Making a Scene Presents

Making a Scene - AI for Mixing Workflow: Automating First Passes Mixing is the stage where songs finally come alive. It’s where all the pieces—vocals, drums, guitars, keys, bass, and more—start to feel like music instead of a pile of recordings. But let’s be honest: if you’re an indie artist or home studio musician, opening a session with twenty or thirty raw tracks can be intimidating. You hit play, and instead of hearing a band, you hear chaos. Vocals are too loud, the snare is exploding in your face, guitars are lost somewhere in the mud. http://www.makingascene.org

Introduction: Music Was Never Just Entertainment Music isn’t background noise. It isn’t just party soundtracks, workout playlists, or marketing jingles. At its core, music has always been a weapon, a rallying cry, and a spark for social change. It’s the heartbeat of revolutions, the whisper of resistance, and the shout of freedom. From enslaved people encoding escape routes in spirituals, to punk rockers screaming against conformity, to hip-hop calling out police brutality, music has always spoken for the people when politicians and corporations wouldn’t. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents Slate Digital VSX Headphone System: A Deep Dive Review I want to start this review with something important: I bought these headphones myself. I didn’t get an endorsement, a discount, or a sponsorship. This review is based on my own money, my own time, and my own ears. That matters because when you’re spending hundreds of dollars on a piece of gear, you need an honest perspective—not marketing fluff. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Building a Superfan Funnel: How AI Turns Followers into Paid Supporters If you’re an indie musician today, you already know the game has changed. It’s no longer enough to just put your music on Spotify and hope someone stumbles across it. The truth is, music discovery happens everywhere—on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and even random memes. But discovery is only the first step. The real challenge is moving fans from casually liking one of your videos to becoming true superfans—the kind who buy tickets, grab merch, and support your career for the long run. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Smart Contracts & Royalty Splits: Get Paid Automatically Why Money Has Tore So Many Bands Apart You know the story well: a band records a hit, it starts making money, and then tensions emerge. Who wrote which verse? Who deserves how much? Did the producer’s studio time count toward “points”? Did the marketing team’s work deserve a slice? Even when everyone’s intention is good, the old system is full of ambiguity, delays, and opaque accounting. Labels, publishers, and middlemen often stand between you and your money—and by the time a royalty check arrives, it’s wrapped in cryptic spreadsheets and late to the table. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - The Art of Mic Placement: Getting a Pro Sound from a Cheap Mic Introduction: It’s Not About the Price Tag Every indie artist knows the struggle: you look at your bank account, then you look at those glossy ads for $3,000 microphones, and your heart sinks. But here’s the truth that doesn’t get advertised enough—you don’t need an expensive microphone to get a professional sound. What you really need is an understanding of mic placement. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents an interview with Ra'shad the Blues Kid Larry McGill, better known as Ra’Shad the Blues Kid, was born on September 30, 1987, in Laurel, Mississippi—the heart of the Piney Woods region. Though no one in his family played music, Ra’Shad grew up surrounded by soul and gospel, planting seeds of inspiration early on. As he says, “The love of music was put in me before I could even play.” http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey's Interview with Vic Wayne of Star Collector Star Collector is a rock & roll band based in Vancouver, BC, known for their high-energy performances and melodic, guitar-driven sound. Over the years, they’ve built a reputation as one of Canada’s hardest-working indie rock bands, touring extensively across Canada, the United States, and Europe. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents Suno Studio: A Deep Dive into the First True Generative Audio Workstation The world of music production has always lived on the edge of technology. From the tape machines of the 1950s to the MIDI revolution of the 1980s and the digital audio workstations (DAWs) of the 2000s, each leap forward has reshaped how artists create. Now, in the mid-2020s, we’re entering a new era: the rise of the Generative Audio Workstation—a platform where artificial intelligence is not just an assistant but an active collaborator. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with the Resurrection Blues Band Born from good times, hard times, and a deep connection to the blues, the Resurrection Blues Band has carved out a reputation as one of the most exciting and versatile acts on the scene today. Their journey, fueled by passion and grit, led them to win the Herald-Palladium Readers’ Choice Award in 2024 for Best Local Entertainment and Best Blues Rock Band—a recognition that reflects both their musicianship and their ability to connect with audiences on a soul-deep level. