In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by musical artist/guitarist/engineer/producer/studio owner, Arielle (of Analog Acres), to discuss the role of home recording versus professional studios and how both can coexist.

Arielle shares her background—growing up in Northern California, studying guitar at MI at 16, engineering to trade for studio time, touring, and building a farm-based studio outside Nashville—plus her Brian May collaboration that led to the “Arielle” guitar model.

The conversation covers using home recording for simple demos to avoid “demoitis,” the value of structure and accountability in studios, limitations of recording alone at home, the importance of purpose-built rooms, costs of inputs/mics/interfaces, and why studios remain busy.

Arielle also discusses Analog Academy, teaching recording and songwriting in real time, and offers advice on focus, learning, business mindset, getting feedback on songs, writing more than needed, and batching tracking by sound.

00:00 Show Intro

00:47 Meet Arielle

02:04 From Queen inspiration To Touring

05:10 Building Analog Acres

06:45 Brian May Guitar Collab

10:17 Home vs. Studio Debate

12:25 Home Recording Sweet Spot

17:23 Safe Space And Structure

20:53 Wearing All The Hats

22:49 Analog Academy

28:09 Limits Of Home Studios

30:20 Rooms Matter Most

32:56 Studios Aren't Dead

33:37 Thoughts on AI

34:23 Why Studios Still Matter

35:11 Home Recording Costs

36:33 Studio Vibes and Culture

37:11 Why Sounds Homogenize

38:11 Analog Gear Identity

40:40 What Holds Artists Back

48:05 Is Your Song Ready?

52:15 Write More Than Needed

55:26 Batching a Record

59:58 Budgets Then and Now

01:01:35 Wrap Up and Credits

Check out Arielle at:

https://www.analogacres.com/

Instagram: @officialarielle

Analog Academy

----

Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to download the free ebook, "A Musician's Guide To The Recording Studio".

Hosts:

Roy Silverstein of Rarefied Recording (www.rarefiedrecording.com)

and

Brian Scheuble (www.brianscheuble.com)

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions please email Roy: info@rarefiedrecording.com

If you love this podcast, please leave a review on whatever platform you listen to your podcasts on.

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined again by guitar/drum tech and musician, David Mead, to discuss prepping your drums for recording.

This is a part two of our conversation with David that started last episode with a discussion on prepping your guitars. Since he is also a drummer and has a lot of experience dealing with drums too, we decided to have him back to talk about shells, heads, cymbals, and the like.

We also get into talking about tuning and dampening. Considering how important drums are for your recordings, this is definitely an episode to check out.

00:00 Show Intro

02:42 Why Drums Matter

04:38 Shells And Bearing Edges

10:42 Out Of Round Problems

14:38 Lugs And Hardware Fixes

16:31 Choosing Drum Heads

22:03 Coated Vs Clear Heads

24:35 Tuning And Head Seating

32:02 Tuning Technique And Tools

34:48 Drum Snobs

35:47 Tension Tuning Fails

36:47 Orchestral vs Ringo Tuning

38:10 Hands On Tuning Method

38:41 Bottom Head Strategy

40:56 Concert Toms

43:20 Impact of Shell Woods

45:03 Vistalites Live Vs Studio

46:13 Kit Sizes And Big Kicks

49:49 Cymbals

54:59 Cymbal Keyholing

56:36 Drum Treatments

01:00:16 Gels Tape And DIY Mutes

01:03:58 Cymbals Cant Be Fixed In Post

01:06:53 Choosing And Auditioning Cymbals

01:08:58 Wrap Up And Where To Find David

01:10:12 Final Outro Credits

Check out David at:

https://www.magneticheavenmusic.com

Instagram: @magnetic.heaven

Reverb.com store: https://reverb.com/shop/magneticheaven

-----

Drum tuning book:

https://www.drumacoustics.com/

----

Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to download the free ebook, "A Musician's Guide To The Recording Studio".

Hosts:

Roy Silverstein of Rarefied Recording (www.rarefiedrecording.com)

and

Brian Scheuble (www.brianscheuble.com)

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions please email Roy: info@rarefiedrecording.com

If you love this podcast, please leave a review on whatever platform you listen to your podcasts on.

In this episode of Prepping for the Studio, hosts Roy Silverstein and Brian Scheuble are joined by guitar tech and musician, David Mead, to discuss prepping your guitars for recording.

Drawing on his background in vintage guitar shops, auto body work, playing/recording/touring, and his Magnetic Heaven guitar repair/flipping business, David explains what a setup optimizes—action, fret buzz, intonation, etc.

He covers how climate and temperature shifts affect guitars, storage and humidification, and why setups may need adjustment after travel. For electrics, he highlights pickup height, noise/RF interference, and how magnet pull affects feel and tone. He also discusses string gauge and material choices, break-in time for recording, and preferences around new vs. used strings.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:33 Meet David Mead

01:26 Vintage Guitar Store Origins

02:49 Burnout and Recession Years

03:53 Auto Body Shop Lessons

05:54 Bands and Tech Philosophy

08:33 Back in Business on Reverb

10:38 What a Guitar Setup Fixes

11:48 Tension Changes and Fret Buzz

15:56 Intonation and Contact Points

23:22 Strings and Gauge Choices

27:11 When Setups Go Wrong

30:21 Truss Rod Discussion

33:34 Climate and Guitar Storage

34:35 Fret Sprout and Rehydration

37:09 Humidifying Methods

39:55 When Is a Guitar Totaled

40:35 Legendary Repair Stories

45:11 Why Martins and Gibsons Record Well

47:09 Electric Pickups and Noise

49:51 Pickup Height and Magnet Pull

51:52 Noiseless Pickups Debate

54:34 Strings for Studio Sessions

55:46 New vs Used Strings Timing

59:42 Drums Tease and Wrap Up

01:04:01 Show Outro and Credits

Check out David at:

https://www.magneticheavenmusic.com

Instagram: @magnetic.heaven

Reverb.com store: https://reverb.com/shop/magneticheaven

Please visit http://www.preppingforthestudio.com for more info and to download the free ebook, "A Musician's Guide To The Recording Studio".

Hosts:

Roy Silverstein of Rarefied Recording (www.rarefiedrecording.com)

and

Brian Scheuble (www.brianscheuble.com)

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions please email Roy: info@rarefiedrecording.com

If you love this podcast, please leave a review on whatever platform you listen to your podcasts on.