My Forever Studio

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Imagine being able to make your perfect studio. Where would it be? What would it look like? And if you only had six pieces of gear to choose from, what would they be? This is exactly what we ask of guest artists, producers and industry figureheads. It might sound easy but there are strict rules in the Forever Studio. Hosts and shameless nerds Chris Barker and Will Betts guide guests through the dramatic journey to studio foreverdom. There will be nostalgia. There will be anecdotes. There may be gags. But there will be no bundles! It’s MusicTech’s My Forever Studio Podcast.

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October 13, 202657 min

Ep 87: Caesar Edmunds already has a Forever Studio

In this episode of the My Forever Studio podcast, we welcome Grammy-winning mixer, engineer, and producer Caesar Edmunds, whose credits span from Ozzy Osbourne and Queens of the Stone Age to Wet Leg and The Last Dinner Party. From a music teacher in Singapore telling him he had “no chance” of making it as a musician, to his breakthrough in the UK engineering scene, Caesar Edmunds shares his incredible journey: from spending two years in national service as a police officer, to studing at Liverpool’s LIPA, hustling for work experience with Alan Moulder, and his eventual rise to his own Atmos studio at the legendary Battery Studios in London. In this episode, we get into Caesar Edmunds’s “Forever Studio” picks, his enviable guitar pedal collection, the art of creating a homely studio vibe, and the ongoing fight to save iconic studio spaces from the threat of redevelopment. Expect banter, airhorns, and rule-bending. Season 8 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the impressive new Horizon range of audio interfaces. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/horizon-range/ https://musictech.com/ https://tyxstudios.com/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moulder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebration_Day_(film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_Studios https://store.solidstatelogic.com/plug-ins/ssl-4k-g-channel-strip https://www.avid.com/products/pro-tools-mtrx-studio https://www.overstayeraudio.com/modular-channel https://pmc-speakers.com/products/twotwo6/ https://pmc-speakers.com/studio/active/qb1-xbd/ https://solidstatelogic.com/products/oracle https://solidstatelogic.com/products/odyssey https://www.instagram.com/stankoniaatl / https://www.neumann.com/en-gb/products/microphones/u-47-fet-i https://help.uaudio.com/hc/en-us/articles/215779663-A-History-of-the-Teletronix-LA-2A-Leveling-Amplifier https://www.anthonydemarialabs.com/products/overview-1000.html https://www.wrightwaystudios.com/ https://reverb.com/uk/p/lovetone-wobulator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_Bender https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loveless_(album) https://www.uaudio.com/products/lexicon-224

October 6, 20261 hr 15 min

Ep 86: Kaelin Ellis is guided by video games

Multi‑platinum producer, multi-instrumentalist, and sample pack maker Kaelin Ellis (Vince Staples, Kaytranada, TOKiMONSTA, and more) takes on the My Forever Studio challenge. This time, hear how NBA Street helped lead him to jazz and producer credits, how he develops “pocket”in his drumming, and how an upright piano he found backstage at a show made for one of his most vibey sample packs. As always, expect in-depth gear chat, and difficult decisions, studio stories and at least one obnoxious airhorn. Season 8 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the impressive new Horizon range of audio interfaces. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/horizon-range/ https://musictech.com/ https://tyxstudios.com/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Music_Generator_2 https://reverb.com/uk/item/19727436-cb-drum-kit-wine-red Sonic 3 OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMykhxy6Jrg Kaeline Ellis’s MKRS Club: https://kaelinellis.gumroad.com/l/kketma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSX_3 https://taos.org/ https://taos.org/explore/landmarks/taos-earthships/ https://www.instagram.com/sango_/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Street D’Angelo, ‘Black Messiah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2r5yqjlVrI&list=PLDlzaWMepRBfViKfEfUwg_DZuQF6A4e6l https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_Pro https://www.native-instruments.com/products/fm8 https://reverb.com/uk/p/yamaha-dx7 Yamaha PSR-510 demo songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpqxMmkwSuQ https://embodme.com/erae-2 https://pearldrum.com/eu/artist/joey-jordison https://www.guitarcenter.com/Orange-County-Drum-Percussion/Maple-Snare-14-x-6-in-Natural-Black-Burst-1274319719551.gc The Roots - You Got Me ft. Erykah Badu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJCHeEQV454 https://www.kawai.co.uk/products/uprightpianos/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphoria_Festival Memo Piano: https://kaelinellis.gumroad.com/l/kkemp Memo Piano 2: https://kaelinellis.gumroad.com/l/kkemp2 https://rode.com/en-gb/products/i-xy https://planet.mu/artists/u-ziq/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_Vibert https://www.instagram.com/beatsbyjblack/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meow_Wolf