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Microphone Basics: Dynamic vs. Condenser vs. Ribbon and When to Use Each If you’re an indie musician setting up your first home studio, one of the most confusing things you’ll run into is microphones. Walk into any music store, and you’ll see a wall full of mics—big, small, fat, skinny, cheap, and insanely expensive. The big question is: what’s the difference? And how do you know which mic to grab when you’re recording vocals, guitar, or drums? http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with The Gravel Project When music is in your soul, nothing can hold it back. That unstoppable drive fuels The Gravel Project, a band built on passion, authenticity, and the joy of sharing music with anyone willing to listen. Led by founding member, vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Andrew Gravel, the band features an all-star lineup: keyboardist Jordan Gravel, drummer Dave Fox, percussionist Eguie Castrillo, bassist Brad Barrett, and vocalist Jen Kearney. Together, they create a powerhouse sound rooted in rock, blues, and psychedelia. Each member brings not only professional chops but also a lifetime of dedication to music—several are accomplished educators as well as performers. On stage, that depth translates into performances that are as heartfelt as they are electrifying. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey's Interview with Robin Nutley of The Revenant Formed in 2023, Revenant deliver a powerhouse rock sound infused with a southern edge. Their debut EP, What A Time To Be Alive, dropped in May 2024 to critical acclaim and quickly established the band as one to watch. Onstage, they’ve been turning heads across the UK festival and club circuit—including a standout performance at Firevolt—captured in their live album What A Time To Be Live. Backseat Mafia praised it as “one of the best guitar releases of the year,” while Powerplay Magazine called Revenant “one of the most refreshing and exciting sounds around.” With accolades like these, it’s no surprise that these southern UK rockers are fast becoming a new fan favorite. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents an Interview with AEvn Ævn grew up immersed in the worlds of trip-hop and lo-fi, sounds that shaped the foundation of a deeply personal musical journey. Influenced by boundary-pushing artists like Portishead and Joji, Ævn crafts music that blends moody textures with cinematic atmospheres, weaving mellow beats, haunting melodies, and subtle layers that reward repeat listening. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Cubase 14: A Deep Dive into the Future of AI-Powered Music Production The Long Journey of Cubase When we talk about modern digital recording, it’s hard not to mention Cubase. This software has been shaping the way music is created for over three decades. Steinberg, the company behind Cubase, first introduced it back in 1989 on the Atari computer. At that time, it wasn’t nearly as powerful as what we see today, but it did something revolutionary: it gave musicians a way to record and arrange MIDI on a computer. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Decentralized Streaming Platforms: The Spotify Alternative When most people think of music streaming, Spotify is usually the first name that comes to mind. It’s the giant of the industry, with over half a billion users worldwide and more songs than anyone could listen to in a lifetime. For indie musicians, Spotify seems like the obvious place to be. You upload your tracks through a distributor, your music shows up next to the stars, and fans can find you with a search bar. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene - AI Metering and Loudness: How Smart Tools Are Changing the Way We Mix Introduction: Why Loudness Matters More Than You Think If you’ve ever turned on your favorite playlist and noticed that one song blasts out of your speakers while another sounds much softer, you’ve experienced the problem of loudness. For decades, musicians, producers, and engineers have been caught up in what many people call the “loudness wars.” Everyone wanted their track to sound bigger, bolder, and more powerful than the one that came before it. But in the modern streaming world, that fight doesn’t really matter the way it used to. Platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Tidal have built systems to normalize, or even out, the volume of every track that gets uploaded. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - Spotify’s Power Grab and the Web3 Escape Route: How Indie Artists Can Take Back Their Rights, Data, and Money Spotify’s new Terms of Service (August 2025) quietly tighten the leash around artists. The fine print is filled with loaded words like royalty-free, sublicensable, irrevocable, and transferable. At the same time, their Privacy Policy admits that your data—everything from listening habits to voice commands—can be used to train their machine-learning and AI systems. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - How to Use AI to Book Your Band: From Finding Venues to Routing Tours Booking shows has always been one of the toughest parts of being an independent musician. You can write the songs, rehearse with your band, and record a great album, but without gigs, it’s hard to grow a fanbase. Traditionally, booking tours meant hours of emailing venues, chasing down contacts, and trying to figure out where to play and how much to charge. That process hasn’t disappeared, but today artists have a secret weapon: artificial intelligence. http://www.makingascene.org

Making a Scene Presents - How to Use AI to Book Your Band: From Finding Venues to Routing Tours Booking shows has always been one of the toughest parts of being an independent musician. You can write the songs, rehearse with your band, and record a great album, but without gigs, it’s hard to grow a fanbase. Traditionally, booking tours meant hours of emailing venues, chasing down contacts, and trying to figure out where to play and how much to charge. That process hasn’t disappeared, but today artists have a secret weapon: artificial intelligence. http://www.makingascene.org