Capinski Recordings

09/12/2023

Probably my favourite project of the year was to go in and record an album’s worth of music at Dartmoor Prison with a choir of inmates and band of astonishing session players.

I then lived with the music for weeks as I mixed the material (working around my other recording jobs), which was quite an emotional thing, constantly transporting me back to those 2 days spent in the boomy prison chapel. The circumstances were technically challenging, but the result has, I think, an incredible energy to it - visceral singing (all the covered songs tap into the prison experience in some way) meets polished playing, but the inmates’ energy and emotion also transferred into the band, and the performances became infused with a pent up energy, longing, sorrow, hope…

I’m obviously way too close to it, but hopefully the magic I sense in this record comes across to those who weren’t there. It’ll be available to download soon, apparently, so you can expect me to post a link when it lands.

Alas, paywall :(

Thanks to a pioneering musician, the inmates in one of Britain’s bleakest prisons have recorded an inspiring album

27/09/2023

Due to cancellations we now have a couple of recording slots available next week. More details below :)

Booking link: http://londonrecordingdays.simplybook.it

Date and time: Friday 6th of October, 2pm-3pm
Pianist: Florent Mourier
Recordist: Jan Capinski
Venue: St Stephen’s Church, Dulwich

Date and time: Saturday 7th of October 2pm-3pm
Pianist: Florent Mourier
Recordist: Jan Capinski
Venue: St John the Divine, Kennington

11/09/2023

Exciting news to come later this month, but in the meantime - Florent and I have a bit of availability at the end of this week AND there is a new, lower, pricing scheme.

Book your slots here: https://florentmourier.simplybook.it/

24/08/2023

Due to cancellations, I have some availability for my drop-in recording days in Merton Park next month.

Booking link: https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it (in bio for Insta users)
Venue: St Mary’s Merton Park https://goo.gl/maps/63bVbzeqsnSCxBrh9
Date & time: September 7th and 12th
Pianists: Berrak Dyer (7th) and Richard Black (12th)
Cost: £150 for the session (including venue hire, pianist fee, piano tuning), £30-70 per piece for editing

14/08/2023

Long shot, I know, but if anyone has a couple of arias ready to go and can make it to South Wimbledon tomorrow, there's a slot free due to a last minute cancellation.

Venue: St Mary’s Merton Park
Date & time: 15/8/2023 11:45-12:30
Pianist: Paul McKenzie
Cost: £150 for the session (including venue hire, pianist fee, piano tuning), £30-70 per piece for editing

The best way to get in touch to take the slot is email:
[email protected]

26/07/2023

Anyone just come off a Summer contract fighting fit and raring to get some arias recorded? Florent and I have a few spaces left on Monday :)

http://florentmourier.simplybook.it

05/07/2023

I have so many fond memories of this programme as a singer and I feel privileged to have recorded the Young Artists for the past 2 years. Definitely worth applying for, and you might get to be part of the first ever season completely on-site at Wormsley to boot!

18/06/2023

Illness strikes again! Long shot, I know, but if you have some repertoire ready to go and have some time free tomorrow, why not drop in for a recording?

Booking link: https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it (link in bio for Instagram)

Venue: St Mary’s Merton Park https://goo.gl/maps/63bVbzeqsnSCxBrh9
Date & time: 19/6/23 4pm-4.45pm
Pianist: Richard Black
Cost: £140 for the session (including venue hire, pianist fee, piano tuning), £30-60 per piece for editing

14/06/2023

This one always catches people by surprise 😉

With just over a month to get your recordings, references, and personal statement in order, here are some recording session options for your consideration:

June
19th - Jan Capinski drop-in recording day (JC)
23rd - Florent Mourier drop-in day (FM)
30th - FM

July
3rd - JC
7th - FM
11th - FM
13th - FM
14th - FM
19th - JC

Here are the booking links:
JC: http://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it
FM: http://florentmourier.simplybook.it

If a date shows up as having no slots, that means they've been booked up, but both myself and Florent are happy to operate waiting lists in case of cancellations.

