Search results for 'first listen'

This article was originally published in Playback Issue 002. Subscribe to Playback for free to stay up to date with our latest articles, interviews, product reviews and more. For those that have been lucky enough to meet Bob Clearmountain, they know what a humble man he is about his impressive legacy. We pressed him to talk about three records from his discography that stand out to him as his best work. Continue reading →

Found in countless studios around the world, Auratone’s Super Sound Cube has been a secret weapon of mixing engineers for decades. A compact monitor with a single 4.5” driver, the 5C delivers a revealing, honest midrange that has long been used to understand how mixes will translate to full-range systems. To celebrate the release of the new 5C Active Super Sound Cube reference monitors ($749.00), we’re taking a look back at the history of these iconic monitors. Read on to learn more about Auratone’s 50-year legacy and the philosophy behind the brand’s design. Continue reading →

On the first day of the 2022 NAMM Show, AMS Neve announced the new 88M ($1245) dual mic pre and USB interface. Utilizing the same technology found in Neve’s flagship 88RS console, the 88M brings the brand’s legendary sound to a compact desktop interface. Continue reading →

Marc Daniel Nelson boasts an impressive 20-year music career in music, as evidenced by his Grammy nomination and an exhaustive list of music and film credits, which range from Fleetwood Mac and Jason Mraz to Blade Runner, The Vietnam War, and Mulan. The highly sought-after mixing engineer, music producer and creative director studied under Bill Schnee and Ken Caillat and is known for his innovative approach to sound-sculpting. We caught up with Nelson while he was driving around his home in Los Angeles for our 20 Questions series for an engaging interview on his gear, process, influences, and future plans.  Continue reading →

At Radio Galactic, his North Chicago studio, John Buehler does a variety of things: film scoring, music projects and immersive sound for apps including his own holographic audio app Naturespace, which provides vividly detailed high-res 3D recordings of natural spaces. There is a common thread that runs through all the work that Radio Galactic does – emotion and well-being. The emotional impact that sound has on the listener (and the creator of the sound) is fundamental to Buehler’s work. Continue reading →

Over the years, we’ve interviewed a lot of amazing engineers, producers and creators. One thing we always like to ask is, “What advice would you give to an up-and-coming engineer?” In this blog, we’ve compiled a few of our favorite responses to help you make your mark in the studio. Read on to pick up some key advice on how to land your first job, what type of gear you should focus on when first starting out and how to grow your skills as an engineer. Continue reading →

Magic Garden Mastering is a boutique facility in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, run by accomplished mastering engineer Brian Lucey. Credits include Michael Bublé, Elvis Costello, Shania Twain, Chet Faker, Lucinda Williams, Depeche Mode and The Black Keys, as well as the soundtrack to many hit movies and streaming series. Last week his client Juanes won the Best Latin Rock or Alternative Grammy for “Origen”, which is the 7th time he’s mastered a Grammy winner. Continue reading →

Hughes Drive Productions is a recording, mixing and mastering facility located in scenic Huntington Beach, California. Led be head engineers Shawn Taylor and Ben Kanselbaum, the studio has hosted a wide array of musical acts, including New Leaf, Make West, Scrap Yard Aces and The Simpkin Project. For the latest in our Studio Spotlight series, we sat down for a chat with Shawn to discuss life at Hughes Drive Productions and talk what else... Gear! Continue reading to find out how the studio runs sessions, in addition to learning more about Shawn's favorite records, audio goals and more. Continue reading →

2021 is on the way out and that means it's time for Vintage King's annual retrospective of the best selling gear in some of our top categories. We're starting off with a heavy hitter this year! That's right, first up on the block is all things outboard gear. Outboard gear is a unique category in that it really includes anything that alters or processes your audio signal outside of the console. For our purposes here, we'll be specifically discussing gear of the 500 Series and rackmount variety. So, sit back and get ready to check out our top sellers in the world of microphone preamps, equalizers, compressors and more. Continue reading →

To say that Gena Johnson has had one hell of a 2021 is the understatement of the year. The Nashville-based engineer and producer garnered a nomination from the Academy of Country Music Awards for Engineer of the Year, in addition to seeing several records she worked on grab 2022 Grammy nominations. Oh, and did we mention she got married?! Prior to tying the knot, Vintage King sat down with Gena to give her the 20 Questions treatment. Read on to discover how she got started in the world of recording, learn about some of her favorite gear and find out the one artist that she's been dreaming of working with. Continue reading →