The Self-Recording Band

What if the best music you ever make is still ahead of you?

Paul Robb has been making music for decades. He played in bands, wrote songs, stepped away from serious recording for years, came back to it later, learned an entirely new modern production workflow and is now releasing music he’s genuinely proud of. 

Want to make your own recordings sound professional and finally turn your songs into finished records? → https://go.theselfrecordingband.com/coaching

Paul is also one of the longest-standing members of The Self-Recording Syndicate and one of the people who has contributed the most to our community over the years. He regularly joins the group coaching calls, shares thoughtful feedback and ideas, and has become an important part of what makes the community valuable. 

In this episode, we talk about his entire journey.

From recording on four-track cassette machines and eventually walking away from recording technology altogether...

...to GarageBand, Logic Pro, modern production tools, collaboration, coaching and finally making recordings that gave him the confidence to say:

“I can do it.”

Hearing one of his finished songs reach a level that felt genuinely professional and release-ready was a major turning point after years of struggling to get there. 

But this isn’t really a story about recording software or gear.

It’s about staying curious, continuing to learn and refusing to decide that your best creative years are already behind you.

Paul’s approach is to work in small chunks, accept that things sometimes take longer than expected, keep a positive attitude and, most importantly, never stop trying. 

We also get into the way he makes records now.

Paul writes, sings and records himself, but he has also embraced collaboration instead of feeling like “self-recording” means he has to personally do everything.

He works with session musicians, engineers, producers, our coaching community and different creative tools to make each song better while still keeping the song and artistic vision his own.  

And that leads to one of the bigger themes of this conversation:

You don’t have to prove anything by doing everything yourself.

Sometimes another musician plays the part better.

Sometimes another person hears something you don’t.

Sometimes somebody else asks the question you didn’t even know you needed to ask.

Paul talks about why the group coaching calls have become such an important part of his learning process and why he says he never leaves one without learning something. 

In this episode:

• Returning to recording after years away
• Learning modern music production later in life
• Going from GarageBand to Logic Pro
• Building confidence one finished song at a time
• Why slow progress is still progress
• Working in small chunks instead of waiting for perfect conditions
• Self-recording without doing everything yourself
• Session musicians, collaboration and outside feedback
• Using modern creative tools without giving up authorship
• Songwriting, lyrics and developing your own voice
• Why community can accelerate your learning
• Editing, pitch correction and modern production standards
• Staying curious instead of living in the past

And when I ask Paul which decade he’d choose to go back and live in, his answer sums up the episode beautifully:

He wouldn’t.

He loves the memories, but he doesn’t want to go back.

He’s happy making music now.

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Check out Paul Robb / SmallTown:

“Taggin’ Along”: https://open.spotify.com/track/0Xvam5v2P3dWyVJNIG8VDp?si=83c0c599590a4229

“California”: https://open.spotify.com/track/6sd92MMK2WCDhd4bIdmEl6?si=48d16e88312642c2

More music is on the way.

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Want help turning your own songs into records you’re genuinely proud of?
https://go.theselfrecordingband.com/coaching

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For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/325

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

What happens when you compare the record you’re making now to the one you made a few years ago... and your first reaction is:

“What the fuck? We sent this to our mixing engineer?”

That’s exactly what happened to Stefan Thoms and fourcitycolony. And honestly, that’s a pretty good sign. It means they got better. A lot better.  

Want to make incredible-sounding records yourself, without having to figure everything out alone? → https://theselfrecordingband.com

In this in-person episode at our studio, Stefan joins us to talk about how fourcitycolony have developed their approach to making records over several releases.

They record most of the music themselves, but they don’t insist on doing absolutely everything themselves. Instead, they’ve landed on a hybrid approach: DIY recording, combined with outside help for mixing, mastering and feedback when it makes sense. 

And that opens up some bigger questions:

Should a record simply capture what your band sounds like... or should you use the studio to create something bigger than what you can reproduce live? How much do influences from other bands matter? What's the vision for the project? Should you try to recreate sounds from a reference?