Finally, all the information about the Jette Parker Artists Programme:
https://www.roh.org.uk/about/jette-parker-artists-programme

14/06/2023

Another cancellation, which means another slot available for recording on Monday. These recording days are the most cost effective option I offer.

After a session, I send everyone their unprocessed audio tracks, and you can then decide what you want edited, so if you're unhappy with a performance, you don't need to spend any extra money on it. This means you're free to take risks, or just try out the recording environment as a low-cost taster session.

Come on, social media, work your magic!

Booking link: https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it
Venue: St Mary’s Merton Park https://goo.gl/maps/63bVbzeqsnSCxBrh9
Pianist: Richard Black
Cost: £140 for the session (including venue hire, pianist fee, piano tuning), £30-60 per piece for editing

13/06/2023

Hello everyone! Due to two cancellations, I have some availability this coming Monday. 45min recording slots at St Mary's Merton Park (South Wimbledon) with Richard Black on piano, £140 for the session (covers venue, recordist, pianist, tuning) plus £30-60 per piece for editing.

Book here: https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it

Instagram people - link in bio.

10/06/2023

It’s shaping up to be a busy Summer! If you’re thinking of getting some recordings made before the Autumn audition season, I’ve very little availability until mid August for individual sessions, but you can check out Florent Mourier’s drop-in recording days (my own are fully booked up, alas), many of which I will be the recordist for, with others taken by the fab Joe Porter-Bolger. You can check availability and book here:

COACHINGFlorent Mourier offers music and vocal coaching in central London (at Marylebone studios or Bluthner pianos). To access rates and availability, please click on 'Book now' and select a date.VIDEO RECORDINGS We provide professional video recordings for students, young artists and professional....

06/06/2023

Due to illness, Florent Mourier has a few slots available for audition tape and/or video demo recording this Friday in Dulwich. He's a fantastic pianist and I'll be recording the sessions, so you'll be in good hands :)

You can book the slots at http://florentmourier.simplybook.it

08/05/2023

I've had a cancellation due to illness and there is a 45min recording slot going on Wednesday at 3pm in St Mary's Merton Park, South Wimbledon. I'm just about to start a session, so won't be watching social media, but if anyone would like this slot, please book here (for Instagram users, link in bio):
https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it

03/04/2023

EDIT: I’ve had quite a few responses, so while I’m not the main organiser and am still happy to pass on their details to anyone interested, this day is probably filling up by now. If you need recordings around then, I can also recommend Florent Mourier’s drop-in days.

I have a singer who's looking to share a video recording session on May 22nd. Venue TBC, but likely South London. Would anyone be interested in joining in?

If we get 3 or 4 singers, this will likely work out to be a pretty affordable session.

16/03/2023

EDIT: inspired by Gráinne I want back to try something. It turns out that in the Camera App some clever things are happening! More details slotted into the post below, I will make a video on this, but more testing is now required. Sorry for what has turned into a long read.

People may have seen on Instagram that I recently did some tests on the iPhone 14 and how it compares to a Zoom H1n for recording voice and piano. I was hoping to package it into an extra video for my Recording Basics course. I will probably still make a video detailing the tests I did and going into a touch more depth about the results (for people who want to test their particular phone, as there may be useable devices out there), but having auditioned the files from the iPhone, the urgency of this video has dropped significantly. For classical musicians who own iPhones:

- the front and rear mics are capable of stereo in portrait orientation only (in landscape you get a stereo comprised of up/down)
- they sound garbage, as they seem to capture nothing above 7kHz

- the bottom mic (by the charging port) sounds by far the best and captures the full frequency spectrum
- it is a mono-only omni mic

- if you’re adamant about using your iPhone’s built in mics, at least use an app that lets you set the gain manually, otherwise your recording will have compromised dynamics

- the Zoom H1n’s output absolutely obliterates the iPhone in terms of quality and usability for classical demos

- my overall advice for self-taping on a budget remains the same - use a dedicated audio recorder for sound, and a smartphone for video (ideally using an app that lets you set and lock things like white balance and exposure)

I have to say, considering how decent the iPhone is as a camera, it’s sad that its audio capabilities are lagging so far behind. My guess is there’s no market and too many technical hurdles to making tiny, good-sounding microphones. If anyone has a phone that delivers good audio recordings, please let me know!

