Inside The Recording Studio - Unlock remarkable tips and tricks for improved recordings in your studio. Unusually great for beginners and professionals.

February 10, 2023

General, Plugins

How to Enhance Your Music Production with Esoteric Effects

Reverb? Delay? Pssh. Cute. Chris and Jody are cracking open the toy chest and pulling out the weird stuff. This week’s Inside the Recording Studio is all about esoteric effects — the ones you don’t admit to using at parties but secretly love.

Want to crush a vocal until it sounds like it came through a Game Boy? Done. Want to warp a guitar into a ghostly, otherworldly pad? Easy. Want to make your mix sound like it’s breathing through a broken spaceship airlock? We got you.

This isn’t your “five plug-ins every producer needs” kind of episode. Nope—we’re diving into the strange, the misunderstood, the “why-does-this-even-exist” effects that somehow make everything cooler when you use them right.

Chris and Jody share their faves, their “don’t-try-this-at-home” moments, and how to sneak these oddballs into a track without wrecking the vibe. Think of it as audio interface troubleshooting for your creativity. Spoiler: you’re gonna want to hit the bypass button less often after this one.

******************************

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

Master: Oek Sound Soothe 2 – iZotope Ozone Imager – iZotope Ozone Maximize.

******************************

If you want to collaborate, sponsor a podcast, donate, or want us to review your product – contact us at: collaborate@insidetherecordingstudio.com
February 3, 2023

Vocals, Workflow

Autotune Secrets Revealed: Inside Look at the Best Vocal Tuning Software and Plugins

Vocal Tuning or Not Vocal Tuning – That Is the Question

Vocal tuning. Instrument correction. The mere mention of it can spark heated debates in studios and online forums alike. Is it cheating? Is it necessary? Or is it simply part of the modern DNA of music production? In this episode of Inside the Recording Studio, Chris and Jody jump headfirst onto the autobahn of decisions and tackle the hot-button issue: to tune or not to tune.

Why Talk About Tuning?

Because love it or hate it, tuning is everywhere. From polished pop vocals to subtle guitar intonation fixes, modern music often leans on tuning tools to achieve professional results. Chris and Jody bring an honest, balanced perspective to a subject many avoid, asking: What’s the line between correction and overcorrection?

Tools of the Trade

The duo break down what they personally use for tuning and when they decide to apply it. They talk through the major players in the tuning world, from industry giants like Auto-Tune and Melodyne to DAW-native solutions that make quick fixes possible. Along the way, they offer recording setup tips to help avoid problems at the source, so you’re not relying on tuning as a crutch.

More Than Just Vocals

While vocals usually grab the spotlight, Chris and Jody expand the conversation to other instruments too. Bass guitars, strings, horns—anything can drift out of tune, and sometimes subtle correction can save an otherwise stellar take.

Pitfalls and Possibilities

Of course, there are pitfalls to watch for: unnatural artifacts, “robotic” vocals when they weren’t intended, or even losing the emotional essence of a performance. Chris and Jody dive into how to avoid these traps and how to decide when tuning serves the song—or when it’s better to leave a little imperfection in for character.

Why You’ll Want to Listen

This episode isn’t a lecture—it’s a real conversation about a sensitive but vital part of music-making. With humor, honesty, and the occasional bit of nonsense, Chris and Jody give listeners a toolkit for making informed choices about tuning in their own work. By the end, you’ll understand not just how to tune, but when to tune, and why the decision is ultimately about serving the song.

******************************

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

Master: Oek Sound Soothe 2 – iZotope Ozone Imager – iZotope Ozone Maximize.

******************************

If you want to collaborate, sponsor a podcast, donate, or want us to review your product – contact us at: collaborate@insidetherecordingstudio.com
January 27, 2023

Workflow

Production Candy: How to Use It For Professional Quality Music
Sweetening Your Mixes with Production Candy

Every great track has that little something extra—the sparkle, the ear-candy, the unexpected detail that keeps listeners coming back for another taste. In this episode of Inside the Recording Studio, Chris and Jody unwrap the tasty subject of production candy: what it is, why it matters, and how to use it without overloading your mix with sugar.

What Is Production Candy?

Production candy refers to the small but powerful details that make a mix feel alive and exciting—things like ear-catching delays, unique percussion hits, reversed effects, synth flourishes, vocal doubles, risers, or even quirky one-off sounds. They aren’t the main ingredients of a song, but they’re the sprinkles that make the production pop.

Chris and Jody dive into the elements that make up production candy, exploring both classic techniques and modern twists that give tracks personality.

Why Think About It?

Used wisely, production candy can:
- Keep listeners engaged by adding moments of surprise.
- Highlight transitions between sections of a song.
- Reinforce the vibe of a track without overshadowing the core instruments.
  But as the duo point out, there’s a fine line between “flavorful detail” and “sugar rush overload.”
Avoiding the Pitfalls

Chris and Jody talk about overused elements of production candy, like riser effects, predictable vocal chops, or cookie-cutter sweeps that can make your track feel generic. They share tips for keeping production candy fresh, tasteful, and unique—so it serves the song instead of distracting from it.

How to Implement It

Listeners will also get practical advice on implementing production candy into their own workflow. From recording setup tips in a DAW, to layering ideas with home studio gear, to finding hidden features in studio gear that can generate creative sparks, Chris and Jody offer actionable insights that can instantly elevate your production.

And, in classic Inside the Recording Studio fashion, there are plenty of personal stories, opinions, and a splash of nonsense to make the conversation as entertaining as it is informative.

By the end of the episode, you’ll know not only what production candy is, but also when, why, and how to use it to take your mixes from solid to irresistible.

******************************

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

Master: Oek Sound Soothe 2 – iZotope Ozone Imager – iZotope Ozone Maximize.

******************************

If you want to collaborate, sponsor a podcast, donate, or want us to review your product – contact us at: collaborate@insidetherecordingstudio.com