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Home Studio Pro

Colin Cross 22 Episodes Jul 30, 2026

Home Studio Pro is a podcast dedicated to helping you create professional-sounding music from your home studio. It offers tips, techniques, and guidance for home recording and production. The show aims to help musicians and producers achieve high-quality results without a professional studio.

Episodes

Why Your Mixes Aren't Improving... Yet Jul 30, 2026 1044 There's going to be a moment when I hope you sit down, finish a song, and realize you've actually gotten really good at this. But nobody's telling you how to get there because it doesn't make for a flashy YouTube video — there's no trick, no plugin, no magic bullet. It happens slowly, and then it happens all at once. Today I want to break down the mindset shift that made the biggest difference for

Why I Stopped Using Mixing Templates Jul 20, 2026 893 Mixing templates promise to speed up your workflow... but for most home studio musicians, they're actually slowing you down and keeping you from actually getting better at mixing. Today I want to break down the three types of templates (only one is a problem), why downloading a pro's template won't give you their sound, and the leaner, faster workflow I use instead. -------------------------------

How to Layer Tracks Like a Pro Jul 16, 2026 1534 If you've ever sat down at your session and wondered what else to record, today's episode is for you. I want to walk through how pros actually think about layering tracks — the three concepts you need to understand (frequency spectrum, stereo field, and contrast), the three core techniques (doubling, harmonies, and accents), and real demonstrations from tracks I've produced so you can hear exactly

Are You Ruining Your Own Mix? Jun 4, 2026 919 Most beginner and intermediate mixers make the same mistake: they rush through the most important step of mixing to start "mixing." In this episode, I break down the three mindset shifts that will immediately improve your mixes: why your static mix IS the mix, why keeping moves that aren't working is silently ruining your sound, and why detaching from the results is the fastest path to getting bet

Mixing Myth: You Need Analog Gear May 7, 2026 1046 I spent years believing that analog gear was the missing piece — that if I could just get my hands on the right console, the right compressor, the right preamp, everything would click. Today I want to break down why that's a myth, what's actually true about analog gear, and the sneaky psychological reasons people who use it sometimes get better results. Spoiler: you can get all of that without spe

What I Got Wrong About Mastering Apr 30, 2026 705 I used to think mastering was a "dark art." Something mysterious that must be done by someone with ears that I'll never have. Today I want to break down why that belief held me back for years, and what changed when I stopped separating mastering from the rest of the production process. Spoiler: it's basically three things, and working through them will improve your mixes too. --------------------

Mixing Myth: You Need "Flat" Speakers Apr 9, 2026 733 Most home studio musicians believe they need flat speakers to get a professional mix... and it's completely understandable why. Today I want to break down why that's actually a myth, why your ears and your room make "flat" more complicated than it sounds, and why learning your own system will get you better results faster than chasing the "perfect" monitor setup. ----------------------------------

My 20 Year Journey: From Terrible Demos to The Band Guide Apr 2, 2026 1550 I realized the other day that you likely don't know my full story. My early pop punk days, recording my band through a headphone jack all the way to recording in pro studios. All of that has shaped me and forms who I am as "The Band Guide." Today I want to tell you the whole journey along with the lessons that will help you in your home studio. -----------------------------------------------------

Why You Never Finish Songs (And How to Fix It) Jan 22, 2026 800 If you want your music to actually improve, you have to finish more of it — not just start ideas or endlessly tweak the same song. In this episode, we talk about why perfectionism and self-doubt keep musicians stuck, how resistance shows up right when you’re close to done, and why having simple systems and real deadlines is the key to finishing more music and getting better in the process. Books m

Apple Creator Studio: Is Logic Pro Moving Toward a Subscription-Only Future? Jan 15, 2026 614 Apple just made a huge move: they’ve rolled out a Creator Studio subscription that includes Logic Pro. If you’re a Logic user, you might be wondering if this is the first step toward forcing everyone into subscriptions. Apple says your perpetual license is safe for now, but is that true for the long term? Let’s talk about what might be coming up… **This is an updated episode. In the original versi

2026 is NOT the year of AI Music Jan 1, 2026 1367 There's a lot of fear mongering around AI and music. And no doubt AI has serious consequences for music and society as a whole. But AI cannot replace what YOU do with music. --------------------------------------------------------------- ‼️Download my FREE 6-step Checklist to a PRO Mix: https://www.thebandguide.com/promixchecklist In-Depth Mixing Tutorial: https://youtu.be/jSFF8fotNhA -----------

