Transcript Episode 34:
(00:03) Well, Steve. >> Well, Chris, >> here we are again. >> As it should be. >> Do you have new glasses? >> I do. I >> Cuz the last time on the last episode, you were talking about your misadventures. >> That in my mind. I told a couple people, I'm like, "You got to watch this episode. I call it the glasses episode.
(00:23) " >> Yeah. >> Where my stupid glasses I blame the glasses, not my stupid brain. The glasses were I'll give you that. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> The glasses were the problem. And so, yeah, here they here they are. The new they they hold they're they're firm. They're in place. Once I found out they could do that, >> adjust them.
(00:41) It was >> small revelations make for >> life. It works. >> Think I just think of what we'll know by like next week. >> Man, your brain is evolving. >> It is in the right way. >> Yes. In the right way. I have to say I'm actually Yeah. >> What is it? Devolving. Not devolving. Some days always good. >> Some days. >> Yeah. But not today.
(01:03) >> Today evolving. >> There you go. >> I'll take the win. >> Take the win. >> I'll take the >> take it and run. >> We Yeah, we we spent the last couple days, my my buddy uh Scott and I, in Vancouver. Oh, yeah. >> And uh about once a year, we just >> we just get away. It's a few days and we just pick a place.
(01:23) It was Vancouver this time. And we just go there. and uh and my brain devolved for 3 days. So, this is good. I feel like I'm going to warm back up into good >> intelligent thinking and >> glad to hear that. >> So, in the spirit of evolving, I feel like my my appreciation for headphones has evolved. >> Oh, look at that. >> Over over the last bit of doing this >> cuz you weren't a guy headphone guy.
(01:47) And then we've we've been interacting with headphones and headphone manufacturers. >> Yes. >> To the point where I started borrowing your Odysseies. >> Yes. my 500s. >> Yeah. And I borrowed them more than once >> and I was like, can I >> and and eventually you said, "Let me talk to my friends at Odyssey." >> Yeah. See if I can get you back.
(02:04) >> Get your dumb head its own pair. >> Yes. >> And so they were awesome. They sent us a few a few different models to to play with. >> So you got your pair of MM500s? >> Yes. So I got my very own 500s. >> Wow. >> Which lucky you >> are obviously amazing. And it started with the 100s for me. >> You're right.
(02:22) Um and and these are the not as expensive as the 500s. >> No. >> Which are more expensive than the LCD X's which you just started playing with. >> Yes. Which are quite amazing I have to say. They are very good. >> These with a little more booty. >> I would say. Yeah. >> I would say. Yeah. >> You know, something we'll talk about maybe on a dedicated video.
(02:43) But yeah, recently I've just put my hands on these uh >> these LCDs. >> Three flavors. None of them suck. None of them sucks. >> It's pronounced Odyssey. >> It's pronounced >> not Odies. No. I hear that one a lot. >> No, Odyssey is good. >> Odzy. >> Yeah. So, thank you Ody for sponsoring this podcast episode. Yes. >> Great.
(03:03) >> We also love >> pivoting. >> Pivoting. >> Yes. Which we're going to do now >> and go. >> Okay. Subscribe, like, and share this podcast episode. But I would say if you're on YouTube, we noticed more than once that a lot of you are subscribing. Thank you for supporting us >> on YouTube, but a lot of people watching, if I I can even say the majority of people watching on YouTube are not even subscribed to the channel.
(03:33) >> Okay. >> So, put on your just take your phone and go on our channel and just like click on subscribe. It's super super fast. Yeah. Quick, easy, >> free. >> Free. On top of that, we don't even charge you to do that. And it helps us a lot. >> A lot. >> Yeah. >> I don't know if anything can help us a lot, but it helps us. It helps us.
(03:51) >> I mean, that's going a lot. >> What kind of help we need? >> So, we even got to thank you in advance for making the move on subscribing to the channel. >> The other thing we love is comments, questions, and interaction. >> So, there's the there's the form on the website. There's also under the YouTube videos is where I stole today's topic.
