Recording

Brendan Brown is the musical force behind the band Wheatus, best known for the alt-rock anthem “Teenage Dirtbag.” More than just a naturally gifted songwriter, Brown is also a fiercely hardworking producer that obsesses over every detail of the sounds he shapes. Continue reading →

GRAMMY-winning producer and engineer Joe Chiccarelli recently teamed up with IK Multimedia to create a custom Vocal Strip plug-in ($159) that makes it easy to quickly dial in radio-ready vocals using advanced parallel compression techniques. We sat down with Chiccarelli to learn more about his approach to processing vocals, his favorite gear to use in the studio and what it was like creating his own custom plug-in—read the full conversation below. Continue reading →

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. In our new column, Presets, we'll be sitting down with Vintage King Audio Consultants to talk about classic pieces of gear and how to use them for specific sound sources. For the first installment, Audio Consultant Stephen Earnest is setting you up for success with the Neve 1073 microphone preamp and equalizer. Continue reading →

Adding to the impressive lineup of Clarett+ audio interfaces, Focusrite has just announced the new Clarett+ OctoPre audio interface ($799). With reduced THD, lower self-noise and improved DAC performance, the new Clarett+ OctoPre captures the truest version of your sound. Let’s take a closer look at this versatile new interface and see what’s under the hood! Continue reading →

Born and raised in New York City, Ben Greenberg is a producer and mixing engineer with more than 20 years of studio experience. Perhaps best known as the guitarist of industrial-punk outfit Uniform, Greenberg’s truest talent is helping artists capture the chaos and translate their performances into a studio setting. We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Greenberg at his studio, Circular Ruin, for our Five Sounds With series. Read on to learn about his work with Bad Breeding, Portrayal of Guilt, METZ, Show Me The Body and what it’s like in the studio with his own band, Uniform. 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 →

A version of this interview with Erin Tonkon was previously published in PLAYBACK Issue 002. Be sure to check out the entire issue here. Erin Tonkon broke into the world of engineering at a young age and started learning under the best at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. During her studies, the budding engineer began working with production legend Tony Visconti and the duo were at the helm for releases from David Bowie, Esperanza Spalding and The Damned. Erin has continued to amass an incredible discography of work, including mixing albums for Sad13, Richard Hell, Rosie Tucker, Lady Lamb and more. Read on to get the inside scoop on five favorites from Erin's career so far. Continue reading →

Universal Audio has just announced the new Volt recording interface series featuring classic analog tone shaping capabilities. The UA Volt lineup combines pristine audio quality with versatile effects in a compact package that's perfect for recording music, podcasts and live streaming anywhere you want. There are five interfaces in the Universal Audio Volt series;  the Volt 1 ($139), Volt 2 ($189), Volt 176 ($249), Volt 276 ($299) and Volt 476 ($369). Before we break down each release, watch our new video featuring an overview of the line and a walkthrough of a song completely tracked with a UA Volt interface and its companion software. Continue reading →

Focusrite has just announced that it is releasing the next generation of Clarett interfaces under the banner of Clarett+. This lineup of three premium-quality audio interfaces includes the Clarett+ 2Pre ($499.99), Clarett+ 4Pre ($699.99) and Clarett+ 8Pre ($999.99). So what's new? Let's find out. Focusrite's original Clarett interfaces were already well-loved for their incredible sound, but the brand is taking it a step even further. Improvements to the USB-C interfaces center around upgraded independent AD/DA converters. Focusrite promises that the newly chosen DA converter (and output filter circuitry) will offer greater dynamic range and lower noise floor. Continue reading →

If you're looking to solve a problem in the studio or on stage, it's highly likely that Radial Engineering already has an answer for you. Since 1996, the British Columbia-based company has been crafting practical and road-ready direct boxes, splitters and audio interfacing devices. Radial's latest release is a perfect example of these guiding principles. The HDI Direct Box delivers studio-grade recordings anywhere with any instrument. The contents of the DI box may house complex circuity (including a Jensen transformer), but the outside controls are easy to use. In terms of knobs, we're talking about Level, Color and Presence controls that allow you to go from pristine and clean to more amplifier-like distortion and saturation. Continue reading →