25Apr 2025 by Jon
Analogue vs Digital Guitar Effects: Which One Wins?

Analogue vs Digital Guitar Effects: Which One Wins?

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing, Recording, Recording & Mixing, Sampling, Sound Design, Sound Effects, Techniques
It’s an age-old debate that continues to divide musicians and producers: analogue vs digital guitar effects. Does analogue truly deliver a warmth and character that digital can’t replicate? Or have digital effects come so far that their convenience, flexibility, and quality make them the obvious choice? https://youtu.be/vKmwvrjAGqY While working on my latest sample pack, Vintage Vibe Guitar Loops, I wanted to put this question to the test. So, I processed the loops with some classic vintage gear: the Behringer 636 Spring Reverb and an Akai X360D Reel-to-Reel tape recorder—the latter used as a tape delay. How I Used Analogue FX in My Workflow To create the tape delay effect, I routed audio from my DAW through a hardware mixing desk into the Akai tape machine. By putting the tape recorder…
Read More
25Apr 2025 by Jon
Creative Sampling Techniques Using Momentum

Creative Sampling Techniques Using Momentum

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Sampling, Sound Design, Sound Effects, Techniques
If you're into sampling and looking to spice up your sound design, this post is for you. Today, I’m diving into some creative sampling techniques using a completely free plugin that could seriously enhance your music production workflow. https://youtu.be/hWMtTHFirJE Let me introduce you to Momentum by Big Fish Audio — a powerful, intuitive tool for sample playback and manipulation that won’t cost you a penny. Why Creative Sampling Matters When working with samples from libraries, it’s always a good idea to add your own twist. Not only does this help you avoid issues with content ID systems on platforms like YouTube, but it also ensures that your sound is unique to you. Whether you’re making beats, scoring video content, or building full tracks, personalizing your samples adds that extra layer…
Read More
25Apr 2025 by Jon
Recording Acoustic Guitar – Which Mic is Best?

Recording Acoustic Guitar – Which Mic is Best?

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Microphones, Mixing, Recording, Recording & Mixing, Techniques
In this video I test out 4 microphones for recording acoustic guitar in your home studio. All mics are budget friendly, with the cheapest just $200 and the most expensive $650. Listen and decide which one you prefer from the Shure SM7B, GAP R1 MkII Active Ribbon Mic, AKG C451 B, and the Rode NT2 https://youtu.be/rOcj9Ds7ZnQ I've been recording a lot of Acoustic Guitar lately and its something I think lots of people struggle with in home studios. Our environment can sometimes be challenging and most of us don't want to spend a fortune on microphones. Therefore, I only wanted to test budget friendly mics. It's very tempting to just give in and buy a new microphone. However, I wanted to try out my existing mics first and see if…
Read More
05Dec 2024 by Jon
FREE Plugin: Vocal Menace

FREE Plugin: Vocal Menace

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing, Recording, Recording & Mixing, Sound Effects, Techniques
When it comes to music production, achieving the perfect vocal sound can often feel like chasing a moving target. We stack EQs, compressors, saturators, and other plugins, tweaking endlessly in pursuit of "that" sound. Enter Vocal Menace by Chris Liepe—a game-changing, all-in-one vocal processing plugin that simplifies the process without compromising on quality. And the best part? It’s completely FREE! So read on to find out more about this FREE Plugin: Vocal Menace. What is Vocal Menace? Created by Chris Liepe, a seasoned musician and vocal coach, Vocal Menace is designed to help producers and vocalists quickly dial in an expressive, high-impact vocal tone. Whether you’re working on lead vocals, harmonies, or even spoken-word content, this plugin provides an intuitive interface and powerful controls to take your vocal tracks to…
Read More
09May 2024 by Jon
Free Funk Bass

Free Funk Bass

Home Recording Blogs, Recording, Sampling, Sound Design, Techniques, Virtual Instruments
Want a FREE Funk Bass Virtual Instrument? Check out my latest video where I create a Funk Bass patch using the Behringer Poly D analogue synth. Download the FREE virtual instrument which works in both Decent Sampler and Logic Sampler / EXS24 Experience the warmth and character of an analogue synth bass and add some funk to your music productions. The Behringer Poly D is a modern recreation of the famous Moog Model D which retains that all-analogue character of the original synth. In my video I explain the settings I used to create this patch using the Poly D. Download my FREE Funk Bass virtual instrument and you'll be able to use the patch within your DAW. Just enter you email address below and I'll send you the download…
Read More
29Dec 2023 by Jon
Rubber Bridge Acoustic Guitar – Free VST

