We recently got the chance to sit down with Periphery guitarist Mark Holcomb before a show at Chicago’s House of Blues. Mark gave background on his history with Periphery, shed the details on his signature PRS guitar — which boasts several subtle but seriously unique features — and even offered some advice for up-and coming bands. Check it […]
Since the dawn of touring, bands have used vans to get from show to show, stuffing gear and luggage alike into trunks like a game of Tetris. In 2022 my band planned a tour that would see us traveling across Europe, but we ran into some interesting challenges along the way. Those challenges had me […]
If you’ve been following our songwriting series to this point, you’ve gotten tips on how to write an intro, pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge. We’ve reached the end, and to close the series out, we will cover how to write various post-bridge sections! This area of your song builds on your bridge with a final chorus, […]
Let’s face it, we can’t all have microphone lockers filled to the brim with every modern and vintage mic option available. Most of us find a pair of decent overhead mics and stick with them forever, or at least until that sweet, sweet upgrade comes around. Today in studio we’ll be looking at three distinctly […]
In our previous post, we explored the inner workings of constructing verse lyrics and themes. But where do we go after we’ve nailed that first verse? Most often, we go to a pre-chorus and/or a chorus. Approaching writing these two sections can be overwhelming given the amount of possible options you have to work with. […]
Each part of a song has an important function. Whether it’s the chorus, the bridge, etc., each section serves a structural and artful purpose. However, the first verse has a unique job: setting the foundation of your song. In this post, we will discuss using a variety of lyrical devices to create an effective first verse to […]
A high-quality preamp gives you a lot more than clean, low-noise gain. A preamp is the window through which your recorded audio passes, and the preamp you decide to use will impart its character to everything you record with it. If you think about your mix like a building, then you can see why having […]
Top-level recording studios all over the world have control rooms filled to the brim with expensive outboard gear, like compressors, preamps, and rack effect processors. Our home studio spaces are not as gear-filled but there’s still a ton of potential in them to track fantastic sounding records. A key to this potential lies at your […]
What is a melody? Chances are you already know, even if you don’t know the dictionary definition. If you have listened to music, then your instincts will tell you while you are listening, even if subconsciously. The great thing about melodies are that they can come from the voice or an instrument, making them an important part of […]