Studio Stuff

Studio Stuff

Hosted by: Chris Selim & Steve Dierkens

The Studio Stuff Podcast is your go-to home studio hangout, where music production, mixing, recording, and mastering meet real talk, practical advice, and the occasional lousy jokes. Hosted by Chris Selim and Steve...

All Episodes

Episodes

Ep31 - Do Mixing Consoles Still Matter in 2026?

We started this episode the way all professional audio conversations begin… by accidentally starting a mini civil war at breakfast over hash browns. Then we pivot into two really solid listener questions: one about...
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Ep30 - AI in the Studio: What’s Useful, What’s Weird, What’s Coming

AI is no longer a “someday” conversation. It’s already baked into tools we use, workflows we rely on, and decisions we’re making in the home studio, whether we call it AI or not. In this episode, we break the whole...
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Ep 29 - Fix, Control, Enhance: The Vocal Framework Your Mix Is Missing

Alright… let’s talk about the question we hear constantly: “How many plugins do you use on a vocal chain?” Because the real answer isn’t a number. It’s a mindset. In this episode, we zoom out and talk about the...
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Ep 28 - Before You Buy Another Plugin, Ask This One Question

We started this episode sipping tea and joking around… and somehow ended up in a full-on therapy session about plugins. A listener comment kicked it off: “Sometimes it feels like I spend more time buying and setting...
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Ep 27 - The 1 Reverb Rule That Changes the Whole Mix

What happens when 17 mixers take the exact same piano-and-vocal song… and all make different reverb choices? In this episode, we break down a recent Mixdown Coaching Community mix challenge where one vocal reverb...
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Ep 26 - Mix Bus Magic: Why We Compress, Tape, Limit… and When Not To

We get asked this a lot: “Why put stuff on the mix bus?” Today we unpack the why and the how—from gentle bus compression that makes tracks move together, to tasteful EQ and tape for mojo, to mixing into a limiter for...
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Ep 25 - Studio Slang Decoded: What “Depth,” “Glue,” and “Vibe” Actually Mean

We all say it: “It’s muddy.” “Needs glue.” “Give it more space.” But what does that actually mean in practice? In this episode, we translate the most common mixer speak into specific moves you can make today, then...
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Ep 24 - Stop Inconsistent Mixes – Make Your Album Flow

Ever finish an album and realize every song sounds… just a little different? Yeah... we’ve all been there. In this episode, we dig into how to keep a full record sounding cohesive without killing the vibe or getting...
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Ep 23 - Mix as You Go vs Start Fresh: Where Does Mixing Really Begin?

Ever record with delays, reverbs, and panning to “get the vibe,” then wonder if you should wipe the slate clean before the final mix? In this episode we unpack where the mix actually begins—during tracking or at...
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Ep 22 - The Placebo Effect in the Studio: Are Your Ears Lying to You?

We’ve all felt it: you see the fancy meter, the iconic logo, the higher price tag—and suddenly it “sounds” better. This week we unpack placebo in the studio: how visuals and expectations shape our judgment, why blind...
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Ep 21 - The Mixing Debate: Science vs. Feel—Which One Actually Wins?

Do You Really Need Audio Theory to Mix Great? Some of us love the graphs. Some of us love the vibe. In this episode, we (Chris & Steve) talk about the sweet spot between technical knowledge and practical...
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Ep 20 - “Flat” Headphones: What It REALLY Means - with Rok Gulič (OLLO Audio)

Everyone talks about “flat” headphones for mixing… but what does flat actually mean? In this episode, we sit down with Rok Gulič of OLLO Audio to unpack the myths and realities behind flat response, low end,...
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