Learn Hardcore Indonesian: Di studio musik kecil, band kampus kami berlatih lagi untuk rekaman. - In the small music studio, our campus band practices again for the recording.

Putting di studio musik kecil at the beginning sets the scene first (like “In the small music studio, our campus band…”).
Putting it at the end is slightly more neutral and is common in everyday speech.

So it’s not required to start the sentence with the location; it’s just a stylistic choice.

Why is kecil after musik in studio musik kecil? Shouldn’t “small music studio” be something like kecil studio musik?

In Indonesian, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe:

studio kecil = small studio
musik here is a noun acting like an adjective, narrowing down the kind of studio:
- studio musik = music studio
- studio musik kecil = small music studio

So the structure is:

[studio] [musik] [kecil]
main noun + type/kind + adjective

Putting kecil before studio (e.g. kecil studio musik) is ungrammatical in standard Indonesian.

You could also say:

studio musik yang kecil – adds a bit more focus/contrast: “the studio that is small.”
But the neutral, compact version is studio musik kecil.

What exactly does band kampus kami mean literally, and why is kami at the end?

Literal breakdown:

band = band
kampus = campus
kami = we / us (exclusive “we” – not including the listener)

band kampus kami is structured like:

[band] [kampus] [kami]
main noun + modifier + possessor

So it literally feels like “our campus band” (the band of our campus / our university band).

Word order:

band (the thing)
kampus (what kind of band? a campus band)
kami (who owns it? we/our side)

You could also say band kami di kampus, but that more literally suggests “our band at campus,” not necessarily the official “campus band.” band kampus kami sounds like “the campus band that belongs to our campus/us.”

Why is kami used instead of kita for “our” here?

Indonesian distinguishes two kinds of “we/our”:

kami = we / our (exclusive) – does NOT include the person you’re talking to.
kita = we / our (inclusive) – includes the listener.

In this sentence:

band kampus kami = our (not including you) campus band
→ maybe the speaker talks to someone who is not part of that campus or not part of the band.

If the speaker wanted to include the listener as part of the group, they would say:

band kampus kita = our campus band (you are part of “us”).

What is the difference between berlatih and latihan?

Both come from the root latih (to train, to drill).

berlatih (ber- + latih)
- A verb: “to practice,” “to train”
- Used like:
  - Band kami berlatih setiap hari. = Our band practices every day.
latihan (latih + -an)
- Mainly a noun: “practice,” “training session,” “exercise”
- Used like:
  - Kami ada latihan jam 7. = We have practice at 7.

In casual speech, latihan can sometimes feel verb-like, but berlatih is the clear, standard verb form. In this sentence, you need a verb, so berlatih is the right choice.

What does lagi mean here? I know it can mean “again,” “more,” or “still.”

lagi has several meanings, depending on context and position:

“again” (repetition) – often after the verb
- berlatih lagi = practice again
  This is the meaning in the sentence.
“more” (additional amount) – often after quantity or request
- mau lagi? = want more?
“still” (ongoing state, informal)
- Dia lagi tidur. (informal for Dia sedang tidur.) = He/She is still sleeping / is in the middle of sleeping.

Here, berlatih lagi clearly means “practice again” because it’s after the verb berlatih and there’s no sense of quantity or ongoing state.

Why is it untuk rekaman and not untuk merekam?

Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different things:

untuk rekaman
- rekaman is a noun (“recording,” “recording session”)
- This sounds like “for a recording (session)” or “for the recording.”
- Very natural here, because bands “practice for a recording session.”
untuk merekam
- merekam is a verb (“to record”)
- This is more like “in order to record” (focusing on the action of recording itself).

In context:

berlatih lagi untuk rekaman = they are practicing again because there will be a recording session.
berlatih lagi untuk merekam = they are practicing again in order to record (slightly more abstract; still understandable but less idiomatic in this specific sentence).

What exactly is rekaman? Is it a noun or a verb, and how is it formed?

rekaman is a noun derived from the verb root rekam (to record).

Formation:

rekam (root verb) → rekaman (noun, with suffix -an)

Meanings of rekaman:

The result of recording:
- a recording (audio/video file, track, etc.)
A recording session or activity (context-dependent):
- Kami ada rekaman besok. = We have a recording (session) tomorrow.

It is not a verb in standard grammar; the verb form is merekam (“to record”).

Can I drop untuk and just say berlatih lagi rekaman?

No, berlatih lagi rekaman is not natural in standard Indonesian; it sounds incomplete or like two verbs placed together without a clear link.

To express “practice again for recording,” you normally need a preposition:

berlatih lagi untuk rekaman (more neutral/formal)
berlatih lagi buat rekaman (more informal/colloquial; buat ~ untuk)

So keep untuk (or buat in informal speech) before rekaman.

Why is there a comma after kecil? Is it required?

The comma is optional here and mostly reflects a natural pause in speech:

Di studio musik kecil, band kampus kami berlatih lagi untuk rekaman.
Di studio musik kecil band kampus kami berlatih lagi untuk rekaman. (still acceptable)

Writers often use a comma when a prepositional phrase at the beginning (Di studio musik kecil) is relatively long or when they want to clearly separate it from the main clause.

It’s more a matter of style and readability than a strict grammar rule.

Could I say di studio musik yang kecil instead of di studio musik kecil? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, but the nuance changes slightly.

studio musik kecil
- simple description: “a small music studio”
- neutral, compact
studio musik yang kecil
- literally: “the music studio that is small”
- tends to sound a bit more specific, often used when contrasting or picking one out:
  - Bukan di studio musik yang besar, tapi di studio musik yang kecil.
    = Not in the big music studio, but in the small one.

In your sentence, studio musik kecil is the most natural if you’re just describing, without contrast.

Is band an Indonesian word here, and how do I show plural for things like band or studio?

band is a loanword from English, but it’s fully accepted and very common in Indonesian. There’s no separate plural form like bands; plural is usually shown by context or other words.

Ways to show plural:

banyak band = many bands
beberapa band = several bands
band-band = bands (reduplication, more formal/explicit)
banyak studio musik kecil = many small music studios
studio-studio musik kecil = small music studios

In band kampus kami, the form band could be singular or plural depending on context, but typically it’s understood as singular (“our campus band”).