What happens when a band doesn’t exist… but they chart on Spotify anyway?

In this episode, we dive into The Velvet Sundown—a band that’s racking up serious stream counts, releasing album after album, and might not even be real. Yup, it’s our first deep-dive into AI-generated music as a product, not just a tool.

We break down what makes AI music sound a little too perfect, how platforms like Spotify are involved, and why human imperfection might just be the thing that saves us.

Oh—and we share some old-school gear we still can’t let go of.

🎧 Why The Velvet Sundown might be the first full AI band
📉 What makes AI-generated music sound “off” emotionally
💡 How copyright law is trying (and struggling) to catch up
🤖 The difference between using AI as a tool vs as the artist
📻 Why human imperfections still matter in music

• Kyle's breakfast theory on French-sounding plugin names

• Chris’s 2003 Drummer 1960 preamp (and how he found it on eBay)

• Steve’s emotional duffle bag of old gear

• Why AI music might become its own Spotify genre someday

• The Kiss avatar concert tour (yep… that’s a thing)

• Catching a falling mic mid-recording like Spider-Man
  
  

Shoutout to Jewel (aka Steinway Goat) from MCC! She asked what gear we’re still emotionally attached to—and that kicked off a trip down memory lane with cassette 4-tracks, floppy disk sequencers, and first CD players.

AI music is here—and it’s not going anywhere. But what makes human music valuable might just become its own genre too: one that’s imperfect, emotional, and real.

📩 Submit your question here: Form Link
We’ll answer as many as we can in upcoming shows.

If you could go back in time and give advice to the younger version of yourself—the one just starting out in music production—what would you say?

In this episode, we get honest about the lessons we learned the hard way. From arrangement mistakes to gear addiction, from music theory regrets to what “pro” really means, we’re unpacking the biggest takeaways we’d love to hand off to the past versions of ourselves.

Plus, a few laughs about beard sniffing, beef tallow, and the strange but beautiful journey of the modern home studio musician.

🎯 Why a good arrangement is the real secret to a great mix
🎯 What music theory knowledge we wish we’d learned earlier
🎯 The misunderstood role of gear—and when it actually matters
🎯 How we define being a “professional” in audio (spoiler: it’s not about the Grammys)
🎯 Why mixing is just volume control (seriously)

🔥 The beard-sniffing church guy and the magical beef tallow
🔥 Why both of us feel imposter syndrome as musicians and engineers
🔥 How renting gear helped shape our early careers
🔥 The myth of “the pro”—and why it's time to ignore it
🔥 What makes a mix “mix itself” and how arrangement drives every decision

We tackle a comment from YouTube: “I love when a non-pro tells people what the pros do…” and unpack what it actually means to be a professional in the music industry.

A great song, a smart arrangement, and a confident mix approach beat expensive gear and elusive titles any day. If it moves someone? You’re doing it right.

📩 Submit your question here: Form Link
We’ll answer as many as we can in upcoming shows.

If you’ve ever looked at your DAW session and thought, “Where is everything going?”—you’re not alone. In this episode, we’re untangling the spaghetti of buses, groups, sends, and routing strategies that make up our mix sessions.

We’re walking through how we use group channels, why we (sometimes) skip the drum bus entirely, and when it’s worth creating multiple subgroups for just one instrument family. Plus, we revisit the pitch correction debate with a question from the audience that hits close to home: should you ever slap Auto-Tune on a vocal before even listening?

🎛 Why buses and subgroups are more than just "volume groups"
🎧 How to simplify complex mix templates with nested routing
🥁 Why Chris uses two drum buses—and what that unlocks
🎚 The difference between group channels, FX channels, and VCAs
🎤 When Auto-Tune is a helpful tool… and when it’s a crutch

• The breakfast place that finally shut down (we kinda saw it coming)

• Why Steve stopped using VCAs completely

• Chris’s stereo-only bus rule—and why it makes sense

• How parallel effects routing keeps your mix flexible

• The truth about vocal tuning and why every singer says “fix that”

Shoutout to Rome! We dig into their comment about pitch correction, Billie Eilish, and the art of leaving vocals raw. It sparked a great convo on how (and when) we approach to tuning.

Routing isn’t just about organizing your session—it’s about unlocking creative decisions. Whether you're a minimalist or a template wizard, the key is to make your workflow serve the music.

📩 Submit your question here: Form Link
We’ll answer as many as we can in upcoming shows.

We’ve talked recording, comping, editing… and now we’re wrapping up our vocal series with the good stuff—parallel compression, slap delays, long reverbs, throw delays, saturation, and all the FX that give your vocals that final polish.

