History
Banned and Topping the Charts: “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Written by Caitlin Vaughn Carlos In 1984, Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s debut single was dominating the charts, while simultaneously banned from the airwaves by the BBC. The song was a synth-pop masterpiece, and took its time to get there. Producer…
Songs That Changed Music: Mr Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra
Written by Paul Tingen Mr. Blue Sky is inarguably one of the most instantly recognizable songs of all time. It is also the most upbeat song ever released. A cognitive neuroscientist has delivered a scientific foundation for Mr. Blue Sky…
From Child Star to Music Legend: Stevie Wonder and “Superstition”
Written by Caitlin Vaughn Carlos and Kieran Vaughn At the start of the seventies, Stevie Wonder moved from child star to a full-fledged, adult creative artist. His success and musical prowess, along with expansions to Motown’s operations, offered him a…
How Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads Rose from the Ashes and Charted the Future of Metal in “Crazy Train” and the Blizzard of Ozz.
Written by Caitlin Vaughn Carlos Ozzy Osbourne has been at the forefront of metal since its inception. A founding member of Black Sabbath, Osbourne helped transform the world of hard rock music into what would be later understood as Heavy…
Albums That Changed Music: Breakfast In America by Supertramp
Breakfast in America is one of the most important rock albums of all time. With an estimated 20 million worldwide sales, Supertramp’s sixth album is in the top three of best-selling prog rock albums, only superseded by Pink Floyd’s Dark…
“Pump It Up”: How Elvis Costello and the Attractions turned Punk into New Wave
Written by Caitlin Vaughn Carlos Rock and Roll is often associated with excess; and by the end of the seventies, this image was clearly in the air. Even the outsider, cool young artists of Stiff Records found themselves lured…
The History of FAME Studios – Interview with Rodney Hall
Today, Warren sits down with the owner and operator of the legendary Fame Studios, Rodney Hall for one last final video, this time going over the intricate history of the space. Everything from Aretha Franklin to the Allman Brothers, this space…
“Tell Mama”: How an escape to Fame studios Reignited Etta James
Written by Caitlin Vaughn Carlos In 1967, Etta James’s career was in a slump, as the legendary singer faced personal struggles. Looking for a hit and an escape for his struggling singer, away from the temptations of the city, Leonard…
Aretha at FAME: Where The Queen of Soul Found Her Voice
Written by Caitlin Vaughn Carlos When Aretha Franklin entered Fame studios in 1967, she was undoubtedly a prodigious talent, but she hadn’t yet found the voice that would crown her the Queen of Soul. While the sessions have gone…
Artists Who Changed Music: Duane Allman
Duane Allman is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists who has ever lived. He can regularly be found in the top 10 of lists of greatest guitarists of all time, sometimes as high as number two, with only…
The Legendary FAME Studios Part Two
We've been diving into the historic studio, FAME in Muscle Shoals during the past week. We kicked off our FAME Studios Series with the infamous recording, Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett - one of the most important vocalists in RnB…
The Legendary FAME Studios Part One
We kicked off our FAME Studios Series with the infamous recording, Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett - one of the most important vocalists in RnB history. In today's episode, we take a look through the whole history right up to…
“Mustang Sally” and Wilson Pickett at FAME Studios
Written by Caitlin Vaughn Carlos In 1966, Wilson Pickett entered FAME studios in Muscle Shoals to record some of his most famous songs of all time, including the now legendary - “Mustang Sally.” Originally written by Pickett’s former Falcons…
Interview: Teddy Richards – Genre-Defying Guitarist
Today, we're sharing Warren's interview with the incredible Teddy Richards. About Teddy Richards After serving 30 years as Aretha Franklin's guitarist, Teddy Richards emerged as a gifted singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer and music publisher. Teddy has been hailed by the press as 'a…
Rewriting to Perfection: “Slave to the Rhythm”
In 1985, producer Stephen Lipson teamed up with Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow and Trevor Horn to create one of the decade’s most influential dance music tracks - “Slave to the Rhythm.” Originally intended for Frankie goes to Hollywood, the song…
The Definitive Interview: Stephen Lipson – World Renowned British Producer
Stephen Lipson is one of the UK’s leading record producers and songwriters. People say the test of a genuinely great record producer isn’t whether or not they’ve had a couple of hits but whether they can keep having them. If…
Bob Clearmountain Demos His Plugins
After being schooled by Bob Clearmountain himself whilst demonstrating the incredible Clearmountain Phases by Apogee, Warren took a visit to Clearmountain's home studio to find out all about his plugins and the things Warren may have missed during his initial…
Recording, Editing & Mixing Rock With Matt McQueen
Have you written a fantastic new song that your band is excited about? Maybe you’ve already performed it live – and your audience went nuts! Then, it’s time to take the next step:Turn it into a full-blown, professional production, ready…
SubMission Audio DoubleTap – The Low End Solution
Today, we're checking out SubMission Audio's DoubleTap Bass Dynamic Compressor alongside Adam Steel, Matt Lange, Mel Torres and Conor Nelson! You can buy the DoubleTap plugin here! They've also got some incredible We have heard a lot of great reviews…
Turning Classic Literature to Classic Rock: Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”
Across the seventies, Rush established themselves as leaders of the progressive rock sound, writing expansive songs with complex lyrics and musical explorations. But at the start of the 80s, the band encapsulated their complex musical ideas and progressive sounds into…
Artists That Changed Music: Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters is widely regarded as the most important blues artist of the second half of the 20th century. He was not only a prime exponent of the delta blues and the Father of electric and Chicago Blues, but he…