(04:07) >> Yes. >> Uh and somebody was just commenting. So, a couple weeks ago, uh, we did a video on kind of like has has sound gotten better or >> worse since the '7s and '8s. And >> we had a great conversation there. A lot of people interacted under under the YouTube land and it was cool. And so, one of the common themes that that came up is is the is the argument of, you know, there weren't home studios >> back in the day >> back in the day, which changed the sound of the sound back in the day.
(04:35) And so then we, you know, I got to thinking, okay, so but home studios have so many advantages >> that doesn't necessarily make them better or not as good. >> So that's the that's the question right now today to you. Home studio versus we'll just call it pro studio, commercial, commercial studio. Yeah, sure. >> Dedicated studio >> in 2026.
(04:53) >> In 2026, advantages, disadvantages, go. >> Wow. Okay. >> I don't know if we'll come up with a clear winner. Let's start there. >> Okay. many of our episodes at the end we're just going to go huh I can tell you that ahead of time >> okay I would say first cost >> cost >> cost is huge >> cost is >> okay what we get today in 2026 the amount of uh like plugins >> yes >> the access to cheap gear >> you know like cheap audio interfaces cheap microphones >> and high quality stuff though you know when I say cheap it's in price not in
(05:29) quality >> affordable affordable there you go so affordable and microphones and plugins and all that stuff. And even computers now, you know, back in the day, you go back 20 years, computers like >> they were not as fast as today, of course, but they were very pricey compared to when we had day, >> you know, so and that is like freaking huge.
(05:49) >> I remember my first one gig drive. >> Yeah. >> You'd think I'd bought >> a 747. >> Like it weighed more than me. >> Oh man, >> it was huge. And we just thought like we're never going to need more than this. I've arrived. >> Ah, but you remember those like old Macintosh like a G5 >> a scuzzy drive? >> Yeah.
(06:11) And the big like blue tower >> back in 97. I remember. >> The bubble gum. The bubble gum. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A friend of mine actually was building his own home still back in the 98 or something. >> It had like a CD drive on the front and you thought >> it was like five grand at the time. >> It'll never get better than this. It has a handle on top.
(06:29) Like when you like why did it have a handle? Like, so where are you taking where are you taking this? >> I don't know design who had that idea. >> Seriously was 240 lbs. >> I hope he lost his job. >> It had a handle. >> That was a lousy design. >> It was a lousy design. >> It was an optimistic handle, >> man. Anyways. >> Anyways, >> we're here now 2026.
(06:50) >> Okay, so gear, >> we can produce everything on a laptop now. >> So the cost quality ratio of gear undeniably better. >> No, for sure. For sure. cost. I thought what you meant with cost of what it costs to go to a studio. >> There's that, too. It's all included for sure. Right. >> You go. >> So, yeah.
(07:08) So, are you are you are you investing, you know, x dollars into financing somebody else's equipment or are you putting it towards your own? >> Do you do this enough? And so, I think that that piece leads to kind of thought too in my mind, which is how big is what your recording scaled at? Yes. Right. So, so you know, you got you're a drummer and you've got, you know, 46 piece kit.
(07:31) >> Yeah. Of course. Like all drummers, >> like all drummers hanging on chains. >> Of course. >> All you know, you know, the basic wet pavement underneath the bare minimum. We call it >> always. Yeah. You got to put on your gloves with no fingers. >> Oh, no. I had fingers. >> You have fingers. My gloves.
(07:44) It was just striped black and white. >> You don't want to hurt your little fingies? >> I actually had those before. I went >> before last week. Jesse said you had them last week. You were you were cutting your steak with >> You should keep quiet. >> Yeah. Yeah. You're like, "Hey babe, what do you think of me now?" >> You know, some ladies, they just love the the Santa Claus theme.