For fourcitycolony, the starting point was their live identity. They already knew how the two guitars should interact and what they wanted the band to feel like. Their goal was to get that sound and energy onto the record, while still allowing themselves to add things that wouldn’t necessarily happen on stage.  

We also get very practical.

Stefan talks about having to re-record guitars because of tuning problems, changing the way they structure recording sessions, renting a better room to track drums, separating loud guitar cabinets from the musicians during recording, and learning when another take will genuinely improve something versus when you’re just doing it again because you can.

And once again, one of the biggest reoccurring lessons from making records yourself:

Knowing when something is good enough.

Don’t rush the beginning of the record. Set the standard. Don’t get lazy toward the end. Don’t leave the hardest songs until everyone is exhausted. And if something simply isn’t happening that night, come back tomorrow.  

We also talk about why bringing in a professional mixer can be useful even when you know exactly how you want your own music to sound like: 

They’re hearing the song for the first time, without hundreds of rehearsals and demos shaping their expectations. That outside perspective can reveal things the band simply stopped noticing.

Pair that with professional feedback, coaching and guidance during pre-production and the recording sessions and you have a bullet-proof, no-compromise approach.

In this episode:

• Capturing a band vs. producing a band
• Getting better from one record to the next
• The guitar tuning mistake they won’t make again
• When re-recording is actually worth it
• DIY recording + professional mixing and mastering
• Why they rented a better room to record drums
• Making a studio record that truly sounds like your band
• Adding parts you can’t reproduce live
• Knowing when a recording is “good enough”
• Why an outside mixer hears things you don’t anymore
• Vocal recording, pitch correction and keeping imperfections
• Songwriting, emotional lyrics and ridiculously catchy choruses

If you’re recording your own band and wondering what you should do yourself, what you should get help with, and how to make every record better than the last, there’s a lot to take away from this one.

Check out fourcitycolony:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fourcitycolony
Tour Dates, Socials & Music Streaming Apps: https://linktr.ee/fourcitycolony

Also mentioned:
I Wish I Could Stay Records: https://www.instagram.com/iwishicouldstay.ka
Krachige Platten: https://www.instagram.com/krachigeplatten

Want help making your own recordings and mixes sound professional?
https://theselfrecordingband.com

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For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/324

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Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

What makes a record feel alive, not just polished? Producer Garreth Tackney shares how he keeps modern productions sounding real, human and exciting.

Want to make your own recordings sound professional without losing what makes your music yours? → https://theselfrecordingband.com

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What makes a record feel alive?

Like real people are actually in a room making music. While still getting the quality, size and impact we'd expect from a modern production?

That’s something producer, engineer and Self-Recording Syndicate member Garreth Tackney thinks about a lot.

His philosophy is simple: “It has to sound real.”

That doesn’t mean rejecting modern production. Garreth still wants clarity, punch and impact. He uses modern tools, amp sims when they make sense, editing, samples and everything else available to us.

But he doesn’t want the process to remove the character that made the performance exciting in the first place.

In this conversation, we get into what that looks like in practice: 

Making drums feel like an actual kit in a room, capturing guitars through real amps and cabinets, knowing when not to edit something, leaving natural details in vocals, using room mics to create energy, and even keeping a technically “wrong” guitar sound because it simply felt better. 

We also talk about Garreth’s development as a producer and engineer. He came into The Self-Recording Syndicate with plenty of recording experience, but over time his ears, methods and approach to the entire process changed significantly. One of his biggest realizations was that great results have much less to do with owning more gear than with developing the skills to make good decisions with what you already have. 

And because Garreth does all of this alongside a regular job and family life, we also talk about finding the time to actually make records, improving through periods of intense creative work, and putting in the hours when music isn’t your full-time job.

