In The Studio

Informative articles for the independent musician on using their home studio effectively. Tips, tricks and techniques.

In The Studio/ Music Business/ Recording Techniques

Moises announces AI Voice Studio

Richard L'Hommedieu AI Music, making a Scene, music business, recording, voice studio October 24, 2023

Moises launches AI Voice Studio, a brand new model for artist-first voice modeling Vocalists can now license their own voices and sell their models to producers and content creators DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) like ProTools, Logic, and FL Studio have massively increased accessibility to music making. MIDI instruments, sample libraries, and plug-ins unlocked the sounds […]

Gear Reviews/ In The Studio/ Music Business/ Software Reviews

Bandlab Discontinues Free Version of Cakewalk by Bandlab DAW

Richard L'Hommedieu bandlab, cakewalk, daw, music software, sonar June 10, 2023

Bandlab Discontinues Free Version of Cakewalk by Bandlab DAW Bandlab, the company behind the popular digital audio workstation (DAW) software Cakewalk, has announced that they will no longer be offering a free version of the software. Bandlab acquired Sonar by Cakewalk DAW after Gibson discontinued the software after it purchase it from Cakewalk, leaving their […]

Gear Reviews/ Hardware Reviews/ In The Studio

Review of the Warm Audio WA-67 Microphone

Richard L'Hommedieu diy recording, Home Recording, recording studio, wa-67, warm audio May 12, 2023

Making a Scene Presents a Review of the Warm Audio WA-67 Microphone The Warm Audio WA-67 is a microphone that has been making waves in the audio industry as a faithful recreation of the famous Neumann U67. The Neumann U67 was a popular microphone in the 1960s and is still considered one of the best […]

In The Studio/ Music Business/ Recording Techniques

The Difference Between Compression and Limiting

Richard L'Hommedieu Audio, Compression, etc), Home Recording, Home Studio, limiting May 10, 2023

The Difference Between Compression and Limiting Introduction Compression and limiting are two frequently used audio processing techniques that audio engineers use in music production, mixing, and mastering. While they might seem similar, they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. In this blog post, we will explore the differences between compression and limiting and when […]

Gear Reviews/ In The Studio/ Recording Techniques/ Software Reviews

Studio One 5.5 Update!

Richard L'Hommedieu daw, Home Recording, indie music, presonus, recording, studio one February 1, 2022

Making a Scene Takes a Look at the new Studio One 5.5 Update Even with the pending acquisition of Presonus by Fender Musical Instruments, the team at Presonus is still rolling out updates to their flagship DAW “Studio One”. The new 5.5 update adds some powerful new features to their “Project Page” that will making […]

Gear Reviews/ Hardware Reviews/ In The Studio/ Software Reviews/ Songwriting

10 Last Minute Christmas Gifts for the Indie Musician

Richard L'Hommedieu Christmas Gifts, indie musicians, Last Minute Gifts December 21, 2021

Making a Scene Presents 10 Last Minute Gifts for the Indie Musician With only a few days left before Christmas, the shipping window has closed for many gift options. Fortunately for your favorite indie musician there are some options that you can get them in plenty of time for Christmas! Here is out list of […]

Building Your Studio/ Gear Reviews/ Hardware Reviews/ In The Studio

Making a Scene Reviews Warm Audio’s Bus Compressor

Richard L'Hommedieu 2 channel, making a Scene, vca buss compressor, warm audio May 29, 2021

Making a Scene Brings you a Review of the Warm Audio 2 Channel VCA Bus Compressor! What is a VCA Compressor? Before we get into reviewing the Warm Audio 2 Channel VCA Bus Compressor, lets take a look at what a VCA compressor is and why you would want one. Even though the compressor is […]

In The Studio/ Music Business/ Performance

Keeping Your Voice Healthy

Jess L'Hommedieu making a Scene, music business, Singing, vocal training, Vocals January 5, 2021

Making a Scene Presents a Guide to Keeping Your Voice Healthy If you are a singer, you know that keeping your voice healthy is vital to keep your career intact. Hoping to see live music come back by the end of this year, this is especially important for those who are eager to get back […]