(08:00) You know, she loved the >> gloves. Yeah, that's your thing. >> The drummer gloves. >> The drummer gloves. >> But I had a pair of striped black and white gloves when I was a teenager playing in the band. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. It was like for me it was like I'm playing at the Yankee Stadium or something. >> Oh man.
(08:17) Did you like stick twirl thing? >> I tried. >> Did you ever travel with a gong? >> No. That was my next step though. >> You had a gong behind you. That was That's like the That's where >> the big Alex Van Elliot. >> That's where Yeah. That's where it tops out. When you hit a gong at the end of the in the little tree, little little bell tree.
(08:30) >> So, you were saying >> I was saying if you got a 46 piece kit like Chris has in his dreams, you need stuff. And, you know, doing it in in in a in a home studio environment isn't always an option, right? When the baby's upstairs. >> Yes. And your wife your wife already thinks you're an idiot with your gloves.
(08:46) Like, >> so there's something there. And so, you know, there's the gear cost, there's the the size cost, there's the noise. >> Uh, what's another thing that that you think? >> Yeah. Yeah. I would say like, yeah, it depends on like you say, you know, for a drummer, for example. Yeah, you're right.
(09:06) Totally right about space is an issue. Could be an issue, especially like for a drummer who lives in an apartment. >> Yeah. Um and then you know like there's also cost on renting a place like a studio uh paying the uh the sound engineer. Yeah. >> You know like you spend a day in the studio. >> Yeah. >> It's clicking by the hour. >> Yep.
(09:25) You know and that is one I would say one huge advantage. >> Yeah. >> For a home studio. You want to record vocals for example in a home studio. Yes. Way more accessible than drums >> which which leads to Yeah. the creative piece. Right. When you're clock watching >> you're stressed. You're in a different emotional >> totally >> state than I set my stuff up on Monday >> and I had some time on Wednesday so I worked a bit on my song.
(09:46) >> Yeah. >> And then I had some time on the weekend so I worked a bit on my song still and it's still just sitting there. Yes. >> Like paused and waiting and there's something about that, right? I thought of a new lyric in the shower. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> And I'm going to I'm going to put it to my song versus calling the studio back in the day.
(09:59) >> So yeah. So that is definitely an advantage, but I think it can also be a curse. >> Oh yeah. You know, cuz again, if you don't time limit yourself on anything you do, >> by nature, you're going to take more time to achieve the same thing, the same task. >> So, >> or a better thing >> or better or a lesser thing >> cuz you know there's something and I'm I'm not saying that is an advantage on a commercial studio because it's not, you know, >> but >> depending on your personality, >> you can turn it as an advantage
(10:29) depending on who you are. >> Yeah. >> Some people can work at home. >> Yes. >> And they are more productive, but some people cuz they just they just eat snacks and watch >> TV shows all day. So, it depends on your personality >> or watching our podcast all day >> or just binging binging the Studio Stuff podcast all week in their in their sweats with chip chips on their belly and they're just so happy.
(10:50) Like, this is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love this. I've learned so much and I laughed a lot. >> I you know, understand them a lot. Yeah. >> Yeah. So, so the creative piece is huge. I think that's a really really big one. it is >> that that you can just spread out and be creative >> with that caveat, right? One of the guys I worked for early on, his phrase for that was water, we'll fill the space aotted, >> right? And we when we were doing film and stuff, he'd like if they gave us two weeks to do the whole score, we do it in
(11:16) two weeks. >> If they give us two years, we work at it every day for two years. >> That's the thing, >> right? And is it better or worse? Nobody knows. But it will fill the space a loted >> cost you know paying a sound engineer paying a studio because there's that you know there's the engineer there's your studio it's hands off for you also so you have less control over seeing the uh the technical stuff >> so you have to rely on whoever's controlling the uh the gear and the the computer or the session you know so
(11:43) there's that >> so let's swing that into a win for the pro studio but often times that gear is stuff >> that Bob can't just afford. Yes, there's that. >> This guy has spent his whole life acquiring this gear list and he knows just what that mic does >> and he's done it in a different way than you would and it sounds maybe better than you would have done it >> unless you binge the Studio Cell podcast in which case you know exactly how to record it.
