Prepping For The Studio

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined again by guitar/drum tech and musician, David Mead, to discuss prepping your drums for recording. This is a part two of our conversation with David that started last episode with a discussion on prepping your guitars. Since he is also a drummer and has a lot of experience dealing with drums too, we deci...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by guitar tech and musician, David Mead, to discuss prepping your guitars for recording. Drawing on his background in vintage guitar shops, auto body work, playing/recording/touring, and his Magnetic Heaven guitar repair/flipping business, David explains what a setup optimizes—action, fret buzz, intonat...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by entertainment lawyer, label owner (Pacific Records), and musician, Brian Witkin, to discuss the business side of releasing music. Just as you have to prep for a studio session, you also have to make sure all your ducks are in a row before releasing a song, EP, or album! Brian gives a great overview o...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by engineer/mixer/beat maker, Justin Truelove, a longtime guest engineer at Rarefied Recording who specializes in Rap/Hip Hop. Justin shares his background, early starts with Pro Tools, GarageBand, and Reaper, and how he moved into recording rappers through local connections. We discuss what hip hop art...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble sit down with Dennis Weinreich, an Orange County–born engineer/producer who has lived in London since 1971 and worked in major studios during the 70s and 80s. Dennis shares his path from recording bands as a kid to opportunities at studios like The Village, and later working his way through the London recording sc...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by metal recording specialist Harrison Whitecloud. Harrison shares his extensive knowledge on preparing for a studio session, focusing on the unique challenges of recording metal. Key topics include the importance of practice, instrument maintenance, techniques for drummers and guitarists, the role of e...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble discuss the intricacies of Dolby ATMOS with guest Matt Boudreau, host of the Working Class Audio podcast. Topics include the evolution of Matt's career from drummer to producer/engineer/mixer/masterer, the basics of ATMOS technology, its implementation in music, potential future directions, economics, and practical insi...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by music producer Danny Kalb. They discuss the intricacies of preparing for a studio session, managing interpersonal dynamics within a band, and offer practical advice for musicians on how to get the most out of the studio and your working relationships with audio professionals. Key topics include the i...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, host Roy Silverstein (Brian Scheuble was "out of the office") speaks with Richard Carrasco, a studio owner, engineer, songwriter, musician, and specialist in making music for Sync Licensing.  Discussions include an overview of sync licensing, Richard's journey from playing in punk bands to focusing on sync music, and practical advice for musicians lookin...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble speak with Richie Beretta, an engineer, mixer, and producer with some serious credits (Beyoncé, Diplo, Major Lazer) and something to say! Richie shares insights into his journey from a musician in New York to an established producer now living in San Diego. Topics covered include his early influences, the evolutio...

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble speak with Tavia, an artist/musician/songwriter/producer with extensive studio experience. Tavia shares her journey of jumping straight into studio work, her songwriting process, and how she prepares for studio sessions. Key topics include the importance of preparation, collaborating with producers and session pla...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by Max Allyn from Recording Fund to discuss how musicians can fund their recordings through alternative methods.   Max shares the origins of Recording Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides no-strings-attached grants to artists for recording purposes. The conversation explores the challenges music...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio, Roy and Brian speak with singer and vocal coach, Shelbi Bennett. I've known Shelbi for many years starting with the amazing vocal work she did for the San Diego band, The Midnight Pine. She has an incredible voice and has been a great resource as a coach for my studio clients to help them improve their vocal abilities. If you're a singer, you will certai...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio, Roy and Brian speak with Mastering Engineer, Sam Kumar Tandon, of Rose Quartz Mastering.  We dive deep, sometimes even above my head, into various mastering topics that should help you as a musician choose the right mastering engineer for your music, communicate with them effectively, and know when the sound is right.   Some topics we discuss include:  ...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio, Roy and Brian speak with musician/engineer/mixer/producer, Ariel Levine. You may recognize Ariel's name because he took the idea Roy had for the podcast theme song and actually made it into reality.  This episode is a fun one as we kvetch (Yiddish for complain) about annoying things people do in studios. As much as we have fun here roasting our clients,...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio, Roy and Brian speak with engineer/mixer/producer/YouTuber/educator, Cato Zane, mostly on the subject of making demos.   Some topics we discuss include:   -The purpose of your demo and how that affects your goals in making it -The basic setup one would need to make a demo -Cheap acoustic cheats for your home to make your recordings sound better -Which DAW...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio Roy announces that the podcast will continue starting in January of 2025. Roy and Brian will be bringing on guests to fill in some gaps and get additional perspectives on how to best prepare for the studio. We hope to cover some more value-add topics too like release strategies and sync licensing.  The podcast will move from bi-weekly to monthly, but with...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio Roy and Brian cover the following topics: -What is mastering? -How to choose a mastering engineer -Loudness -Dynamics -How to evaluate a master and give effective revision notes -Backing up everything -The case for using professionals for your music   Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to download the free ebook, "A Musicia...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio Roy and Brian cover the following topics: -What is mixing? -How to choose a mixing engineer -Attended vs unattended mixing sessions -How to give pre-mix notes -How to listen to a mix and give effective revision notes -What alternate mixes you might need -Why and when do you need "stems"   Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio Roy and Brian cover the following topics: -More about what goes on in a tracking session -Different ways to go about "making takes" -How to overcome recording anxiety -The importance of performance and playing/singing with emotion -Comping -Editing -Tuning -Overdubbing -Rough mixes   Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to do...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio Roy and Brian cover the following topics: -What events happen at a tracking session proceeding hitting record -The engineer's setup process -The musician's setup process -Tuning and treating drums in the studio -Dealing with guitar buzz -Vocal warmups -Setting your space for comfort and good vibes -The process of getting your "tone dialed" -The basics of...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio Roy and Brian cover the following topics: -How to prep for your tracking session -Effective practicing -The importance of memorizing your parts and lyrics -Making sure your instruments are in good shape -Things you should bring with you to your session   Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to download the free ebook, "A Musi...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio Roy and Brian cover the following topics: -How to pick a studio and engineer that meet your needs -Different types/quality of studios -Isolation booths -The sound of live rooms -Studio "vibe", location, parking, lodging -Finding an engineer -Evaluating an engineer's work and demeanor -Using the house engineer -Engineer as de-facto producer -Figuring out h...

In this episode of Prepping For The Studio Roy and Brian cover the following topics: -Planning out your tracking session -Various ways to go about recording a song -Should you hire session players? -Analog vs digital recording   Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to download the free ebook, "A Musician's Guide To The Recording Studio". Hosts: Roy Silverstein of Rare...

Topics for this episode of Prepping For The Studio include: -The importance of pre-production -Working on your songs before booking studio time -How do things like arrangement, tempo, and key of your song affect the recording? -Should you hire a producer? -What is it like working with a producer?   Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to download the free ebook, "A Mu...