Virtual hybrid, er… what? Plenty of keyboard players and producers wonder what virtual-analogue and hybrid (i.e. analogue-digital) synthesisers are, and what the difference is. Guest blogger and studio expert Freek Roffel, from Freaky Studio, explains how these VA synthesisers and hybrid synths originally evolved from the ‘pure’ analogue synthesiser. And where does Freek’s preference actually lie: analogue, virtual analogue, or analogue-digital?

Guest blogger Freek Roffel from Freaky Studio takes you through his second blog about sound synthesis. Or the lack of it. To understand what a rompler is, we’ll take a deep dive into the history and discover that old techniques still shape today’s music. And what exactly is the difference between romplers and samplers?

Guest blogger Freek Roffel from Freaky Studio is writing this time – instead of about gear with knobs – about the man who has been behind the knobs for a very long time: the famous producer Alan Parsons. A studio pioneer who’s been active for 50 years and can still count himself among the very best in the world. How did that happen? Freek explains!

On his long and winding road past productions, studio gear and producers, guest blogger Freek Roffel of www.freaky.studio now writes about George Martin, known among other things for The Beatles. Here, he tries to answer the question of whether the Fab Four would have gone as far without the influence of this famous producer (who often preferred to stay in the background). And did Martin actually do anything particularly special after The Beatles?

No matter how good you are at mixing and mastering, the quality of the original recording will always largely determine the final result. Guest-blogger Freek Roffel from Freaky Studio is here to share five tips that can help you get the recording stage right, where preparation is key.