Studio Stuff

Chris Selim & Steve Dierkens

The Studio Stuff Podcast is your go-to home studio hangout, where music production, mixing, recording, and mastering meet real talk, practical advice, and the occasional lousy jokes. Hosted by Chris Selim and Steve Dierkens, this isn’t a dry, technical lecture—it’s a laid-back, no-BS conversation about making great music with the gear you actually have. Expect real-world insights, gear, and technique debates, plugin obsessions, and plenty of laughs along the way. Plus, we love hearing from you! Send in your questions, and let’s figure this whole studio stuff thing out together.

  1. Ep 45 - Your Smartphone Knows Your Mix Has a Problem, Do You?

    -5 J

    Ep 45 - Your Smartphone Knows Your Mix Has a Problem, Do You?

    Studio Stuff Podcast #45 | Your Phone Knows Your Mix Has a Problem. Do You? We get into three listener questions this episode, and at least one of them might change how you check your mixes going forward. The first question comes from Northern California, and it is one we have probably all experienced but never quite pinpointed. A listener notices his mix sounds great in the car and on AirPods, but something about the iPhone speaker makes his reverb sound harsh and brittle. When he tries to fix it, the mix loses something on the other playback systems. We dig into what the phone EQ curve is actually doing, why reverb returns tend to live right in the problem zone, and why other people's mixes don't have the same issue on the same device. The phone is not broken. It is telling you something true. The fixes we talk through: high pass and low pass your reverb return as a first move, add a touch of pre-delay to separate the wet from the dry, and check the whole thing in mono while you are at it. We also make a small promise to ourselves to start checking mixes on our phones more often, which is either a great habit or a rabbit hole. Probably both. The second question is about signal flow. Specifically, what is the advantage of routing your mix to a stereo bus group channel rather than going straight to the output? We walk through how we each handle this in our sessions, why the output channel stays completely clean in both cases, and what happens if you run room correction software like Sonar Works and forget to bypass it before you bounce. Chris also explains why keeping that group bus as a middle man makes it easy to import your mix bus chain from a previous session into a new one, which took a few extra words to explain but is genuinely useful. The third question is a bonus, and it is a good one. Does anyone actually track their time on a mix, and if so, how? Steve uses his feelings. Chris blocks time by the day and lets the song fill the window. We also look at a free plugin called Project Time Pro by Hoffa that logs your session time automatically the moment you open the session. Great concept, one small flaw involving an open Cubase session and a backyard barbecue. You'll Learn: Why the iPhone speaker exposes reverb problems that other playback systems let slide The two-move fix for harsh reverb on phone speakers: high pass and low pass the return, then add pre-delay Why pro mixers EQ their reverb returns way more than most home studio producers realize The case for keeping your output channel completely free of plugins How a stereo bus group channel makes your mix chain portable between sessions Why blocking time might be smarter than tracking it, and what a free session timer actually does to your workflow Topics and Stories: The phone speaker that knows too much Why Chris is finally going to start checking mixes on his iPhone The Sonar Works bypass you absolutely cannot forget before bouncing Steve's feelings-based approach to pricing flat-rate mixes The goldfish and the bowl Project Time Pro and the barbecue problem Listener Q&A: We had three great questions this episode. Keep them coming. Submit yours using the form in the show notes or leave a comment on YouTube and we will get to as many as we can.   👉 Got a question for us?📩 Submit it here: Form LinkWe pull topics directly from your questions and YouTube comments. And if you’re digging the show, hit follow/subscribe and leave a quick review.It really helps more home studio folks find Studio Stuff.

    21 min
  2. Ep 44 - Stop Choosing Mics Based on Price (Do This Instead)

    9 MAI

    Ep 44 - Stop Choosing Mics Based on Price (Do This Instead)