In this episode:

• What makes a recording feel “real”
• Modern polish vs. sounding manufactured
• Capturing drums that feel like a real kit in a room
• Real amps, amp sims and knowing when each makes sense
• Why you shouldn’t automatically edit every imperfection
• The room-mic approach that transformed one of Garreth’s drum mixes
• Why a phase problem became a sound worth keeping
• Getting better without endlessly buying more gear
• How Garreth’s ears have changed over the last two years
• Making meaningful audio progress with a job, family and limited studio time

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If you’re trying to make your own records sound professional without sanding away everything that makes them feel human, this conversation is for you.

Find Garreth / De Villa Sounds:

Website & portfolio:

https://devillasounds.com

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/devillasounds/

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Want help making your own recordings and mixes sound the way you hear them in your head? Join the Syndicate:
https://go.theselfrecordingband.com/application

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For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/323

--

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

🚀 Want our personal help with your next recording project?

If you want to learn to listen in a completely different way, and get the production skills to finish songs consistently...

👉 Book a free first coaching session with us:

theselfrecordingband.com

We’ll listen to your music, look at your current situation, create a custom plan for you and figure out if you're a good fit for our coaching inside The Self-Recording Syndicate. 

If you are, we can help you make records you're truly proud of and give you the skills and confidence to do it over and over again.

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About this episode:

What kind of person decides to cover the entire ~400-song catalogue of one band?

Someone like Tobi Seitz, aka Samy Braysel.

His ongoing project is to cover every original song by German punk legends Die Ärzte. He’s currently around 10% of the way through and estimates that finishing the whole thing could take 25 years or more. His reason for starting such a ridiculous project is simple: if an idea is crazy enough, you sometimes have to start immediately before you overthink yourself out of doing it. 

But that project is only one part of what Samy does.

He writes and records his own music, plays multiple instruments, produces other artists, teaches guitar and songwriting, repairs and restores guitars, and is building Hitzen Audio, where he helps artists take songs from the initial idea all the way to the finished production. 

In this episode, we talk about the philosophy that connects all of those things.

Samy deliberately creates challenges that force him to move quickly instead of overthinking everything. He has written and recorded songs within a few hours, captured one new musical idea every day for a month, resurrected unfinished songs from ten years ago, and learned when to accept that something is done and simply good enough to release. 

We also get into his approach to production: making records polished without making them robotic, recording real instruments, keeping human imperfections, using references early in the process, and knowing when the last 10% of "perfection" simply isn’t gonna help the song. 

And we talk about “Always Smiling,” the first official Samy Braysel release: a fast, loud song about unexpectedly finding a sense of freedom after AI takes away a job you didn’t particularly enjoy in the first place. 

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In this episode:

• The 25-year mission to cover every Die Ärzte song
• What recreating hundreds of songs teaches you about arrangement and production
• Why Samy deliberately sets himself creative challenges
• Moving fast without sacrificing quality
• Why 90% can sometimes be good enough
• Recording real drums and keeping productions human
• Polished vs robotic
• Knowing when a song is actually finished
• Using reference tracks before you start recording
• Producing your own songs vs producing other artists
• Translating someone else’s ideas into a finished production
• Why Samy enjoys restoring and building guitars
• Finding time for music alongside work and everything else
• Being a generalist instead of specializing in only one thing
• Building Hitzen Audio as an end-to-end production service
• The story behind “Always Smiling”

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Check Out Samy / Tobi

Samy Braysel:
https://samybraysel.com

Die Erbse – the Die Ärzte cover project:
https://www.youtube.com/@Die_Erbse

Hitzen Audio:
https://www.hitzen-audio.de/
https://www.instagram.com/hitzen.audio/
https://www.tiktok.com/@hitzenaudio

Confusion of ChiffChaff:
https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/album/4A4IYUKMvLEhES3ZzIFyYw

“Walls” – produced by Tobi:
https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/track/0V4WGClbt12B2TwwM0lMhj

“Tuxedo Torpedo” – Ron Jambo:
https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/track/5WTQ2lAyLR5IPt0QGd3bNQ

“Always Smiling”:
https://samybraysel.com/#presave

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Work With Us

If you’re making your own music and want outside feedback, coaching, and a clear process for making better records:

https://theselfrecordingband.com

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If this episode helps you, we’d really appreciate it if you left a rating/review or shared it with another self-recording artist. It helps us reach more musicians like you, invite exciting guests and keep the podcast going.

