Tube Tech

Blue May stands in front of the 1970s API 48-Channel Split record/ monitor console inside London’s RAK Studio 1 during a string session with engineer Ben Baptie seated at the Pro Tools station. Photo: Courtesy of Blue May.

Capturing The Vibe of Lily Allen’s ‘West End Girl’ – Part 3

By Lily Moayeri ⋅ Published: 02/11/2026

Producer Blue May brings in an A-team of talent for a five-week blitz—from songwriting to recording to final mix—in creating the raw, unapologetic sound...

Lily Allen singing vocals from the couch, while producer Kito tracks her in the control room of Blue May’s home studio. Photo: Chloe Angelides

Music Production

Capturing The Vibe of Lily Allen’s ‘West End Girl’ – Part 2

By Lily Moayeri ⋅ Published: 02/10/2026 ⋅ Updated: 02/11/2026

Producer Blue May brings in an A-team of talent for a five-week blitz—from songwriting to recording to final mix—in creating the raw, unapologetic sound...

UA’s Will Shanks inside chamber 2644 at Hitsville USA in Detroit during the research phase for the company’s Hitsville Reverb Chambers plug-in.

Business

Audio Gear Modeling Demystified, Part 2

By Mike Levine ⋅ Published: 10/22/2024

Take a peek behind the scenes at how developers simulate, re-create and emulate classic analog gear for modern workflows.

Softube’s Kim Larsson preparing to test components in a Tube-Tech SMC2B Stereo Compressor during a modeling project.

Business

Audio Gear Modeling Demystified, Part 1

By Mike Levine ⋅ Published: 10/21/2024 ⋅ Updated: 10/22/2024

Take a peek behind the scenes at how software developers simulate, re-create and emulate classic analog gear for modern workflows.

Boi-1da has worked with the likes of Drake, Eminem, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Juice Wrld and plenty of others. Photo: Martin Pilchner.

Facilities

Peek Inside Mega-Producer Boi-1da’s New Home Studio

By Steve Harvey ⋅ Published: 08/15/2024

Go inside the mega-producer’s new home studio, specifically built for the way modern records are made.

Nearly all live mics onstage are DPAs, including the 4015 wide cardioids used as underhangs on Travis Barker’s drumkit, extending out on arms from the cymbals. Photo: Manny Carabel/Getty Images.

Live Sound

Blink-182 Hits The Road ‘One More Time’

By Clive Young ⋅ Published: 08/12/2024 ⋅ Updated: 08/13/2024

Reunited after a decade apart, Blink-182 is blasting its way across North America with Clair Global and a team of audio pros along for...

Noah Kahan, seen here at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, belts nightly into a DPA d:facto 4018VL vocal mic. PHOTO: Jason Kempin/Getty Images.

Live Sound

Noah Kahan: Singer, Songwriter, Stadium Filler

By Clive Young ⋅ Published: 07/16/2024

Noah Kahan is the kind of artist who sells out multiple nights at Fenway Park but still writes a new song, posts it to...

Outboard-Gear

Warm Audio WA-1B – A Mix Real-World Review

By Mike Levine ⋅ Published: 12/11/2023

Warm Audio has released another hardware emulation of an optical tube compressor from Denmark that’s been a pro-audio staple since 1991.

Marc Carolan, Muse’s longtime FOH engineer, puts an Avid S6L control surface, numerous plug-ins on LiveProfessor and a range of outboard gear to use nightly.

Live Sound

Mixing Muse for the Masses on the ‘Will of the People’ World Tour

By Clive Young ⋅ Published: 05/18/2023 ⋅ Updated: 05/19/2023

The latest Muse world tour overdelivers with cutting-edge concert theatrics—and the same goes for its live sound.

Kenny Chesney’s 2022 tour marked the return of stadium shows as the country superstar played for 1.3 million fans across 41 concerts.

Live Sound

Cover Story: Kenny Chesney—Taking Here and Now to Another Level, Part 1

By Clive Young ⋅ Published: 11/03/2022 ⋅ Updated: 11/04/2022

Kenny Chesney’s 2022 tour, mixed by legendary FOH engineer Robert Scovill, marked the return of stadium shows this year, as the country superstar played...

After selling off his production gear in order to leave music, Grammy-winning producer Illangelo returned to the fold, spending a year working on The Weeknd's 'After Hours' album.

Music Production

From Purge to Perfection: Illangelo on Producing The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours’

By Keith Nelson, Jr. ⋅ Published: 06/04/2021

After selling off his studio gear in order to leave the music business, Grammy-winning producer Illangelo returned to the fold, spending a year working...

Music Production

Ghost-Engineering Meek Mill’s ‘Quarantine Pack’ EP

By Keith Nelson, Jr. ⋅ Published: 04/30/2021

Platinum-selling rapper Meek Mill thrives recording in an in-person setting, but the pandemic made that impossible. His longtime engineer Anthony Cruz shares how they...

Noise Nest's Studio A is centered around a split API 1608 console and a Slate Raven system.

Recording

Studio Spotlight: Noise Nest Invests in the Future

By Steve Harvey ⋅ Published: 01/20/2021

Inspired by pro skateboarder Rob Dyrdek’s now-defunct Fantasy Factory, producer/entrepreneur Nick Gross developed a small songwriting facility into Noise Nest, a sleek, new...