Recording
A vocal booth that was built, not treated.
Recording in downtown Toronto by the hour, any length from one to ten, with an in-house engineer on every session. Studio time is C$80 an hour, C$55 on Tuesdays.
The booth
Isolation in the wall, not glued to it.
Most treated vocal booths are a spare room with acoustic foam on the walls. Ours was built the other way round. Sound-proofing insulation is part of the structure itself, and the foam on the reflective surfaces handles only what is left. The difference is audible on every take: no boxiness to EQ out later, no traffic from Queen East, no hum from the hallway.
It matters most on the things vocalists actually do. Ad-libs at the top of your range. Doubles that have to sit exactly on the lead. Quiet takes, where a bad room is loudest. Sightlines run straight from the booth to the desk, so the engineer is looking at you and not at a screen.
The chain
Set for your voice, not recalled from the last session.
The signal path is a Neumann U87 or a Warm Audio WA-87 into a Neve 1073SPX or a Universal Audio SOLO/610, into a Universal Audio Apollo x16, monitored on ATC SCM12 Pro. Two large-diaphragm condensers live on the stands. The engineer picks the mic and the preamp for the voice in the room, gets a level from you singing a section at performance volume, and the clock has not done anything yet.
You hear yourself in the headphones blended with the beat. Say straight away if you want more or less of yourself, more or less of the beat, or a little reverb to sing into. Nobody performs well fighting a headphone mix.
How a session runs
Comped as you go, so you leave with a decision made.
- Send the beat ahead to info@24kstudios.ca as a WAV, or bring it on a drive. If it arrives before you do, it is loaded and lined up before you walk in.
- Takes are comped as you go. A hook that lands on take two is finished on take two. You hear the assembled vocal while your voice is still warm, and fix a phrase now rather than a week later.
- Full passes or line by line, whichever way you work. Say so at the start rather than in hour two.
- You walk out with a comped, lined-up vocal on the beat. Mixing is a separate per-song stage, priced by stem count, whether you do it here or not.
Time and money
By the hour, half now, half at the desk.
Any length from one hour to a ten-hour day. Three hours is C$240, six is C$480, a full day C$800. On Tuesdays the hourly rate drops to C$55. There is no room fee, engineer fee or setup charge on top.
Two hours is C$160: half of it online today to hold the room, the rest at the desk afterwards by card, debit or cash. The calendar takes bookings from an hour ahead and only shows times the room is free, so a same-day session is a normal thing here, not a favour.
Cancel or move with 24 hours or more notice for a full refund of the deposit. Sessions must finish by closing, which is 2 AM every day including holidays. Rates current as of 14 September 2026.
Questions people ask
How much studio time should I book for one song?
Usually two to four hours: C$160 to C$320, or C$110 to C$220 on a Tuesday. A song you know cold with a written hook tracks in a couple of hours; one you are still finishing, or with a feature arriving mid-session, wants more.
Do I need to bring a microphone?
No. Two large-diaphragm condensers, a Neumann U87 and a Warm Audio WA-87, live on the stands, with a Neve 1073SPX and a Universal Audio SOLO/610 as preamps. Bring your beat, your lyrics and water.
Can I record after midnight?
Yes. The studio is open until 2 AM every day including holidays, and a session must finish by closing, so a late start is fine and a long one is too.
Is the engineer included?
Yes. C$80 an hour is the whole price: an in-house engineer runs every session, sets the chain for your voice, and comps takes as you go. There is no separate engineer fee.
What if I need to cancel?
With 24 hours or more notice the deposit is refunded in full and rescheduling is free. Inside 24 hours the deposit is not refunded.
Book the room.
Usually looked at next