The Self-Recording Band
Benedikt Hain / Manel Espinosa Berenguer
Produce exciting sounding music yourself and release songs that you're proud of! Professional producers/mixers Benedikt Hain and Manel Espinosa Berenguer help you make your next DIY-recording session a success!
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 The Self-Recording Band Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Self-Recording Band episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Self-Recording Band for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Self-Recording Band episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
#44: Why Your Tracks Need Editing
The Self-Recording Band
12/16/20 • 57 min
Download the free Ultimate 10 Step Guide To Successful DIY-Recording here: https://theselfrecordingband.com/10stepguide
Download the free Frequency Chart / Spectrum Overview (Cheat Sheet) here:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/frequencychart
Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
In our last episode we’ve helped you find out how tight things need to be and what you can do to improve your performances. But it doesn’t end there.
If you’re brutally honest with yourself, while comparing your best raw takes to your favorite records, you will probably still notice quite a big difference in the quality of the performance.
Chances are your timing and intonation are still not 100% where they should be. And besides the fact that you’re probably comparing yourself to outstanding, world class musicians, the main reason for that is called editing.
Now, most people have at least some idea of what editing is, but they either
- don’t understand it completely
- doubt that it’s really necessary
- or they even believe that it hurts the music!
We want to debunk that theory, demystify editing and explain why it is such a crucial step, no matter if your music is supposed to sound organic or super accurate and polished. If you want to end up with a professional sounding record that resonates with people you need to understand the importance of editing.
You gotta understand how powerful it is as a tool to ENHANCE the feel and vibe of your songs, not destroy it.
In this episode we explain what editing can do for you, the different ways it can be used and we give you some practical, real world examples that might or might not surprise you.
For full show notes go to: theselfrecordingband.com/44
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
#21: Spice Up Your Recordings With Creative Reamping And Unique FX
The Self-Recording Band
07/08/20 • 52 min
Download the free Ultimate 10 Step Guide To Successful DIY-Recording here: https://theselfrecordingband.com/10stepguide
Join the free "The Self-Recording Band" Facebook community:
theselfrecordingband.com/community
"Everyone uses the same samples and amp sims", "everything's quantized and edited to perfection", "modern productions have no soul", "So many bands sound basically the same" - Well, here's the cure: Make your records sound special and exciting by using and creating sounds that are unique to your production and fit your vibe perfectly.
There are things that you can do during the actual recording, of course, but usually you need to focus on the performance, capture great takes and you don't want to paint yourself into a corner too early in the process.
That's where "creative reamping" comes in. It's the process of taking an already recorded signal, running it out of the computer into a pedal, an amp, a PA system, some weird sounding box, etc. and then capturing it again.
This can be done after the recording, without destroying the original file. And experimenting with it is almost a must, when you are self-recording. Because you have all the time to do this without having to pay for an expensive studio, you can go absolutely bananas here, if you want!
Run your vocals through guitar pedals, send your drums through a PA system into some crazy sounding room, use a boombox or kids toy as a guitar amp, use headphones as microphones, there are endless options to try.
In this episode we'll talk about some ideas and about how to actually do this. Stop making boring records and let's get wild!
For full show notes go to: theselfrecordingband.com/21
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
#195: Ady Parzentny – Travelling Music Producer (Hit The Road Music Studio) - Studioszene 2023
The Self-Recording Band
11/08/23 • 39 min
Here are three next steps for you to take:
1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!
It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.
Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.
Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:
What an episode we’ve got for you this week. Benny & Malcom sit down on the Studioszene Sofa with Ady Parzentny .
Ady Parzentny travels the world, helping locals and displaced people make and record music with his business Hit The Road Music Studio.
About 5 years ago, Ady started out by travelling around in a van with a basic studio setup. Supporting local artists by helping them record their tracks and even making music videos.
Visiting places like Morrocco, Albania and Greece has taught Ady that music is the gateway into a place’s culture.
Ady’s work also extends to helping bring some normality back to the lives of the displaced people he works with at refugee camps.
Welcomed wherever he goes, Ady talks about how the generosity of communities has made this possible.