(12:05) >> Yep. Exactly. >> But there's something to that where where sometimes the knowledge of that person you're paying for the win. >> But yeah, >> is it worth the cost? That's debatable. Depends on who you are. Again, there's no right or wrong. And there's also, yeah, you blend this with accessibility of all the gear accessibility you're going to have like that you were saying like the list of gear >> that you have in those big commercial studios. It's unbelievable, you know.
(12:33) >> Mhm. >> So, >> there's that. So, but on the other hand, >> so here's here's where here's where I think this goes. I'll just say then from here we can respond to it. But I think ultimately many of us and people are ending up in the hybrid. So you go to the big room or to your buddy's bigger studio and do your drums >> and then you take those tracks and go home and sing and add guitars and then maybe you send it back to that place to mix or to or you premix it and then send it back for a final mix or so I think
(13:05) there's a bit of that where you know you're doing 90% of it at home. >> Yeah. 80% of at home and 20% in the bigger room >> because I think the big like the big advantage of a large space or a commercial space is mainly on the recording side I would say >> uh >> more than mixing >> a million% >> it's going to be accessible to the rooms you know the big rooms >> well maybe not a million%.
(13:28) >> Okay. A bit less >> uh like like00 like 800,000%. cuz there's something if you're if you're going for a certain sound like there are studios that will make that sound. >> Yeah. >> And and a person that will make that sound better than you might be able to. >> Mhm. So, but I'm going like personally I'm going to find more advantages on the space of the studio and the gear compared to, you know, if I want some like a bit of drum drum my drum recordings for example, >> you know, I'm going to be like way more I would be better served in a larger
(14:03) space than my little >> okay >> bedroom size uh drum room, you know. >> Okay. So, I've just peeled off mixing to another thought this thought. >> Yes. Acoustics. Yes. That's huge. >> They're huge. >> Okay. >> Especially on something big like drums. >> Yes. >> You can you can you can fake a lot of stuff. Drums are hard to fake.
(14:23) >> They are. >> They're loud and they may they bounce around wherever they are and Exactly. >> And they take a lot of mics. >> Yes, they do. >> A lot of pres. >> So, yeah. There's gear. >> Yeah. >> You know, for a drummer and there's space. >> Yeah. So, where where Yeah. So where this is landing in my head from a recording standpoint is that the room, the gear, the person might all be advantageous on something as big as drums.
(14:45) >> Yes, exactly. >> If you are an acoustic guitar playing singer and that's your record and you add some coahone or shaker, >> do you need to go to a big fan? >> I don't. I don't. And even for drums, I don't need. It's not a need, but it would be fun. >> It would be fun. It would be fun to take your guitar shaker vocal coahone to the big studio, too.
(15:04) >> It would, but maybe not as much. It would be just as fun if you can afford it. >> If you can afford it before a kahhan. >> Oh, come on, man. Vintage 67 on a cone. Come on. Going through the ne console. >> That could be a thing. >> That would be fun. >> By the time it gets put down to earbuds, man, >> I don't know. Okay.
(15:27) So then, so then the last thought to flip over to then is the mix side. Let's hit that real quick. >> Yeah, the mix side. Honestly, you know, aside if you're mixing with a bunch of gear and this is this your thing, like for me personally, if you have a good treated room, good headphones, whatever, if you use headphones or speakers to to to mix your song, you have your favorite plugins, uh I don't see the need on going to a commercial studio to mix at all.
(15:51) >> He Okay, so let me peel this off. >> Yeah, >> cuz you said something in the twig this time. >> Sure. for the when could it be forget where it's going but who it's going to >> but now you're not talking about the the fact that it's a commercial studio or not correct now you're talking about >> it's a commercial person >> that's that's difference >> you're correct that's what I'm saying so so yeah so to peel that off are is it more important that you're sending your tracks to the guy whose mixes you like he could be mixing in his bedroom on a
(16:21) laptop >> on headphones you don't know >> doesn't matter >> so so in in all these cases is the person really relevant Right? Like you go to a nice studio and have a crappy recording engineer. >> It's not going to it's not going to be bad. >> Or you go to a glorified home studio and have a really talented >> gal with some mics.
