§ B0Blog

Field notes.

Updates, announcements and technical guides from the Tensormix team.

24 resultsin TechnicalClear ✕
close-up of a glowing power tube inside a guitar amplifier chassis
13 · Technical

Five guitar amp sims worth owning if you mix metal in the box

Nolly X, ToneHub, Amped Roots, Spark and Ampknob: what each one is genuinely good at, where they overlap, and which to buy first if you mix modern metal.

5 min readRead →
Macro close up of a smartphone microphone grille
14 · Technical

How Fred again.. turns voice memos into hooks on Actual Life

A bar clip from a guy called Carlos, a voicemail from The Blessed Madonna, an Instagram poetry rip. Here's the workflow Fred again uses to turn phone audio into the hooks on Actual Life.

5 min readRead →
Close up macro shot of dust sitting in the groove of a vinyl record
15 · Technical

Inside Burial's Weird Production Flow That Made Untrue

Burial made Untrue inside a single-track waveform editor with no piano roll and no grid. The constraint shows up in every drum slip, pitch-shifted syllable, and rain-soaked interlude.

5 min readRead →
close up of a reel to reel tape machine spool
16 · Technical

How Jack Antonoff makes drums sound like 1976

Ribbon mics in the corners, close mics muted, the whole kit smashed into a Watkins Copicat. The Antonoff drum sound is documented, and most of it translates to a bedroom rig.

5 min readRead →
close up of a condenser microphone capsule under low key lighting
17 · Technical

How Charli XCX got the blown-out vocal sound on BRAT

The lead vocal on 360 sounds like it's already been through the PA. Here's the Logic chain (Auto-Tune, parallel valve saturation, a clipper on top) that gets you there.

5 min readRead →
Screenshot of FL Studio plugin picker
18 · Technical

How to Sidechain in FL Studio (Two Stock-Plugin Methods)

Sidechain compression is one of the defining sounds of modern electronic music, and you don't need a third-party plugin to do it. A walk through the two main stock-plugin methods in FL Studio - Fruity Limiter for proper sidechain compression, and Gross Beat for a faster preset-based duck - and when to reach for each.

4 min readRead →
Tape Cassette graphic
19 · Technical

In Stereo - Mid/Side Processing Explained

Mid/side processing lets you work on the centre of a stereo image and the sides as two independent channels, unlocking moves that L/R processing can't reach. A look at how the sum-and-difference matrix actually works, some things M/S is particularly useful for, and the traps - mono collapse, phase drift, and why hard-panned elements aren't where you think they are.

6 min readRead →
New York buildings photo
20 · Technical

Parallel Compression: What It Is and How to Use It

New York, New York.

3 min readRead →
Music studio photo
21 · Technical

Useful Monitoring Metrics References - LUFS, Crest Factor, LRA and more

A practical reference guide to the monitoring metrics that matter in mixing and mastering - LUFS, crest factor, dynamic range, true peak, spectral balance, and stereo width explained.

5 min readRead →
Grammy Winning Mastering Analysis
22 · Technical

Grammy-Winning Mastering: Analyzing LUFS Levels from the 2026 Grammy Nominees

If you're reading this then chances are you're familiar with the age-old saying "Master to -14 LUFS for streaming platforms." Spotify, Apple Music, and other services normalize playback around this level, theoretically ending the loudness war that plagued music for decades. But do Grammy-winning tracks actually follow these guidelines?

5 min readRead →
Mixing console
23 · Technical

Tensormix vs LANDR vs eMastered vs SoundCloud

A technical, measurement-based comparison of Tensormix, LANDR, eMastered, and SoundCloud, examining how each automated mastering system handles loudness, dynamics, tonal balance, and stereo processing across the same source material. The analysis focuses on observable trade-offs rather than subjective listening impressions or marketing claims.

2 min readRead →
Stereo field artwork graphic
24 · Technical

How to Master an Electronic Track for Release (Step by Step)

A practical, step-by-step guide to mastering electronic music for release, covering what mastering does, what it can't fix, and how to approach it without guesswork.

5 min readRead →