Gear Reviews/ In The Studio/ Software Reviews

Tape Plugin Shootouts Don’t Make Sense

Brandon S Hire making a Scene, Plugins, recording, tape emulations August 11, 2020

Tape Plugin Shootouts Don’t Make Sense Commonly asked questions in audio groups regarding the use of tape emulations include: “Which tape machine plugin is best?” “Which one should I reach for on my sources?” “I keep hearing that this one is better than that one, but that one always sounds best to me and I […]

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In The Studio/ Music Business

Building a Grammy Winning Studio!

Richard L'Hommedieu building a studio, grammy, grammy winning studio, indie Blues, making a Scene, recording, recording studio February 11, 2020

Building a Grammy Winning Studio When Billie Eilish won her first Grammy for “Best Pop Vocals” I was in the front row of the “Premiere Show” at the Grammys, the show that is not televised. She was, unfortunately not there to accept because she was on the Red Carpet reportedly shifting through her Swag Bag […]

Building Your Studio/ Gear Reviews/ Hardware Reviews/ In The Studio

Review of the Warm Audio WA-412 API preamp

Richard L'Hommedieu diy recording, Home Recording, making a Scene, warm audio September 10, 2019

There are a few essential purchases you can make for your recording studio setup that will impact your sound. One of those is your choosing the right preamps! Today we are going to look at the Warm Audio WA-412 their 4 channel preamp inspired by the API 3124 . Automated Processes Incorporated or API was […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

How to Mic Drums!

Richard L'Hommedieu drum microphones, making a Scene, recording drums August 21, 2019

Introduction Before we get started let me explain some of the fundamental types of engineers in a recording studio. The first “type” of engineer you will encounter in a recording session is the “Tracking” engineer. This the guy who chooses and places the microphones in the studio. He chooses the preamps and sets the levels […]

Building Your Studio/ Gear Reviews/ Hardware Reviews/ In The Studio

Review – Warm Audio WA-47 Microphone

Richard L'Hommedieu diy recording, making a Scene, microphones, recording studio, warm audio August 13, 2019

Making a Scene Presents a review of the Warm Audio WA 47 Microphone For anyone who has or is considering building a home studio, your microphone collection is one of the most critical investments you can make. Many of the classic microphones we would love to have are more often than not priced way out […]

Building Your Studio/ Gear Reviews/ Hardware Reviews/ In The Studio

A Review of the MOTU AVB Recording Interfaces

Richard L'Hommedieu avb, making a Scene, motu, recording interface July 15, 2019

Making a Scene Presents a Review of the MOTU AVB Interfaces! Last Year it became clear it was time to invest in new AD/DA converters for my studio. I have been a fan of MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn) interfaces for some time. I had started with their 2408 interfaces back in the early 2000’s […]

Building Your Studio/ Gear Reviews/ Hardware Reviews/ In The Studio

Top 4 Microphones For Recording Acoustic Guitar Under $100

Tony Hossri acoustic guitar, making a Scene, recording acoustic Guitar, Recording microphones July 8, 2019

Top 4 Microphones For Recording Acoustic Guitar Under $100 Finding the right mic to produce the highest quality sound for your acoustic guitar can be difficult. Making things tougher is when your in the beginning stages of your home studio where budget is limited. The end goal for most is not necessarily to find a […]

Gear Reviews/ In The Studio/ Software Reviews

Making a Scene Takes a First look at the Slate Digital All Access Pass

Richard L'Hommedieu all access pass, making a Scene, recording studio, Slate Digital, Software Review June 24, 2019

Making a Scene Takes a First Look at the Slate Digital “All Access Pass”! When a software company announces they will be having a major announcement in the coming days, one of the first things that come into my mind is “How Much is it Going to Cost Me”. I have been a “Everything” bundle […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Beginners Guide To Mastering Part 2