September 29, 20261 hr 12 min

⁠Ep 85: Hazel Mills invents a new instrument

Hazel Mills, the singer, songwriter and session musician has toured with Kylie Minogue, Florence and the Machine, Goldfrapp, and more. In this episode, Hazel — a long-time fan of the show — specs up an inviting but remote studio and finds a series of new studio hacks that test the forever studio rules. This time, hear her stories of touring with Kylie Minogue, how she balances session work with her artist project, and the time she got really into prepared piano. Expect deep studio geekery, plus an exclusive hint at her new “dystopian dance music” album. Season 8 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the impressive new Horizon range of audio interfaces. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/horizon-range/ https://musictech.com/ https://tyxstudios.com/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://stevereich.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concr%C3%A8te https://kentonuk.com/product/roland-jupiter-8/ https://uk.yamaha.com/en/musical-instruments/pianos/products/disklavier/ https://www.akaipro.com/mpc-key-37-g2/ https://reverb.com/uk/p/flea-microphones-47 https://reverb.com/uk/p/pearlman-tm-1 https://sontronics.com/products/sontronics-aria-2-valve-tube-condenser-microphone https://www.neumann.com/en-gb/products/monitors/kh-80-dsp-a-g https://atc.audio/professional/loudspeakers/scm25a-pro-mk2/ https://pmc-speakers.com/studio/pmc-6-2/ https://reverb.com/uk/p/roland-re-301-chorus-echo https://www.eventideaudio.com/pedals/h90/ The reverb in a well (actually a silo) at BearTracks Studio in New York. https://youtu.be/bJd8606oNNk?si=P1z2451qeIWS71lu&t=431 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_cat https://goape.co.uk/ Cate Brookes: https://www.instagram.com/catebrooksmusic/ Kylie’s Tension Tour: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tension_Tour

September 22, 20261 hr 7 min

Ep 84: UNIIQU3’s favela studio has mass appeal

UNIIQU3 is an artist, DJ, producer and ambassador of the Jersey Club genre. She’s opened the Renaissance tour for Beyoncé, been sampled by Doechii and made the first Jersey Club track to be longlisted for a Grammy. Trained as a classical pianist and dancer, UNIIQU3 fell in love with club life following an injury that curtailed her dancing. We caught up with her hot off completing her debut album, ‘Mass Appeal’ to talk about her first exposure to Jersey Club in her hometown of Newark, how a cracked copy of FL Studio helped her enter the male-dominated DJ scene, Broadway auditions and Stonehenge. Season 8 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the impressive new Horizon range of audio interfaces. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/horizon-range/ https://musictech.com/ https://tyxstudios.com/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://www.instagram.com/djsliink/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favela https://focusrite.com/products/isa-c8x https://www.rocktronusa.com/banshee-2.html https://musictech.com/news/gear/chromeo-talk-box-electrocuted/ https://www.yamahamusiclondon.com/Pianos/Disklavier-Enspire-Pianos/ https://reverb.com/uk/p/vintage-neumann-and-telefunken-u-47-tube-microphones https://musictech.com/reviews/yamaha-ns-10/ https://www.krkmusic.com/collections/rokit-series-generation-five-powered-studio-monitors https://voidacoustics.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pisces.atl/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/paragonbroadway/?hl=en https://www.pioneerdj.com/en/product/dj-mixers/djm-v10/ https://www.ableton.com/en/push/ https://www.technics.com/global/home/sl1200.html https://www.hardsummer.com/

September 15, 20261 hr 4 min

Ep 83: Nick Hakim has your gear on long-term loan

Nick Hakim is a songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who Lianne La Havas has called “one of the greatest musical minds ever.” Combining R&B, soul, indie and psychedelia, he’s released a string of remarkable records and collaborated with major acts including Erykah Badu, Anderson Paak, and Mac DeMarco. We caught up with him in July, in the run-up to his latest album ‘I Can See,’ to talk about the inevitability of him becoming an artist, how music therapy influences his practice, and how the Forever Studio selection process evokes the limited nature of his album-making process. In this episode, hear from Nick Hakim how a school strike led him to one of his mentors, how a favourite record growing up inspired one of his forever studio selections, and why he’d want to build his dream studio far from his current home in New York. Season 8 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the incredible new Horizon range of audio interfaces. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/horizon-range/ https://musictech.com/ https://tyxstudios.com/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://atorecords.com/artists/nick-hakim/ https://www.instagram.com/en_hakim/ https://soundcloud.com/enhakim https://soundcloud.com/enhakim/i-dont-know https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcosis_(band) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foreign_Exchange https://www.instagram.com/zo3hree5ive/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asheru https://www.berklee.edu/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilo%C3%A9_Archipelago https://matadornetwork.com/read/chile-island-chiloe-move-house/ https://apogeedigital.com/product/symphony-mk-ii/ https://markgoodwinpianos.co.uk/yamaha/yamaha-u7-upright-piano-review-and-information-1203 https://uk.yamaha.com/en/musical-instruments/pianos/products/upright-pianos/u-series/ https://www.akaipro.com/downloads-and-support/downloads/?product=MPC2000XL&legacy=true https://www.roland.com/global/products/sp-404mk2/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%B4r%C3%A7a_Bruta https://www.neumann.com/en-gb/products/microphones/u-67-set https://musictech.com/guides/essential-guide/ribbon-mics-1/ https://reverb.com/uk/p/akg-c414-eb-w-slash-brass-ck12-capsule https://www.instagram.com/joe.harryson/ https://www.instagram.com/jakeshermanwooo/ https://www.instagram.com/dylnday/ https://www.sonicranch.com/adobe-studio https://www.instagram.com/jerryaudio/ https://soundgas.com/products/vestax-mr-66-6-track-recorder-2 https://www.instagram.com/thumprecording/ https://reverb.com/uk/p/roland-re-301-chorus-echo https://atc.audio/professional/loudspeakers/scm45a-pro/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophet-5

