Indie pop with a spoken word edge
Quiet voices, direct lyrics and electronic beats, 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.
You work with voice, pauses, attitude and atmosphere instead of a fixed rhyme scheme or melody. My studio in the south of Leipzig is deliberately personal, so you can try different takes and speaking styles in peace.
Whether you bring your own beat or still need one, I record your voice professionally and deliver it mixed and, on request, mastered. If you are unsure which package fits, a paid initial consultation clarifies that first.
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 and a voice that does not sing everything out, for songs that need more feeling and attitude than melody.
Experimental indie direction
Sprechgesang over edgy beats, guitars or pads, when your text should carry attitude and friction of its own.
Slam poetry meets electronic beat
Your stage text becomes a musical recording, without sounding artificial.
Future bass and synthwave vocals
Speaking voices make synthwave, future bass and indie electronic beats feel close and human.
Personal audio diaries and audio art
Personal texts, pads and field recordings as an individual piece of audio work, for projects that are more art than 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
Clean raw recordings with take markers and a comping suggestion, if you want to mix it yourself or elsewhere.
Pitch and auto tune accents
Subtle pitch effects or auto tune accents, natural or deliberately electronic, exactly as you want it.
Mastering optional
Additional mastering for a balanced, dependable sound 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
Pauses, emphasis, breathing and attitude carry your text. We take time to find the take that feels true.
Technology, microphone, room, beat routing
Neumann U87 AI large diaphragm microphone in an acoustically treated room, your beat directly in the headphones for secure, musical recording.
Mix, intelligibility, atmosphere
I choose the best takes with you and mix the voice so that text, beat and atmosphere work together.
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 moment your voice sits cleanly in the beat, and an idea turns into a real track.
02 Right afterwards
Clarity about your own position
Clarity that you do not have to be a rapper or a singer, but have found your own form.
03 At release
First reactions from the spoken word scene
Your text gets a fixed sound that others hear, share and connect with your voice.
04 On stage
Live performance with studio backing
The recording strengthens your live performance, as backing or as a basis for new stage versions.
05 In a year
Your own sound develops
With every recording you get to know your voice better, and your own sound grows step by step.
06 As a body of work
An EP that stands for your vision
Several texts get a shared sound and become one body of work you can show 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
Go to bed early, no alcohol, drink plenty of water, and arrive a little earlier and in peace on the day. A relaxed voice sounds more present 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 are not tied to the page. Go through it out loud beforehand, for example while walking.
3
Beat sorted
Bring your beat as WAV or AIFF
In the final key and at the final tempo, not as MP3. Without your own beat, we talk about beat help or beat match recording in the initial consultation.
4
References with you
Sound references for your spoken word style
Two or three reference tracks that point in your direction help enormously in finding the right mix position.
5
Comfortable clothes
Breathable, and nothing that rustles
Soft clothing without polyester, jewellery off beforehand. Spoken word recordings are especially sensitive to background noise.
6
Bring your mood
Your inner state as a tool
The voice carries mood as well as text, introspective or energetic depending on the piece. Plan some time beforehand to arrive in the right state.
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
Coffee or tea, I show you the room, then we listen to your beat and talk through tempo, mood and expression. If needed, we adjust the beat beforehand.
02
Microphone setup & test recording
Microphone setup with the Neumann U87 AI, then a test run with the beat in your headphones. We adjust levels, headphone mix and position, on request including auto tune or pitch in the monitoring.
03
Recording performance takes
Several complete takes with short breaks, you listen in and I mark good moments. We keep recording, with a punch in workflow, until it fits.
04
Comping & rough mix
I assemble the best take and play you a first rough mix in the studio. The final mix follows within a few days by cloud link.
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
From Connewitz, Südvorstadt, Schleußig, Plagwitz, Lindenau and Markkleeberg in under 20 minutes, by tram 10/11 to Hohe Straße or by car via Karli/Arthur-Hoffmann-Straße. Parking in the courtyard.
Leipzig north
From the north of Leipzig in 25 minutes
From Gohlis, Eutritzsch, Möckern or Wahren by car via the inner ring road or by tram. For longer sessions public transport avoids the parking search in Zentrum-Süd.
Halle and around
From Halle (Saale) and the surrounding area
Halle, Merseburg, Schkeuditz and Markranstädt, under 30 minutes by car or 40 by train, often for longer studio days on larger projects such as an EP.
Saxony
From the Leipzig region and Saxony
From Borna, Grimma, Wurzen, Torgau and Riesa, as well as Chemnitz and Dresden. For longer journeys, a weekend package across two days is worth it.
Further away
Weekend visitors from all over Germany
For larger projects, artists travel from Berlin, Erfurt, Magdeburg, Jena or Hanover. I arrange consecutive studio days with accommodation tips in Südvorstadt.
Address
Bernhard-Göring-Straße 17 in Zentrum-Süd
Bernhard-Göring-Straße 17, 04107 Leipzig, within walking distance of the Karli and city centre. Parking in the courtyard, step free access, cafés nearby for breaks.
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, between singing and speaking: unlike rap without a fixed flow and rhyme scheme, unlike singing without a strict melodic line.
It is rhythmic spoken expression, often very personal, often over electronic or experimental beats.
Spoken word single for one track with recording and mix, Sprechgesang EP for three to five tracks with concept, mix and mastering, beat match recording as a complete package including beat production.
All packages start with a paid initial consultation in the studio shop.
Both possible: bring your own beat and I record your Sprechgesang on top of it, or I help choose or produce a suitable electronic beat in the beat match recording package.
I know synthwave, future bass, indie electronic and experimental styles well.
After the initial consultation and booking, we talk through tempo, mood and expression, then record through a Neumann large diaphragm microphone in an acoustically treated room, with several takes and punch in workflow.
After that the mix and tonal work on the voice, effects if you want them.
Neumann U87 AI large diaphragm studio microphone in an acoustically treated room without reverb, Pro Tools as the DAW, studio headphones for direct monitoring with the beat.
Where it helps, auto tune or pitch effects straight in your headphones.
Your text readable, your beat if you have one as WAV or AIFF in the final key and tempo, a well rested voice, and ideally a few reference tracks sent in advance.
Both at once: the text is at the centre as in poetry, while the music carries it rhythmically and atmospherically. You are not in the role of singer or rapper, but in an artistic position of your own.
The packages start priced like a normal recording session, from 210 euros, with a paid initial consultation bookable online. After that an individual quote based on scope: single tracks smaller, EPs and beat match recording more extensive.
Exact prices are worked out in the initial consultation.
Yes. You receive clean raw recordings with take markers and a comping suggestion, then mix it yourself or pass it to your own mixing engineer. The leanest option for people who carry on production themselves.
For a single track expect three to four hours in the studio. For an EP I plan several sessions; beat match recording adds beat production time.
Exact time is set after the initial consultation.
Intelligibility of the text has the highest priority, with a clean, present voice position in the stereo field that does not disappear inside the beat. Subtle reverb or delay for atmosphere, always in service of the text, plus light pitch or auto tune accents where it helps.
Ready to record your spoken word track?
Tell me briefly what you are planning.
Tell me briefly what you have in mind, single, EP or beat match recording, with style and mood. I usually reply the same day. Every project starts with a paid initial consultation in the studio shop.