Brandon S Hire audio mastering, diy recording, making a Scene June 14, 2019

Beginners Guide To Mastering Part 2 Effectively using your Mid/Side EQ: To effectively take advantage of your mid/side EQ, you are going to want to make sure you have some way to isolate the mid and side content for monitoring. Most Mid/Side (henceforth referred to as M/S since I am tired of typing that out […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

The Beginners Guide to Mastering – Part 1

Brandon S Hire making a Scene, Mastering, recording studio June 12, 2019

The Beginners Guide to Mastering – Part 1 Let’s be real. The vast majority of people who are artists, producers, or engineers have no idea what mastering really is, yet more often than not have their own false preconceptions. While it may be fine if you do not know what mastering is early in your […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

The 3 Hats of the Audio Engineer

Richard L'Hommedieu audio mastering, Audio mixing, recording engineer. making a scene January 22, 2019

Making a Scene presents “The 3 Hats of an Audio Engineer” Whether you are starting your own home studio, or you are looking for a studio to record your next project, the one thing you should understand is there is three distinct disciplines for the Audio Engineer. Each of them requires a very specific skill […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

How Compressors Work

Richard L'Hommedieu How a compressor works, making a Scene, Recording Techniques January 13, 2019

Making a Scene Presents How Compressors Work The best way to learn how to use a compressor is to start by learning how they work. This article is setup to bring you step by step through how a compressor works. I have included some video tutorials along the way that I found to help you […]

Building Your Studio/ Gear Reviews/ Hardware Reviews/ In The Studio

10 Essential Microphones you need in your Home Studio

Richard L'Hommedieu choosing the right microphone, Home Studio, making a Scene, Microphone December 17, 2018

Choosing the right Microphones for your home studio is one of the most important decisions you are going to make. The quality of your microphone will determine the quality of the sound that you capture. Some of the high end microphones can run you into the thousands, but fortunately there are some really good alternatives […]

Building Your Studio/ In The Studio

2018 DAW Roundup!

Richard L'Hommedieu DAW roundup, Home Recording, making a Scene December 16, 2018

Creating your own home studio is full of decisions on what hardware and what software to purchase. When it comes to your main DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software your choices come down to Sustainability, Features, Platform, workflow, and budget. Sustainability When you are purchasing a DAW you are investing in the company that makes it! […]

Gear Reviews/ In The Studio/ Software Reviews

Plugins I’ve Been Using That I Recommend

Brandon S Hire boz digital labs, ik multimedia, izotope, kush audio, making a Scene, Software Review, vst plugins November 5, 2018

Plugins I’ve Been Using That I Recommend Brandon S Hire The Noise Floor It’s not the tool, it’s the user. But as a blogger and content creator, I get to play with a lot of cool tools. Here’s a few of them that I highly recommend checking out. 1. The Plugins From My Walkthroughs. Obviously […]

Building Your Studio/ In The Studio/ Music Business

Why I Dumped my Analog Mixer

Richard L'Hommedieu analog mixer, digital mixer, making a Scene, recording studio October 31, 2018

In the current world of Digital Recording, analog is still the holy grail. Everyone wants that warm sound that analog gear gives you, so why would I pull my analog mixer from my studio? Now, before you start screaming about how you will dump your mixer when they pry your cold dead fingers from it, […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Gain Staging and the -18DB Sweet Spot!

Brandon S Hire gain staging, making a Scene, Recording Techniques September 11, 2018

Common advice is to “gain stage” your tracks by calibrating them to -18. People often leave out whether they mean -18 dBFS or -18 dBVU, both of which would yield vastly different levels depending on the source material. But why choose a calibration point to begin with? Here’s Matthew Weiss from The Pro Audio Files describing […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Mixing Reference Tools Compared!