We hear fascinating insights from Ady about how the most expensive mics are not suitable for recording out in the wild, working on a very tight budget and pigeon problems.
Let’s hear Ady’s journey and help spread the joy.
--
For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/195
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
#92: Q&A - Priorities, Committing, Gear, Live Recording & Snare Sound
The Self-Recording Band
11/17/21 • 49 min
APPLY FOR A FREE IN-DEPTH 1-ON-1 COACHING CALL WITH BENEDIKT:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call
Download the free Ultimate 10 Step Guide To Successful DIY-Recording here: https://theselfrecordingband.com/10stepguide
Download the free Live Recording Setup Guide here:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/live-recording-setup
Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
Benedikt's voice on this episode has been recorded with the Antelope Axino Synergy Core
--
November 2021 - Q&A - Part 2!
These are some of the questions and struggles from our community members that we've covered on the show:
"If I’m recording at home, my recordings end up sounding not as “full” as I’d like them to be. Is it because I struggle with using compression properly? Or is it my gear (SM57 + Scarlett interface)? Whatever it is, how do I get the most out of my recorded tracks?"
"What I’m struggling with is the final order of things. I do a static mix, then tweak till I have a better recording. But then what? The final mix-flow plan is what I'm missing. Not sure when it's ready for mastering. I just seem to keep tweaking. Never committing, knowing I can always change it."
"We are recording demos of our next album right now and for some of the songs we have our singer singing into the p.a. and then we mic the p.a.. This results in that "vocal" track being more like a room mic for the drums than the vox. Also because it's recording the speaker it’s incredibly muddy. I know you usually advise against recording vocals live, but for these demos its really helpful to know where the vocals come in and out."
"Why do you double mic the snare? I’ve done it before, but it didn't really work because i don't understand why you would double mic the snare in the first place on a fundamental level."
For full show notes go to: theselfrecordingband.com/92
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
264: This Is How Much We've Spent On Our Own Education - And What We Got Out Of It (Full Breakdown)
The Self-Recording Band
05/14/25 • 82 min
Your next step:
Figure out if you are a great fit for The Self-Recording Syndicate!
Our coaching community and platform is the number one way for DIY producers around the world to get results that they'll be proud of forever.
- Grow your audience on Spotify with songs that don't sound "demo-y".
- Be taken seriously by your peers, fans and other musicians.
- Make records that sound as good as your favorite songs in your playlist.
You have two options to get there:
- Apply for unlimited, personal 1-on-1 mentoring (results guaranteed) - This is by far the fastest and best way to achieve your goals. Your gonna be working 1-on-1 with an experienced studio pro until your project is done. On your own songs, from your (home) studio and in your DAW of choice.
- Sign up for any of our video courses on recording, editing, or mixing. All of the video courses include 90 days of group coaching and community access inside the Syndicate. You can upgrade the courses to 1-on-1 mentoring anytime.
If you apply for personal mentoring, we'll first jump on a completely free call so we can give you feedback, build a custom plan for you and help you figure out the best way forward.
🚀 Here are all the details, let's go:
--
Episode show notes:
I (Benedikt) want to make a super transparent episode, breaking down all the courses, coaching, seminars, events etc. I've bought over the years.
How much I've spent on them and what I got out of them.
Here's why:
I want to let you know that I practice what I preach. And that investing in my skills has impacted my life, my bands and my audio career in a massive way.
I wouldn't offer education to others if I didn't believe in it myself. And I wouldn't be a good coach if I had never experienced great education myself.
And Manel has invested heavily in his education, as well. Which is what brought him here. It has enabled him to have a full time career in audio
So, in this episode Manel and I are breaking it all down. The good, the bad, the ugly. Including the cost and the return on it.
We're sharing the key to getting a return on those things and our philosophy going into any type of education.
I'm also sharing what I've done when I was broke.
And I'm sharing different types of education and mentoring. Not just coaching and courses.
It's mainly focused on music and audio education, of course. But I'm also sharing examples outside of that.
Enjoy!
