Step inside the world-famous Capitol Studios to witness the rare occurrence of a big-band recording session! Join the iconic Al Schmitt and renowned Capitol engineer Steve Genewick as they track MONK'estra, the band of jazz pianist and composer John Beasley. In the Studio A live room, the duo show where the musicians will be sat, explain how to achieve separation, and reveal their microphones of choice plus suitable alternatives. On the other side of the glass, you'll see what preamps are favoured depending on the source, and learn about the entire signal flow implemented for the session. Genewick discusses the sends for headphone mixes and effects, shares reverb settings, and gives a few useful tips for Pro Tools efficiency. Al & Steve proceed to record the sixteen musicians live through the Neve 88RS, the result of which sounds almost like a finished record!

We are proud to present our first ever series on tracking with star mixer Chris Lord-Alge! Hosted at studio B of the world-famous Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, CLA tackles a recording session with rock band Phil X & The Drills. Our detailed footage of the experience shows every step of the process – live space considerations, microphone choice and placement, instruments, amplifiers, DI boxes, Neve 8068 console setup, signal routing and processing, gain staging, phase correction, headphone mix creation, recording the band live, adding overdubs, production and arrangement, level metering, sample rate, bit depth, monitoring, and finishing the rough mix. Aside from sharing invaluable technical knowledge, Chris Lord-Alge imparts the reasoning behind his practical and efficient workflow, while advising on how this approach can be adapted to other environments and equipment.

Join us at The Village studios for a masterclass in creative recording techniques with engineer Sylvia Massy! Hosted at Studio A with rock band The Melvins, this in-depth series takes you on the journey from equipment choice and microphone placement to tracking, production, and the rough mix. Using a Neve 8048 console and outboard compression, Massy explains her signal flow and session setup, discusses the source material, and crafts her sound for drums, bass, guitar, strings, and vocals. She records live performances of the band, adds overdubs, and implements a few unconventional ideas of her own to culminate in an exciting rough mix of the song!