Brandon S Hire diy recording, Home Studio, making a Scene, mixing reference tools July 5, 2018

Reference tracks can be a valuable tool for keeping an objective viewpoint while mixing. When you listen to a reference track, you get a chance to reset your ears. If you’ve been listening to your mix for hours, your ears are getting used to the frequencies you’re hearing. Problem areas or frequency imbalances may not jump out […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

5 Steps to Mixing With Headphones

Brandon S Hire making a Scene, mixing, mixing with headphones, recording techinques June 27, 2018

Mixing with headphones can be a challenge, and for a long time was generally accepted as something that should only be done if no other option were available. You had to contend with a skewed stereo perception, a skewed depth perception with reverbs, and a skewed frequency spectrum due to the natural low end rolloff […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

The Art of Mic Placement

Brandon S Hire Home Recording, making a Scene, mic placement June 24, 2018

I see a lot of questions on various discussion groups asking how to best mic specific instruments. Many of the answers will be a mixed bag of various techniques, all of which are valid and should be absorbed into your bag of tricks. But they are all quite different from one another, and will yield […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Don’t Fear EQ Boost

Richard L'Hommedieu diy recordig, EQ techniques, Home Recording, making a Scene, recording, using EQ February 26, 2018

Many audio textbooks, audio schools, and audio engineers will advise you that it’s always best to attenuate rather than gain an EQ control. This has traditionally been considered best practice in the industry for two main reasons.   With most EQs, especially analog EQs, adding gain to a band causes an audible phase shift in the […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

How Loud should your Final Mix Be?

Brandon S Hire audio levels, making a Scene, Mastering, mastering levels, mixing, mixing levels February 8, 2018

This is a question that comes up time and again in audio groups. “How hot should my final mix down be before sending off to mastering?” It depends on the format you’re mixing on. If you’re using analog tape, this is an important question to think about. Analog formats have limited headroom, and analog equipment […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Signal to Noise Ratio in Analog Plugins

Brandon S Hire Analog plugin, making a Scene, modeled plugin, recording studio lessons, Recording Techniques, Signal To Noise Ratio February 7, 2018

The above video is a quick demonstration of how your signal-to-noise ratio impacts the level of noise your analog modeled plugins will deliver. You may have seen this video floating around Facebook, which is where it was exclusively hosted until now. I thought it was high time to add it to the blog to make […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Audio Summing Explained

Richard L'Hommedieu analog summing, analog vs digital, daw, digital summing, diy recording, Home Recording, making a Scene, Recording Techniques January 23, 2018

HISTORY In the Early days of recording, music was cut directly to a disk from a single microphone. In the studio, the art of mixing fell to the music “Conductor” whose job it was to move the musicians who were recording either closer or further back from the microphone. By the 1930’s the radio broadcasting […]

Building Your Studio/ In The Studio

Easy Steps To Getting Better Mixes

Richard L'Hommedieu getting better mixes, Home Studio, Speaker Placement January 15, 2018

Easy Steps to Getting Better Mixes Sometimes you just have to live with the room that you have, especially in small home studios. The large commercial studios spend thousands of dollars on acoustic treatments, special construction and special tuning of their control rooms so they become a critical listening environment. You on the other hand […]

In The Studio/ Music Business

Preparing to Go into the Studio

Richard L'Hommedieu economics of recording, Home Recording, independent musician recording, recording studio January 14, 2018

Time to Start your Project So, you raised some money, and now you are ready to take your project into the studio. There are so many things to consider before you start writing those checks. Let’s face it, recording a CD can be a very expensive project. So, lets see what we can do to […]

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Building Your Studio/ In The Studio/ Music Biz News

Gibson Kills Cakewalk and the Sonar Line of DAW’s!

Richard L'Hommedieu cakewalk, daw, Gibson, Gibson Trouble, recording studio, sonar December 14, 2017

Gibson has decided to discontinue all development of Cakewalk products, which includes the very popular DAW(Digital Audio Workstation) SONAR, which has for 30 years been the flagship of the Cakewalk line. The apparent explanation is “they want to focus on consumer audio electronics” Gibson Brands announced today that it is ceasing active development and production […]

Building Your Studio/ In The Studio

Technology: The Key to Top-Tier Home Recording

Sally Phillips diy recording, Home Recording, making a Scene, recording software December 7, 2017

When you are looking to get into the music business on your own, there is a lot of preparation that goes into marketing your sound and your brand. Your fans won’t have anything to grasp onto if you aren’t generating songs, making it all the more crucial for musicians to have a studio at home […]

