Interviews

Singer/songwriter/producer Jamie Lidell is a sound artist in the truest sense of the concept–he loves a good sonic experiment and isn’t afraid to go down a rabbit hole to explore a musical idea that has potential. Over the course of six albums released in the past two decades, he deftly navigates genres, weaving together his electronic music roots, soul influences, and love for vocal exploration. Continue reading →

  30 Years / 30 Studios is a new blog series highlighting some of the studios Vintage King has helped during our three decades in pro audio. We'll talk with studio owners, engineers, and producers about how they got their start, where they are heading, and all the gear they've picked up along the way. Learn more about Vintage King's 30th anniversary here. Continue reading →

After a two-year renovation and upgrade process, Silver Cord Studio—the home base of French metal band Gojira—recently opened to the public. Operated by Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier and engineer Jamie Uertz, the new and improved Silver Cord features two separate but interconnected studios, a spacious live room designed for bombastic drum sounds, and thoughtful interior design that sparks creativity the...

In addition to being a GRAMMY award-winning guitarist and the oldest son of the legendary Frank Zappa, Dweezil Zappa is also a phenomenally creative songwriter, engineer, and producer. Perhaps best known for his work with Zappa On Zappa, where he pays tribute to his father's musical legacy alongside other world-class musicians, Dweezil has also worked with a number of artists...

David Loy is a Front of House Engineer, Monitor Engineer, and Production Manager who has mixed live for crossover country artist Kane Brown since 2017, in addition to shorter runs and one-off gigs with other high-profile acts including Sturgill Simpson, Blackbear, Alicia Keys, and Miguel. In recent years, Loy has gained experience mixing for broadcast, live-streamed, and pre-recorded performances, culminating in Kane Brown’s recent Amazon Music Live performance. Continue reading →

Located inside an old church in the heart of Plymouth, Michigan, Plymouth Rock Recording Co. offers a full suite of audio and video production services, from jingles and music production to commercials, music videos, and even feature films. Co-owned by Chris Breest, Plymouth Rock has racked up some impressive credits over the last 20 years or so, including iconic musical acts like MC5, Royce Da 5’9”, and Uncle Kracker to corporations like Microsoft and Ford. Continue reading →

Billy Hickey is a GRAMMY-nominated recording and mix engineer based in the Los Angeles area. Best known for his work with chart-topping artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Usher, Hickey has recorded a wide variety of acts ranging from rock, hip-hop, jazz, classical, and more. Last year, Billy upgraded his studio with an immersive Dolby Atmos mixing rig, powered by Kali Audio IN-5 studio monitors. We recently sat down with Billy to catch up on how he’s liking his new Kali monitors, some of his go-to gear, and what he thinks of mixing in Dolby Atmos. Continue reading →

Ben West is a songwriter and producer working out of metro Detroit and Nashville. He has an extensive production background and has written songs for artists like P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Lady A, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, and Detroit’s own JR JR, to name a few. West has a small writing room in Nashville but was looking to build a home studio in Michigan that could support writing, recording and mixing projects—as well as house his instrument collection. Continue reading →

Over the last 30 years, we’ve worked with a lot of top-notch audio engineers—from GRAMMY Award-winning recording and mixing engineers to chart-topping producers, world-class musicians and more. And one thing they all have in common is impeccable taste in gear.  One question we always like to ask during interviews is, “What’s one piece of gear you can’t live without?” Continue reading to learn what some of the top engineers in our industry are using, including Marcella Araica, Tucker Martine, Chris Lord-Alge and more. Continue reading →