In this episode, we break down how we set up our vocal FX chains—what plugins and routing we use, how we layer effects without cluttering the mix, and why sometimes less is more. Whether it’s slap mono or ping pong stereo, background vocal throws or a subtle vocal plate—this is the sauce that brings the whole thing to life.

We also dig into how we treat doubles, how we automate delay times, and the FX we put on a bus that nobody talks about… but should.

🎧 Plus, we answer a great listener question about how to stay objective when you’re mixing your own music—especially when the project drags on.

You’ll Learn:

• How we use parallel compression and saturation without overcooking it

• Our go-to delay chain: slap, long, ping-pong, and throws

• Reverb choices that don’t get in the way (plate vs room vs ambient)

• Where background vocals live in our mix—and why they get their own world

• Smart delay automation tricks that bring life to a vocal phrase

• Why we route vocals and instruments separately before the final mix bus

• The “parallel wine” joke Chris couldn’t resist

• Steve’s go-to EchoBoy presets (and how he automates delay time)

• The magic of combining plate and ambient reverb

• Using lesser takes as doubles—and why it works

• How we process background vocals with width, air, and even chorus

• The mystery of the smiley-face EQ on the final vocal bus

Huge thanks to S. Conway for the thoughtful question on mixing your own music. We share our personal struggles with staying objective—and what finally helped us get over the mental roadblocks of “over-listening.”

Vocal FX are about feel. Use templates, sure—but know when to break the rules. Let the vocal lead, and let the FX serve the story.

📩 Submit your question here: Form Link
We’ll answer as many as we can in upcoming shows.

We also dig into how we treat doubles, how we automate delay times, and the FX we put on a bus that nobody talks about… but should.

🎧 Plus, we answer a great listener question about how to stay objective when you’re mixing your own music—especially when the project drags on.

You’ll Learn:

• How we use parallel compression and saturation without overcooking it

• Our go-to delay chain: slap, long, ping-pong, and throws

• Reverb choices that don’t get in the way (plate vs room vs ambient)

• Where background vocals live in our mix—and why they get their own world

• Smart delay automation tricks that bring life to a vocal phrase

• Why we route vocals and instruments separately before the final mix bus

• Our favorite channel strip tools and vocal compressors

• Chris’s take-your-pill alarm goes off mid-recording

• Why Steve buckled a CL1B into the passenger seat of his car

• The truth about "nonsense plugins" and when we finally let them go

• Mixing vocals with your speakers turned way down

Shoutout to Jim Kelly from Kilkenny, Ireland! We tackle his question about routing and processing MIDI drums—and how we decide whether to use the plugin processing or start from scratch.

Vocal FX are about feel. Use templates, sure—but know when to break the rules. Let the vocal lead, and let the FX serve the story.

📩 Submit your question here: Form Link
We’ll answer as many as we can in upcoming shows.

This week, we’re turning the mic around—literally.

Chris and Steve explore what it’s really like to record vocals on your own, in a home studio setup where you’re the singer, engineer, and producer… all at once. From gear choices and room noise to workflow hacks and accidental plumbing victories, this episode is both practical and painfully relatable. If you’ve ever chased the perfect take while dodging noisy kids, furnace hums, or the neighbor’s lawnmower—this one’s for you.

Self-recording is equal parts freedom and frustration, but with the right mindset (and a bit of creativity), it can also be incredibly rewarding.

• How to choose the right mic when recording yourself

• Why committing effects while tracking can actually be freeing

• Tips for building a self-recording workflow that won’t kill your vibe

• How to control tone with mic distance and positioning

• Ways to deal with room noise, family noise, and fan noise

• Why using two different mics for lead and background vocals can help your mix

• How to stay creative (and sane) while recording solo

• The reality of tracking vocals in a non-soundproofed house

• What to do when your perfect take is ruined by kitchen chaos

• Using mic position and off-axis techniques to tame harshness

• The joy of experimenting when no one’s watching

• How Chris’s plumbing failure turned into a vocal tracking lesson

• Workflow hacks: wireless control, DAW shortcuts, and phone/tablet remotes

• Using different mics—or even different mic angles—for variety in background vocals

• Why your forehead might actually sound great (don’t ask)

• Embracing late-night sessions and finding the quietest window to record

• Dealing with the curveballs of self-engineering: distractions, delays, and duct-taped mic tricks

Lyndon Aguilar from Manila asks: “Can you mix with closed-back headphones without using any of the AI sound-reference tools?”
Chris and Steve unpack the pros and cons, when they’d use them, and why headphone EQ (with or without emulation) makes a big difference—especially outside of the studio.

