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Brandon is a producer, audio engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and senior writer at Higher Hz, where he covers microphones, studio monitors, audio interfaces, and recording techniques.
Coming from humble beginnings, Schock began recording psychedelic bedroom pop with nothing except for GarageBand and the built-in microphone on his laptop as a teenager.
While he's since upgraded his recording setup, Brandon still has a proclivity to work through the confines of limitation.
His music is spasmodic, distorted, and restless, often taking inspiration from artists such as Cornelius and The Beach Boys.
Over the years, he's gained a vast amount of experience recording, writing, and performing with local groups and fellow artists such as Petty Walker, and Windy 500.
When it comes to gear, Brandon has a particular fondness for several models and series of studio gear. He usually records through his Focusrite Clarett 8Pre, aided by his Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro for tracking.
For microphones, the Electro-Voice RE20, Neumann KM 184, the AKG SE300 B (particularly when using the CK91 capsule), and Coles 4038 are worked to their limits in his studio.
He also has a soft spot for Adam Audio studio monitors, which he has been using for years.
In terms of preamps, Brandon has two favorites: the clean and transparent Focusrite ISA One and the warm and colorful Universal Audio Solo/610.
However, even though he has his mainstays in his arsenal, he's incessantly researching and trying to find hidden gems.
Still forever passionate about music, Brandon has recently dedicated himself to writing about the latest innovations in audio technology, while keeping busy with his own projects and passions.
Manley has been operating since the late 80s, and has always held an amazing reputation in the industry as one of the most reliable and impressive boutique manufacturers around.
In this review, I’ll be taking a look at a slightly newer model from the company, a tube condenser named the Reference Silver. I don’t want to waste much time so let’s get into it.
Genelec has been one of the most renowned studio monitor manufacturers for the past four decades. Expensive, sure, but you certainly get what you pay for in most instances.
In this review, I’ll be looking at the 8020D model, one of the company’s more affordable monitors. Let’s take a deeper look and see what it has to offer.
Let me first say that it’s quite rare that a piece of equipment comes along which is genuinely unlike anything I’ve seen before. The Hedd Heddphones are just that, and they are heralding what might be the next frontier of portable audio technology.
The iRig HD X is one of the latest installments from IK Multimedia. It’s a compact guitar interface that presents itself as an ingenious solution to mobile recording and augmenting your live performance rig.
Let’s take a closer look and see whether it deserves a place in your arsenal.
Lewitt, founded in 2009, has since made a name for itself in its forward thinking designs and reputation for high-quality products.
A year ago, the company announced the release of the MTP W950, a handheld microphone capable of being used in both wired and wireless settings.
In this review, I’ll be taking a look at the AKG K271 Mk2 professional studio headphones. Priced at around $300 on the company’s website, I’m curious to see if their performance justifies the cost.