    Studio Stuff Podcast #44 | Mic Shootouts, Genre Comfort Zones, and the Music We Love Mixing You've got two mics, one singer, and a session to run. Which one do you reach for? In this episode, we dig into that exact scenario, starting with a great question from Johnny in Denmark. He's got a Rode NT1 and an SE V7, and he wants to know how to think about the choice. We break down the real decision-making process: it's not about which mic is "better" on paper. It's about tone, sibilance, room sensitivity, how much work you'll have to do in the mix, and what the song actually needs. We get into why sibilance is often the first thing that eliminates a mic, why a dynamic sometimes just solves problems a condenser can't, and why committing to two mics at once is a completely valid move when you're still learning what your gear does. We also talk about building an internal catalog of your mics over time, so eventually you walk into a session and already know where to start. Then we shift into Ian's question: what genre do we feel most comfortable mixing and mastering? The answer comes pretty quickly for both of us, and it connects directly to where we each started. You'll Learn: How to run a real mic shootout that actually tells you something useful Why sibilance is a red flag worth eliminating early How room acoustics affect which mic makes sense for a session Why testing across dynamics (verse to chorus) matters as much as tone What it means for a mic to "photoshop" a voice before you even hit record How genre familiarity shapes what you listen for when you mix Topics and Stories: The new breakfast spot (Korean barbecue bowl, and yes, it won) Johnny's mic question: Rode NT1 vs. SE V7 for home studio vocals The SM7B's embarrassing habit of winning shootouts it shouldn't Multi-mic recording as a learning tool Ian's genre question: rock, jazz, country, and why "people music" keeps winning Steve's salsa dancing backstory (and Jessie making him look good) Listener Q&A: Big shoutout to Johnny from Denmark for the mic question, and to Ian for sending in a two-parter. We tackle the first half of Ian's question this episode, what genre we feel most comfortable mixing, and we're saving the second part for an upcoming show. Got a question for us? Drop it in the comments on YouTube or hit the link below to fill out the form.   👉 Got a question for us?📩 Submit it here: Form LinkWe pull topics directly from your questions and YouTube comments. And if you’re digging the show, hit follow/subscribe and leave a quick review.It really helps more home studio folks find Studio Stuff.

    25 min
  3. Ep 43 - The Da Vinci Problem: Knowing When to Let Go of Your Mix

    1 MAI

    Ep 43 - The Da Vinci Problem: Knowing When to Let Go of Your Mix

    Studio Stuff Podcast #43 The Da Vinci Problem: Knowing When to Let Go of Your Mix You've been in the mix for hours. It sounds pretty good. You think it sounds pretty good. But you keep going back in, tweaking, adjusting, making that one last pass. Sound familiar? In this episode, we dig into the question MCC member Frank Robinson sent our way: how do you know when to stop? And is anyone ever actually happy with their final mix? We also get into a comment from our friend KP, who wants to know whether mixing in Cubase versus Pro Tools actually makes a sonic difference. Spoiler: it's mostly about who's driving. You'll Learn: Why the last five percent of a mix can take longer than the first eighty percent What "pushing food around the plate" actually means as a creative signal How the sleep test, the scrolling listen, and the AirPods check each serve a different purpose Why time-constraining your mix sessions might be the most practical habit you can build Whether your DAW choice genuinely affects your sound, and what actually does Topics and Stories: The Da Vinci problem: why art is never finished, only abandoned Chris's graveyard of mixes he refuses to listen to anymore Moving furniture in a prison cell as the perfect metaphor for overmixing Steve's logic-to-Pro Tools workflow and why he uses two different tools for two different jobs The rich guy with thirty cars: which one do you take to church, the track, and the road trip? Why Chris drives a Volvo and Steve has a Ferrari, a Bugatti, and several Hondas Listener Q&A: Big shoutout to Frank Robinson from the MCC! His question: how do you decide when to stop tinkering and call the mix done? And is anyone really fully happy with their final mix? We spend a good chunk of the episode on this one because it deserves it. We also dig into a comment from KP, who floated the idea of a Cubase vs. Pro Tools mix-off. We address the DAW question seriously, and then immediately give KP a hard time about the competition idea.   👉 Got a question for us?📩 Submit it here: Form LinkWe pull topics directly from your questions and YouTube comments. And if you’re digging the show, hit follow/subscribe and leave a quick review.It really helps more home studio folks find Studio Stuff.

    23 min
  4. Ep 42 - Mixing, Mastering, and the Mindset That Separates Them

    17 AVR.

    Ep 42 - Mixing, Mastering, and the Mindset That Separates Them

    Studio Stuff Podcast #42 | Mixing, Mastering, and the Mindset That Separates Them You finish the mix, you're happy with it, you slap Ozone on the master bus... and now what? Do you keep tweaking? Do you bounce and walk away? Do you send it somewhere? One listener question about Tonal Balance Control opened up a conversation we've been circling around for a while, and this episode is where we finally went there. We're talking about the mixing vs. mastering mindset, whether tools like Ozone belong on the mix bus, how AI mastering services fit into a real workflow, and why your answer to all of this probably depends more on your personality than your plugins. You'll Learn: Why Tonal Balance Control works great as a monitoring tool, not a mix bus effect What separates a "mix-mastering" workflow from a proper two-stage process When it makes sense to leave Ozone committed and keep tweaking the mix around it Why Chris and Steve approach this completely differently, and why both approaches hold up What AI mastering tools are actually good for, and where they fall short Why mastering your own music is one of the best kept secrets for getting better at mixing Topics and Stories: Edward Stashko's listener question about Tonal Balance and Ozone on the mix bus The Cubase control room advantage and why Steve is smug about it Chris's recent shift toward mix-mastering and why he's owning it Sending mixes out: Nashville, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Sterling Sound in New York What happened when three mastering engineers got the same single Steve officially becoming a grandpa in the Denny's parking lot Listener Q&A: Big shoutout to Edward Stashko for this week's question. He asked whether running a mix through Tonal Balance Control before using Ozone as an automated mastering tool produces a better result, and whether tweaking after the mastering stage creates problems that could have been caught earlier. Edward, you cracked this one wide open. Great question.   👉 Got a question for us?📩 Submit it here: Form LinkWe pull topics directly from your questions and YouTube comments. And if you’re digging the show, hit follow/subscribe and leave a quick review.It really helps more home studio folks find Studio Stuff.