Recording yourself is a creative playground—messy, unpredictable, but full of freedom. Set up a workflow that inspires you, control what you can, and embrace the rest. Some of your best takes will come from the most unexpected moments.

Pro Home Recording with Cubase shows you how to get clean, polished recordings using the tools you already have.

From setting up Cubase properly to recording vocals, drums, guitars, and more—this course gives you a clear, step-by-step workflow that saves you hours of frustration and makes your tracks easier to mix.

➡️ Start recording like a pro with the tools you already own.
Check out PRO HOME RECORDING WITH CUBASE

Let us know in the comments or tag us on socials—we’d love to hear from you!

Got a question for a future episode?
📩 Submit your question here: Form Link
We’ll answer as many as we can in upcoming shows.

This week, we (Chris and Steve) are diving into one of the most emotional and surprisingly complicated parts of making music—recording vocals. It all started with a delayed omelet and a questionable bathroom comment, but somehow we ended up exploring everything from mic choice to the psychology of singers. If you’ve ever hit record and wondered why something felt off, this episode’s for you. It’s not just about capturing a voice—it’s about creating the right vibe, building trust, and knowing when to step back or push forward.

• Why vocal performances are more emotional than technical

• The importance of preamp vs. microphone selection

• Tips for managing compression and monitoring while tracking vocals

• The real reason some singers soar while others sink

• Why your talkback mic can make or break a performance

• How to manage singer "maintenance" and build trust

• When and how to comp and pitch-correct vocals
  
  

• Chris and Steve’s breakfast saga and the birth of the phrase "You go boy"

• The magic of choosing the right mic (and why it’s often not the most expensive)

• Monitoring secrets: how much vocal in the cue mix is too much?

• Why compression (recorded or not) can boost singer confidence

• Real talk about tracking reverb for singers

• Singer psychology: understanding pitch problems, fear, and vocal fatigue

• Why first lines matter most—and why they’re often recorded last

• Manual pitch correction workflows and the value of comping immediately

• Studio pranks, honesty, and the art of talkback diplomacy
  
  

Andy Tullus asks: "When using drum samples, should you try to find ones that are tuned to the original drums? Does it matter?" Chris and Steve unpack their philosophy, focusing less on pitch and more on character, vibe, and the "woof woof" vs "ping ping" factor.

Vocal recording is about building trust, emotional safety, and giving the singer an environment that brings out their best. The gear matters—but how you guide and respond to the performance matters more.

If you're ready to craft pro-level vocal mixes using only the tools in Cubase, check out my course:
The Ultimate CUBASE MIXING Masterclass
This course was made to help home studio folks like you take the guesswork out of mixing vocals and finally feel confident hitting export.

What’s your biggest challenge when recording vocals? Drop your thoughts below or tag us on socials!

Got a question for a future episode?
📩 Submit your question here: Form Link
We’ll answer as many as we can in upcoming shows.

Chris and Steve kick off this episode with some laughs and lighthearted banter about Fahrenheit vs. Celsius and the quirks of 24-hour time—but things quickly take a turn into one of the most honest and overlooked conversations about analog gear: what if it’s not just about the sound?

This episode dives into the emotional and tactile side of using analog hardware, exploring whether the real appeal is how it feels rather than how it sounds. Plus, for the first time ever, they bring a listener (and friend!) on live to join the discussion.

✅ Why analog gear still brings joy—even when digital sounds just as good
✅ The "psychology of the knob" and how physical gear can change your workflow
✅ Why "pleasure" might be a more important reason to use analog than we admit
✅ Chris and Steve’s favorite toys (not just tools!) in their studios
✅ Simple, real-world practices to get better at mixing every day

• Fahrenheit vs. Celsius, 24-hour clocks, and the struggle is real

• Sebastian's question: Is analog about sound or pleasure?

• Why touching a knob just feels different (and why that matters)

• Steve’s years with an SSL console—and why it’s now in storage

• Chris’s controller setup and the joy of not rolling around on a carpet

• What would you do if your mom gave you money for a big studio day?

• Listener Kyle calls in from his car (or maybe his new home?)

• The most fun pieces of gear we own—and why we love them

• Favorite mixing routines and how to actually practice mixing like a musician

• Why reverse-engineering a snare can make you want dinner and cry
  

Analog gear isn’t always about the audio quality. Sometimes, it’s about joy, inspiration, and the feeling of being connected to the process. And maybe—just maybe—that’s enough.

What’s your take on analog gear—do you use it for the sound, the feel, or both?

Drop your thoughts below or tag us on socials! We'd love to know what gear brings you the most joy in the studio.

We’d love to hear from you!
📩 Submit your question here: Form Link
We’ll answer as many as we can in upcoming shows.