(16:39) You're right. >> So maybe >> the person is going to >> maybe the person >> way more important factor. >> Yeah. >> Than on the mix side. >> Oh yeah. >> I don't care what that guy's mixing on. >> For sure. Mixing or mastering. >> A talented mix master guy can get it done >> for sure. >> Cuz he's using his noggin. >> Totally.
(16:56) that that that's what I was saying earlier about you know the the the more important side of uh of that comparison was like for me is more on the recording side than >> the mixing and even the creation the creation part can be done in any room like you know >> arranging music just like >> recording basic stuff or uh and for electronic producers I don't see >> that's a whole thing >> no need for a commercial studio in my opinion >> get yourself some monitoring you trust and let it buck >> that's it that's it Okay.
(17:26) But now what if you know now we have the advantages on one side for the home studios. Okay. Which there's a lot to be honest. >> Mhm. >> And you can you have also the advantages on the commercial studios and I was pointing out a bit more on the recording side. >> Now when it comes to recording vocals, >> we can record vocals in a small room.
(17:46) >> Yeah, >> that's going to work pretty well. So, a lot of people are going to record from home with very good results because again it has to do a lot with yeah the room has to be like a decent room but also a good performance and then you can go in technical stuff good microphone good preamp and all that stuff you know but performance is key.
(18:07) >> Mhm. >> And uh I would say the room. >> Yep. >> So now we have a question regarding this especially by our good friend Cornelius. Ah, yes. >> You remember Cornelius? >> Who can forget Cornelius >> at N? You saw him this year. I didn't. I wasn't there. >> I was I was at N doing a seminar, like an all day thing.
(18:25) >> Okay. >> The day before the show started. >> And uh I was sitting there and it was lunch break time and I just I I got this tap and I look up and it was Cornelius. No way. >> And we had met Cornelius the year before. >> Yes. Exactly. >> And then he interacted a bit with the the podcast and stuff and so Yeah.
(18:44) So I was like, you're the guy. So his question goes, how do you record vocals in a normal untreated bedroom slash living room so the room doesn't get exaggerated especially once you start compressing or doing parallel compression? >> What? >> When parallel compression. You want wine? >> It sounds like a wine. It's parallel.
(19:04) >> I think next time going to just bring a bottle of wine. >> Just a bottle of parallel. >> You know parallel vintage 2026. That's grape juice, you loser. So, he says that when the typical tricks like a closet aren't available, because we did a video on my YouTube channel, the Mixon online YouTube channel about different techniques, recording techniques you can use while recording vocals and uh the differences of a treated room.
(19:31) >> Yes. >> Opposed to a non-treated living room. >> Yeah. >> And we did a closet. >> You had me in a closet singing >> which was very funny. >> You should link that video. I will watch it >> right now. >> All right. So, it's linked. Go watch it. And honestly, there's several hits >> on that video.
(19:50) I don't know if you remember, but you wrote a bunch of >> I was I was >> top talk about creative spaces. >> We need to work on these songs. >> That was one for me. >> Yeah. >> Yep. >> You know, we are going to kill AI music right there. >> I think we're encouraging AI music. >> Or let's feed AI with our stuff. >> I was gonna say, yeah, we needed to help.
(20:10) Maybe that's going to kill it right away. >> So, if you take the closet out of the mix, because that to me that's that's the win. Like, if you're in a a space and you're like, "Hey, there's a closet there >> full of clothes, of course." >> Or or not, throw your throw your like Nerf guns out or whatever, put some put some all your Pokemon cards or whatever you got in there and then hang some clothes in there.
