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My Forever Studio

MusicTech

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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21 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 6 min
English

Episodes 21

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S8 · E2
Tuesday · 1 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 crac
S8 · E1
September 15 · 1 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
S7 · E10
Aug 19, 2025 · 1 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.
S7 · E9
Aug 5, 2025 · 1 hr
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.
S7 · E8
Jul 22, 2025 · 52 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 sa
S7 · E7
Jul 8, 2025 · 1 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 u
S7 · E6
Jun 24, 2025 · 1 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 upgradin
S7 · E5
Jun 10, 2025 · 1 hr 22 min
Ep 77: Luxxury goes punk rock in the Bahamas
Blake Robin aka Luxxury is an artist, producer, DJ and remixer, known for his iconic edits. But you might also know him as the co-host of the celebrated One Song podcast. This time, we chart his journey from drummer to producer via a collection of important four-track tapes. We also talk musical gatekeeping, keeping a DIY punk-rock ethos in the studio, and find out which legendary artists he'd pilfer instruments from.
S7 · E4
May 29, 2025 · 1 hr 24 min
Ep 76: Ellie Dixon is banned from Currys
Ellie Dixon is a self-producing artist who, despite amassing millions of streams, continues to make her sample-heavy songs in her bedroom. In this episode, find out how lockdown fuelled Ellie’s TikTok success, hear how her song ‘Swing’ became a demo track in Logic Pro 11, and be challenged to raid your kitchen for samples.
S7 · E3
May 13, 2025 · 1 hr 20 min
Ep 75: Charlie Deakin Davies' perfect vocal chain is attainable
Charlie Deakin Davies is a self-taught production prodigy, starting their professional career as a teenager recording in their shed. After proving themselves by becoming the youngest producer ever to get Radio 2 airplay, Charlie has gone on to work with huge artists like Fred Again, Laura Marling, and other podcast guests Gary Barlow and Ellie Dixon (coming next episode). But our guest wears more than one hat, and takes to the stage as Charlieeeee, a crossover indie DnB artist with a live show t
S7 · E2
Apr 29, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
Ep 74: TOKiMONSTA nabs an historic synth
Jennifer Lee, aka TOKiMONSTA is an incredibly talented LA-based producer, performer and DJ who has collaborated with Anderson.Paak, remixed Sia, Disclosure, and Beck, and founded the LA Beat Scene. In this episode, Jennifer tells us about a cheap synth she adores for bass, explains how she peppers her tracks with field recordings, ponders which historic synthesizer she’d steal off an electronic music pioneer, and all while skillfully bending our important Forever Studio rules.
S7 · E1
Apr 15, 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
Ep 73: Will Clarke won’t spend 7 years making a track
Will Clarke literally began DJing as a child, and in this episode, he shares his prodigious journey from playing at a local caravan site to blowing up in Ibiza's club scene. Along the way, he reveals the unique Russian drum machine that forms the backbone of his techno tracks, and explains how he avoids using other people’s samples in the studio. This time, find out about his Somerset dream studio, the must-have synth that could fuel his creativity forever, and which readily available mic he tru
S6 · E10
May 29, 2024 · 1 hr 16 min
Ep 72: Sharooz wants the synths software can’t recreate
Sharooz Raoofi aka Principleasure is a DJ, producer, synth hoarder and serial music tech entrepreneur, founding Sample Magic, Principle Pleasure studios and recently Wavetick. On this episode, we find our the never-before-told story behind his early success in music, the whose monosynth he would steal, and the joy he gets from a very specific reverb unit.
S6 · E9
May 22, 2024 · 1 hr 3 min
Ep 71: Lauren Mia demands a patchbay
Lauren Mia is a composer turned DJ and producer whose melodic and ethereal take on techno has caught the attention of some of the world’s best-known labels. This time, we find out where the LA native would put her studio, which unexpected synths she’d pick to make her sound, why practically is a top priority and why she’s not a fan of layering sounds.
S6 · E8
May 15, 2024 · 47 min
Ep 70: Sarz’s studio needs a cone of silence
Sarz is an award-winning artist and producer who’s worked with WizKid, Skrillex, Gunna, Skepta and many more across Afrobeats and beyond. This time, find out why he thinks producer tags on tracks are more important than ever, which Amapiano sound he thinks is genius, and how a software mishap early in his career made him the producer he is today.
S6 · E7
May 8, 2024 · 52 min
Ep 69: Fraser T Smith is a gear cad
Award-winning songwriter and producer Fraser T Smith id on the verge of releasing his second album with psychedelic rock band Future Utopi. He’s also got an insane list of credits including Adele, Stormzy, Raye, and Kasabian. This time, we talk about his master-of-all-trades mic, a trusty sampler that he describes as “home”, and why he can’t bring himself to hoard studio gear.
S6 · E6
May 1, 2024 · 1 hr
Ep 68: SEIDS has one mic to rule them all
SEIDS aka Sabrina Seidman has gained a huge following on TikTok and Instagram with her mission to make music production and music entrepreneurship more accessible. A singer, songwriter, producer and educator, Seids has been making a huge difference with her quick-fire production tips and approachable style. This time, we talk about unconventional acoustic treatment, the “cheeseburger of audio interfaces”, the perfect studio climate and an affordable microphone that’s her go-to.
S6 · E5
Apr 24, 2024 · 1 hr 11 min
Ep 67: Erol Alkan’s secret for making sounds that connect
Erol Alkan made his name in electronic/indie crossovers of the noughties with huge remixes for Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers and Justice. And his production work for Mystery Jets, Late Of The Pier and even Duran Duran cemented him as a go-to for guitar bands looking to break onto dancefloors. This episode, we talk about programming Nokias, accidentally digging through Soulwax’s record collection, and how he can make any sound unique.
S6 · E4
Apr 17, 2024 · 1 hr 11 min
Ep 66: Tourist wants antiques, not museum pieces
This time, we’re joined by British electronic music producer and Grammy-winning songwriter, Tourist. Not only did he co-write Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’, he’s also on course to release his fifth studio album. This episode, we’ll learn about the one app he can’t live without, “sneery” synthesizers, and the importance of inspiring presets.
S6 · E3
Apr 10, 2024 · 1 hr 10 min
Ep 65: Benn Jordan’s concrete cabin is a low-key science lab
Benn Jordan is a producer, YouTuber, scientist and artist whose been making music for over 20 years as The Flashbulb. In this episode, learn how Benn mixed and mastered his first few records on an extremely low-end rig, the “open secret” of the music tech industry, the unexpected song he uses to tune touring sound systems, and the only Forever Studio item he’d be heartbroken to lose if his house burnt down.

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