In this Tuesday Tip, Chris quickly goes through the downloading process, as well as the interface of Spitfire Audio’s excellent free plugin LABS. There’s also a musical example, so you can hear it in use. LABS is great for experimentation, getting the creativity going, or just for sample based instruments that fall a little bit outside the norm.
Studio Walls or Stage Monitors? A Veteran’s Take on Sound That Travels
This week on Inside the Recording Studio, Chris & Jody are joined by live sound maestro Raymond Gronvall—a seasoned vet whose resume stretches from high-decibel tours to finely tuned studio sessions.
Together, they pull back the curtain on the real-world differences between live sound engineering and studio production. From the adrenaline-fueled chaos of mixing FOH (front-of-house) to the meticulous precision of crafting mixes in controlled studio environments, Raymond breaks down what separates the two—and where they overlap in unexpected ways.
Plus, hear firsthand how Ray lands high-profile gigs, adapts on the fly, and still finds ways to keep it fun on the road. Whether you’re just building your home studio gear, navigating recording setup tips, or secretly eyeing that live FOH board at your next gig, this episode has something to level up your audio know-how.
Oh, and as always… expect a touch of nonsense. It’s how we roll.
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Gear we used: Jody’s Mic & Voice Chain: Telefunken C12 – Groove Tubes Vipre – Apollo – UA Neve 1073 – UA LA2A – UA Studer A800 Jody’s Channel Strip: iZotope RX Spectral DeNoise – iZotope RX Mouth DeClick – UA Neve 1073 – UA LA2A – UA 1176E
Chris’ Mic & Voice Chain: Slate ML1 – Apollo – UA – Slate VMR (FG12, FG73, API Eq, SSL 4kE) – iZotope RX Voice – DeNoise Chris’ Channel Strip: Eventide Precision Time Align – iZotope RX Spectral DeNoise – iZotope RX Mouth DeClick – UA Neve 1073 – UA LA2A – UA 1176E
In this short video, Chris shows you how to create ‘Dreams Strips’ in the Virtual Mix Rack from Slate Digital. A quick way access strips that get heavy use.
Note: There is a maximum of 8 Dream Strip slots available, so you may have to delete some to make space for yours. You do this by simply clicking the star in the preset menu of the Dream Strip you want to remove.
