Making a Scene Presents

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Jimi Primetime Smith Jimi “Primetime” Smith has lived and breathed the blues his entire life. A veteran guitarist and vocalist, he’s performed with legends like Otis Rush, Albert King, Albert Collins, and Etta James. Though his humble nature often keeps him under the radar, his recent surge of attention is making sure blues fans finally know his name. http...

Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey's Interview with Preacher Stone Preacher Stone was born from guitarist Marty Hill’s vision of creating a world-class Southern rock band—one that carried the torch lit by legends like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, and The Allman Brothers, but with its own modern grit and swagger. Hill’s idea came to life when he teamed up with powerhouse vocalist Ronnie Riddle,...

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Kaitlin Cassady Kaitlin Cassady is an indie-folk-rock artist rooted in the vibrant Minneapolis, Minnesota music scene. Her sound blends the heartfelt storytelling of Aimee Mann and Carole King with the modern textures of Phoebe Bridgers, Norah Jones, Billie Eilish, and Kacey Musgraves—all tied together with a touch of Brian Wilson’s harmonic sophistication...

Making a Scene Presents Rethinking Crowdfunding for the Indie Musician in a Decentralized Music Industry Why rethink crowdfunding? Let’s begin with a simple question: when you ask fans for money to make an album or go on tour, is that “donation” or “investment”? Traditional tools treat it like donation: you promise perks (a signed CD, a shout-out, backstage passes). But the fan gives you money up...

Making a Scene Presents - A Deep Dive Review of Sonible's Learn:Bundle What is the Sonible learn:bundle? First, what is this bundle anyway? Sonible’s learn:bundle is a set of five intelligent plug-ins meant to help with core mixing tasks. Those tasks are: Equalization (EQ) Compression Reverb Limiting Unmasking (i.e. helping reduce frequency clashes between tracks) Sonible describes them as “assist...

Making a Scene Presents - AI-Generated Videos & Visuals: Turning Your Songs into Scroll-Stopping Content For decades, video production has been one of the biggest hurdles for independent artists. Cameras, crews, editors, colorists, and motion-graphics specialists were luxuries reserved for labels with budgets to burn. For indie musicians, even a simple music video often meant calling in favors, bo...

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Miss Emily Back in the 1990s, twelve-year-old Emily Fennell from Prince Edward County, Ontario was already turning heads at county fairs, winning one singing competition after another. While other contestants played it safe with songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” or “I Will Always Love You,” Emily stopped audiences in their tracks with K.D. Lang’s hau...

Making a Scene Presents - AI in Metadata & File Prep: Smarter Exports for Distribution What is metadata, and why should you care about it? Imagine this: you write a song, record it, and then send it out into the world. But who “owns” that song? Who wrote it? Who should get paid when people listen? How will streaming services or radio stations know which song it is, among millions of others? That’s...

Making a Scene Presents - Reverb: The Secret Sauce of Space – History, Types, and How to Use It Like a Pro When you listen to your favorite song, there’s something that makes the sound feel alive — it breathes, it moves, it fills the air. That magical sense of space comes from one of the oldest and most loved tools in audio engineering: reverb. Whether it’s the dreamy echo behind a vocal, the lush...

Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey's Interview with BillyBoy Miskimmin BillyBoy Miskimmin first made his mark on the Northern Ireland music scene in the 1980s, stunning audiences with his emotional power and jaw-dropping harmonica technique. Performing alongside local legends such as Jim Daly, Jackie Flavelle, and Ronnie Greer, he earned a reputation as a fiery and soulful performer in pubs and c...

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with "The Name Droppers" The Name Droppers are a powerhouse blues-rock band forged from the DNA of true road warriors and seasoned session pros. With decades of collective experience performing alongside some of the biggest names in rock and blues, this Connecticut-based group delivers a sound steeped in authenticity, groove, and soul. http://www.makingascene.o...

Making a Scene Presents - The Indie Artist’s Guide to Token Gating: How to Turn Fans into VIP Insiders What is Token Gating (in simple terms)? Let’s start with the basics. A “token” in this context is usually a digital asset on a blockchain — often an NFT (non-fungible token). Think of that token like a golden ticket. If someone holds that token, they get special privileges: access to a hidden cha...

