Sometimes, a brief calls for a track written from scratch. Sometimes it calls for a piece of stock music reshaped until it feels tailor made. Both get the same attention, whatever the size of the project.
We're based in Amsterdam, where we build a custom creative team for each project using our trusted network of freelance talent. Composers, sound designers, music editors, and mixers, hand picked to match the brief. No two teams look the same, because no two briefs should sound the same.
Our background is in songwriting and storytelling, so we work on structure as much as feeling: where the tension sits, when to hold back and when the picture is better served by less music.
The studio is intentionally small. Communication is direct, decisions are fast, and you are always talking to the people doing the work.
That's also why the numbers matter to us as much as the craft: sonic cues make ads up to 8.5× more likely to perform, and brands with a consistent sound are remembered for it. We build identities to be heard and to work.
Let's make your next project sound unforgettable.
Behind the studio
Daan Koekelkoren
Daan founded Studio ZK in Amsterdam in 2016. He has worked in music his whole career, first as a DJ and producer, then across ghostwriting and music for advertising. That range is why a brief for a national TV campaign and a brief for a song get the same treatment here: structure first, feeling second, and no assumption that one is more serious work than the other.
To make every brief sound just right, Daan digs into his network to find the right addition to the creative team. A composer for one project, a sound designer and a mixer for the next, whoever the work actually calls for. He stays on it from the first call to the final master, so the person you brief is the person who hands over the files.
Building the team around the brief rather than the other way around is deliberate. A national campaign for a cheese tool brand and the audio identity for the site where the Netherlands' liberation was signed need different ears. Studios working from a fixed roster end up bending every brief toward what that roster happens to be good at, and that is how a house sound creeps in.
It also means the studio scales up for a full campaign and back down for a single mix without carrying either as overhead. What stays constant is Daan. The brief, the creative direction and the final listen are his on every project, which is also why you never get handed to an account manager halfway through.
Underneath all of it sits the personal touch. Working out how to help a client best is a conversation, not a template, and it looks the same whether the project is a brand campaign or a songwriting session: ask enough questions to know what the work is really for, then build the team that can make it.
Our process
Five steps and one team. From the first conversation to the final master.
Define your brand personality
We start by getting to know you. Your values, mission, and the emotions you want your brand to evoke.
Know your audience
We research who you're trying to connect with, their behaviours, preferences, and cultural context.
Develop your audio palette
Sonic logos, UX sounds, brand music, voice direction. A unique, recognizable palette aligned with your brand.
Build & produce
Composition, sound design, recording, and production. Built by the hand picked freelance team assembled for your brief.
Refine and deliver
We review, test, and tweak every element together until it feels and sounds just right, then deliver final masters and guidelines.