(20:31) >> Yeah. >> Or or some blankets. >> But you need Yeah. You need Exactly. You need like material to absorb the sound. and fluffy. >> And that that's going to sound freaking amazing. >> It's surprisingly good. >> Yeah. Like it does the thing because your your enemy >> I I think you're the professor, but I think it's that first reflection just hitting whatever's there and it's coming right back at you, right? And you like you can do the experiment.
(20:54) You walk up to a wall and talk and you sound awful when you hear yourself. Exactly. >> Right. Whereas then if you walk up put your head in the closet and talk, you sound pretty nice. >> So I think it's it's that the experiment is that simple. But now Cornelius doesn't have a closet. >> Cornelius's closet is full of Nerf guns.
(21:10) >> Probably >> obviously Nerf guns. Why did I think of Nerf guns as the thing that the closet is full of? >> I said Vancouver trip devolving. >> That's part of your devolving process. >> Uh, you know, for me, you would like I would say I would say choose a corner in your room. >> Yeah.
(21:32) and just like try to pile up a bunch of moving blankets or something. They are the best for that, you know, and they are cheap. >> They're cheap. >> Okay. Amazon, you can get like six huge blankets for what, 50 bucks or whatever. >> Yeah. So, it's like maybe less than 100 bucks, but man, they're going to serve you well. It going to look ugly.
(21:49) >> It's not going to be good-look, but man, it's going to do the job pretty well. >> That's like me. >> It does the job pretty well. You do the job pretty well. >> Yeah. Not good looking, but I get it done. You know, >> John, just stay quiet. I'm just sipping my tea here. >> Doing with my own. It's empty.
(22:05) You're pretending. You just pretended. >> No, there's still a bit in there. >> You're faking it. >> Yeah, it was a fake sip. >> It was an awkward fix. >> But yeah, it's going to do the job. >> The other option is to to buy the thing. They sell the thing. >> They do lots of things. They're not cheap, >> but they do. >> Why are they not cheap? I think because they probably selectively choose frequencies.
(22:29) They probably do some other advanced >> math and probably because they have to make them and market them and so they cost more than moving blankets. >> But, you know, I think if you want really hit it, throw a mattress there, then some moving blankets. Like you can build your own multi-layer. >> You could >> that's going to probably perform better >> than an all-in-one thing.
(22:45) >> Yeah. >> The all-in-one thing is nice though cuz it doesn't take up your whole room. >> No. No. Exactly. And you can move it. You want your >> I never tried them. >> You have your your iMac with a handle. You got your mic thing. You can just take your whole studio. >> Yeah, the big G5 computer. No, but yeah.
(23:01) Um, but I would Yeah, if you don't have like the budget for that little thing that I never tried before, to be honest. >> Uh, yeah. Go with the blankets. >> Yep. >> Or the mattresses, you know. Put that in the corner. And then you you can experiment. You like you sing facing the corner, but also do do it the opposite way. Yeah.
(23:17) >> You know. Um, so cuz you know, let's face it in theory. >> He said, "Let's face it." >> That was a nice, you know. Yeah. So, so if you you sing towards the mic, the capsule is right in front of you. So, in theory, everything at the back of you is also going to be captured. So, if you know, sound is bouncing back >> and coming back to you, it's going to hunt you down >> in theory.
(23:38) >> However, when we did the test in the closet, >> you know, you were you were like facing inside the closet, not like totally inside in a way. and it didn't cause any problem, you know, so it kind of did the job very well even if the back of you wasn't treated. >> It's true. >> Okay. So, there's that, too. >> But I you were pretty deep, so I don't think there was a chance for uh any sound to come back to go out of the closet for, you know, to begin with.
(24:07) Anyways, uh what I'm saying what I'm saying it's worth to try it out anyways, you know. So try facing the >> bunch of closet you have at the corner or just do it the the other way around. See how it goes. >> Go get it, Cornelius. >> Get those Get those Nerf guns out of there and let it rip. >> You got this. >> He's got this.
(24:24) >> Yeah.
