ZeroHour Studio

10/04/2023

In today's post we dive a little further in Logic Pro X's compressor plugin, looking at attack, release and auto release.

Click below to read the full article.

https://zerohour.uk.com/blog/logic-compressor-attack-release-explained

08/04/2023

Big love to JC Stewart and congratulations on all your success. We’ve loved having you in the studio over the course of the years and are proud to have watched you build your career from the ground up.

Check out some of JC Stewart's music, they’ll have you singing along in no time.

07/04/2023

In our latest article we discuss expensive plugins and whether you need them to achieve great mixes. This should give you some perspective on their role and help you decide whether or not you need to invest.

Read the full article via the link below.

Today I’m discussing expensive plugins, what they do and whether you need them.

30/03/2023

Want to improve the quality of your recordings? Check out our blog on Audio Bit Depth. Learn what it is and how it affects your recordings. Not to be missed!

Today we're looking at what audio bit depth is, how it affects your recordings and what bit depth you should record at.

27/03/2023

Get a breakdown of how Auto Gain works and when to use it by reading part 3 of our Logic Compressor series. Learn how to effectively use Make Up Gain and Auto Gain when compressing audio with Logic's Compressor.

Experiment with these techniques and stay tuned for the more posts in the Logic Compressor series.

In today's lesson I’ll be explaining make up and auto gain and how to use it when compressing audio with Logics Compressor.

25/03/2023

Thanks so much to Dave Whitcroft for the review!

I’ve been producing music with Dave since 2018 (damn, 5 years…) and during this time we’ve recorded well over 20 songs together. It’s always a pleasure. Congratulations on the success so far!

Head over to KDMusic if you want to hear some of his stuff.

23/03/2023

What is Audio Sampling Rate? How does it affect my recordings?

If you've ever wondered this then we've made a post just for you.

In this post we'll cover what audio sampling rate is, how it affects your recordings and the sampling rate you should record at.

Read the full post here.

https://zerohour.uk.com/blog/does-sampling-rate-affect-recording-quality

I hope this helps!

20/03/2023

Logic Compressor: Threshold & Ratio Explained

This is part 2 of our Logic Compressor series where I’ll explain what a compressors threshold and ratio actually does. Understanding a compressors parameters is the key to using them effectively on your productions.

Read the full post here.

https://zerohour.uk.com/blog/logic-compressor-threshold-ratio-explained.

18/03/2023

Logic Compressor: Introduction To Compression

This is part one of a series about compression where we’ll consider Logic’s compressor and how to effectively use it in your recordings. This will include a complete overview of Logic's compressors features, functions and controls.

Today we’ll cover what compression is, when you should compress and why controls vary depending on the compressor you use.

Read the full post here.

https://zerohour.uk.com/blog/logic-compressor-introduction-to-compression

16/03/2023

Bass Amp Recording Tips.

In todays post we cover 4 tips that can help you make the most out of your space when recording your bass amp to create professional sounding bass recordings from your home studio.

View our latest article here.

https://zerohour.uk.com/blog/bass-amp-recording-tips

Thanks for reading!

13/03/2023

Introducing something new every Monday & Thursday!

For the last few months we’ve been writing articles focusing on helping musicians in 4 core areas:

1. Home Recording
2. Mixing
3. Logic Pro X
4. Recording Studio Advice

We’ll be sharing these posts on our page weekly (so keep an eye out!)

But we need your help. We’d love to know how we can help you get better recordings.

Anything from understanding more about booking studio time, to questions about mic placement, recording software, plugins, mics, pre-amps, etc. We’d love to share our expertise on areas that would benefit you the most.

No question is too simple. Everyones at different stages when it comes to recording music and we want to help as many songwriters and musicians as possible.

Post your questions in the comments below or DM us.

Your feedback is very much appreciated!

P.s. Check out our latest post here. https://zerohour.uk.com/blog

07/03/2023

We’ve got big news to share! ZeroHour has changed ownership.

In 2009 Tré Sheppard built ZeroHour as a writing space where he could create music and store his collection of vintage amplifiers, guitars and studio gear. It quickly morphed into one of Irelands most creative and exciting places to record and has produced multiple award winning records as well as the launching point for many incredible artists such as JC Stewart.

In February 2013 Michael McCluskey began working as an apprentice at ZeroHour. In 2018 he began fronting the majority of the studio’s projects so Tré could put producing music full time in the back seat to focus more on his role at Cause Coast Vineyard.

This post isn’t a farewell from Tré, he will always be involved with ZeroHour. In fact, Tre will still be available as a consultant. And fear not; all of your favourite studio toys, guitars, and amplifiers will still be available! It’s more apt to say that it’s the beginning of the next chapter for ZeroHour as Tré and Michael will both have exciting new projects to share with you soon!

ZeroHour has and will always aim to help songwriters capture the vision for their music. And from March 1st 2023, Michael McCluskey will be taking over ZeroHour Studios.

“I am delighted that Michael will be taking over the ownership of what has been one of my favourite places in the world… ZeroHour is a wonderful Aladdin’s cave of audio and tone delight, and a fantastic place to be creative and make a record. Michael will not just carry on what I’ve built, he’ll make it better and take it further. I’m thrilled for him and can’t wait to see what is next!” - Tré Sheppard

20/04/2021

Was a lot of fun mixing this song for KDMusic. A lovely combination of Acoustic, Cello and Vocals.

You can click the link to give it a listen :)

A song to bring peace of mind to anxious parents, calm for unsettled children, and fond memories for empty nesters or reminiscing grandparents. Father's lull...

16/04/2021

We're delighted to share Lofty Heights debut single "Wandering Wondering".

It was a lot of fun producing this single. We got to experiment with lots of different percussion and sounds on acoustic guitar.

Go have a listen via the link below!

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/loftyheights1/wandering-wondering

Wandering Wondering is released into the world! Go and have a listen if you haven’t already!

23/03/2021

Competition Time! Win A Free Mix

Have your song mixed on ZeroHour’s hybrid analogue-digital setup combining vintage analogue warmth with digital software.

Thanks to support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland we’re able to offer this service free of charge to one Artist or Band.

How do you enter?

You don’t need to like, share, tag a friend or anything like that. Just head on over to our website by clicking the link below and complete the application form.

https://www.zerohour.uk.com/competition

06/03/2021

The masterclass just went live!

For solo artists looking to recording acoustic guitar and vocals, here are some recording techniques that you can take advantage of.

Hope you find it helpful 😀

02/03/2021

Excited to be involved in Midtown Sounds this year again. Michael will be hosting a free masterclass on Home Recording for Solo Artists. It goes live this weekend, so keep an eye out!

17/02/2021

If you’re preparing to have your music mixed then our latest blog post could help you.

We’ve been sent files in all sorts of weird and wonderful formats; mostly weird, unfortunately.

We want to make the process really simple. We’ve created a post that explains everything you’ll need to do before sending your files across, in a step-by-step guide on how to prepare your files for online mixing.

To see our most recent post follow the link below.

As always we hope you find this useful.
https://www.zerohour.uk.com/blog/preparing-for-online-mixing

This brief guide will help you prepare your audio files when sending them for professional mixing.