Nick started playing guitar in 2004 and stepped in as a drummer for his band shortly thereafter. Nick honed his performance and production skills with his projects released on labels like Deathwish Inc., Flesh & Bone, Save Your Generation, and more. At zZounds, Nick handles all Bass, Drums, and Effects Pedals marketing, and he’s a huge fan of Fender Telecasters, fuzz pedals, his Marshall JTM 45, and DW Drums. Other loves are Formula 1, house cats, and Michigan history facts.
Doubling Guitar with Synthesizers
Many engineers have employed a “secret sauce” for mixing thick bass tracks that involves adding a synthesizer-doubled track to create a sonic profile with seemingly endless low end (at least to the human ear.) This is common knowledge to most recording artists and has been practiced for years on countless records and sessions in most […]
Mix Character into Drum Tracks with Wurst
A drum track can make or break a song, or even a record as a whole, so it’s of huge importance to nail the recording process of drums, and — in a perfect world — accomplish the tricky feat of adding character to your tracks. This is where the “Wurst” drum mic method comes in. […]
Using Dynamic Microphones for Recording Vocals
For many of us, the age-old picture of a recording studio likely includes the large console with motorized faders, bass traps and sound diffusion panels mounted on the walls, and of course a large diaphragm condenser microphone equipped with pop filter. Though this isn’t a misrepresentation by any means, it muddies the waters in what […]
Studio Take: Fender American Elite Telecaster
With the American Elite series, Fender took it upon themselves to create a modern take on their classic models that would fit in with the ever-changing “pro-level” tier of guitars. The Fender American Elite Telecaster is the latest incarnation of a true American classic, updating virtually all of its components, starting from the pickups and ending […]
Mixing Stereo Guitar Tracks
If you’re a solo artist looking for more bite on guitar tracks for your studio album, or in a multi-guitarist band trying to figure out a good balance when tracking, here are a few basic tips for hitting the studio to record and mix your stereo guitar tracks. Start at Tracking Arguably, the biggest mistake […]
zZounds Studio Take: Taylor GS Mini-e Bass
Today we are taking a look at the highly anticipated darling of NAMM 2017, the Taylor GS Mini-e Bass guitar. Four strings on a GS Mini has long been a dream for many bass players, and now they can rejoice, because now they can have the best of both “travel” and “full-sized” worlds! This shrunken […]
zZounds Studio Take: Ernie Ball Music Man Valentine
In studio today we’ve got the Ernie Ball Music Man James Valentine Signature Guitar. Valentine is the guitarist for Maroon 5, a very eclectically voiced band with tracks ranging from R&B to pop to rock. Released last year by Ernie Ball Music Man, the Valentine Signature is one of the most comfortable signature guitars I’ve ever had the […]
Sterling and Music Man Signature Models Comparison
Ernie Ball Music Man and Sterling by Music Man have been known for nearly 40 years as “player guitar” brands. Both offer high-performance instruments fit for the touring and studio musician alike. The biggest differences between the brands are country of origin — Music Man instruments are American-made in San Luis Obispo, California, while Sterling is made […]
zZounds Studio Take: Supro Westbury
Recently in the zZounds studio I had the pleasure of noodling around on a blast from the past made modern again: the Supro Westbury. This guitar jumped out at me from the first glance with its gorgeous looks coupled with a fast satin neck and vintage-toned gold-foil pickups; let’s get into it. The Look The first […]