NEW FINDINGS:

- in the iPhone's built in camera app, for sound it seems to use a combination of the bottom omni mic, and the stereo mics on the front/back

- the result is a full-frequency capture with some stereo information in the midrange, and actually sounds quite good on my test of myself in a bathrobe going 'oooooh' while moving the phone around

- I can't seem to duplicate this with every audio-only recording app, basically if an app gives you gain control, it doesn’t let you do the clever multi-mic stereo

- no gain control, so dynamics will be compromised as the AI overlord decides how loud things should be

- the gap between Zoom H1n and the phone has narrowed in my estimation! the Zoom is still probably a more faithful representation of the recorded performance, but the extra faff to combine audio and video in post might not be worth it to some people

20/02/2023

Spent the weekend capturing some promotional footage of the first ever Retreat. It’s quite hard for me to put into words how powerful and moving it was to be a fly on the wall and see the amazing work being done by the SWAP’ra team and the participants themselves.

I can honestly hold my hand up and say I’d never stopped to to consider how motherhood impacts not just ones singing career, but the very mechanics of singing, the voice itself, which of course is so tied up in our self-identity as singers…

This retreat, the skills it teaches, the tools and guidance it gives, and the community it fosters should be a permanent fixture of the opera landscape, ideally funded by all the stakeholders (opera companies, agencies, trusts) who probably don’t realise the wealth and depth of talent the industry could retain by supporting women through motherhood in a targeted way.

24/01/2023

EDIT: Slot now gone!
Due to illness I have a slot going on Thursday in St Mary's Merton Park (South Wimbledon), 45mins recording time, pianist on site, £135 for the slot plus editing (£30-60 per piece).

Best way to nab this is to email me: [email protected]

Come on social media, work your magic!

19/01/2023

Slow start to the year? Why not give yourself something to work towards? Take advantage of these calmer months and get ahead of the game.

I have slots available for my next 3 recording days in South Wimbledon. The slots are 45mins long, which is enough for 2 or 3 pieces (the record is 5); a pianist is provided, so all you have to do is pick your repertoire, turn up, and sing.

The cost is £140 for the recording session, and editing is charged separately at £30-60 per piece, depending on how much editing you end up wanting. Having the editing as a separate charge also means that if you're not happy with how you performed on the day, you can choose not to go ahead with editing, and save a bit of money, which lessens the pressure on the day itself!

You can book slots here:
https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it/v2/

Instagram people - link in bio.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me!

Hope to see you soon :)

Jan

05/01/2023

Happy New Year everyone!

And what better way to start the year than to get a head start on your audition tapes before deadlines start chasing you? Florent Mourier has some availability left at the end of next week in Dulwich, engineered by yours truly. There's a lot of flexibility on session length and number of arias, as well as how many cameras you'd like, and the pricing is competitive. All you have to do is book, pick your repertoire, turn up, and sing!

Book here: https://florentmourier.simplybook.it/v2/

29/12/2022

Here’s something I’m going to try and be consistent with and see how it goes - a little check in with you all, to clue you into what the coming weeks are likely to be like on my end. Here we go!

1. Recording Days!

I’m running my own days on January 9th and 26th. These are fully booked as it stands, but it’s winter time, so if you’d like to be added to reserve lists for either - drop me a line, people do sometimes drop out with colds.

