Studios

Willem Twee Studios

Are you searching for that unique sound? Then the Willem Twee Studios, a workspace for electro-acoustic music, is certainly worth a visit.

The Studios are open to composers, producers, musicians, music students and anyone interested.
You can book the studios for one or multiple parts of the day and you are free to record your own sounds.

Surgeon (British Murder Boys): “Everyone is so generous here. You do not find that spirit often in the music industry; nowadays, studios tend to be strict and dogmatic. Here, we had total freedom”

The Willem Twee Studios consist of four studios; a 50s and 60s test and measurement equipment studio, a 70s and 80s modular synthesizers studio, a small project studio and the Toonzaal concert hall.

The instruments you find in the Studios are the very same as were used when the first electronic sounds were made. Working with this hardware will make you listen to, and work with music in a different, unique way. Instead of working with a mouse and screen you work hands-on with real instruments. It is a highly intuitive work method that produces surprising, challenging results again and again. This makes working in our Studios a personal adventure for everyone.

Studio 1
Studio 2
Studio 3
Studio 4

You can read all the latest studios news in our two-monthly Studios newsletter!

Read here Studios News

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Studios latest News

Lijn 14 Live!

za 6 apr. Marieke van de Ven and Hans Kulk are presenting their release of 'Lijn 14' on April 12 at De Toonzaal

LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER in the studios!

za 6 apr. YouTuber: LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER visits the Studios on April 3

Working with professionals

When working in the Studios, you can always rely on one of our specialists, who have a long life experience in working with the variety of instruments in the Studios. They can offer you both instrument-technical and artistic-musical support, always in support of your own musical process.

WiIlem Twee Studios accomodates four Studios:
- Studio 1 is equipped with manually controlled test and measurement instruments and analogue computing devices from the 50s and 60s, and tape recorders.
- Studio 2 is the domain of voltage controlled modular synthesizers from the 70s and 80s. Keyboard synthesizers can also be found here, as well as tape and four-track cassette recorders.
- Studio 3 is a small project Studio, used for a variety recording applications with studio instruments and/or microphones.
- The concert hall Toonzaal (studio 4) can be used as acoustic space for instrumental recordings and includes a Steinway grand piano and pipe organ.
All four studios Studios can be interconnected through audio lines, UTP and Coax.

Blawan: “The machines here are 70 years old, but in perfect condition. They are much more stable than the gear produced today. So technically it makes sense to use these machines – the first generation of electronics”.

Looking for that unique sound

Many artists, national and international, including Albert van Abbe, Anais Tuerlinckx, Andrea Taeggi, Anna Martinova, Bart de Vrees, BJ Nilson, Blawan, British Murder Boys (Regis & Surgeon), Daedelus, Floris Vanhoof, Hainbach, Jameszoo, Jonny Nash, Kate NV, Mark Cremins and Kohhei Matsuda, Marieke van de Ven, Miss Milivolt, Olaf Bender, Speedy J, Terrence Dixon and Tom Trago have already worked in the Studios to find their unique sound.

If you are interested in working in the Willem Twee Studios, you can book your studio here or contact us in case you need more information.

Daedelus: ‘I have seen a lot of electronic studios, including the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, but I have never seen this before. I am lucky to be able to work here for a week’.

Studio 1

In this workspace analog test & measurement equipment from the 50s and 60s can be found. This equipment was originally not intended for making music, but the early electronic music composers proved that this actually could (Stockhausen, Maderna, Varèse, Xenakis et al.)
This specific Studio contains, apart from the more traditional instruments like sine and pulse generators and various filters, some very special instruments that are used for music only quite recently, like the analog computers and the nuclear instrument modules (NIM). Most instruments are manually controlled, apart from some early voltage controlled instruments. Together, they essentially form one large, unique synthesizer.
Tape recorder technique, an essential component of the first electronic music and musique concrete, is also present in this Studio.

Book Studio 1

Studio 2

In the second Studio you can work with an extensive range of analog synthesizers from the 1970’s-1980’s era.
Three main instrument categories are ready to meet you:
1-The analog modular voltage controlled synthesizers, like the ARP 2500, ARP 2600, Serge Modular, Oberheim SEM's and EMS Putney.
(The Willem Twee Studios ARP 2500 is probably the only one publicly accessible in Europe).
2-The analog voltage controlled keyboard synthesizers without memory, such as ARP Omni-2, ARP Axxe, Minimoog, PPG1002, The Wasp & Spider, SCI Pro One, JUNO-60, Yamaha CS-60 etc.
3-The analog/hybrid keyboard synthesizers with memory, like the SCI Prophet 5 and Prophet 600, Korg Polysix, Rhodes Chroma Polaris, Oberheim Matrix-6, some of which have MIDI.
Some first fully digital synthesizers are there as well: The Yamaha DX-7 and DX-7fd-II and Nord Modulars.
MIDI to CV units are available too.
With many thanks to the Art museum The Hague we can now offer everyone these exceptional historic synthesizer instruments for several years to come.

Book Studio 2

Studio 3

Studio 3 is a small space with a variable set up of instruments. In practice you will work with some synths (i.e Yahama DX-7, Palm PPG with sequencer, KORG synthesizers like MS-20, MS-50, Sequencer and Vocoder).
When you connect your own notebook, using plug and play, you will be able to record directly in your own DAW.

Book Studio 3

Studio 4

Studio 4 is situated in the Willem Twee Toonzaal; a small concert hall with great acoustics. It offers a Steinway grand piano and a small pipe organ. Various microphone recording options are possible.
Because we have audio lines from and to the other electronic Studios, the hall can be used as reverb space as well.

Book Studio 4

Courses, workshops and education

The Studios offer a comprehensive program in education, courses and workshops.

Willem Twee Studios introduction workshop
For everyone who is curious about what is possible in the studios and wants to find out which type of workshop will be interesting for them.

We also offer the following workshops:
Workshop tape technique; recording and playback; montage (cut and paste); combining etc.
2 x 4 hrs on one or two days, 150E p/p, min. 3 attendants, dates to be determined if there are enough applicants.
Workshop ARP 2500/2600; learn to work with, and enjoy these iconic modulair synthesizers.
2 x 4 hrs on one or two days, 150E p/p, min. 3 attendants, dates to be determined if there are enough applicants.
Voltage Control special; everything you wanted to know about voltage control techniques.
4 hours, 100E, min. 3 attendants, dates to be determined if there are enough applicants..

Interested in one of these workshops? Show your interest via studios@willem-twee.nl (Prices excl. VAT)

Willem Twee Studios offers educational programs for students. We are working and have been working together with: Sonology The Hague, Fontys Conservatorium Tilburg, ArtEZ Mediamusic, Music Technology HKU and others.
We are always open to welcome students, pupils and learners of all levels.