I Was Underwhelmed By This Song That Was Created By A Quantum Computer

There is so much controversy and pushback on AI-generated music that there’s no point revisiting that argument again. But would things be any different if generative artificial intelligence was combined with quantum computing? Could a state-of-the-art quantum computer actually improve the music creation process? I’ll let you be the judge when you watch and listen to […]

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Up-To-Date Music Business And Production News On My Latest Podcast

Is the music industry heading into another major reset? On this week’s solo podcast episode, I break down the biggest shifts happening across the music business and music production. In This Episode: And much more. You can hear it at bobbyoinnercircle.com, or via Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Mixcloud, Spotify, Deezer, TuneIn Radio, or RadioPublic. Also, […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Empirical Labs ParaDyn Dynamic EQ Plugin

One of the ongoing challenges in any mix is keeping problematic frequencies under control without making the processing obvious. Static EQ gets you partway there, but if a frequency only causes trouble when the signal gets loud, you end up either over-correcting when it is not needed or under-correcting when it is. That is where […]

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Talking Postproduction and Music Licensing With Gary Gray On My Latest Podcast

What matters more in the music business, mastering every plugin, or becoming the kind of person people want to hire again? On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with songwriter, producer, engineer, and educator Gary Gray about music licensing, post production, rhythmic integrity, AI, immersive audio, and the character traits that keep people working in […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Three-Body Technology UNMASK Dynamic EQ Plugin

One of the most frustrating and time consuming things that happens during a mix is figuring out why certain mix elements seem buried when they’re at the right level. The problem is often masking, where frequencies from one element cover up the detail and body of another. Sure, you can carve away with static EQ […]

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So Long, Jack Douglas

I just read about the passing of Jack Douglas, a legendary producer and a friend to many in the audio business. So much of the music that we grew up came from under Jack’s watchful eye, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Double Fantasy,” Aerosmith’s “Rocks” and “Toys in the Attic,” Cheap Trick’s debut album and “Live […]

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Rebuilding Les Paul’s Original Recording Studio On My Latest Podcast

What can Les Paul’s original recording studio reveal about the way modern music production really began? On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with with Tom Camuso, Director of Engineering at The Les Paul Recording Studio, and Michael Braunstein, 3rd Generation Les Paul Manager. We discuss restoring Les Paul’s groundbreaking recording gear, rebuilding his historic […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Focusrite ISA C8X Audio Interface

In 1985, Sir George Martin, always a stickler for sound quality, commissioned the brilliant audio designer Rupert Neve to build a no-compromise microphone preamp for his new AIR Studios. The result was the ISA 110 module, featuring a Lundahl LL1538 input transformer that Neve hand-selected for its warm, open, and detailed character. That same transformer […]

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Creator Of The Distressor Dave Derr On My Latest Podcast

What makes the Empirical Labs Distressor such a lasting studio classic? On this week’s podcast episode, I sit down with Dave Derr, founder of Empirical Labs and creator of the Distressor. Among the things we talk about analog compression, product design, the birth of Nuke mode, FATSO, Mike-E, plugins, and the studio lessons that shaped […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Mastering the Mix STEREOVAULT Stereo Width Plugin

Getting the stereo width right on a mix or master is one of those things that sounds simple until you’re actually doing it. Go too narrow and the track sounds flat and lifeless. Go too wide and you end up with phase problems, a hollowed-out center, and a mix that falls apart on mono playback. […]

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Here’s What The Compressor Knee Parameter Does

I often get questions about the knee parameter of a dynamics processor like a compressor and what it does, so hopefully this post will provide the answers. You don’t see this control on all compressors (especially the vintage favorites), but it can be quite useful in getting a dynamics processor to do what you want. […]

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The Business Side Of Singing With Patrice Peris On My Latest Podcast

What separates a talented singer from an artist who can actually build a career? On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with vocal coach, singer, songwriter, and artist developer Patrice Peris about contemporary vocal technique, emotional performance, artist branding, music business fundamentals, and why independent artists need more than a good voice to succeed. Patrice […]

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New Music Gear Monday: FSK Audio Bark24 | Dyn Psychoacoustic Dynamics Plugin

Most dynamics processors split your audio into a handful of frequency bands using arbitrary crossover points. It works well enough, but it’s essentially a mathematical approximation of something our ears do in a much more nuanced way. The new Bark24 | Dyn from FSK Audio takes a fundamentally different approach by basing its band structure […]

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Saving Vintage Guitar Stores With Ben Montague On My Latest Podcast

On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with Ben Montague, founder and CEO of The North American Guitar Global (TNAG) about the business of vintage guitars. Among the things we discuss is TNAG’s acquisition of Carter Vintage and Norman’s Rare Guitars, music retail, guitar collecting, and the business of preserving iconic brands in the guitar […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Softube Flow Studio Control Surface

One of the biggest workflow challenges in modern production is the disconnect between the mouse and the music. You have a gut feeling about what a track needs, but by the time you’ve clicked through all the menus and parameters, that spark of creativity is gone. That’s exactly the problem that Softube is addressing with […]

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