I’ll be organising a day or two of drop-in sessions in February, and I think I’ll be announcing those to my mailing list in the 2nd week of January. If you want to be in the loop on these, sign up here:

https://www.capinskirecordings.com/more-info/

I’m also engineering for Florent Mourier on a few dates: Jan 13th and 27th, Feb 14th (romantic, I know). You can check availability for these and book slots here:

https://florentmourier.simplybook.it/v2/

2. Projects!

I’ll be doing some recording/filming/photography work for ENO, the ROH, and ETO in January, so that’ll be nice :) I’m also mixing some projects for commercial release, which I’m sure I’ll announce properly when I can. And there is one EPK for an upcoming album that I’m working on, and another in the diary for February, so life is not all demos and audition tapes, which is fun.

Fun as it is, it’s definitely looking like a busy start to the year :)

3. E-course!

We’re nearing the anniversary of me launching my video course on self-recording! Sales have been slow, but steady, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, so the materials have definitely served people well. The course also indirectly led to me doing a bit of in person teaching at RAM, which was great fun! If you find yourself having to self-produce audition tapes, please do check it out. For the price of an average singing lesson in London, you’ll get hours of content split into digestible chunks that are easy to refer back to, and you’ll learn how to get the most out of a Zoom recorder, plus a look at other possible setups you might want to explore.

https://www.capinskirecordings.com/recording-basics

For Instagram people - all links in bio!

17/12/2022

I've had some drop-outs due to illness and there are now 2 recording slots available this Monday at St Mary's Merton Park. I know it's late notice, but maybe social media can work miracles...

The slots are 45mins of recording time (usually enough for 2-3 arias), pianist on site, £130 for the session, and editing charged separately (£30-60 per piece).

You can book the slots here (Instagram users - link in bio):
https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it/v2/

Or message me if you have any questions.

10/12/2022

As many of you may know, I run drop-in recording days in London - by far the most cost-effective way to get sessions in with me. These have been steadily growing in popularity since I started doing them in October 2020, and as I look back at this year, it's slightly mind-boggling! Between drop-in days, normal sessions, and collaborations with opera companies, I will have delivered recording sessions to over 250 singers in 2022 alone!

Ok, some of those are returning clients, so it's not quite 250 individual singers, but still, I never thought I'd be part of so many people's journeys in such a short space of time.

However, this year has taught me that I'm not sure I can or should sustain this pace of work. My ambition for 2023 is to focus on what I consider to be my core service - promotional materials for young singers, and improve on things like turnaround times, my own work-life balance, etc. I don't want to call it slowing down, but I definitely won't have my foot on the gas pedal as hard.

The drop-in days will definitely continue, and they will still be announced first and foremost through my mailing list, so if you're reading this and think you might need demo recordings in the coming year, you should definitely sign up to that list through my website. It's 1 or 2 emails a month, so not a spam-fest, I promise.
www.capinskirecordings.com/more-info/

The dates for January have been announced already, and they are the 9th and 26th, and you can book them here (a believe there are still slots available as I type this):
https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it/v2/

For anyone reading this on Instagram: my bio has a link that covers all of the above.

14/11/2022

Due to cancellations, Florent Mourier has some availability on his drop-in recording day this Friday in Dulwich, engineered by me :)

You can find out more and book in at the following link:
https://florentmourier.simplybook.it/v2/

By default, this is a simple audition tape setup (1 camera, complete takes), but I can always bring and set up multiple cameras if someone wants more elaborate videos. This will involve an editing surcharge, though.

18/10/2022

EDIT: Slot gone, sorry! Sign up to be notified of future recording days: capinskirecordings.com/more-info/

Anyone in need of recordings? I have a 45min slot in South Wimbledon going on Thursday 27th at 1pm with Paul McKenzie on piano. £130 for the session (including venue hire, piano tuning, accompanist fee) and editing is £30-60 per piece. Perfect for audition tapes or multi-camera promotional videos, so if you have a few pieces ready to go, why not come and have a go?

Booking is through the following website:
https://capinskirecordings.simplybook.it/v2/