Making a Scene - Audio Saturation - The What, Why and How to use it in your Mix! Imagine you have a clean audio recording—say, a vocal track. Saturation is the process of gently overdriving that signal so that subtle distortion or harmonic content is added. The distortion is not harsh like a guitar’s heavy fuzz; it’s softer, more musical, more “warm feeling.” It gives extra harmonics (that is, ext...

Making a Scene Presents - AI in the Recording Studio: Your New Assistant and Teacher, Not Your Replacement Recording music has never been more accessible. What once required a massive studio full of expensive gear can now be done in a spare bedroom with an affordable DAW, a good mic, and a decent computer. Programs like Studio One ( https://www.presonus.com/studioone ), Cubase ( https://new.steinb...

An extensive guide for indie musicians on how to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to significantly improve their direct-to-fan email communication. It argues that email remains the most stable and effective channel for artists to connect with fans and generate revenue, unlike unpredictable social media platforms. The text explains that AI tools like ChatGPT and Jasper can help artists transfo...

An extensive guide for independent musicians on how to proactively collect all earned royalties, which often remain unclaimed due to the music industry's complex structure. It systematically outlines the different categories of music royalties—including performance, mechanical, and digital radio rights—and details the specific organizations, like The MLC and SoundExchange, where artists must regis...

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Euphoria Station Euphoria Station is a Los Angeles–based progressive rock band whose music blends Americana, rock, and touches of jazz and folk, all tied together with a love for melody and storytelling. At the heart of the band are vocalist Saskia Kraft van Ermel and guitarist Hoyt Binder, who formed the group in 2015 to create music that feels both expan...

Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey's Interview with Sari Schorr Sari Schorr first burst onto the Blues-Rock scene with her critically acclaimed debut album, A Force of Nature, produced by iconic British Blues pioneer Mike Vernon (David Bowie, Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac).  Her most recent collaboration Joyful Sky with Robin Trower soared to #1 on the Billboard Blues chart in the USA....

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Andy B.And Andy B. – short for Andy Bernstein – has been the lead singer and primary songwriter for roots rock band The VooDUDES since 1990. As the group celebrated its silver anniversary, Andy found himself with a notebook full of songs that didn’t quite fit The VooDUDES’ style. Inspired by the growing Americana and soul music movements, he launched a sol...

Making a Scene - AI for Mixing Workflow: Automating First Passes Mixing is the stage where songs finally come alive. It’s where all the pieces—vocals, drums, guitars, keys, bass, and more—start to feel like music instead of a pile of recordings. But let’s be honest: if you’re an indie artist or home studio musician, opening a session with twenty or thirty raw tracks can be intimidating. You hit pl...

Introduction: Music Was Never Just Entertainment Music isn’t background noise. It isn’t just party soundtracks, workout playlists, or marketing jingles. At its core, music has always been a weapon, a rallying cry, and a spark for social change. It’s the heartbeat of revolutions, the whisper of resistance, and the shout of freedom. From enslaved people encoding escape routes in spirituals, to punk...

Making a Scene Presents Slate Digital VSX Headphone System: A Deep Dive Review I want to start this review with something important: I bought these headphones myself. I didn’t get an endorsement, a discount, or a sponsorship. This review is based on my own money, my own time, and my own ears. That matters because when you’re spending hundreds of dollars on a piece of gear, you need an honest persp...

Making a Scene Presents - Building a Superfan Funnel: How AI Turns Followers into Paid Supporters If you’re an indie musician today, you already know the game has changed. It’s no longer enough to just put your music on Spotify and hope someone stumbles across it. The truth is, music discovery happens everywhere—on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and even random memes. But discovery is on...

Making a Scene Presents - Smart Contracts & Royalty Splits: Get Paid Automatically Why Money Has Tore So Many Bands Apart You know the story well: a band records a hit, it starts making money, and then tensions emerge. Who wrote which verse? Who deserves how much? Did the producer’s studio time count toward “points”? Did the marketing team’s work deserve a slice? Even when everyone’s intention is...

Making a Scene Presents - The Art of Mic Placement: Getting a Pro Sound from a Cheap Mic Introduction: It’s Not About the Price Tag Every indie artist knows the struggle: you look at your bank account, then you look at those glossy ads for $3,000 microphones, and your heart sinks. But here’s the truth that doesn’t get advertised enough—you don’t need an expensive microphone to get a professional s...