    23 min
  5. Ep 41 - NS-10 Translation in 2026: Emotion, Mixing, and What Actually Works

    11 AVR.

    Ep 41 - NS-10 Translation in 2026: Emotion, Mixing, and What Actually Works

    Studio Stuff Podcast #41 | NS10 Translation in 2026: Emotion, Mixing, and What Actually Works What does emotion in music actually mean? And does your mix have to make someone cry to count as art? We got a comment on our Angine de Poitrine episode that sent us down a rabbit hole, and we're not mad about it. In this episode, we're responding to a listener comment that challenged whether technical genius can actually be a form of emotional expression. Then we pivot into something every home studio mixer has wondered about: is the old NS10 translation theory still valid in 2026? Two very different conversations. One throughline: what does it mean for something to actually work? You'll Learn: Why awe and admiration are legitimate emotional responses to music How the NS10 theory made perfect sense in its era and why it needs more context today What mix translation actually means with AirPods, Bluetooth speakers, and modern monitoring in the picture Why "sounds good on bad speakers, sounds good anywhere" now comes with a few asterisks Topics and Stories: The Dirk Campbell comment calling Angine de Poitrine's playing "musical parkour" and why we pushed back Why cathedrals, the Olympics, and a guy spilling wine while distracted by a YouTube clip all ended up in the same conversation Chris's confession about borrowed NS10s appearing in his old YouTube videos Why the speakers in your car and living room all basically sounded the same thirty years ago, and how that changed everything Listener Q&A: Shoutout to Mastermind on YouTube for the NS10 question. We get into the full translation theory, why it made sense in its day, and how monitoring has evolved enough that it's now more of a checkpoint than a rule.   👉 Got a question for us?📩 Submit it here: Form LinkWe pull topics directly from your questions and YouTube comments. And if you’re digging the show, hit follow/subscribe and leave a quick review.It really helps more home studio folks find Studio Stuff.

    19 min
  6. Ep 40 - The Omelet Crisis and How Many Reverbs You Actually Need

    4 AVR.

    Ep 40 - The Omelet Crisis and How Many Reverbs You Actually Need

    Studio Stuff Podcast #40 | The Omelet Crisis and How Many Reverbs You Actually Need Alright, the steak omelets are gone and the vibes are… fragile. But despite the breakfast tragedy, we’re digging into a topic that separates the bedroom demos from the pro records: Reverb. Specifically, are you using it to make things "wet," or are you using it to create a 3D space? In this episode, we answer Cornelius’s question about how many reverbs are too many. We talk about why we’ve moved away from the "one size fits all" reverb buss and how we use EQ and compression on the reverb itself to keep things clean. Plus, we address a listener who thinks Steve is crazy for needing to "acclimate" to his mixing headphones. (Spoiler: Steve might be crazy, but he's right about the headphones). You’ll Learn: Why reverb is actually a dimension tool, not just an effect The "Feel vs. Hear" rule for modern vocal processing How to EQ your reverb returns to stop them from eating your mix Why "Critical Listening" requires a different brain state than the gym or the car The reason professional reference headphones feel like "learning a new language" Topics & Stories: The tragic loss of the Denny’s steak omelet (and Chris’s resulting mood) Steve’s philosophy on "sub-spaces" for snares vs. toms Why high-passing your reverb is the fastest way to a pro sound The difference between AirPods and reference-grade monitors Why Steve thinks you need to "re-learn" your ears every time you switch gear Listener Q&A: A massive shoutout to Cornelius for the reverb deep dive and to Rome 81 for calling Steve out on his headphone habits! We break down the technical difference between "casual listening" and "data-driven mixing."   👉 Got a question for us?📩 Submit it here: Form LinkWe pull topics directly from your questions and YouTube comments. And if you’re digging the show, hit follow/subscribe and leave a quick review.It really helps more home studio folks find Studio Stuff.

