Yes. Unless the school or competition specifies otherwise, a video recorded on a phone may be accepted as a submission.

However, a phone’s built-in microphones, recording position, dynamic range and automatic audio processing differ significantly from a professional recording setup. Piano, voice and classical instruments have a particularly wide dynamic range, and the acoustics of the recording space directly affect tone, clarity and spatial character.

The purpose of a professional audition recording is not to make a performance sound “better” through correction. It is to capture the performer’s actual sound and musical expression as fully and faithfully as possible without altering the performance.

They are essential. The recording room itself is part of the recording system.

A true recording studio is more than an ordinary room with a piano, expensive microphones and a few thin acoustic panels. A professional space must be designed from the architectural and acoustic stages onward, addressing sound isolation, ambient and HVAC noise, reflections, low-frequency room modes, standing waves and reverberation time. Effective acoustic treatment must be based on design, calculation and measurement.

ff studio was designed by internationally renowned recording-studio acoustician John Sayers. Its building structure, sound isolation and room acoustics form an integrated studio design, complemented by world-class microphones, preamplifiers and recording systems.

Expensive equipment cannot compensate for poor room acoustics. In fact, better microphones often capture a room’s problems more accurately. When choosing a studio, look beyond the equipment list and ask how the space—the foundation of recording quality—was designed and verified.

Because equipment setup and sound checks are part of the recording process.

Different instruments, performers and repertoire require different microphone positions, gain settings and recording configurations. Before recording begins, the engineer must hear the performer play in order to confirm levels, tone and the condition of the recording chain.

Studio time therefore begins at the scheduled start of the booking and includes microphone and equipment setup, sound checks and adjustments, performer breaks, and listening in the Control Room—not only the minutes spent performing.

The fundamental principle of an Audition or Prescreening recording is that editing must not alter the performance. For this reason, ff studio’s audition and competition package does not include take editing, pitch correction, timing correction or other post-production that changes the performance itself.

The package instead uses a standardized recording and audio-processing workflow. This also allows us to charge less than a general professional production requiring editing, custom mixing and full post-production.

If the institution has special recording or delivery requirements, please send us the official specifications before the session so that we can review them.

The purpose of an Audition Recording is to present the performer’s sound consistently and truthfully, rather than to create a commercial release whose sonic style can be freely shaped.

ff studio has established instrument-specific recording, microphone and audio-processing workflows so that Audition Recordings made on different dates—or even by different engineers—meet the same production standard.

Standardization does not mean fewer production steps. It prevents personal preferences from introducing unnecessary sonic differences. Recordings made in different application seasons can therefore retain a consistent sound quality and be submitted together for auditions or competitions.

If you need to specify microphone placement, recording technique, mixing style or other production choices, the project is treated as a custom professional recording rather than an Audition Recording package.

The priorities of an Audition Recording are authenticity, natural sound and consistency.

An album or commercial production may use take editing, tuning, timing correction, custom mixing and mastering as the music requires. A conservatory audition, prescreening or competition recording should not use post-production to alter the performance itself.

ff studio therefore uses a standardized recording and audio-processing workflow that preserves the real performance while presenting the performer’s tone, dynamics, detail and musical expression as fully as possible.

Natural and truthful does not mean leaving the recording process unmanaged.

A recording that resembles listening in a good acoustic space must satisfy several conditions at once: the instrument needs clarity and detail without losing natural distance and ambience; the frequency spectrum must remain balanced; loud passages must not distort; and quiet passages must retain sufficient detail.

ff studio therefore uses Multi-Channel Recording, combining microphones and positions that capture both the instrument’s direct sound and the room ambience, followed by a standardized processing workflow.

This is also why room acoustics matter so much. Multi-channel recording is not used to change the performance, but to preserve the sound that genuinely existed in the room and present it with clarity, naturalness and a convincing sense of space.

Multi-channel recording produces several separate microphone tracks, not a finished file ready for delivery. A Rough Mix is therefore an essential part of professional recording.

ff studio balances and applies essential processing to the multi-track material, finding the appropriate relationship among clarity, tone and natural ambience. We also perform the basic mastering needed to control final loudness and true-peak levels so that playback is neither too quiet nor distorted by excessive level.

This work does not edit the performance, correct pitch, change timing or make the performer sound “better.”

It is sometimes assumed that a truthful recording should be completely unprocessed. In practice, converting captured sound into a reliable, playable master that faithfully represents the performance is one of the most important parts of professional recording.

Not exactly.

