AndrewChapmanCreative Makes Recording Magic with Everyday Gear

In the world of audio engineering, you’ve got tons of tips that promise to revolutionize your sound—much like how a new sneaker promises to make you run faster. Andrew stuff like “one EQ trick to fix all your woes” with a hefty dose of skepticism. Drawing from over 20 years of audio experience, AndrewChapmanCreative is all about those practical tips that skip the gimmicks and deliver real results. He makes it clear that there’s no magic bullet in audio engineering, but there are tricks that can bring a little luster to any track. If you’ve ever dreamt of becoming a gear guru, Andrew’s mixtures of honesty and cheeky commentary will have you engaged from the first beat.

Andrew dives into some serious studio wizardry by showing us how to use two mismatched mics as a stereo pair. On one hand, we’ve got the Roswell Mini K87—a budget-friendly dynamo. On the other, the beefy United Studio Technologies UT Twin 48. Both mics have different sonic characteristics but prove that you don’t need matching mics for that stereo room magic. Andrew uses Cubase to demonstrate the magic, panning the mics hard left and right to create a surprisingly balanced sound. His confident mix of skill and DIY spirit shows that if you’re not matching mics, double tracking can do the trick—an inspired moment of engineering genius. It’s like taking two different flavors of street food and making the ultimate combo meal.

Who would’ve thought that headphones could team up with an SM57 for vocal magic? Andrew reveals a trick from the legendary Blackbird Studios. By re-recording vocals through headphones with an SM57, he adds unique character back into the main vocal track. It’s all about creating textures that a regular mic setup might not capture. You might need to watch out for sibilance, but the result is worth it—like turning up the saturation on a music video to make those colors pop. Andrew demonstrates this with a Fairchild compressor plugin, bringing serious rock and roll vibes to the whole process. This is a pro-tip that makes DIY feel deluxe without blowing a hole in your budget.