--

For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/322

--

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

🚀 Want our personal help with your studio or your next music project?

If you want to explore the full potential of your creations, learn to listen in a completely different way, and get the production skills to finish songs consistently...

👉 Book a free first coaching session with us:

theselfrecordingband.com

We’ll listen to your music, look at your current situation, create a custom plan for you and figure out if you're a good fit for our coaching inside The Self-Recording Syndicate. 

If you are, we can help you make records you're truly proud of and give you the skills and confidence to do it over and over again.

--

About this episode:

What if the thing limiting your creativity is actually what helps you become more creative?

That’s one of the big ideas in this conversation with Bryan Hinerdeer.

Bryan is a songwriter, guitarist, live musician, and longtime member of The Self-Recording Syndicate. He’s also spent the last few years diving deep into sync licensing and writing music to briefs for film, TV, and other media. 

At first glance, writing to a brief can sound restrictive.

You’re given a genre, a purpose & references.

Sometimes specific instrumentation.

Plus a deadline.

And then you have to create something that fits.

But Bryan found that those constraints can actually force you to be more creative, because you can’t just fall back on the same habits every time. As he puts it, you’re already “in a box” with your own music, even if you don’t realize it. 

In this episode, we talk about how writing for sync pushed Bryan to grow as a songwriter, producer, and self-recording artist.

We get into learning to interpret briefs, figuring out what “contemporary” actually means, hearing production choices more critically, collaborating with other musicians, improving timing and drum programming, and developing the kind of ears that let you recognize problems before someone else points them out. 

We also talk about the balance between polished and organic production, why collaboration can unlock better results, and how Bryan went from simply “listening to drums” to hearing whether a snare, reverb, arrangement, or performance actually fits the song. 

In this episode:

• How sync licensing and music briefs work
• Why constraints can make you more creative
• Writing inside a genre without copying references
• Learning to interpret vague feedback like “sounds dated”
• Why reverb can make a production feel tied to a certain era
• Developing your ears through repeated feedback
• Improving timing without over-editing
• Why drum programming is such a steep learning curve
• Making programmed drums feel more human
• Bryan’s punk collaboration with another Syndicate member
• Why complementary collaborators are so valuable
• The difference between being a good musician and a good recording musician
• How recording improved Bryan’s live performances
• Why production choices need to fit the genre
• Bryan’s acoustic guitar recording approach
• Organic vs polished production
• Using modern tools without losing feel
• Why pre-production matters
• The value of honest feedback
• Why collaboration can take your music somewhere you wouldn’t reach alone

If you’re a self-recording artist who keeps defaulting to the same sounds, the same habits, or the same way of writing, this episode is a great reminder that sometimes a few limits are exactly what you need.

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If this episode helps you, we’d really appreciate it if you left a rating/review or shared it with another self-recording artist. It helps us reach more musicians like you, invite exciting guests and keep the podcast going.

--

For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/321

Bryan Hinerdeer:

thebryanscottrevival.com

The Bryan Scott Revival on Spotify

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Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

🚀 Want our personal help with your studio or your next music project?

If you want to finally finish songs and make them sound so good that you can't wait to share them with the world...

👉 Book a free first coaching session with us:

theselfrecordingband.com

We’ll listen to your music, look at your current situation, create a custom plan for you and figure out if you're a good fit for our coaching inside The Self-Recording Syndicate. 

If you are, we can help you make records you're truly proud of and give you the skills and confidence to do it over and over again.

--

About this episode:

What happens when you stop second-guessing every mix and start actually finishing and releasing your songs?

That’s a big part of Thomas Hauenstein’s story.

Thomas is a solo artist, songwriter, and longtime member of The Self-Recording Syndicate. He writes and produces his own music, plays multiple instruments, programs and records drums, mixes his songs, and also collaborates with other musicians.

