Okay, real talk – I just watched a band blow three entire studio days arguing about whether their bridge should be four or eight bars. Three. Days. That's literally thousands of dollars down the drain on something they could've figured out in their garage.
Don't be that band.
Look, punk bands might not be the most technical players, but they've got one thing dialed: they know exactly what they're doing before they walk into the studio. No hemming and hawing, no "let's try it both ways," just pure efficiency.
I'm not saying your songs can't grow and change once you start recording – some of the best stuff happens spontaneously. But you need your basic framework locked down or you'll spend your budget on debates instead of takes.
Here's what you need to sort out beforehand:

• How's the song structured? (verse, chorus, bridge – in what order?)
• How long should each part be?
• Where are the tricky transitions?
• What's the vibe and tempo?
• Who's doing what and when?

Run through this stuff at your last rehearsal before you book studio time. Trust me, your wallet (and your sanity) will thank you when you're actually getting work done instead of standing around scratching your heads.
Peace|Love|Music
-Josh

When I was coming up in the punk scene in the early 2000s, we'd often walk into a studio with barely enough cash for a day of tracking. There was no time for extensive pre-production or endless takes. You had to be ready to capture lightning the moment you hit record.
Twenty years and hundreds of sessions later, I've brought that same approach to working with rock, indie, and pop bands. What I've found might surprise you: bands that prepare like punk rockers often walk away with more energetic, authentic recordings—even when working on polished, radio-ready productions.
I am going to show you through a series of strategies I use regularly, that there is a method to my madness.

first up...
Forget Perfect, Focus on Tight
The biggest mistake I see bands make is spending weeks perfecting individual parts in isolation without ever playing the songs TOGETHER. This approach might look good on paper, but it absolutely kills the natural chemistry that makes a band sound like a band.

Punk bands have always understood this intuitively. They rehearse by playing full songs, front to back, focusing on tightness as a unit rather than individual perfection.
Try this: For your next three rehearsals, run each song 3-5 times in a row without stopping—even when someone makes a mistake. This builds the muscle memory and band chemistry that translate to powerful performances in the studio.

Peace|Love|Music
Josh

check this out...
Vault Music, co-founded by former FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles, has introduced Fantasy Record Label, a unique game described as a novel approach to fantasy football for music. Available on Vault's Web3 platform, the game allows players to compete for weekly cash prizes by "signing" five acts based on their perceived growth potential, measured by week-to-week changes in Spotify monthly listeners. To participate, players must own at least one NFT from each musician on their fantasy roster. The top 10 rosters, judged by overall listener movement, will win cash prizes. Eccles aims to revitalize the music industry for diehard fans and artists, addressing streaming's payment inequity. Vault Music emphasizes using fandom to financially support artists, with early success stories of artists earning more from a single release on Vault than a year of streaming. The game encourages players to discover, collect, and sign emerging artists, creating a mutually beneficial music economy. In related news, We Are Giant secured $8 million in funding, and Fave, backed by Sony Music and Warner Music, raised $2 million in October. to me personally I think this is a great new oppertunity for fans and artists, what do you think?

Had a great time speaking with Matt Boudreau about all sorts of stuff about audio and life and . Check out the whole interview on Apple, Spotify, Google, and www.WorkingClassAudio.com

​Binks on bass, Chris Corona on guitar, and Ben Richardson on drums) has mastered their sound and we put a lot of thought into gear selection to accomplish this album, which paid off.
   For me, part of what made this album unique is how we all talked about recording it. The band sounds like they are out of a 70's time warp and they are big on all analog recording. So I did some research and found this really cool guy named Roger, who owns Golden Gate Recording (in SF), and we all went down to check out his spot. Outside were junkies and hookers, and inside there was a beautiful gear palace. It was straight out of the past. It was perfect.
     Trying to keep the vibe of analog but the timeframe of the 21st century, I said fuck tape and we got a 24ch AD/DA rig (with a big thank you to my hero, Zach Phillips of FreqLab Recording, you saved my ass homie!) and tracked to hi res Apogee converters. This was a tough call to make since GGR was equipped with two gorgeous Studer A827's, but we were on a mission. I utilized the racks of dream gear and captured it with the best converts we could get. Once we finished tracking, I dumped it to an Otari MTR 90 MKIII 24 track and mixed it on an SSL to an ATR 102 1/2" deck. So this record was bound to sound old. 
     Overall, this was a really fun session with a group of really awesome folks. I love the challenge of matching studios and gear to a project and Wild Eyes gave me a great one. Golden Gate Recording was a treasure chest of audio goodies, much of which was a real treat to work with. 

Thanks for cruisin' by the new and improved website! While the old, we'll call it "minimalist", site had most of the same basic info, it was time to snazz things up a bit and lay out some more details that you might be looking for from jgaudioproductions.com. Poke around, find out some new stuff about JG Audio Productions and Josh, and feel free to contact us with any questions. Cheers!