So, I was on my way to work today, when my phone rang - displaying an unfamiliar number.  With everything going on in my life, I decided it would be a good idea to answer it anyway. Turned out to be a really good idea. Last week, I decided to take the time to draw out plans for the studio and turn them in to the city for approval.  I ...

 So...  In what has turned out to be my monthly updates, I don't have much to report this time, as progress on the studio portion of the house has been waiting for the actual house to be built.  Right now, the studio is comprised of two large concrete boxes in my basement. What I do have to report on is something I hadn't expected...

 So, I just had a great day here in the basement where I live, while me and my family are waiting for our new home (and studio) to be built, and I found myself sort of pensive, so I thought I'd come down and write a few words, and see what comes out. Advanced Budget Studios began taking clients in August of 2009, using a single AT 3525 conde...

The studio walls are up!  ... and they are ... HUGE!  Honestly the level of excitement I have for this studio build is right up there with the excitement of my marriage and the births of my children.  I can't believe this is actually happening! Anyway.... I'll be posting more random updates on Facebook (which will link to publi...

Well, I'm happy to announce that after a month and a half of jumping through hoopes to get this thing off the ground, it has finally begun! The construction of the new home for Advanced Budget Studios has officially started, and I cannot tell you how excited I am. The only down part of this whole situation is - the waiting.  I anticipate t...

Below is a photo of how my little studio looks right now... Despite the fact that it's now nothing more than a bedroom, with piles of acoustic pucks and other audio paraphernalia scattered about, I've gotta say - "I'm over it." In 3 days, I'll say goodbye to this place, and begin anticipating the construction of our new abode, as w...

Wow...  I can't believe it's here. For those who don't know, Advanced Budget Studios resides as a single bedroom rigged up as a recording studio in my basement. Thanks to all of you, I'd like to announce, both sadly, and beyond excitedly, that I have outgrown this little single-room studio.  The acoustics, the size, and the location...

So I've been working on a lot of projects lately, but one I thought to be of particular note was the song "Blind World" by Lucid 8.  The song is well-made on a variety of levels, but one of the coolest aspects of this song is the way they presented it to me. Jonny (drummer for Lucid 8) came to me and asked if could incorporate an ...

So, a few years ago, when I had no idea what I was doing in the studio, a guy named Rich Bischoff contacted me and asked me to give him some drum samples from my studio.  He didn't call me back.  I don't blame him. hehe... So, for the past 3 years, I've been dedicating myself to getting the studio to be the absolute best it can possibly...

I don't even know where to start.  Let's start at the beginning... So, 10 years ago, I got a hair-brained idea to buy a keyboard and start writing and recording music.  Seven years ago I thought it'd be a good idea to get a mic kit for my drums to learn how to record drums better.  Three years ago the studio had its first paying c...

So... The studio has been missing an essential piece of hardware, which, in past recordings, we've wished we had.  Well, that problem has now been remedied.  After much hum-hawwing about what should be done to get our hands on a good figure 8 microhpone, we found the CAD Trion 7000. The microphone is precisely what we needed. Afte...

What a whirlwind, I tell you what. The usual cliche's about this being the busiest time of my life seem to pale against reality, so I'll just dive into the thick of it all. I've spent the past 3 weeks working intensely on getting the new studio up and running. Thanks to the help of my brother Ryan, my dad Ray, and a good friend, Jeff Stock, th...

You know you've got a great project when its name is "Herod Fink", and it's Christmas-themed with an alternative flavor.  Yeah...  I'm really enjoying life right now. Anyway, so far, this project has been a whirlwind, but one we definitely cannot get enough of.  we couldn't stand it anymore, so we posted a little diddy f...

 So, last week, a client came in who presented a song to me, and we proceeded to record it.  It quickly became a favorite of mine, and I've since decided to produce it up beyond what it was originally, with the permission of the owner, of course.  The song is an acoustic version of Yellowcard's "Ocean Avenue", and I really,...

Aside from being booked solid last week, Advanced Budget Studios has made some progress on the techinical side as well.  Up until now, we have only been able to handle 8 simultaneous streams of audio into the workstation, however, due to the success we've been having, we saw a need to upgrade.  We now have two M-audio delta 1010's synced ...