Rubber Bridge Acoustic Guitar – Free VST

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Recording, Techniques
Rubber bridge guitars have become a widespread phenomenon in the music scene, with their impact extending far beyond just altering the sound of a guitar. It's surprising that simply replacing a guitar's bridge can influence pop production and songwriting. Notable fans of the rubber bridge sound include artists like Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner, Phoebe Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo. My desire to make this unique guitar sound accessible to everyone, led to the idea of sampling a rubber bridge guitar. However, the project faced two challenges: my lack of experience, both in sampling acoustic guitars and in modifying guitars. Nevertheless, I decided to explore this uncharted territory! Finding a Guitar The first step was finding a suitable guitar for the experiment. Opting for an old Archtop parlour guitar seemed like the…
Read More
17Oct 2023 by Jon
Analogue Synth Drums – FREE VST

Analogue Synth Drums – FREE VST

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Sound Design, Sound Effects, Techniques
When it comes to making music, digital tools are popular for their convenience, but there's something special about analogue synthesisers. My journey with the Arturia Mini Brute, my first analogue synthesiser, has been a rediscovery of its unique charm and creative potential. But the question is: Can analogue synthesisers make drum sounds? Read on to find out more and claim for FREE Drum Samples. My First Analogue Synthesiser Purchased around five or six years ago, the Mini Brute stands in stark contrast to its modern counterparts. There are no LCD screens or presets as most of us are used to. It boasts a single main oscillator, a sub oscillator, and an LFO. It has a mixer for the different oscillator types, a filter envelope, and an amp envelope. The main…
Read More
27Sep 2023 by Jon
5 Best electric piano VST’s for producing lo-fi hip-hop

5 Best electric piano VST’s for producing lo-fi hip-hop

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Recording, Recording & Mixing, Sound Effects, Techniques
Bedroom Music Studio Computer Music Equipment Lo-fi hip-hop is a genre of music that is characterized by its warm, mellow sound and its use of vintage and lo-fidelity samples. Electric pianos are a popular instrument in lo-fi hip-hop, as they can provide a rich and atmospheric sound that is perfect for the genre. In this post I'll discuss the 5 best electric piano VST's for Lo-fi Hip-Hop. Watch my latest video to hear 5 of the best VSTs for Lo-fi Hip-Hop. https://youtu.be/24xqw9ybE4g?si=VblGikEsBAH4qOnR If you are looking for the best electric piano virtual instruments for producing lo-fi hip-hop, here are a few of my recommendations: 1. Lounge Lizard.Lounge Lizard is a great sounding electric piano with both tine-based and reed-based presets. The tine-based are mainly Rhodes pianos and the reed-based are…
Read More
04Feb 2023 by Jon
Lofi Guitar Effect Tutorial

Lofi Guitar Effect Tutorial

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Recording, Techniques
How to create Lofi Guitar Effects In this video, I explain how to create a Lofi Guitar effect by using my Boss GT1000 Core. You can also download the patch to use if you own the Boss GT1000. Watch the video to find out more: https://youtu.be/s0WPXnXadEQ https://youtu.be/s0WPXnXadEQ How to create Lofi Guitar Effects In the video, I show you how I created my Lofi guitar patch using a combination of different effects. The most crucial effect that I use is the Echoplex Tape Delay. This gives you access to the Wow & Flutter controls that help to make that 'wobbly' lofi guitar effect. If you don't have a Boss GT1000 you can still create lofi guitar effects using whatever hardware or software you access to. Here are some examples of…
Read More
09Oct 2022 by Jon
Record Audio For Screencasts – with separate audio feeds

Record Audio For Screencasts – with separate audio feeds

Home Recording Blogs, Microphones, Mixing, Podcast, Recording, Recording & Mixing, Techniques, Uncategorized
In this post, I will demonstrate how I record audio for screencasts and video tutorials. I'll show you a FREE application that allows you to record audio for screencasts with separate audio feeds for my microphone and system sound. Why do I need separate audio feeds? Most screen recording applications will record a mix of microphone and system audio. This means you don't have any control over the individual levels once the screencast has been recorded. In my videos, I like to demonstrate audio techniques by playing audio and talking at the same time. If I record my system audio too loud people won't be able to hear my voice and there is no way to fix this afterwards. How to record separate audio feeds In this video, I walk…
Read More