry your spoken word recording.
A good spoken word recording needs more than technology. It needs expression, calm and a mix that brings your text forward.
Performance, the way you speak
Your text works through pauses, emphasis, breathing and attitude. I take time for different takes and help you find the version that feels true.
Technology, microphone, room, beat routing
I record you through a Neumann U87 AI large diaphragm microphone in an acoustically treated room. Your beat sits directly in your headphones, so that recording feels secure and musical.
Mix, intelligibility, atmosphere
After the recording I choose the best takes with you and mix the voice so that text, beat and atmosphere work together. Intelligibility always stays important.
When expression, recording and mix come together, you get a track that not only sounds clean but carries your attitude. That is what I pay particular attention to in spoken word.
What stays
What a spoken word recording can make visible for you.
A spoken word recording is more than a file. It holds your voice, your attitude and your text at one particular moment.
01 During the recording
The first time your speaking voice sits in the beat
The first moment when your voice sits cleanly in the beat is often special. That is when an idea turns into a real track.
02 Right afterwards
Clarity about your own position
Spoken word is allowed to sit between roles. You do not have to be a rapper or a singer. You are free to find your own form.
03 At release
First reactions from the spoken word scene
When your track is released, your text gets a fixed sound. People can hear it again, share it and connect it with your voice.
04 On stage
Live performance with studio backing
A studio recording can also strengthen your live performance. You can work with backing or use the recording as the basis for new stage versions.
05 In a year
Your own sound develops
With every recording you get to know your voice better. Step by step, your own sound can grow out of those first attempts.
06 As a body of work
An EP that stands for your vision
An EP can make your idea bigger. Several texts get a shared sound and become one body of work that you can show, release and develop further.
Preparation
This is how your studio day will go relaxed and productive.
Good preparation makes the difference between a tense recording and a relaxed, productive studio day. Here are the six most important points for spoken word sessions.
1
Voice rested
Enough sleep the night before
Speaking voices react strongly to tiredness. The evening before the recording: go to bed early, no alcohol, drink plenty of water. On the day itself, come a little earlier and arrive in peace. A relaxed voice sounds far more present in spoken word than a tense one.
2
Lyrics secure
Lyrics read aloud several times
Ideally know your text by heart, or at least well enough that you do not have to read from the page the whole time. In spoken word, reading from a sheet is acceptable, but your expression becomes freer when you are not tied to paper. Go through the text out loud, while walking, in the shower.
3
Beat sorted
Bring your beat as WAV or AIFF
If you bring your own beat: as a WAV or AIFF file, in the final key and at the final tempo. In MP3 format the highs and lows that matter for the mix are lost. If you do not have a beat of your own, mention it in the initial consultation and we will talk about beat help or beat match recording.
4
References with you
Sound references for your spoken word style
If you have a clear idea of the sound: bring two or three reference tracks from music you love that point in your direction. "This is how my voice should sound", "this is how the reverb should work", "this is how the mix should feel". That helps enormously in finding the right position for the mix.
5
Comfortable clothes
Breathable, and nothing that rustles
In the recording room: wear comfortable, soft clothing, no polyester, which rustles, and nothing that rubs at the arms. Take off jewellery such as bangles and necklaces before the recording, because those sounds become audible in the microphone. In spoken word recordings the sensitivity to background noise is particularly high.
6
Bring your mood
Your inner state as a tool
In spoken word the voice carries not only text but mood. If your text is introspective, you arrive best in an introspective state. If it is energetic, in an energetic one. Plan some time for yourself before the studio so that you get into the right mood. You can hear it on the recording.
How a session runs
How your studio day actually goes.
So that you know what to expect, here are the four steps of every spoken word recording at Tonstudio Leipzig.
01
Arriving & listening to the beat
You come to the studio, we have a coffee or tea, I show you the room. Then we listen to your beat together and talk through tempo, mood and expression. If needed, we make small adjustments to the beat beforehand. You get used to the studio atmosphere and settle into the right state.
02
Microphone setup & test recording
Setting up the microphone with the Neumann U87 AI, then a first trial run with the beat in your headphones. We listen to it together and adjust levels, headphone mix and your position in front of the microphone. If you want auto tune or pitch in your monitoring, I set that up now.
03
Recording performance takes
Several complete takes of the track, with short breaks in between. You listen after every take and I mark the good moments. Where it helps, we go back to single passages with a punch in workflow. There is no stress and no rush, we keep recording until you say it fits.
04
Comping & rough mix
After the main recordings I assemble the best take from your takes and make a first rough mix that you hear while still in the studio. The final mix follows over the next few days and you receive it by cloud link. For larger projects I plan follow up sessions.
Getting here
Where the studio is and where spoken word artists travel in from.
Tonstudio Leipzig is in the south of Leipzig, easy to reach by car, tram and train. Here you can see where spoken word and Sprechgesang artists typically travel in from, from the immediate neighbourhood to weekend visits from further away.
Leipzig south
Right here in Leipzig
Artists from Connewitz, Südvorstadt, Schleußig, Plagwitz, Lindenau and Markkleeberg reach the studio in under 20 minutes. By tram 10 or 11 to Hohe Straße, by car via Karli or Arthur-Hoffmann-Straße. Parking in the courtyard is possible.
Leipzig north
From the north of Leipzig in 25 minutes
If you live in Gohlis, Eutritzsch, Möckern or Wahren, you get here quickly by car via the inner ring road or by tram through the city centre. For longer sessions I recommend public transport, then you do not have to worry about parking in Zentrum-Süd.