August 19, 20251 hr 7 min

Ep 82: Stimming’s sub-$200 drum synth

Stimming is an acclaimed music producer known for his inventive field recordings, esoteric hardware, and organic approach to electronic dance music. In this episode, Stimming surprises with left-field gear choices, from pen-controlled production workflows to budget synths with remarkable punch. Along the way, pick up tips on stereo recording, learn how he makes live electronic sets punch as hard as DJ mixes, and discover which sense he thinks is overlooked in the studio. Season 7 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the incredible new iD48 audio interface. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id48/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://stimming.org/ https://solomun.org/ https://www.diynamic.com/ https://diynamic.bandcamp.com/album/alpe-lusia https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-flow/rog-flow-z13-2025/ https://www.bitwig.com/ https://www.neumann.com/en-gb/products/audiointerfaces/mt-48 https://www.merging.com/products/interfaces/hapi-mkIII https://torsoelectronics.com/products/s-4 https://www.bricasti.com/en/pro/m7.php https://savantaudiolabs.com/product/quantum-room-simulator/ https://reverb.com/uk/item/2217614-quantec-yardstick-2402-f https://musictech.com/reviews/universal-audio-lexicon-480l-review/ https://www.shure.com/en-GB/products/earphones/kse1500 https://aearibbonmics.com/products/n28/ https://www.moogmusic.com/synthesizers/dfam/ https://www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=0718-ABM https://soundgas.com/products/cwejman-s1-mk2-semi-modular-analogue-synthesizer-s1-mk2-031 https://www.twistedelectrons.com/megafm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_YM2612 https://doctron-imc.com/ https://www.elektron.se/explore/octatrack-mkii https://www.tcelectronic.com/product.html?modelCode=0828-AAL https://soundcloud.com/stimming https://www.escentric.com/collections/escentric-molecules-01

August 5, 20251 hr 0 min

Ep 81: Ninajirachi’s adorable softsynth pick

Australian producer Ninajirachi’s brand of ‘girlEDM’ blends hyperpop, hard dance, electro house, and video game music. She’s remixed for Deadmau5 and The Neptunes, opened for Charlie XCX, and has been likened to Scary Monster’s-era Skrillex. On the eve of her debut full-length album release, we talk about making tracks dancefloor functional, the lengths to which she’ll go when processing her own vocals, and an unusually adorable softsynth. Season 7 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the incredible new iD48 audio interface. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id48/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://www.ninajirachi.com/ https://musictech.com/features/interviews/ninajirachi-interview-girl-edm-disc-1/ Madeon - Pop Culture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B496Qv0CuOQ https://soundcloud.com/CASHMERECAT https://pcmusic.info/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_Robinson https://www.lanewayfestival.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banff,_Alberta https://www.lifx.com/ https://soundcloud.com/ninajirachi/fuckmycomputer https://www.image-line.com/fl-studio/plugins/gross-beat Fruity Dance https://www.image-line.com/fl-studio-learning/fl-studio-online-manual/html/plugins/Fruity%20Dance.htm https://reverb.com/uk/p/blue-bottle https://www.genelec.com/8361a https://www.genelec.com/music-studio/8361a-w371a-stereo-system https://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-l-2-limiter-plug-in https://uk.yamaha.com/en/musical-instruments/pianos/products/p-series/p-45/ https://www.nordkeyboards.com/products/nord-stage-4/ https://soniccharge.com/synplant

