Professional Audio Blog

Ideas, Interviews, Inspiration

September 2026

Gear Guide

Tubes vs FET: Two Ways to Compress, and the Plugins That Nail Them

FET bite or tube warmth? Two compressor characters, when each wins, and how the VLA-FET and VTC-2 cover both ends of the room.
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Black Rooster Audio 18 Sep 2026   •  6Min read

Studio Business

Getting Clients to Come Back: The Craft Nobody Teaches

Talent gets you the first booking. Communication, revisions handled well, and on-time delivery get you the next ten. The people side of engineering.
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Black Rooster Audio 14 Sep 2026   •  6Min read

Gear Guide

A Native Alternative to UAD and Waves, No DSP and No Subscription

Love the UAD and Waves sound but not the hardware, the WUP, or the rent? The honest case for owning your analog colour outright.
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Black Rooster Audio 10 Sep 2026   •  6Min read

Studio Business

Gear vs Skill: Where Your Money Actually Buys Better Mixes

A huge plugin folder won't fix bad gain staging. An honest hierarchy of what moves your mixes forward, and where good tools genuinely help.
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Black Rooster Audio 06 Sep 2026   •  6Min read

Gear Guide

Blue vs Black: Two SC-5 VCA Compressors, and When to Use Each

The 70s blue-faced SC-5 and its 80s black-faced revision share a VCA heart but not a job. How each behaves, and what that external sidechain lets you do.
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Black Rooster Audio 02 Sep 2026   •  6Min read

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