How to Mix Music to SOUND GREAT EVERYWHERE Dec 18, 2025 1584 ANYONE can make music that sounds great everywhere. There are no secrets, but you need to understand HOW and have a system to work through. This episode is going to give you both. --------------------------------------------------------------- ARC ON-EAR: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/POor1M Headphones I LOVE: 🎧 Beyerdynamic DT770: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/AWQJgj ‼️Download my FREE 6-step Checklist t

The #1 Belief to Make it in the Home Studio Nov 27, 2025 1117 The number one thing that will hold you back in your home studio ISN'T the gear. PS: Check the YouTube version if you want to see my favorite picture of Poppy ever... --------------------------------------------------------------- Black Friday 2025: https://www.thebandguide.com/blackfriday2025 ‼️Download my FREE 6-step Checklist to a PRO Mix: https://www.thebandguide.com/promixchecklist -------

DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR DEMOS Nov 20, 2025 1079 This might seem boring, but the secret to better music might be hiding in plain sight in your demos... ------------------------------------------- 🎶Listen to Campr: https://tr.ee/Haivz5-WEt Black Friday 2025: https://www.thebandguide.com/blackfriday2025 🎤 Use my Sweetwater Link: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/R5d6Ya ‼️Download my FREE 6-step Checklist to a PRO Mix: https://www.thebandguide.com/promi

20 Years of Studio Advice in 26 Minutes Nov 13, 2025 1640 I've been producing music in home and professional studios for 20 years now. It's safe to say, I've learned a few things. In this little bonus episode of the Home Studio Pro Podcast, I want to share the most important things I've learned from 20 years in the studio.. --------------------------------------------------------------- Black Friday 2025: https://www.thebandguide.com/blackfriday2025 🎤 Us

The Beginner’s Guide to Acoustic Treatment That Works May 22, 2025 1219 Where should you put your acoustic treatment? How much acoustic treatment do you actually need? What acoustic treatment should you use? In this episode, I want to give you a step-by-step plan to setup acoustic treatment that actually works. It scales over time so you don't have to spend a bunch of money upfront and will massively improve your recordings and mixes. ---------------------------------

Getting Started with Home Studio Acoustic Treatment (with Graham Waks) May 15, 2025 3378 Getting started with acoustic treatment can feel intimidating. So I wanted to bring in a true home studio acoustics expert, Graham Waks from Music City Acoustics. We discuss how to get started with acoustic treatment, a simple small setup that could massively improve your recordings, and a ton more. --------------------------------------------------------------- Check out Music City Acoustics: htt

3 Reasons Acoustic Treatment is Worth the Investment May 8, 2025 1003 Acoustic treatment is often treated as an afterthought (if thought about at all), but it's actually a piece of equipment that should be invested in from the very beginning and, unlike other pieces of gear, is definitely WORTH the investment. --------------------------------------------------------------- ‼️Download the Home Studio Pro Checklist: https://www.thebandguide.com/homestudioprochecklist

10 Types of Acoustic Treatment for Home Studios May 1, 2025 1931 Acoustic treatment can feel extremely confusing and overwhelming. Which products are right for you in your home studio? Well, I want to help you decide! In this episode, we're going through 10 types of acoustic treatment options, explaining them, telling you which ones to avoid, and giving you specific suggestions to get the best "bang for your buck" in your home studio. --------------------------

Listen to this BEFORE you buy Acoustic Treatment Apr 24, 2025 1559 You can EASILY waste hundreds if not thousands of dollars on acoustic treatment for your home studio if you don't understand the basics of room acoustics and the goals of acoustic treatment. But it doesn't have to be complicated! In this episode, we're breaking down everything you really need to know about room acoustics and acoustic treatment so you can be confident you're creating an amazing sou

The FIRST step when setting up a PRO HOME STUDIO (it's not the gear) Apr 17, 2025 1553 If you want to create professional sounding music in your home studio, the secret is NOT more gear, it's to know EXACTLY what your goals are for your studio. This is going to inform every decision you make in your studio. What gear you buy. How you setup your gear. What gear you upgrade and why. In this episode, I want to walk you through a simple 4-step process to identify exactly what YOUR goals

The TRUTH about getting GREAT Recordings at Home Apr 10, 2025 2475 Welcome to the first ever episode of the Home Studio Pro Podcast where we're helping YOU create professional sounding music from your home studio. We're kicking off this podcast with what I believe to be the 10 absolute truths of getting great recordings in your home studio. These are the principles I live by when it comes to making professional-sounding music from home — and they might just chang

Home Studio Pro

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