July 22, 202552 min

Ep 80: Chris Lake on Ableton's most powerful effect

Chris Lake had his breakout with ‘Changes’ in 2006, and he’s been an unstoppable force in dance music ever since, including global hits like ‘Summertime Blues’ with Sammy Virji. On this episode, Chris shares some of his production secrets, including how he gets bass to sound just as powerful on headphones as club-shaking sound systems, Ableton Live’s most powerful stock effect, and a fantastic way to find never-before-heard sounds for your tracks. Along the way, find out how a Yamaha keyboard saved him at an ill-fated gig, the setup he stole from Bonobo to endlessly inspire singers, and which DAW he’ll never get his head around. Season 7 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the incredible new iD48 audio interface. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id48/overview/ https://musictech.com/ https://tyxstudios.com/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://uk.yamaha.com/en/musical-instruments/keyboards/explore/synth-chronology/modal/modal-qs300.html https://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/djx-iib https://www.roland.com/uk/products/mc-303/ Crumar Seven: https://www.crumar.it/?a=showproduct&b=36 https://www.hologramelectronics.com/microcosm https://www.focal.com/products/trio-11-be https://augspurger.com/product/augspurger-solo-12mf-sub-212-dsp3-1250/ https://www.trinnov.com/en/products/nova/ https://slatedigital.com/legacy-products/ https://www.arturia.com/products/software-instruments/mini-v/overview https://novationmusic.com/products/summit https://sequential.com/product/ob-6/ https://www.analoguesolutions.com/fusebox https://www.analoguesolutions.com/telemark-k-keyboard-synthesizer https://www.analoguesolutions.com/colossus

July 8, 20251 hr 4 min

Ep 79: Howard Benson says tech can't save bad songs

With a career spanning nearly 40 years, legendary producer Howard Benson has shaped the sound of everyone from Less Than Jake and P.O.D. to Bon Jovi and Kelly Clarkson. Tune in to hear Howard’s fiercely pragmatic view on the most important part of any production, confessions about the impossibly rare synths he lusts after, and the secret behind monitoring through humble $79 speakers. Along the way, discover his thoughts on AI’s musical future, why demo-itis is every producer’s enemy, and which ultra-luxe item he’d demand for his Forever Studio setup. Season 7 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the incredible new iD48 audio interface. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id48/overview/ https://musictech.com/ https://tyxstudios.com/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://www.viperroom.com/ https://www.sunsetsound.com/ https://www.discogs.com/artist/255617-Pretty-Boy-Floyd https://www.discogs.com/artist/255060-TSOL https://imotorhead.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_Count_(album) https://tigresounds.com/compass-point-the-caribbean-recording-studio-that-redefined-80s-groove/ https://www.vintagesynth.com/moog/synthesizer-1c2c3c https://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/gx-1 https://www.vintagesynth.com/arp/2600 https://www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=0718-AAI https://www.korg.com/uk/products/synthesizers/voxcontinental/ https://guitar.com/features/oral-history-rickenbacker-12-string/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40538677-the-birth-of-loud https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Emerson https://www.avid.com/products/pro-tools-mtrx-studio https://musictech.com/reviews/yamaha-ns-10/ https://pro.sony/ue_US/products/studio-microphones/c-800g https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Macintosh_7600 https://musictech.com/news/music/roy-thomas-baker-producer-bohemian-rhapsody-dies/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Davis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_B%C3%B6sendorfer https://joeysturgistones.com/products/howard-benson-vocals

June 24, 20251 hr 5 min

Ep 78: Emma-Jean Thackray and the trumpet illusion

Emma-Jean Thackray is an award-winning artist, songwriter, arranger, and producer who fuses jazz, soul and electronic elements into her brilliantly vibey and heartfelt music. Off the back of her incredible new self-produced record, ‘Weirdo’, we talk about getting into jazz by mistake, her early arrangement experiments with her brass band, and we navigate building her analogue-heavy forever studio. In this hilarious episode, learn how she goes about cultivating her taste, why she’s not upgrading to Logic 11, and how method acting techniques can improve your recordings. Season 7 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the incredible new iD48 audio interface. https://audient.com/ https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id48/overview/ https://musictech.com/ https://tyxstudios.com/ STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD) https://musictech.com/news/music/emma-jean-thackray-gear-creativity/ https://ejthackray.bandcamp.com/album/weirdo https://www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com/product/ela-m-251e/ https://coleselectroacoustics.com/4038-studio-ribbon-microphone/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carla_Bley https://www.roland.com/nz/products/sp-404mk2/ https://reverb.com/uk/p/studer-a800-mk-iii-2-24-track-analog-multitrack-tape-machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Kaye https://uk.fender.com/collections/electric-basses-precision-bass https://reverb.com/uk/p/fender-rhodes-suitcase-piano-73-key-electric-piano https://www.neumann.com/en-gb/products/microphones/u-67-set https://aearibbonmics.com/products/r44-series/ https://www.ams-neve.com/outboard/1073-range/1073-mic-preamp-equaliser/ https://www.ams-neve.com/introducing-the-1073spx-d/ https://www.genelec.com/theones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Lacy