Yes. Unless the school or competition organizer specifies otherwise, a video recorded on a phone can usually be submitted.

The difference between a phone recording and a professional recording is not simply whether the sound is pleasing. It can affect how accurately the panel is able to assess the performance:

Audio sensors and microphones｜Phones use highly miniaturized MEMS microphones designed primarily for calls, video and everyday recording. Professional recording uses condenser microphones engineered specifically for high-quality sound capture. Their diaphragm and acoustic design, frequency and off-axis response, self-noise and maximum sound-pressure-level handling are all designed to reproduce sound accurately.

Microphone placement｜A phone must be positioned according to the camera framing. In a professional recording, microphone distance, angle and placement can be determined independently according to how the instrument produces and projects sound.

Dynamic range｜Classical music has an exceptionally wide dynamic range. A professional recording system preserves sufficient headroom and low-level detail, allowing dynamics, tone and musical layers to be represented fully.

Automatic audio processing｜A phone may apply automatic gain control, dynamics processing, noise reduction and other DSP that alters the original dynamics, transients and sense of space.

Recording environment｜A professional studio controls background noise, reflections and reverberation, while multi-channel recording captures both instrumental detail and natural room ambience.

The purpose of a professional Audition Recording is not to make the performance sound “better” through correction. It is to reduce the inaccuracies introduced by the recording equipment and environment, allowing the panel to hear a faithful representation that is closer to the live performance.

For an important conservatory application, the recording may represent a major opportunity after years of preparation. Recording cannot improve a performer’s ability, but poor recording quality should not prevent the panel from hearing what the performer is genuinely capable of doing.

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

A true recording studio is more than an ordinary room containing a piano, a few expensive microphones and thin acoustic panels on the walls. A professional recording space must be planned from the architectural and acoustic design stages onward, addressing sound isolation, ambient and HVAC noise, room reflections, low-frequency modes, standing waves and reverberation time. The results must then be confirmed through design analysis, calculation and on-site measurement. This also represents a substantial part of the cost of building a professional studio: many of the investments that most directly affect recording quality are concealed within the building structure, sound isolation, HVAC noise control, acoustic absorption and low-frequency treatment, rather than in the equipment visible in the room.

A well-designed acoustic space affects not only the recording, but the performance itself. When musicians describe a room as comfortable and responsive for playing or singing, they are responding to how naturally they can hear themselves and how evenly the room supports their sound. Performers continually adjust dynamics, tone, articulation and musical expression according to what they hear. A room that is overly dry, excessively reverberant or uneven in its reflections can therefore affect the performance directly, as well as the sound captured by the microphones.

ff studio was planned by internationally renowned recording-studio acoustician John Sayers. Its architectural structure, sound isolation and interior acoustics were designed as one integrated professional recording environment, complemented by world-class microphones, preamplifiers and recording systems.

Expensive equipment cannot compensate for poor room acoustics. In fact, the better the microphone, the more accurately it may capture the room’s problems. When choosing a studio, look beyond the equipment list and consider how the space that truly determines recording quality was designed, built and verified.

In professional studio practice, Booking Time means the full period for which the studio is reserved and occupied—often referred to as Studio Occupancy Time—not only the performance time after the Record button is pressed. This is standard practice in professional studios and large-scale recording productions throughout Europe and North America.

Before recording can begin, the engineer must set up the equipment and microphones, create the session, perform signal checks and gain staging, refine microphone placement, and verify phase, routing, camera and lighting as required. These procedures are not separate “preparation” outside the recording process; they are an integral part of recording engineering and are essential for preventing distortion, noise, signal faults and video errors.

During this time, the studio, equipment and engineer are fully committed to the booking and cannot be made available to another client. Excluding setup and testing from Booking Time would also shift all of the time and uncertainty associated with equipment adjustment and sound checks to the studio, increasing the risk of delays to subsequent sessions.

For this reason, ff studio bills from the scheduled start of the booking. The reserved time includes equipment setup, sound checks, the recording session itself, breaks and playback review in the Control Room. A professional studio booking covers more than the moments when Record is pressed; it covers the complete recording workflow and the time for which the studio is in use.