--
For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to: theselfrecordingband.com/264
--
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
262: Why Your Song Feels Off: The Truth About Tempo, Timing & Groove
The Self-Recording Band
04/30/25 • 63 min
Your next step:
Figure out if you are a great fit for The Self-Recording Syndicate!
Our incredible coaching community and platform is the number one way for DIY producers around the world to get results that they'll be proud of forever.
- Grow your audience on Spotify with songs that don't sound "demo-y".
- Be taken seriously by your peers, fans and other musicians.
- Make records that sound as good as your favorite songs in your playlist.
You have two options to get there:
- Apply for unlimited, personal 1-on-1 mentoring (results guaranteed) - This is by far the fastest and best way to achieve your goals. Your gonna be working 1-on-1 with an experienced studio pro until your project is done. On your own songs, from your (home) studio and in your DAW of choice.
- Sign up for any of our video courses on recording, editing, or mixing. All of the video courses include 90 days of group coaching and community access inside the Syndicate. You can upgrade the courses to 1-on-1 mentoring anytime.
If you apply for personal mentoring, we'll first jump on a completely free call so we can give you feedback, build a custom plan for you and help you figure out the best way forward.
🚀 Here are all the details, let's go:
--
Episode show notes:
This is an episode about the importance of choosing the right tempo for your songs and getting the timing and feel right.
Here's why this matters:
Way too many artists neglect this during their songwriting and preproduction process. But this affects the overall feel and impact of the song more than any plugin or mixing technique ever could.
And we're not just talking about the importance of choosing the right tempo. We're also showing you what we mean with timing and feel.
You'll be hearing different audio examples on the episode:
- Pulling vs pushing
- To grid or not to grid
- Adding a bit of a swing feel
We're also gonna talk about the difference between genres and styles, how to create tempo maps and a couple of interesting tips and tricks that we've learned over the years.
Enjoy!
--
For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to: theselfrecordingband.com/261
--
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
#184: My 2023 Mixing Template
The Self-Recording Band
08/23/23 • 134 min
Here are three next steps for you to take:
1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!
It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.
Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.
Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode Show Notes:
Something different this week as Benedikt walks us through his newly updated mixing template. Showing us the tools he uses to nail a mix, we take a peek behind the wizard's curtain.
A mixing template is a very individual thing, tailored to suit the workflow of the engineer, no two are the same.
This deep dive into Benedikt's mixing template will give you all the knowledge you need to create your very own custom mixing template setting you up for maximum creativity when it comes to the mixing stage.
Mixing templates are an ever-evolving thing of course and all of these decisions are made over time and with a lot of trial and error. But If you pay attention and understand the "why" behind Benedikt's decision-making here, you only need to do this once. Benefiting from the thousands of hours that Benedikt has spent at the mixing desk.
Follow along with the accompanying YouTube video to jumpstart your path to creative godliness. (AKA a good, functional mixing template)
In this deep dive episode Benedikt not only gives you insights into the tools he uses, but why he uses them. See an industry professional cover these topics:
- Drum bus & group bus routing
- The "why?" behind plugin choices
- Parallel sends
- Easy access to everything for speedy workflow
- Mixing in to the master bus
So grab yourself a pen & notebook and get ready to learn as Benedikt walks us step by step through his mixing template.
--
For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/184
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
#49: Home Studio Acoustics And Room Treatment - With Jesco Lohan (acousticsinsider.com)
The Self-Recording Band
01/20/21 • 90 min
Download the free Ultimate 10 Step Guide To Successful DIY-Recording here: https://theselfrecordingband.com/10stepguide
Download Jesco's 5 Steps To Recording Room Acoustics On A Budget here:
https://www.acousticsinsider.com/selfrecordingband/
Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Jesco Lohan is running acousticsinsider.com, an amazing resource on all things studio acoustics. He's got amazing articles, guide, tutorials and online courses on how to measure your room, build absorbers, etc.
Jesco is also:
- a platinum award winning mixer
- a leading expert on studio acoustics, who is well known in the industry and gets invited to speak at events, such as the URM summit, an audio conference, where he got on stage in Las Vegas.