For a long time, one of his biggest challenges was simply not knowing whether what he had made was actually good enough.

He could write songs.

He could record them.

But evaluating his own mixes, knowing what needed to change, and deciding when something was finished was much harder.

In this episode, we talk about how that changed.

Thomas shares how developing his ears, getting consistent feedback, and finishing more projects helped him build confidence and actually release music instead of leaving ideas unfinished on a hard drive.

We also get into his very hands-on approach to recording: 

Creating fuzzy rock tones, programming realistic drums, experimenting with acoustic guitar mic setups, sampling his own drum kit, collaborating with other musicians, and learning when to let go of control.

And underneath all of it is one idea Thomas comes back to:

“It has to be heard by other people.”

In this episode:

• Going from uncertainty to actually releasing music
• Why finishing songs matters so much (beyond the obvious)
• Learning to trust your own ears
• The value of outside feedback
• Why chasing perfection can keep songs stuck forever
• Producing both full rock arrangements and stripped-back acoustic songs
• Making programmed drums feel more natural
• Building unique guitar and bass tones
• Thomas’s acoustic guitar recording setup
• Using modeling microphones creatively
• Sampling your own drum kit
• Why unique sounds make productions more personal
• Collaborating with other musicians
• Learning to give up some creative control
• The challenge of doing everything yourself
• Managing expectations when music is not your full-time job

If you have a hard drive full of unfinished songs and keep wondering whether your mixes are good enough, Thomas’s story will probably feel very familiar. And it might inspire you to finally take action.

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If this episode helps you, we’d really appreciate it if you left a rating/review or shared it with another self-recording artist. It helps us reach more musicians like you, invite exciting guests and keep the podcast going.

--

For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/320

Thomas Hauenstein:

instagram.com/thomas_hauenstein (@thomas_hauenstein)

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Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

🚀 Want our personal help with your studio or your next music project?

If you want to produce your songs in a way that gets the emotion across and makes your vision for the music come out of the speakers...

👉 Book a free first coaching session with us:

theselfrecordingband.com

We’ll listen to your music, look at your current situation, create a custom plan for you and figure out if you're a good fit for our coaching inside The Self-Recording Syndicate. 

If you are, we can help you make records you're proud of and give you the skills and confidence to do it over and over again.

--

About this episode:

What does mastering actually do to your music?

It’s easy to think of mastering as the final technical step. Make it louder, maybe add some polish, export the final files, done.

But for mastering engineer Maor Appelbaum, the job goes much deeper than that.

Maor has worked with artists including Faith No More, Sepultura, Dream Theater, Yes, Meat Loaf, and many more. And in this episode, he explains mastering as a form of presentation: shaping the tone, focus, contrast, texture, dynamics, and overall feel of a finished mix so the listener connects with the music more deeply.

We talk about why mastering isn’t just about loudness, why tiny changes can matter, how transient response changes emotional impact, when a mastering engineer should leave a mix alone, and why there is no universal mastering chain that works for every song.

Maor also shares his thoughts on collaboration, AI mastering, hearing health, learning through mentorship, and why the human connection around music still matters so much.

In this episode:

• What mastering actually does to a finished mix
• Why mastering is about presentation and emotional impact
• How EQ, compression, limiting, saturation, and width change how music feels
• Why tiny mastering moves can still matter
• When more processing makes a master worse
• Why there is no universal mastering chain
• What artists should expect from a professional mastering engineer
• Why mastering can reveal problems you missed in the mix
• Whether you should mix into a limiter or mastering chain
• The difference between a “loud mix” and a true mastering process
• Why collaboration and outside perspective matter
• How Maor developed his ears, taste and skills
• Protecting your hearing as an engineer or musician
• Maor’s perspective on AI mastering
• Why keeping people involved in music matters for the future of art and the community around it

If you’ve ever wondered what mastering really adds after the mix is finished, this conversation gives you a much deeper answer than “make it louder.”

