A T-Rex Showed Up at Our Recording Studio (15 Minutes from Yokohama Station on Foot)

The other day, we held our very first client recording session at the croko works studio.
We started preparing this studio last autumn for YouTube-focused music and video production, and it has finally begun operating as a fully working recording and filming space.
From this studio located about a 15-minute walk from Yokohama Station, croko works will be producing videos, audio, and merchandise.

The project we recorded vocals and filmed here is now live on YouTube

Our first-ever guest at the croko works studio was Asaurus, officially certified “Tira-katsu” idol No. 32.
Since we designed the studio for humans, our biggest concern was whether a Tyrannosaurus could fit inside the recording booth. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and we were able to finish the vocal session without any issues.

First Vocal Session in the Booth

The recording booth is a YAMAHA Cefine NS soundproof room (1.2 tatami-mat size).
When installing it, we debated between the 0.8 and 1.2 sizes, but chose 1.2 to allow enough room even if someone brings an instrument inside. In the end, we were glad we did. It meant we could handle not only human vocal recording, but also a T-Rex vocalist.
For the microphone, we use a Neumann TLM 102.
The TLM 102 is compact and charming, but next to a Tyrannosaurus, it looks even smaller than usual.

From Recording to MV Filming

After the vocal session, we took a short break and moved on to filming the MV.
One of the reasons we built this studio was a simple goal: to complete both recording and filming in the same place, ideally within a single day.
The studio is set up to support filming, but it is not a large space. With the soundproof booth and desk inside, the area available for filming is limited.
For video production, we prepared the space with formats that work well in tight framing, such as small-group talk videos and “THE FIRST TAKE”-style performance videos.

However, a Tyrannosaurus is big. Filming Asaurus in this room using our original plan seemed unrealistic.
We considered filming elsewhere or changing our approach, and after a lot of back-and-forth right up until the day, we went with this solution.

We hung a green screen from a curtain pole and created a quick, temporary filming setup.
For this MV, we decided to complete the entire video using background compositing.
Because this was not the method we originally planned, there were a few areas where our setup could have been tighter. Still, we were able to capture usable footage and bring it together as a complete set of materials.
Looking ahead, we plan to build a more stable green screen environment so we can film more consistently in the future.

Separate Shoots and Compositing

Because space inside the studio is limited, we filmed the opening scene of the MV separately rather than shooting everything at once.
Asaurus’s close friend, Asahi Tasaki, performed the dance in a separate cut, and we composited the footage in editing so they appear side by side in the final video.