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Brandon Schock

Brandon Schock

Brandon is a producer, audio engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and senior writer at Higher Hz, where he covers microphones, studio monitors, audio interfaces, and recording techniques.

Coming from humble beginnings, Schock began recording psychedelic bedroom pop with nothing except for GarageBand and the built-in microphone on his laptop as a teenager.

While he's since upgraded his recording setup, Brandon still has a proclivity to work through the confines of limitation.

His music is spasmodic, distorted, and restless, often taking inspiration from artists such as Cornelius and The Beach Boys.

Over the years, he's gained a vast amount of experience recording, writing, and performing with local groups and fellow artists such as Petty Walker, and Windy 500.

When it comes to gear, Brandon has a particular fondness for several models and series of studio gear. He usually records through his Focusrite Clarett 8Pre, aided by his Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro for tracking.

For microphones, the Electro-Voice RE20, Neumann KM 184, the AKG SE300 B (particularly when using the CK91 capsule), and Coles 4038 are worked to their limits in his studio.

He also has a soft spot for Adam Audio studio monitors, which he has been using for years.

In terms of preamps, Brandon has two favorites: the clean and transparent Focusrite ISA One and the warm and colorful Universal Audio Solo/610.

However, even though he has his mainstays in his arsenal, he's incessantly researching and trying to find hidden gems.

Still forever passionate about music, Brandon has recently dedicated himself to writing about the latest innovations in audio technology, while keeping busy with his own projects and passions.

Native Instruments Komplete Audio 1 review

The Komplete Audio 1 is one of the most popular options out there for entry-level budget units, and rightfully so. It looks good, sounds good, and Native Instruments is an incredibly trustworthy company.

The question is whether all of this makes it a worthy contender of your consideration.

Yamaha HPH-MT5 review

In this article, I’ll be reviewing the Yamaha HPH-MT5 closed-back studio monitor headphones. Only costing $100, these might be a worthy contender for those of you looking for a budget-friendly set of headphones. Let’s see if they’re worth the expense.

Shure SRH440 review

In this review, I’ll be looking at the Shure SRH440 closed-back headphones. These are an incredibly popular choice for starter headphones, so let’s take a look and see why.

KRK Rokit 5 G5 review: Great for EDM and hip-hop producers

The KRK Rokits are kind of like Boss DS-1 pedals in that you can find them absolutely everywhere. You can find them in the smallest of lo-fi bedroom setups, you can find them in pawn shops, in your uncle’s closet, and in professional studios, side by side with monitors that are far more expensive.

Tascam TH-02 review: You get what you pay for

In this review, I’ll be taking a look at one of Tascam’s budget-friendly items, the TH-02 closed-back studio headphones. I’ll also be comparing them to a few of their competitors for good measure.