Music composition · Recording · Audio post-production
Original music and carefully finished audio for the story you want to tell. From a single track to a complete production, we shape the work around your creative direction.
Tell us what you’re making. We’ll agree on the scope, deliverables, and price before work begins.
Priced around your production
A clean recording and a restoration job need different work. So do a short theme and an orchestral score. Pricing starts with what you want to make and the material you have.
A cue, a theme, a score
Music shaped around your film, game, podcast, or campaign. Begin with the story, mood, and references; develop a direction before the full arrangement.
Quoted per cue or agreed score. Length, instrumentation, usage, and live performers shape the price.
Tell us about your projectA single or a complete release
Bring your recordings together into a finished sound. We agree on the mix direction and the delivery formats your release needs.
Quoted per song or collection after reviewing the files. Track count, editing needs, and stereo or immersive delivery affect the scope.
Tell us about your projectThe voice and the world around it
Dialogue editing, audiobook production, sound design, and audio for picture. Keep the voice clear and the sound in service of the story.
Quoted per episode, chapter, or production. A source sample helps establish cleanup needs, running time, and deliverables.
Tell us about your projectYour written quote includes the agreed work, delivery formats, revision rounds, and payment schedule. Any added scope is priced and approved before we proceed.
We compose music for story-based film projects and video games, using the world's best virtual instruments from Spitfire Audio, Native Instruments, and Vienna Symphonic Library.
Whether you have an idea you want to hear composed from scratch or you've already written or recorded part of an idea and want to add additional backing tracks to it such as drums, piano, violin, or more; we will compose music to go with it, using virtual instruments, live recordings, or both.
If you need custom music composed for a YouTube video, radio spot, podcast, or social media platform, we will compose a custom piece for your ad or introduction.
Mixing an audio project includes several tasks such as adjusting the audio levels, drawing automation curves, applying EQ, reverb, sound effects, fade-outs, panning, and many other tasks in order to create a polished and professional product.
Editing an audio project includes all of the miscellaneous tasks in creating a clean end-product. For example, removing unwanted noise, trimming the quiet segments or ends of audio clips, splicing and rearranging clips, and comping together multiple takes to create a seamless track.
The mastering process is the last stage in the audio production pipeline. During this process, the mastering engineer will carefully listen to the audio track, make some final adjustments, such as to EQ, dynamics, volume automation, and the surround field so that the track will sound louder, ready for publishing, and maintain uniform dynamics across a large project, such as a full album or film.
Do you have an existing project that was recorded in stereo that you'd like up-mixed to Spatial Audio / Dolby Atmos for Apple Music and surround playback? We can help. Our studio is equipped with a professional 7.1.4 speaker array, capable of mixing in Dolby Atmos. We use professional software and plugins (Steinberg Nuendo) for placing and mixing sounds in the surround field.
Many projects require not only music and dialogue, but also sound effects. Some sound effects are created digitally and made to sound unnatural, such as a lightsaber, or an alien spaceship, others are meant to sound organic, such as the sound of someone walking on gravel or closing a door. Reverb comes into play, too, for example, maybe you want your recording to sound like it was recorded in a large stadium, or a small area like a car. Story First Audio provides all of these capabilities.
Do you have a book you want recorded to audio, a video with custom voice dictation, or a custom voice actor performance? We have a special recording booth designed for this purpose as well as bring custom voice actors into the studio as needed on a case-by-case basis for specific roles.
The studio is equipped with a professional recording booth perfectly suited for recording vocals. Let us take care of the technical details so you can focus on your performance. You'll put on a pair of headphones, pull up your song on an iPad Pro, and sing into a high-quality Neumann microphone in order to capture the perfect take.
The studio's recording booth is the perfect environment for recording audiobook content. Our booth is whisper quiet, which means no unwanted atmospheric sounds will enter into the track, and the low noise-floor, high-quality equipment will capture an intimate reading of the source material which will result in the best playback experience on end-user equipment. We also provide ADR services, or Automated Dialogue Replacement, which is used when audio from a film project is re-recorded by the actor within our quiet studio environment and then synced back up to video content.
Need some help with something specific? Or perhaps you're already working on something and need a second pair of ears? Bring your project into the studio, we'll load it up, take a listen, and work on it with you. Whether you have a technical issue, want to work on mixing together, or need some tips on music theory and composition, these are all great reasons to bring your project into the studio.
From first listen to final delivery
Send your brief, references, and source sample. Tell us how the audio will be used and when you need it.
Review a written quote with the creative direction, deliverables, revisions, and schedule.
Review the work at agreed checkpoints. We refine it with your feedback and deliver the finished files.
Before you book
Every project receives a written quote. Send a short brief, a reference, and a sample of the source material where available. The quote sets out the deliverables, revision rounds, timing, and price before you book. There is no ongoing membership or monthly charge.
Yes. A single piece is a complete project in its own right. For a larger release or series, we can quote the work together and agree on a consistent sound across it.
Tell us what you are making, how much audio it involves, where it will be used, and your target date. Include reference tracks or a scene if useful, plus a sample of existing recordings. A budget range is helpful when there are several ways to approach the production.
The quote includes an agreed number of revision rounds. Collect feedback into one set of notes per round so the changes stay coherent. New material, a different creative direction, or additional deliverables are scoped and approved separately before extra work begins.
Your quote specifies any booking deposit and the remaining payment milestones. Larger projects can be divided into approved stages. You receive the payment schedule and cancellation terms before confirming the booking.
We confirm availability and delivery dates after reviewing the brief and source files. Timing depends on the work involved and the review schedule. Mention a fixed release date or event in your first message so we can assess it before you book.
Yes. Share source files through an agreed transfer method and send feedback with time references where possible. Finished audio is delivered digitally in the formats listed in your quote. Recording sessions are arranged separately, subject to location and availability.
Live performers can be included when the project calls for them. Casting, recording, performer fees, and usage requirements are agreed as part of the quote; they are not a recurring add-on.
The quote identifies your final mixes, stems, alternate versions, and any source files included in delivery. For original music and performances, it also specifies the intended uses and licensing arrangements before work begins.
Allen Mackley is your main contact for Story First Audio. Depending on the project, Michael Mackley or other agreed performers may contribute. Story First Audio handles music and audio production; software design and engineering are offered separately by Mackley Studios.
Start with your idea
Send a brief and a sample, if you have one. We’ll follow up with questions, availability, and the next step toward a project quote.
No payment is taken when you inquire.