Just in case you haven't heard the latest about Tiny Boats' debut album release, a good friend of the studio, Matt Mylroie, a music producer in Florida, had these good words to say about The Broken Vessels. A portion is quoted below, where the full review can be found here. "This album is hard to describe, but it is a fantastic blend of ...

Soon after I began recording audio, I had a feeling I would be in the pursuit of an unattainable goal.  Finding that "perfect" recording space, or even creating that "perfect" recording would be difficult, if not entirely impossible. 10 years after I began, I was able to pour my heart and soul into a new recording space, ...

We've been contemplating how to best improve the studio with all the business we've been getting lately, and the votes are in! Please welcome our newest addition to the studio, a nice shiny new red GOLDEN AGE PRE 73 PRE-AMP!  We spent a good deal of time looking into the best preamps for the money, and it came down to two main contenders. ...

Okay...  So ABS mixed a song from a band I was in called EnZign a couple of years ago, and the song hasn't been touched since.  Well, I opened it up about a week ago, and found it a bit grating on my ears.  Here, take a listen and tell me what you think of that snare drum.  Talk about piercing. Anyway...  We decided to se...

So, I've had the opportunity for the past few months to work full time with clients from all over Utah Valley.  From the sweet harmonies of By Request's soft country swing, to the relentless brutal drive of The Suffering's hardcore sound, the longer I'm in company with musicians of this area, the more I'm convinced that Utah Valley seems to be...

I don't even know where to start.  Let's start at the beginning... So, 10 years ago, I got a hair-brained idea to buy a keyboard and start writing and recording music.  Seven years ago I thought it'd be a good idea to get a mic kit for my drums to learn how to record drums better.  Three years ago the studio had its first paying c...

Being an audio engineer full-time gives me the opportunity to meet a lot of musicians, and go through a lot of music.  Most of the music being recorded here is done by people who want to get a recording of a song or two that they want to post for their friends on social media sites, and that is great by me.  The more good music out for pe...

A while ago, Advanced Budget Studios had the privilege of working with the author of a great book in a voice-over.  The author's name is Phillip Jones, and his book is called Worlds of the Crystal Moon. When I was contacted to help out with the voice-over, I had no idea what to expect, and I wasn't sure what Phillip was expecting, either.&n...

Just in case you haven't heard the latest about Tiny Boats' debut album release, a good friend of the studio, Matt Mylroie, a music producer in Florida, had these good words to say about The Broken Vessels. A portion is quoted below, where the full review can be found here. "This album is hard to describe, but it is a fantastic blend of ...

So, in the business of audio recording, it doesn't get much more fundamental than 1. Room Acoustics, 2. Sound Source, and 3. Microphones. One of those three basics is about to get a serious upgrade here at Advanced Budget Studios. Today, Michael Joly of OktavaMod is modifying two Apex 205 ribbon microphones, and will be shipping them back ear...

 So, I noticed I haven't blogged about studio things lately, and I need to get with it. With that, let me just say this: Yeah...  See that picture there?   One of those babies are now in use at Art City Sound, and although it's a bit preliminary right now, as I've only had it 1 day, I can with certainty say, "The drums from ...

 So, if you don't know already, I have been one of two people obnoxiously pushing a kickstarter campaign for the last 3 weeks. The newly formed duo (Me, and Jesse Crowley) called "Tiny Boats" has been working on their debut album since early March of this year. Tiny Boats' music could be classified as the energetic...

First and foremost, I want to thank you all for your support.  It really has been an incredible journey, and there are so many people who have showed support for this little dream of mine, straight from the beginning. That said, the road in front of me is surely going to be one full of suprises, twists, and turns. For those of you who ar...

So, I've been surfing around the net today, figuring out how I'm going to work in the new website with the old one and what-not, and while doing so, I found out that apparently, Art City Sound is nothing but a big piece of Volvo heavy machinery.  Take a look at this link for proof.  (link here, too).   While you're at it, take a...

Since the studio's new shining star arrived, we've been having a lot of fun around here.  To be honest, the guy who was good enough to sell us our new MXL V77, couldn't say enough about this microphone, which unfortunately is no longer in production, so when it arrived, I had my hopes up quite high - possibly too high. So, after two successf...