Gear Reviews/ Recording Techniques/ Software Reviews

Top 5 IK Multimedia Plugins

Brandon S Hire audio plugins, daw, IK Mutimedia, making a Scene, recording plugins, Recording Techniques, VST November 29, 2017

Top 5 IK Multimedia Plugins Brandon Shire We all have our favorites, and in this post I want to share my top 5 from IK Multimedia! Let’s countdown, starting from number 5. MASTER EQ 432 5. Master EQ 432 The right amount of the right eq on the master bus can really bring your mix […]

Gear Reviews/ Recording Techniques/ Software Reviews

Top 5 Waves Plugins

Brandon S Hire audio plugins, daw, making a Scene, Plugins, Recording Techniques, VST, waves plugins November 28, 2017

Top 5 Waves Plugins! Brandon Shire We all have our favorites, and in this post I want to share my top 5 from Waves Audio! Let’s countdown, starting from number 5. MY DEFAULT HLS SETTINGS 5. Kramer HLS Channel This thing is just meaty. I use it as a low end enhancer more than anything, […]

Recording Techniques

Gain Staging for Amplifier Models

Brandon S Hire amp models, Amp Simulations, gain staging, making a Scene, recording October 7, 2017

Amp sims, like their real world counterparts, are non-linear processes. As you increase the input level, they saturate and distort more. As you decrease the input signal, they clean up more. It’s important to remember this characteristic, as you can drastically change the response of the amp sim by adjusting the input level. Let’s start […]

Recording Techniques

How to Add Realism to Midi Strings – Video Tutorial

Brandon S Hire daw, making a Scene, Midi, recording, strings July 31, 2017

A four part series on creating realistic strings with MIDI ..

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Why Should you Use an Expander on your DI

Brandon S Hire :A/D, Amp, analyzer, Audio, Compression, Compressor, concepts, Converters, daw, db, dbfs, DI, Digital, expander, expanders, expansion, facebook, Factory, floor, Gain, Gain Reduction, guitar, Guitars, HoRNet, I/O, Instrument, Joey, Joey Sturgis, Joey Sturgis Tones, JST, melda, MeldaProduction, Multi, noise, noise floor, Nomad, plugin, Plugins, Production, REAPER, Reduction, Signal To Noise Ratio, Sturgis, Track Utility February 28, 2017

MELDAPRODUCTION MMULTIANALYZER NOISE FLOOR ANALYSIS WITH EXPANDER ENGAGED In the first picture, you’ll see 4 colored bands on the analyzer. The red band is the noise floor of my interface, and it’s reading down around -110dbfs. The dark orange band at the very bottom is where the expander is pushing that noise floor to, down […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Gain Staging: What to know, & why you shouldn’t stress too much about it!

Brandon S Hire Audio, Bass, Budget, Compass, DI, drums, gain staging, guitar, Home, Home Recording, Perrino, Pre production, Production, recording, Recording Techniques, Steve, Synth, Tempo, Vocals February 25, 2017

Gain Staging: What to know, & why you shouldn’t stress too much about it! By Brandon S Hire Noise Floor (This is a script to a video that will be included in an upcoming series on post production. I decided to make the script its own post because of the amount of confusion there is […]

In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

3 Reasons Why Pre-Production Is Essential

Steve Perrino Home Recording, making a Scene, Pre production, recording, studio budget, studio recording February 25, 2017

3 Reasons Why Pre-Production Is Essential Steve Perrino of Compass Audio Most musicians agree that there is a huge difference between your live show and your recordings. There is a lot of energy in a live performance due to volume and visuals, but there are certain things that you need to do in a recording […]