Halle and around
From Halle (Saale) and the surrounding area
Halle, Merseburg, Schkeuditz, Markranstädt, all of them under 30 minutes by car or 40 minutes by train. Artists from Halle come especially often for longer studio days when they are recording a larger spoken word project such as an EP.
Saxony
From the Leipzig region and Saxony
Artists come to Leipzig for spoken word recordings from Borna, Grimma, Wurzen, Torgau and Riesa, and also from Chemnitz and Dresden. For longer journeys I recommend recording several tracks in one day or booking a weekend package across two days.
Further away
Weekend visitors from all over Germany
Some artists travel in for a larger project, from Berlin, Erfurt, Magdeburg, Jena or Hanover. For cases like that I am happy to arrange consecutive studio days with suggestions for places to stay in Südvorstadt, so that the recording weekend works as a whole.
Address
Bernhard Göring Straße 17 in Zentrum-Süd
The studio is at Bernhard Göring Straße 17 in 04107 Leipzig, right in Zentrum-Süd, within walking distance of the Karli and the city centre. Parking in the courtyard, step free access on the ground floor, and several small cafés in front of the building for breaks between sessions.
Frequent questions
Questions about spoken word recordings at Tonstudio Leipzig.
Here are the answers that matter most before you ask for a recording. If your question is not here, a short message is enough. I answer in confidence and without any sales pressure.
Spoken word is the artistic connection between speaking and music, somewhere between singing and speaking.
Unlike rap it does without the classic flow and rhyme scheme. Unlike singing it does without a strict melodic line.
It is rhythmic spoken expression, often very personal, often over electronic or experimental beats. What guides you is the energy of your voice, your text, your rhythm and the question whether the recording should lean towards spoken word, slam poetry, Sprechgesang, indie pop or an electronic soundscape.
Three main packages:
Spoken word single for a single track with voice recording and mix.
Sprechgesang EP for three to five tracks with concept, recording, mix and mastering.
Beat match recording as a complete package, in which I also help with the electronic beat and record your spoken performance on top of it.
All packages start with a paid initial consultation in the studio shop.
Both are possible.
If you already have a beat of your own , perfect, then I record your Sprechgesang on top of it.
If you do not have a beat yet or need one that fits better, I help you choose or produce a suitable electronic beat. That is the beat match recording package.
I know synthwave, future bass, indie electronic and experimental styles well.
After the paid initial consultation and the actual booking, you come to the studio.
I listen to your beat and talk through tempo, mood and expression with you. Recording through a Neumann large diaphragm microphone in an acoustically treated room.
Several takes, punch in workflow, comping. You hear yourself directly in the headphones together with the beat.
After that the mix, tonal work on the voice and effects if you want them.
Neumann U87 AI large diaphragm studio microphone as the main microphone.
An acoustically treated recording room with diffusion and absorption, no reverb, no boominess.
A professional audio interface, Pro Tools as the DAW, and professional studio headphones for direct monitoring with the beat.
Where it helps, auto tune or pitch effects straight in your headphones, so that while recording you already hear how it will sound.
Your text, printed several times or clearly readable on a tablet.
If you bring a beat, as WAV or AIFF in the final key and at the final tempo.
Your voice well rested, ideally without cold drinks beforehand.
If you have reference tracks for inspiration , feel free to send them in advance. I listen to them, and then I understand your style more quickly.
Both at once, and that is exactly what makes it interesting.
The text is at the centre, as in poetry, while the music carries it rhythmically and atmospherically.
You are not in the role of a singer or a rapper, but in an artistic position of your own.
That is what makes recording it so interesting for me, because every spoken word track has a character of its own.
Rap: when your text has a flow and rhyme scheme and runs over classic hip hop beats.
Vocals: when you sing a melody, with pitches and phrasing.
Spoken word: when your text is spoken rhythmically, with personal expression, over electronic or experimental beats.
If you are unsure, we sort it out in the initial consultation.
The packages start with a paid initial consultation, bookable online in the studio shop.
After that you get an individual quote based on scope, number of tracks and the depth you choose.
Single tracks are smaller packages, EPs are larger complete productions.
Beat match recording with its own beat production is more extensive.
I work out the exact prices in the initial consultation, to fit your project.
Yes, that is possible.
Voice recording only, as the smallest option. You receive the raw recordings cleanly, with take markers and a comping suggestion.
You then mix it yourself or pass it on to your own mixing engineer.
That is the leanest option, often the right one for people who want to carry on with their own audio production themselves.
For a single track recording expect three to four hours in the studio.
About an hour of that goes into setup and sound check, two hours into takes, and one hour into first listening and marking.
For an EP I plan several sessions with you.
With beat match recording there is beat production on top, so I allow more time for it.
The exact time is set after the initial consultation.
Intelligibility of the text has the highest priority, because in spoken word it is the text that carries the piece.
A clean, present position for the voice in the stereo field.
The voice must not disappear inside electronic beats, but it should not sit on top of them either.
Subtle effects such as reverb or delay for atmosphere, always in service of the text, never for their own sake.
Where it helps, light pitch or auto tune accents.
Ready to record your spoken word track?
Tell me briefly what you are planning.
Tell me briefly what you have in mind, a single spoken word track, a Sprechgesang EP or a beat match recording. Which style, which mood, which vision. I often reply the same day with an honest assessment and a fitting suggestion for your initial consultation. All packages start with a paid initial consultation in the studio shop.