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The Bias Lie: Why “Unsponsored” Gear Reviews Are Still Compromised
Getting sent thousands of dollars in free studio gear creates an inherent bias. It is time we stopped pretending the standard YouTube disclaimer actually means anything, and started being honest about how the review hustle works.
What are you looking for?
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The Bias Lie: Why “Unsponsored” Gear Reviews Are Still Compromised
Getting sent thousands of dollars in free studio gear creates an inherent bias. It is time we stopped pretending the standard YouTube disclaimer actually means anything, and started being honest about how the review hustle works.
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Redlining is for Amateurs: A Sound Tech’s Guide to the DJ Mixer
There is a myth in DJ culture that the red lights on a mixer mean you are doing a good job. You aren’t. You are just sending broken square waves into the PA, and the sound tech at the back of the room hates you. Here is a brutal reality check on gain staging, digital clipping, and what happens when you try to fight a sound engineer over the volume faders.
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The Double Drain: Masking, Mental Health, and Why I Stopped Feeding the Algorithm
Mental health has become an internet currency, and the algorithm rewards performative vulnerability over actual truth. Writing for the algorithm is like mixing a dynamically crushed pop song for a cheap car stereo. I used to run the largest online resource in my niche in NZ—I know how to play the traffic game, but I refuse to do it again. Here is why I am returning to giving out knowledge for free, and building a library instead of a billboard.
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Pulling the Trigger: First Thoughts on the Topping DX5 II and HiFiMan Nano
I pulled the trigger on a Topping DX5 II and a pair of HiFiMan Nano planar magnetics, and the difference is staggering. I finally have sub-bass I can trust without my bedroom walls ruining the mix. The only catch? The open-back bleed had my partner asking if I was wearing speakers on the outside of my head. Here are my first thoughts on stepping up to a surgical, modern headphone setup.
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Leave Your Ego at the Door: What BJJ Taught Me About Mixdowns
What do precision rifle shooting, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and music production have in common? They all punish ego and reward process. If your mixes aren’t translating, you might need to stop trusting your ears and start trusting the data. Here is how I apply long-range ballistics and BJJ survival tactics to fix a broken studio workflow.
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Turn Your Back on the DJ: The Lost Art of the Inward Dancefloor
When did dance music become a spectator sport? We took a communal experience and turned it into a forward-facing concert where everyone stares at a guy on a stage through a smartphone screen. Here is why the DJ booth ruined the dancefloor, and why we need to bring back the inward-facing club.
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The Planar Paradigm: When Your Headphone Knowledge Expires
I used to be the National Service Manager for Sennheiser, so I thought I knew everything about studio headphones. I was wrong. Between the rise of Planar Magnetic drivers, mixing on IEMs, and flat-curve EQ software, the game has completely changed. Here is why I am retiring my old assumptions and exploring the new world of headphone mixdowns.
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Your Speakers Are Lying to You
I spent 30 years in the pro audio industry, and I’m here to tell you your bedroom studio is lying to you. Adding a sub to an untreated room doesn’t fix your low end—it destroys your translation. Here is why I finally swallowed my pride, killed the sub, and started mixing dub techno on headphones.
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Disconnected: Making Techno for a Club I’ll Never Visit
I am 48, and I have realised I am not arrogant enough to assume any DJ wants to play my music in a modern club. Tastes have moved on, and honestly, a cocktail on the couch in front of a high-end hi-fi beats standing in a dark room at 4 am anyway. Here is why stepping away from the “club-ready” mindset and leaning into pure synth exploration is the ultimate creative freedom.
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The Itch You Can’t Scratch: Returning to the Studio After a Decade Away
Ten years ago, industry politics killed my drive to make music, so I walked away. Now, the itch is back. Here is my journey returning to the desk after a decade away, and the brutal reality check of moving from a tuned control room to an untreated bedroom setup.
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Decay
It’s starting to look suspiciously like a release schedule. I promise the “consistently inconsistent” brand is still safe; I’m just as surprised as you are. New EP, ‘Decay’, is out now on the usuals (Spotify, Beatport, etc.). These dense mixes are representative of my recent obsession with distortion—lots of meandering synths, the usual delay lines, and subby bass, pushed through a lot of grit. It features two 140 BPM tracks and a slower rework. This release really defines the future split between genres: this one would definitely be Halide driving techno, with a Bromide remix included for the deep-space side…
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Huirst
After 30 years of Fruity Loops, Reason, and various aliases, I’ve finally remembered how to hit the ‘upload’ button again. New music is out today on Beatport, Spotify, and everywhere else. I’m still making tunes that I don’t expect anyone to play out, yet I can’t seem to stop writing them. If you’ve ever wanted to hear what a 3 AM argument with a reverb tail sounds like, today is your lucky day. Go have a listen to the new Bromide Dub tracks. https://www.beatport.com/release/huirst/5874147
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Choosing Your Weapon: A Producer’s Guide to Digital Compressor Models
I want to dive into a topic that’s fundamental to everything we do in electronic music production, yet it can often be a source of confusion: compression. Specifically, I want to talk about the different types of compressors we have at our fingertips in the digital world and how to choose the right one for the job. I’ve been experimenting a lot recently with the different compressor models available in modern DAWs and plugins. We’re spoiled for choice, with emulations of classic hardware that each have their own unique character and behaviour. With this post, I’m not here to talk…
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Blaze Camouflage – Safety while hunting
As hunters, we need to be sure we are doing everything we can to both identify and be identified by each other in the bush. Sadly, with the exception of 2017, every year, we have had an incident when one hunter has failed to identify their target and shot and killed another hunter.
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Where did the sites go?
Well, basically they cost me hundreds of dollars a month, and didn’t make much money. While I would love to just have them there in perpetuity, it was basically a cost I didn’t want to have to cover anymore. So. They went. Thanks to all the readers from the last, oh, couple of decades. Who knows, something might come back, one day. Well. It already is. 😉
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Bruising in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Prevention, Treatment and Long-term Effects
Bruises are temporary, but the lessons learned on the mat last a lifetime. Unknown The Science Behind Bruising Have you ever wondered why a bruise changes colour? That’s it’s healing process. It goes something like this: Our bodies are, indeed, outstandingly sophisticated machines. The Relationship Between Bruising and Combat Sports But why is bruising so common in combat sports like BJJ? Here’s the deal—combat sports, by their very nature, involve a lot of body contact, which increases the likelihood of bruising. When you’re rolling on the BJJ mat, it’s essentially a battlefield where blood vessels are on the front line. One wrong move, one tight…
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The Art of Resilience: Embracing Jiu Jitsu Principles for Personal Growth
In Jiu Jitsu, there is no losing. You either win or you learn. Carlos Gracie Sr. The Art of Control and Patience In Jiu-Jitsu, one of the fundamental skills is learning to control and submit an opponent using leverage and technique rather than sheer strength. Similarly, in life, we are often faced with circumstances that are beyond our control. By embracing the ideals of Jiu-Jitsu, we can learn to navigate these situations with patience, composure, and adaptability. I am starting to appreciate that there is plenty in this world that I can not directly control. While that often frustrates me,…
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Preparing for your first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lesson: A comprehensive guide
Forty-four years old, sitting in my car, unsure if I could sum up the courage to actually go in and try something new. For a bit of history, I did Karatae as a kid (Yellow/Orange Belts), Kendo for years (Brown), and Tai Chi (unranked?) for many more – this wasn’t my first ‘foray’ into Martial Arts. I taught people to shoot rifles for years and held many Firearms Licencing courses. So – what was making me so nervous? I guess. It was simply something new and a fear of looking silly. Indeed, stepping into a new environment, especially one as…