Gear Reviews/ In The Studio/ Recording Techniques/ Software Reviews

Understanding Drum Sample Libraries

Brandon S Hire Addictive Drums 2, Audio, Ballou, beato, Channel, Compression, Custom, Cymbals, daw, demo, DRT, Drum, Drumagogg, Drumforge, drums, Effects, EQ, GUI, Instruments, Jay, Jigsaw, Joey, Kick, Kick 10, Kit, Kontakt, Kurt, Libraries, Library, Maas, making a Scene, Massey, MAutoAlign, melda, MeldaProduction, Midi, Mix, Mix Ready, Mono, Multi, Multichannel, Native, One Shot, Pack, plugin, Plugins, Processed, Producers, Production, Randy, Randy Staub, Raw, REAPER, rick, Room, Room Sound, Routing, Sample, Sampler, Samples, Slate Digital, Snare, Sound, Sound Radix, SSD4, SSD5, Staub, Stereo, Steven Slate Drums, Sturgis, Trigger, Unprocessed, wav, Workflow, XLN Audio, youtube February 24, 2017

Understanding Drum Sample Libraries From bedroom producers, to the top brass mixing engineers with multiple grammies, there are a lot of people who use drum samples in their mixes. Joey Sturgis is famous for using Kick 10 from Steven Slate Drums in many of his productions (although now Joey Sturgis has his own sample library […]

Building Your Studio/ In The Studio

How to build a Subkick from an old Tom

Brandon S Hire DIY Subkick, Drum Recording, drums, Home Recording, making a Scene, noise floor, Recording Techniques February 19, 2017

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In The Studio/ Recording Techniques

Drum triggers. What they are, and how they work.

Brandon S Hire Drum triggers, drums, Home Recording, making a Scene, recording, recording techinques, replacing drums, Slate Digital February 19, 2017

Drum triggers. What they are, and how they work. A drum trigger is a microphone. Nothing more. It picks up the sound of the drum and sends the audio to the source. The source usually is an audio to midi converter either in the box or outside of the box, but that doesn’t have to […]

Recording Techniques/ Software Reviews

Why I Don’t Care About Accurate Analog Modeling

Brandon S Hire 1081, Analog, Analog Modeling, EQ, Factory, Hardware, Model, Modeled, Modeling, NEQ-1972, Neve, Nomad, plugin, Software, Software Modeling, V-Eq4, VST, Waves February 15, 2017

Plugin manufacturers are on a never ending quest to develop the holy grail of plugins…the perfect digital model of a classic analog piece that everyone in the industry embraces as the most accurate, bar none. This is admirable in that it pushes the technology further and further, and now we have top tier mix engineers […]

Hardware Reviews/ Recording Techniques/ Software Reviews

Do we really need more 1176 plugin models?

Brandon S Hire :1176, 1176 compressors, Analog, Andrew, Andrew Scheps, Audio, Audiophiles, Audioware, Bus, CLA-76, Comp76, Deluxe, Devil-Loc, Driver, facebook, Factory, Fattener, FET, FETpressor, FG-116, Gain, Gain Reduction, Home Recording, iOS, Joey, JST, Klevgr, Korvpressor, LA-2A, Modeling, Monster, Nomad, Optical, Opto, Overloud, plugin, Plugins, PSP, Puremix, Puremix.com, Recording Techniques, Reduction, Sausage, Scheps, Slate, Slate Digital, software reviews, Sound, Sound Toys, Steven Slate, Stillwell, Sturgis, The Rocket, Tones, Toys, Universal, Universal Audio, Urei, WA76, warm, Zac Brown Band February 15, 2017

Back in the day, we had hardware. Since then, we started using software. Over the years, we’ve become better and better at developing this software so that it fools the trained ear into thinking it’s hardware. We make it move, overload, have noise, and try to recreate the exact sonic imprint of the hardware. We’ve […]

Recording Techniques/ Software Reviews

EQ Made Easy – Vision Studio New Instructional Video REVIEW

Richard L'Hommedieu EQ made Easy, Learning EQ, making a Scene, Recording Techniques, Video Instruction, Vision Recording studios December 31, 2014

EQ Made Easy One of the most mis-understood and mis-used effect in recording and mixing has to be Equalization. Using EQ in recording and mixing is more than a simple Treble/Bass adjustment. If not used properly you can easily take a really good recording and turn it into sonic mush in just a few knob […]