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If this episode helps you, we’d really appreciate it if you left a rating/review or shared it with another self-recording artist. It helps us reach more musicians like you, invite exciting guests and keep the podcast going.

--

For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/319

Maor Appelbaum:

maorappelbaum.com

instagram.com/maorappelbaummastering

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Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

What do artists actually need from a modern music producer?

Not just someone who can hit record, choose microphones, or make a mix sound polished.

A great producer helps turn a rough idea into a finished record. And a huge part of that work happens before the final recording even starts.

In this episode, we talk with Spanish producer, guitarist, songwriter, and engineer Pablo Lopez Figueroa about what modern production really looks like.

Pablo works with artists across the entire process: songwriting, arrangement, pre-production, recording, performances, editing, mixing, mastering, and bringing in additional musicians when a song needs them.

A big part of the conversation is about pre-production and why decisions about structure, tempo, key, dynamics, instrumentation, vocal melodies, and contrast often matter more than the plugins or gear you use later.

We also get into collaboration, making faster creative decisions, keeping ego out of the production process, creating a studio environment where artists feel comfortable, and why working around other ambitious musicians can accelerate your growth dramatically.

Pablo is a member of The Self-Recording Syndicate and also part of our Studio Growth Mastermind, where studio owners meet weekly to exchange ideas, solve problems, and grow their creative businesses together.

In this episode:

• What artists should actually expect from a modern producer
• Why so much of a great record happens before you hit record
• What good pre-production really includes
• Building contrast into songs and arrangements
• Why better production starts with better decisions
• Helping artists turn rough demos into finished records
• Why the producer’s ideas don’t always need to win
• Working with bands and choosing a musical director
• Avoiding endless revisions and creative indecision
• Creating a studio environment where artists can do their best work
• Why acoustics matter more than expensive monitors
• Building a professional studio on a realistic budget
• The value of community, accountability, and learning from your peers
• Pablo and Manel’s journey from music students in Dublin to professional producers

If you think a producer’s job starts when the red light comes on, this episode might change the way you look at the entire record-making process.

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If this episode helps you, we’d really appreciate it if you left a rating/review or shared it with another self-recording artist. It helps us reach more musicians like you, invite exciting guests and keep the podcast going.

--

For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/318

Pablo Lopez Figueroa:

lacharcasound.com

instagram.com/pablopezfi

youtube.com/@pablopezfi

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🚀 Want our personal help with your studio or your next music project?

If you want to surround yourself with like-minded, ambitious artists and producers like Pablo and Manel...

👉 Apply for coaching:

theselfrecordingband.com/coaching

You'll get our unlimited, personal guidance. 

Depending on what your goals are, we can help you make records you're proud of, or build and grow the studio business you've always wanted.

We’ll listen to your music, look at your current situation, create a custom plan for you, and help you execute it step by step.

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Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Can your music sound professional without becoming generic, boring, or overproduced?

That tension is the main theme of this conversation with Domi Schreiber, the Swiss artist behind MyKungFu.

Domi has a very specific artistic taste. He likes warm, organic, slightly imperfect productions with unusual textures, sparse arrangements, and a strong emotional identity. But for a long time, sounding different from other artists made him wonder whether his music simply wasn’t good enough. 

In this episode, we talk about the difference between sounding professional and sounding polished into sameness.

Domi shares how he developed his own sonic identity, why he prefers character over perfection, and how learning the technical side of recording and mixing gave him more creative freedom instead of less.

We also talk about unusual instruments and textures, working with real studio musicians, keeping imperfections that add emotion, building a live show that feels different from the studio recordings, and learning to promote your own music without handing everything over to someone else. 