Piano, strings, voice and wind instruments differ in sound production, register, directionality and dynamics. Their microphone types, quantities, distances and positions must therefore differ as well.

ff studio has developed appropriate standard recording methods for different instruments, preserving a consistent Audition Recording approach while accurately representing each instrument’s own acoustic character.

Yes. You may perform a complete piece several times and select the take you prefer.

After recording, you can compare takes in the ff studio Control Room through an accurate professional monitoring system. Because the studio, Control Room, monitors and recording engineer remain in use, listening and take-selection time is included in the booked studio time.

The final Rough Mix fee is calculated from the total duration of the audio selected for delivery, not from the number of takes recorded.

For an Audition or Prescreening video, we recommend clothing that is neat, natural, and appropriately formal without being overly elaborate. Unless the school or competition specifies a dress code, concert attire or formal stagewear is generally not necessary. Choose clothing that is appropriate for a formal audition and allows you to perform comfortably.

Avoid overly bright colors, intricate patterns, large text or logos, and accessories that may distract from the performance. Clothing should also allow unrestricted movement, particularly for violin, cello, wind instruments, voice, and piano.

From an audio perspective, avoid fabrics that create noticeable rustling noises and jewelry or accessories that may click or strike against each other. Professional microphones are highly sensitive and may capture clothing noise, bracelets, necklaces, or other sounds that seem insignificant in the room.

Most importantly, the focus of an Audition video should always be the performer and the music. Your clothing should support a professional presentation without drawing attention away from the performance.

Yes.

ff studio offers synchronized video recording for Audition Recording sessions. The finished video is synchronized with the Rough Mix created from the professional multi-channel recording—not with audio from the camera or a phone microphone.

The video and the separately delivered audio file therefore retain the same professional recording quality.

Whether separate clips are permitted depends on the institution’s submission rules.

ff studio charges for synchronized video according to the number of clips selected for final delivery. There is no duration limit for an individual clip.

One continuous recording counts as one clip. If recording is stopped and restarted, or if separate pieces or movements are recorded separately and require individual audio synchronization, each recording is counted as a separate clip.

A standard Audition or Prescreening recording does not require the purchase of a separate full Mastering service.

ff studio Audition audio processing (Rough Mix) already includes the essential basic mastering needed to control the final loudness and true-peak levels accurately. This provides an appropriate playback level while preserving the dynamics expected in classical music and preventing peak distortion.

Although the service is called a Rough Mix, it includes the complete process required to turn multi-track material into a finished deliverable: track preparation, balance, spatial processing and basic mastering.

Full Mixing or Mastering is generally required only for albums, commercial releases or projects needing more extensive aesthetic shaping.

ff studio uses a Steinway & Sons A-188 grand piano built in Hamburg, purchased new through the authorized Taiwan distributor.

A piano contains thousands of precision components, and its condition has a major effect on tone and touch. A new instrument supplied by an authorized distributor cannot be evaluated by model number alone against a used piano of unknown origin, service history or internal condition. Long-term use, rebuilding or replacement parts can produce substantial differences in touch and sound even when the brand and model are the same.

We selected a new, officially distributed Steinway A-188 so that every Audition Recording begins with a stable and predictable instrument.

If your audition or competition repertoire includes Contemporary Music, please tell us the work and any special playing techniques before booking.

To protect the Steinway & Sons A-188, the studio prohibits touching or plucking the strings with hands or objects, placing objects between the strings for prepared-piano techniques, striking the case, and any other technique that may damage the strings, soundboard, hammers or finish.

Extended Techniques vary widely. Please provide the score or performance instructions in advance so that ff studio can confirm whether the techniques can be accommodated.

Yes. Please request tuning when you make the booking.

ff studio uses a designated Steinway piano technician. Tuning is NT$3,000 per visit, and the tuning time is covered by ff studio rather than deducted from the client’s booked recording time.

Audio is delivered as WAV files and video as downloadable MP4 files.

If a conservatory, prescreening platform or music competition specifies a resolution, format or file-size limit, please provide the official requirements on the recording day. We can create an additional version that meets those specifications.

ff studio uses professional audiovisual software for encoding. Within reasonable submission limits, we can control export settings precisely so that the compressed video remains very close to the original under normal viewing conditions. Audio settings are also configured to preserve the best possible audio quality while meeting the submission requirements.

Synchronized video is normally completed within three business days.

We can add titles using the repertoire information supplied by the client. If the institution has specific rules for titles, framing or file names, please provide them during the recording session.

After the session date is confirmed, a NT$3,000 deposit is required to complete the booking. The remaining balance is due on the recording day.

All listed prices exclude tax. Applicable tax will be added to issued invoices.