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 any other post-production that changes the performance itself.

Accordingly, this package follows a standardized recording and audio-processing workflow, allowing it to be priced below a general professional recording production that requires editing, custom mixing and full post-production.

For professional recordings, albums and release projects in which editing is permitted, classical Take Editing is one of ff studio’s established areas of expertise. Detailed edits can be made with reference to the score, phrasing, musical structure and performance content. These productions are outside the scope of the Audition Recording package; please refer to our general recording and post-production services.

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.

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 both tone and touch. A new instrument supplied by an authorized distributor cannot be compared by brand and model alone with a used piano whose origin, service history and internal condition are unknown. Long-term use, rebuilding or replacement parts can result in substantial differences in touch and sound even when the model is the same.

Since it was purchased new, ff studio’s Steinway A-188 has been kept in a space with air conditioning operating 24 hours a day, year-round, providing a highly stable temperature and humidity environment. In addition to regular tuning, the piano receives periodic comprehensive action regulation and voicing. The action and keyboard are inspected, and the hammers are shaped and adjusted according to wear so that touch, response and tone remain as even and consistent as possible across all registers.

From its provenance and storage environment to its ongoing professional maintenance, our aim is to keep the piano’s touch, response and tone in excellent condition for every recording.

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. If you would like the piano tuned before the recording session, please request it when making your reservation.

ff studio’s Steinway & Sons A-188 is maintained at A4 = 442 Hz by a designated Steinway piano technician. The tuning fee is NT$3,000 per session. Tuning time is covered by ff studio and does not count toward the client’s booked recording time.

To maintain stable overall string tension, tuning and mechanical condition, the piano cannot be temporarily retuned to 440 Hz, 443 Hz or any other reference pitch. Musicians performing with the piano should prepare in advance using A = 442 Hz as the reference.

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.

Standard delivery is within three business days. If you are approaching an application deadline or require expedited delivery, please let us know in advance. Subject to the production schedule, rush delivery may be available, with the following day being the fastest possible turnaround.

Piece or repertoire titles can be added to the video. Please provide any subtitle or video-format requirements from the school or competition during the recording session.

ff studio does not simply combine live camera, switcher or OBS audio and video for immediate delivery. Audio is first professionally processed in Pro Tools, including the Rough Mix and Loudness and True Peak output control. The finished audio is then precisely synchronized with the original camera footage and encoded for final delivery. This workflow requires more production time, but allows audio and video to be processed in the professional systems best suited to each while preserving recording and image quality as much as possible.

Yes! ff studio invests significantly each year in building and maintaining its NAS data-storage system and keeps historical audio and video recordings for long-term archival purposes. Even recordings made many years ago may still be available. Please provide your name and approximate recording date so that we can search for them.

If the files are still available, we can retrieve and redeliver them for a data maintenance and retrieval fee of NT$500 per file.

ff studio’s archival storage is an additional long-term data-maintenance service and does not constitute a guarantee of permanent storage or backup. Clients remain responsible for maintaining their own backups after delivery. If historical files become unavailable because of storage failure, data corruption or other causes, ff studio cannot guarantee their permanent preservation.

To make a reservation, contact us through the official ff studio email address, Facebook Page message or telephone. Please provide your preferred recording date, instrument, repertoire and approximate total duration, as well as whether synchronized video is required. This helps us confirm the appropriate session length and availability.

Reservations are subject to the schedule available at the time of booking, and no additional sessions can be accepted once the schedule is full. We recommend reserving at least one to two weeks in advance. You are still welcome to contact us at shorter notice, and we will assist based on the remaining availability.

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

If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact us as early as possible. Under normal circumstances, we can assist with rescheduling, and the deposit is generally refundable if the booking is cancelled. In cases of repeated bookings followed by cancellation, last-minute cancellation, or other circumstances that materially disrupt the schedule, ff studio reserves the right to determine how the deposit and future booking requests will be handled.