In this episode:

• Why professional doesn’t have to mean generic
• The difference between polished and overproduced
• Finding your own sonic identity
• Why sounding different can feel uncomfortable
• Keeping warmth and character in your productions
• Knowing when imperfections make a song better - and when they make it worse
• Why sparse arrangements can be more powerful
• Using unusual sounds and non-traditional instruments
• Learning the technical side without losing creativity
• Working with other musicians while protecting your vision
• Translating studio productions into interesting live performances
• Why self-recording can give artists more freedom
• Learning music promotion and advertising as an independent artist
• Why finishing and releasing matters more than chasing perfection

Domi was also a member of The Self-Recording Syndicate and worked with us through 1-on-1 coaching to improve his recording, mixing, and production skills while staying true to the sound he wanted to create. 

If you’ve ever worried that making your music sound more professional might also make it sound less like you, this episode is for you.

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If this episode helps you, we’d really appreciate it if you left a rating/review or shared it with another self-recording artist. It helps us reach more musicians, invite exciting guests and keep the podcast going.

--

For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/317

Domi / MyKungFu:

mykungfumusic.com

patreon.com/mykungfu

MyKungFu on Spotify

MyKungFu on Apple Music

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🚀 Want our personal help with your next project?

If you want feedback on your songs, your arrangements, your recordings, or your mixes…

…followed by a clear plan to build your skills, confidence and turn your demos into finished releases...

...plus the professional guidance to implement it all:

👉 Apply for coaching:

theselfrecordingband.com/coaching

We’ll listen to your music, create a custom plan for you, and help you execute it step by step.

--

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

What separates a good drummer from a great one?

Most people would probably think it's timing, technique, or playing everything perfectly.

But the biggest difference is: 

Great drummers make intentional choices. They understand how dynamics, tuning, feel, sound, and even small imperfections can change the emotion of a song.

In this episode, we talk to professional session and touring drummer Michi Dreilich about what great drummers do differently and how musicians can create drum parts that truly serve the song.

Michi spent ten years playing with Blackout Problems and now works as a touring drummer for different artists. He also teaches drums and records custom drum tracks remotely from his own studio, Container Drums. He was previously a member of The Self-Recording Syndicate and worked with us through 1-on-1 coaching to further develop his recording setup, workflow, and drum sounds. 

In this conversation, Michi explains why good drum performances are about much more than hitting the right drums at the right time. We discuss the balance between precision and feel, what a real drummer can add that programmed drums cannot, and how to make bold creative decisions without losing sight of the artist’s vision.

We also listen to three versions of Manel’s song “Lágrimas de Sal”: The original phone demo, a full production demo with programmed drums, and the finished version featuring Michi’s live drums and Benedikt’s final mix. 

In this episode:

• What great drummers do differently
• Why every drum choice should serve the song
• The difference between feel and sloppy playing
• When imperfect timing makes a performance more exciting
• How dynamics create emotion in drum tracks
• How to program more realistic drums
• What real drummers add that samples cannot
• Balancing the artist’s ideas with a session drummer’s creativity
• Choosing drums, cymbals, heads, tuning, and dampening
• Getting great drum sounds in an imperfect room
• Why room-mic placement can transform your recordings
• Comping and editing professional drum performances
• How Michi developed his remote recording studio
• The evolution from phone demo to finished production

Whether you play drums, program them, or record a drummer in your own studio, this episode will help you think more intentionally about the performance and sound your song actually needs.

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If this episode helps you, we’d really appreciate it if you left a rating/review or shared it with another self-recording artist. It helps us reach more musicians, invite exciting guests and keep the podcast going.

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For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to:

theselfrecordingband.com/316

Michi Dreilich:

instagram.com/michidreilich

instagram.com/containerdrums

https://linktr.ee/michidreilich

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🚀 Want our personal help with your next project?

If you want feedback on your songs, your arrangements, your recordings, or your mixes…

…followed by a clear plan to build your confidence and turn your demos into finished releases...

...plus the professional guidance to implement it all:

👉 Apply for coaching:

theselfrecordingband.com/coaching

We’ll listen to your music, create a custom plan for you, and help you execute it step by step.

And if you want to try what Manel did, let Michi add drums to your song and then send it to us to mix, we can do that, as well! Let's talk!

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