    19 min
  7. Ep 39 - The Music AI Can't Touch - And It's Going Viral

    28 MARS

    Ep 39 - The Music AI Can't Touch - And It's Going Viral

    Studio Stuff Podcast #39 | The Band That Broke the Internet (And What It Means for You) We lost the Denny's steak omelet. But we found hope for music. There's a band from Quebec called Angine de Poitrine, that stopped us mid-conversation and made us ask a question we hadn't thought to ask in a while: what does it actually sound like when human creativity has no ceiling? That's where this episode starts. And honestly, it's one of the more hopeful conversations we've had on this show." You'll Learn: Why micro-tonal, math rock music is so disorienting at first listen, and why that's exactly the point What makes this Quebec duo different from just "weird for weird's sake" How real, raw talent is the most durable weapon against AI-generated music Why the next generational band might already be building an audience right now How Steve trained his ears to trust the low end on reference headphones after years on speakers The EQ-boost technique that bridges the gap while your brain catches up Topics and Stories: The band from deep Quebec with more frets than you've ever seen on a guitar Why loop stations, quarter tones, and impossible time signatures somehow groove What Genesis, Rush, and 2112 have to do with a sold-out show in San Francisco Chris's daughter Kayla and son-in-law now casually listening to micro-tonal math rock in the car How Denny's became the emotional villain of this episode Listener Q&A: Huge shoutout to Ryan, who asked a great question about mixing on headphones after years of doing live sound. When you're used to feeling the PA in your chest, reference headphones can feel like mixing in a vacuum. Steve breaks down exactly how he made that mental shift, including the boosted EQ phase, why he gradually pulled it back, and the moment he realized he actually trusted his ears again.   👉 Got a question for us?📩 Submit it here: Form LinkWe pull topics directly from your questions and YouTube comments. And if you’re digging the show, hit follow/subscribe and leave a quick review.It really helps more home studio folks find Studio Stuff.

    22 min
  8. Ep 38 - Visual Mixing Tools in 2026: Smart Shortcut or Dangerous Crutch?

    21 MARS

    Ep 38 - Visual Mixing Tools in 2026: Smart Shortcut or Dangerous Crutch?

    Studio Stuff Podcast #38 | Mixing With Your Eyes: Visual Tools, Meters, and the Mix Bus Limiter Debate Can you actually mix with your eyes? Should you? We're diving into one of those conversations that sounds like it has an obvious answer, until you really start pulling it apart. This week, we're talking about the visual tools we actually use in our mixes: spectrum analyzers, tonal balance plugins, phase correlation meters, LUFS readouts, and more. We get into when they help, when they hurt, and how to keep them in their lane so they're working for you instead of turning your mix into a connect-the-dots exercise. We also celebrate a big milestone, one year on YouTube. If you've been watching and listening, this one's partly for you. You'll Learn: Why tonal balance tools like iZotope's Tonal Balance Control are about finding the ballpark — not the bullseye How freezing Pro-Q's spectrum display changed the way Chris hears his mixes Why the low end is where visual metering earns its keep (especially in untreated rooms) When to close the analyzer and just trust your ears and your instincts How phase correlation meters caught a real problem on a live MCC stream Why gain staging with your speakers off is not only okay, it's smart Topics & Stories: Steve's algorithm keeps serving him Chris's face, even at home, in his off time AJ calls in mid-recording via the "ring even on silent" feature, it works, everybody We talk about our favourite spectrum analyzer plugins (Tonal Balance Control, Ozone overlay, the Pro-Q freeze trick) Chris's journey through three different rooms and why metering became a survival skill We accidentally prove we've now been doing this long enough to repeat ourselves (we already did an episode on mixing full albums, we forgot) How ear fatigue makes your meters more trustworthy than your ears after hour two Listener Q&A: Big shoutout to Stefan Jorissen for this week's question: "Do you put a limiter on your two bus from the beginning of the mix? What are the settings, and do you adjust them during the mix or adjust the tracks to keep within the desired range?" We break down the different schools of thought, mixing into a limiter, using one as a bypass reference check, and why Chris eventually stopped mixing with one running the whole time (hint: his mastering engineer's limiter sounded a lot better than his).   👉 Got a question for us?📩 Submit it here: Form LinkWe pull topics directly from your questions and YouTube comments. And if you’re digging the show, hit follow/subscribe and leave a quick review.It really helps more home studio folks find Studio Stuff.

    27 min
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The Studio Stuff Podcast is your go-to home studio hangout, where music production, mixing, recording, and mastering meet real talk, practical advice, and the occasional lousy jokes. Hosted by Chris Selim and Steve Dierkens, this isn’t a dry, technical lecture—it’s a laid-back, no-BS conversation about making great music with the gear you actually have. Expect real-world insights, gear, and technique debates, plugin obsessions, and plenty of laughs along the way. Plus, we love hearing from you! Send in your questions, and let’s figure this whole studio stuff thing out together.

Informations

  • Création
    Chris Selim & Steve Dierkens
  • Années d’activité
    2025 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    47
  • Classification
    Tous publics
  • Site web de l’émission
    Studio Stuff

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