“New Rose” and The Damned: The Story of UK Punk’s First Single
In 1976, Punk music (although it was not yet called that) was a vibrant and underground movement making some powerful noise in the London Music scene. But what had emerged as a live music experience was first captured on tape…
Three Creative Drum Mic Techniques
Three Creative Microphone Techniques With Manny Nieto Today we're back with our incredible friend, Manny Nieto at his studio to learn more about creative microphone techniques no matter how many microphones you have got. Download the Mulittracks here Drum engineering…
Radio Ready Vocals Using Stock Plugins
Radio Ready Vocals Using Stock Plugins With Emiliano Caballero Today we're using only ProTools' stock plugins on the vocals. Emiliano has joined us again today to share how he creates stereo separation, ambiance, and depth using only ProTools' stock…
“Billie Jean” and the Hypnotic Power of A Singular Bassline
By the early 80s, Michael Jackson was already a household name as the youngest brother of the popular singing group the Jackson 5. But it was the second release from his 6th solo album Thriller, which catapulted the performer into…
How the Buggles Predicted the Future of Popular Music with “Video Killed the Radio Star”
At 12:01am on August 1, 1981 - MTV opened its debut broadcast with the perfectly titled “Video Killed the Radio Star.” Written several years earlier in 1978, Buggles co-founders Geoff Downes, and Trevor Horn, along with former bandmate Bruce Wooley…
The Shure SM57, the Most Popular Dynamic Mic Ever Made
The Shure SM57 is the definitive workhorse microphone. It’s ubiquitous across the world, from home project studios to world-renowned places like Sunset Sound. The microphone is rock solid, pragmatic in cost and usage, and highly effective. It’s impossible to miss…
Making Microtonal Music is Easier Than You’d Think
Welcome to this Tutorial Tuesdays article by Michael W. Dean, synth player in BipTunia. Author of $30 Music School. PRO TIP: I’d recommend that while you read this article, you listen to this Microtonal Playlist on Spotify. It has…
Chris Whitten: World Renowned Session Drummer (Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, The Pretenders)
Chris Whitten made a name for himself providing drums for the classic 80's hits 'What I Am' by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians and 'The Whole Of The Moon' by The Waterboys. He went on to appear on Paul…
Rock’s Greatest Eruption: How Eddie Van Halen Revolutionized the Guitar
Written by Caitlin Vaughn Carlos “Ed Van Halen is going to change a lot of lives around the world in the next 12 months” - Kim Fowly predicted in Phonograph Record in 1977. Van Halen had only recently been signed…
Rock and Roll on the Dance Floor: Behind the Music of “Let’s Dance”
Written by Caitlin Carlos From his early beginnings as Davy Jones, to his alien persona of Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie had spent much of the sixties and seventies, inventing and reinventing himself. The decade’s end culminated with the critically acclaimed…
The Incredible History of Hollywood’s EastWest Studios
EastWest Studios is one of the world’s premier recording complexes with an amazing history. The facility is located right in the heart of Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard and has been home to some of the most celebrated artists of the…
Engineer/Mixer Chris Fogel: Alanis Morissette’s Groundbreaking ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Turns 25
Chris Fogel is a GRAMMY-winning recording engineer and mixer based in Los Angeles, California. He has had the pleasure of recording and mixing scores and soundtracks for over 170 major motion pictures and television shows, including the Oscar-winning score to Black Panther,…
Testing: 12345 – The TG Console and the Abbey Road Album
Fifty years. It seems like yesterday. Fifty years ago, The Beatles’ Abbey Road was released to the world. One other album would follow, but we’d all learn soon enough that this one was truly their swan song, and one that…
Brian May’s Legendary Red Special – Then and Now
Brian May isn't just the guitarist in one of the most iconic rock bands of all time. Beyond the inimitable music he's created with Queen, May has lived a rich life as an astrophysicist, activist, author, and Victorian stereophotography enthusiast---as…
Michael Romanowski: Grammy-Nominated Mastering Engineer
Michael Romanowski is a Grammy-nominated mastering engineer from the San Francisco Bay Area, currently based in Berkeley. He is the owner and chief mastering engineer of Coast Mastering, as well as the co-founder and co-owner of an exclusive reel-to-reel tape record…
Al Schmitt: The Most Successful Engineer of All Time
Al Schmitt is a recording engineer and and producer. At 88 years old, with a career spanning 7 decades, Schmitt has won 23 Grammy Awards and recorded/produced over 150 gold and platinum albums. Needless to say, he is the most…
Legendary Luthiery: Scott Baxendale & the Baxendale Conversion Process
Scott Baxendale is a renowned luthier who began building custom instruments for Mossman Guitars in 1974. By 1978 he had joined the team at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville–one of the most well-known used, vintage, and collectible instrument dealers in the…
Earning royalties as a Producer in 2018 | FAQ Friday
FAQ Friday is our weekly episode where I answer your most frequently asked questions! How do you get your question answered? Leave thought provoking, conversation starting questions or comments on the videos! If you've been wondering about something, ask away!…
Did they high-pass in 1979? | FAQ Friday
FAQ Friday is our weekly episode where I answer your most frequently asked questions! How do you get your question answered? Leave thought provoking, conversation starting questions or comments on the videos! If you've been wondering about something, ask away!…
Audio Recording Through the Ages (This history of audio recording)
Ever wondered how sound technology developed to the advanced heights of today’s digital music production? It’s strange to think about, but less than 200 years ago no sound had been recorded...Ever. The music industry didn’t really exist as the technology…