- a studio designer who has designed and built countless studios
- a guest on many podcasts
- an author, who has written articles for magazines and blogs
- a fellow member of one of my mastermind groups, where we meet bi-weekly. This means I get to talk to him a lot and luckily, it was not too hard to convince him to do this for us! In fact, he was stoked and happy to bring his experience, knowledge and expertise to the show!
Listen to this episode and learn how to make your home studio room(s) work, so that you can capture great sounding source tones, trust what's coming out of your speakers and gain confidence instead of constantly doubting your decisions.
For full show notes go to: theselfrecordingband.com/49
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
#159: Home Recording 101 - If We Were To Start Over In 2023, This Is What We Would Do (And Buy) - Part 2
The Self-Recording Band
03/01/23 • 58 min
Here are three next steps for you to take:
1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!
It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.
Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.
Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:
Today we're going all the way back to day one of the home recording journey and talk about how to get started recording your own music.
We've been covering some pretty advanced topics, lately, so let's take a step back and discuss what we would do if we were to start over.
There's so much that goes into recording your own music that it can seem pretty overwhelming. And many people really don't need to hear about the advanced stuff everybody seems to talk about.
They just want to know: "How do I start? What gear do I need, how do I set it up and how do I get those first recordings onto my hard drive?"
This is part two were we cover how to set up your DAW and interface, so you can start recording and avoid the most common mistakes
Here's a step-by-step plan for you:
1. Set up the DAW & interface (Sample rate, I/O, interface control software, etc.)
2. Understand basic functionality and layout of DAW (editing window & mixer, project folders, file locations)
3. Make sure signals go in and out of your computer and interface
4. Avoid clipping and use the correct inputs of your interface
5. Figure out how to record without latency
On the episode we talk about exactly what to do at each step, of course.
Let's walk you through this!
-Benedikt
--
For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/159
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
#136: Making No-Compromise, Premium Drum Samples - With Dave Piatek (Room Sound)
The Self-Recording Band
09/21/22 • 98 min
Room Sound Premium Drum Samples:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/roomsound
BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH 1-ON-1 FEEDBACK CALL WITH BENEDIKT:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call
Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community
Benedikt's voice on this episode has been recorded with the Antelope Axino Synergy Core
--
Dave Piatek and his company Room Sound set out to make the ultimate, realistic, authentic sounding, premium drum sample libraries.
I've been using them for years and keep recommending them for this exact reason. They are my favorite drum sample company in the world, absolutely sound like a drum kit and blend really well with your recorded drums. It's mind-blowing.
So, we were always wondering what they might be doing differently. What's the secret? How the hell do you make a library like that? Are there best practices for us to follow, when we create our own drum samples? Or when we use those samples?
This episode gives you the answers and boy, did we underestimate what goes into all of this. 😅
Dave talks about the mind-numbing, insane amount of tedious detail work that's part of creating these libraries, as well as the incredible process that they came up with to make sure they get it absolutely 100% right every single time.
He explains how they made the new Kurt Ballou Vol. 2 library that just came out (this is late summer 2022), how they kept the drums perfectly in tune, how they captured and cut 36000 (!) hits accurately and how they created a super versatile kit that combines multiple world class rooms (Steve Albini's Electrical Audio), mic configurations, processing chains and even recording mediums in one plugin.
This one got me really excited and I'm stoked to share it with you now!
-Benedikt
PS: Sorry again, Dave, for completely butchering your name! What an embarrassing way to start an episode 😅
--
For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/136
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does The Self-Recording Band have?
The Self-Recording Band currently has 266 episodes available.
What topics does The Self-Recording Band cover?
The podcast is about Music Production, Music, Band, How To, Podcasts and Education.
What is the most popular episode on The Self-Recording Band?
The episode title '#19: How To Record Drums With Only Four Mics' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Self-Recording Band?
The average episode length on The Self-Recording Band is 59 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Self-Recording Band released?
Episodes of The Self-Recording Band are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of The Self-Recording Band?
The first episode of The Self-Recording Band was released on Mar 3, 2020.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