• MainStage Secrets: Hidden Features in Studio Gear You Need to Know



    Apple’s MainStage is more than a shiny logo—it’s a performance powerhouse. In this episode, Chris & Jody break down why MainStage is the unsung hero of live rigs and home studio gear alike. From navigating its role as a flexible plugin host to uncovering hidden features in studio gear, they cover how this tool streamlines touring setups and enhances recording workflows. You’ll learn which instruments thrive inside MainStage, how to optimize your recording setup tipsto prevent mid-show meltdowns, and why producers are quietly sneaking it into their sessions. Of course, Chris & Jody sprinkle in their signature humor, a few cautionary tales, and wrap it all up with this week’s Friday Finds—gear gems you won’t want to miss. Whether you’re a road warrior, a bedroom producer, or a gear junkie, this episode shows why MainStage may just be your next secret weapon.

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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

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

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

  • Unlock Your Mixing with These 10 Incredible Mixing Tips and Ideas!



    Mixing is part science, part art, and part learning how not to let your hi-hat eat your guitar alive. In this episode of Inside the Recording Studio, Chris and Jody lay out 10 powerful mixing tips designed to make your workflow more efficient and your mixes more effective.

    Covering the fundamentals and beyond, they break down practical strategies for EQ, compression, volume levels, panning, delay, and more. These aren’t abstract “trust your ears” mantras—they’re actionable ideas that can make an immediate difference in how your tracks come together. You’ll learn how to balance frequencies so instruments don’t clash, how compression can shape energy instead of just squash dynamics, and how subtle level changes can transform the feel of a mix.

    Chris and Jody also emphasize workflow. By applying these 10 ideas, you can save time, reduce decision fatigue, and focus more on creativity rather than troubleshooting. Along the way, you’ll hear about one memorable session where a hi-hat and guitar collided in the worst possible way—and how they solved it.

    Of course, this is still Inside the Recording Studio, so while you’ll get solid recording setup tips and practical know-how, you’ll also get humor, banter, and a healthy dose of nonsense. Because let’s face it—mixing is easier when you can laugh about the chaos.

    Whether you’re working on your first song in a bedroom setup or refining your workflow with pro-level home studio gear, these 10 tips will sharpen your skills, speed up your process, and give you a fresh perspective on how to approach mixing.

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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

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

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

  • From Overwhelm to Outstanding: Mastering the Madness of Endless Music Tools!



    In the modern recording landscape, we’re spoiled for choice. Plugins, hardware, virtual instruments, sample libraries, mixing suites—the list is endless. But is more always better? In this episode of Inside the Recording Studio, Chris and Jody take a thoughtful look at the overload of music tools available to today’s producers, engineers, and musicians.

    They ask the questions many of us avoid: Do we really need all these options? Does having too many choices help creativity—or paralyze it? And more importantly, how do you strike a healthy balance between embracing new technology and relying on tried-and-true methods that keep you productive?

    From the perspective of seasoned pros, Chris and Jody break down how they personally navigate the sea of plugins and gear. They talk about curating their toolkits, knowing when to add something new, and knowing when to stop chasing the latest shiny thing. Along the way, they’ll share recording setup tips, highlight some hidden features in studio gear that are often overlooked, and reflect on how restraint can actually sharpen creativity.

    This isn’t about gear shaming—it’s about workflow clarity. You’ll hear about the role of home studio gear in modern production, when too many plugin folders become a burden instead of a benefit, and why mastering engineers sometimes succeed by keeping their toolchains minimal. And, as always, you’ll get a dose of humor, banter, and a little nonsense as Chris and Jody wrestle with their own gear temptations.

    If your DAW looks like a candy store but you still find yourself stuck, this episode is a reminder that sometimes the best music comes not from having everything—but from knowing how to use what you already have.

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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

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

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

  • Sample Libraries Uncovered: How to Manage Like a Pro for Efficiently Organizing and Future-Proofing Your Collections



    Sample libraries are both a blessing and a curse. They’re the lifeblood of modern production—massive collections of meticulously recorded instruments at your fingertips. But when those libraries start eating up terabytes of drive space, clogging file paths, and slowing down your workflow, they quickly become a headache. In this episode of Inside the Recording Studio, Chris and Jody tackle the practical (and sometimes painful) subject of managing and storing sample libraries.

    This isn’t a “here are our favorite sample packs” kind of chat. Instead, the duo breaks down best practices for keeping your libraries tidy, clean, and future-proofed. You’ll hear about external vs internal drives, SSD vs HDD for different use cases, and strategies for spreading libraries across multiple disks without breaking your DAW’s ability to find them.

    Chris and Jody also share tips on folder structures, naming conventions, and why simply dumping everything into “Samples” is a recipe for chaos. They’ll cover backup strategies, how to prepare for inevitable drive failures, and ways to migrate your collection if you upgrade your computer system.

    And because this is Inside the Recording Studio, you’ll also get humor, war stories, and some playful jabs at the sheer absurdity of libraries so big they could rival NASA’s data servers. It’s practical, relatable, and entertaining—perfect for anyone whose home studio gear is groaning under the weight of too many gigabytes.

    By the end, you’ll have actionable recording setup tips to make your sample libraries faster to access, safer from disaster, and easier to navigate—so you can spend less time scrolling through endless folders and more time making music.

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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

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

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

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