In this Facebook Live replay, we answer community questions on:

• Setting up and using a MIDI trigger.
• General microphones to get when building a recording studio.
• Our thoughts on using room correction software.
• The state of streaming music services (What's working and what isn't).

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

If you enjoy our podcast, please leave a quick rating. It only takes a minute and it means the world to us. 

Mastering can be a bit of a mystery. What is it? Do you need it? Can you DIY? 

In this episode you will:

• Learn what mastering is
• Understand what it can do for your mix (and what it can't do)
• Learn about some of the common processes used during mastering
• Hear examples unmastered and mastered songs back to back
• Learn about some strategies for DIY mastering that can help your songs compete

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

If you enjoy our podcast, please leave a quick rating. It only takes a minute and it means the world to us. 

Acoustics are arguably more important than gear - both for recording and mixing. Have you paid enough attention to it? 

In this episode you will learn:

• The basics of sound. How does sound move through a room? How do different frequencies behave differently?  
• What are "acoustics" and how do they affect your DIY Recording result?
• Vadim's awesome story - barely related to recording at all
• What you can do assess your room
• What you can do improve your room
• What comb filtering is, what it sounds like and why it's a problem

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

If you enjoy our podcast, please leave a quick rating. It only takes a minute and it means the world to us. 

The guys love gear, sure, but some of the most useful (and most used!) gear in their studios is also some of the cheapest. In this episode, they compare their lists as two frugal friends would.

In this episode you will learn:

• Hacks for controlling the devices that make your studio more comfortable
• A producer's secret weapon for creating energy in a track as if from thin air
• Which accessories will push your microphones' capabilities even further
• Hacks for working with multiple people on an interface with limited I/O count
• Hacks for not having to sit right next to your computer to be able to record
• How to save your forearms for playing instead of burning them out on string-changing
• And more...

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

If you enjoy our podcast, please leave a quick rating. It only takes a minute and it means the world to us.

In this episode  you will learn:

• The basics: what MIDI is (and what it isn't)
• A useful analogy for thinking about MIDI
• What information is contained in a MIDI file
• What a MIDI controller is
• Different ways to create and edit a MIDI file
• Different applications for MIDI
• Some workflow best practices for working with MIDI
• Tips on humanizing a MIDI performance

The Hey Jude Music Box
A Nintendo controller as a MIDI controller

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

In this Facebook Live replay, we answer community questions on:

• Loudness and whether your songs will "suffer" from not being loud enough
• Latency and how to combat it when recording
• Buffer sizes. What are they and how do you set them? 
• Recording high gain amps
• Selecting songs to put on an EP
• Recording drums

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

If you enjoy our podcast, please leave a quick rating. It only takes a minute and it means the world to us. 

LEWITT microphones did a mix challenge featuring artist AVEC. The 8 stems from the session were made publicly available. In this episode, Ben and Vadim listen to and discuss these excellent stems as well as each other's mixes and how they compared to the official mix. 

You will:

• Get to hear raw, well-recorded stems and how they were recorded (as well as what's so good about them)
• Hear an explanation of what makes a "good" mix and why the definition transcends genres while still leaving room for creativity. 
• Hear the guys' mixes as well as the official mix back to back. 

To download the stems yourself, click here

#LEWITTMusicChallenge

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

If you enjoy our podcast, please leave a quick rating. It only takes a minute and it means the world to us.

On this episode:
- Should EVERY artist treat their band like a business? 
- Why SHOULD musicians care about treating their craft more like a business?
- What does a band business partnership look like and what are the different roles band members can play?
- When is the right time to consider drafting up a business partnership for your band?
- What are the revenue streams for bands in 2020 (both pre and during COVID)?
- Merchandise sale strategies
- What is the "1,000 fan theory"?
- What accounts for most of bands' merch sales on tour?
- What apps and technology can you use to improve your business management?
- How and when to consider paid advertising for your band
- An AWESOME facebook post hack that will help you target your audience
- Why having a website is still important
- How to promote your release the right way and build momentum for your release
- How to use your time effectively during the pandemic to supercharge your band's return to the live scene (whenever it happens).

Note: Since this episode was recorded the name of James' business and community has changed. The links below have been updated and supersede those found in the audio. 

James also asked that we encourage our listeners to reach out to him with any additional questions. You can email him at [email protected]

https://bandhive.rocks

atVenu report James referenced during the show: https://www.atvenu.com/features/year-in-review-2019

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

If you enjoy our podcast, please leave a quick rating. It only takes a minute and it means the world to us. 

John Burke has made a career out of making vocals in various genres sound awesome and he's recently started Perfect Vocals Academy to help DIY recording enthusiasts up their vocal recording game. 

In this episode Vadim talks to John about a LOT of vocal production techniques, including:

• Choosing gear quickly on the day of the session
• Riding the preamp as a technique for managing dynamic vocals during recording
• Why a low signal level can actually be worse than a hot signal that even clips occasionally
• Mental preparation for recording vocals
• What is comping and what are some strategies for stitching together a great vocal take? 
• How to produce vocal harmonies
• Using Autotune. Should you and how? 

Check out John's content at https://perfectvocalsacademy.com/ and follow him on Instagram @perfectvocalsacademy

Links
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site

Our first ever Facebook live event! Thanks to everyone who joined and asked questions. Be sure to join us next time, we'd love to hear from you. Email your questions to [email protected]

Links
GIK Acoustics' awesome video on how to use Room EQ Wizard to do basic room acoustic testing
Vadim's free DIY Recording eBook
DIY Recording Facebook Community
Vadim's Studio Site
Benjamin's Studio Site