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.
Create Any Effect You Want With the Empress ZOIA
Have you ever wanted to build your own effect from the ground-up? Or maybe you feel like there can never be enough knobs to tweak, buttons to press, settings to adjust. Enter the Empress ZOIA modular synthesizer pedal — nay a workstation — allowing full customization, creation, and synthesis all in one compact stompbox form-factor. […]
A Neve in Your Bedroom? Re-Amping Drum Tracks with JHS Channel Strips
When we think of a vintage console, the word “color” comes to mind. The way each channel strip on a console processes the audio being pushed through it is affected by what’s available on that specific console, including the EQ, the transformers, etc. These days, you don’t need a physical unit to get that warm, […]
Perfect Pairings: EarthQuaker Devices ZEQD-Pre + Gamechanger Audio Light Pedal
What happens when you marry real tube warmth with authentic spring reverb? A Perfect Pairing, that’s what! In this episode of Perfect Pairings, the EarthQuaker Devices ZEQD-Pre and the Gamechanger Audio Light Pedal team up. The ZEQD-Pre delivers foundational, tube-driven warmth and a lively dynamic response to any guitar signal. The Light Pedal then opens […]
Room to Breathe: The Role of Reverb in Drum Mixing
Not everyone has access to incredible studio live rooms with 20-foot ceilings and tuned acoustics. But when it comes to home studio recording of drums, the first real red flag for an amateur recording will likely be how the drums sit in the mix. Veteran mix engineers know that reverb above all else can be […]
Here’s a Deep Dive into the Line 6 Helix Stadium XL
The next great era of Line 6 Helix is here with the Line 6 Helix Stadium XL. Featuring Agoura modeling, the Stadium XL delivers unprecedented responsiveness, sound, and playing dynamics in one tour-ready floorboard. The 8-inch touchscreen makes building out your ideal rig easy, and the 12 high-contrast OLED scribble strips transform workflow from juggling […]
Lauten Audio’s Kick Mic and the Case for Purpose-Built Drum Mics
For home producers who track real drums in less-than-ideal rooms, kick capture is often the part of a session that eats time and patience: a boom that will not sit, attack that disappears under room modes, and a long chain of EQ and gating to try to fix it. The Lauten Audio Kick Mic addresses […]
Universal Audio Volt 876: Eight Channels of Real Hardware Tone for the Home Studio
Universal Audio’s Volt 876 turns your home studio rack into a small tracking room without turning it into a project. It’s not trying to be a flagship console, and it’s not pretending to be an Apollo. What it is is an eight-preamp, multichannel USB recording front end that gives you actual hardware color, fast workflow, […]
Video: A Deeper Dive into 2000s Portastudio Tones with the JHS 424 Gain Stage Pedal
Have you ever thought about getting those early-2000s tape Portastudio tones on the go? The JHS 424 Gain Stage was inspired by the gritty, warm, unmistakable tone of the TASCAM Portastudio 424’s input channel. This pedal recreates the subtle compression, harmonic saturation, and lo-fi character that made the original a cult favorite among bedroom producers […]
Watch: Spin up Vintage Rotary Textures With Boss’ RT-2 Rotary Ensemble
Rotary speaker cabinets have been the source of incredibly unique tones for decades. But their size and weight make them impractical for use on the go. That’s where Boss comes in! The Boss RT-2 Rotary Ensemble pedal distills the tones and textures from a rotary speaker setup into a compact stompbox. The Boss RT-2 features […]
