Recording

Legendary engineer Phill Brown has worked with the biggest names in music, from Led Zeppelin and David Bowie to Cat Stevens and the Rolling Stones. Asked to choose a favourite sound from his vast catalogue, he nominates the drum sound on ‘After The Flood’, from Talk Talk’s 1991 album Laughing Stock.

Yungblud capped a triumphant 2025 with a hit collaboration with Aerosmith. Long‑term producer Matt Schwartz was behind the desk.

Asked to nominate a favourite sound from his vast back catalogue, Jeff zeroes in on the drum recording for Shania Twain’s 1997 hit ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman’.

Guitarist Steve Rothery is the longest‑serving member of prog‑rockers Marillion, and here he details how he got his favourite guitar sound on Marillion’s ‘The Great Escape’.

To perfect Olivia Dean’s intimate, personal sound world, the artist and producer/songwriter Zach Nahome decided to step outside the studio.

Famed recording engineer and record producer Kyle Lehning started his recording career at the age of 18 in Nashville. His career trajectory saw him go on to work with a virtual Who’s Who of the American country music scene...

For their first major‑label release, Wolf Alice hired super‑producer Greg Kurstin to channel their inspiration.

Felipe Castro's Estudio Novena in Mexico City is just four years old, yet has already played host to artists from across Latin America, as well as global chart‑toppers like Charli XCX.

Producer, songwriter and multi‑instrumentalist Dimitri Tikovoï joins Kevin Paul to discuss his creative approach to recording and production, delving into his work  with bands like Placebo.

American‑born producer, engineer and mixer Dave Sardy has worked with household names including Bush, Johnny Cash, Oasis and The Who. A favourite sound from his impressive discography is the guitar drone on ‘(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady’ from Oasis’ 2008 album Dig Out Your Soul.

Five years in the making, Netflix’s smash hit animated movie tested its music production team to the limit.

Recording a band live in the room is always a challenge — especially when it’s led by a jazz legend who switches instruments without warning!

We conclude our primer on coincident arrays by exploring the theory and practice of Mid‑Sides miking.

Paul White and Hugh Robjohns address some of the most frequently-asked questions about home studio recording and production. 

Experienced American producer Bill Schnee picks the 1978 track 'Never Even Thought' from Colin Blunstone as the sound he's most proud of creating in the studio.

These audio files accompany my article titled The Drum Squash Mic Trick, published in SOS September 2025, and demonstrate the potential benefits of adding a fifth ‘squash’ mic to a basic four-mic setup on acoustic drum kits.

What I’m wrestling with here is whether the finished recording should be a document of what it was (via the stereo mic with the narrow stereo image), or the enhanced larger experience with the spaced mics.

Before plates and springs, the great studios of the ’50s and ’60s created magical ambiences through a mix of science and inspired guesswork.

When opting for a more minimal approach to drum miking, a compressed omni mic beneath the snare can pay dividends...

This third article of our stereo mini‑series explores how to manipulate the perspective obtained from coincident mic pairs.

Singer, composer, engineer, producer, mastering engineer and hurdy‑gurdy virtuoso, Anna Murphy is a woman of many talents.