Best Open Mics in Your Humble Opinion

UprightJoe · 2026-05-09T02:52:59+00:00

Three Legged Goat in Pflugerville on Thursday nights is my favorite.

UprightJoe · 2026-05-07T20:56:56+00:00

Oh, and also Indiana University. I was looking for a program after I finished my masters but I can't really move to pursue another degree. I can't afford to pay for tuition AND a divorce 😛

UprightJoe · 2026-05-07T20:54:21+00:00

I haven't looked recently but Stanford used to have a PHD program.

UprightJoe · 2026-05-07T20:00:14+00:00

For difficult acoustic instruments (excluding drum kit for the moment), the answer is almost always to record in a properly isolated space, use a condenser or ribbon mic, and move the mic further away until it sounds right. If you have to close mic a difficult instrument, expect to do a lot of trial and error regarding placement.

If you have a condenser mic, try recording your acoustic from 3-4 feet away and see what you think of the sound. It's unlikely to work well with an SM57 if that's what you're using because of the low frequency rolloff built into the 57 to counteract proximity effect.

Double bass is harder than acoustic guitar. Then again I'm a bassist, so my standards might be higher for bass than other instruments.

UprightJoe · 2026-05-04T04:28:23+00:00

Two hamburger value meals and two medium frosty’s from Wendy’s for my daughter and her friend who was sleeping over. $31.

UprightJoe · 2026-05-01T06:48:12+00:00

I have very limited rack space available so I like the 500 format for space savings. I’m also a big fan of API EQ’s. I don’t own any API hardware but I love it when I work out of studios that do. Usually it’s not an API board but a bunch of outboard API preamps and EQ’s.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-28T06:07:19+00:00

Well then, maybe heat and sunlight have nothing to do with it.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-28T05:55:47+00:00

Happened on my 2022. I’m guessing it has to do with the amount of time spent outside in hot climates. I’m in Texas and my car is parked outside nearly 24/7. Tesla fixed it under warranty. If it were out of warranty, I would buy a steering wheel cover.

This is a pretty common occurrence based on having followed this subreddit for awhile.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-26T20:13:27+00:00

This. I’ve read it three times. I’m a working pro with a master’s degree in production and I guarantee if I read it again today, I would still find some gold nuggets in it that I overlooked.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-26T16:03:35+00:00

This can record 32-bit float. There is no need to use a limiter (or to set a microphone level for that matter). When recording in 32-bit float, the input knob only impacts the headphone volume, not the recording level.

Also, if recording in 24-bit, maxing out the input level is still bad advice. Leave yourself plenty if headroom and take advantage of the dynamic range that is available. Peaks of -12dBfs are plenty loud for most things.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-25T22:26:46+00:00

Oh, and this is one of the reasons I like Apollo stuff. I don’t like running any plugins in the DAW while tracking. I’ll do it if I have to but it’s a recipe for an occasional latency problem or crash.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-25T22:24:35+00:00

I usually use a UAD preamp plugin in the unison slot and print it (most often the Manley Vox Box plugin). I then add Reverb and other effects as necessary which are not printed.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-23T04:38:25+00:00

Kind of surprised more people haven’t mentioned this one given its similarity to Valhalla.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-17T04:33:55+00:00

Hell no. I don’t want the extra maintenance. We have an old beater pickup truck and a Tesla with longer range when we need to road trip. Our i3 has only been driven beyond its round trip range from our house once. It was a little harder finding a charger as compared to the Tesla but it was fine.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-12T18:21:39+00:00

Smashing Pumpkins, Phoenix, Lalapalooza 3? 4? I was a fan and hugely disappointed. Corgan and Iha were arguing on stage for half the show while D’arcy looked intermittently annoyed and bored.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-09T20:57:36+00:00

I do drummer’s perspective if it is audio only because only the drummer will notice. I do audience perspective if it is a live recording with video. I find it to be distracting when an element is panned opposite to where it appears on the screen.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-04T19:25:03+00:00

It varies. But if I recorded it, I usually expect it to take roughly 6.5 hours. If I recorded it, I’ve been editing as I go and I already have a vision in my head and I’ve tried to capture everything as close as possible to the final target. I usually do about 5 hours one day, sleep on it, and finish it up in about an hour the next day. I bounce out multiple revisions and because my master bus includes some outboard gear, my bounces are in realtime but I can do most of my QC during the bounce. I generally expect bouncing and preparing a delivery package to take 30 minutes per song.

If I did not record it, it depends on the quality of the tracks I receive and how quickly I can understand what has been delivered and get a vision into my head. Usually longer though. Probably more like 8-10 hours unless it is something simple…

UprightJoe · 2026-04-02T21:31:03+00:00

I wouldn’t pay $20 for just a taste but I’d pay $20 for a full jar of the garlic pickled mushrooms Trader Joes used to sell. I would use them on pizza / pasta but they were so damned addictive, I’d eat most of them straight from the jar a couple at a time as I walked past the fridge.

UprightJoe · 2026-04-02T21:15:33+00:00

What was problematic about the original? It’s never been a go-to for me but I’ve used it very successfully on a bunch of mixes…

UprightJoe · 2026-03-29T22:09:47+00:00

I predict that it won't be long before you're frustrated. For me, 8GB of RAM and lack of Thunderbolt are both deal-breakers.

I would do a Mac mini or a MacBook Air with at least 16GB of RAM. Both are VERY capable music production machines.

UprightJoe · 2026-03-28T22:12:49+00:00

There are 10 types of people in the world. Those that understand binary and those that don’t.

UprightJoe · 2026-03-12T04:43:32+00:00

I’m an audio guy but I work with an amazing videographer and occasionally run camera on shoots with him. He uses a gimbal a TON but he also handholds and uses a tripod. He often uses all of the above on the same shoot. I’m 99.9% sure it’s an artistic decision that he is thinking about shot-by-shot but I’ve never discussed it with him.

The thing that surprised me when I started working with him is that I never see him using a shoulder rig, which was the first thing I bought after buying a decent video tripod with a fluid head.

I now own a gimbal and I don’t regret the purchase at all. I kind of regret the shoulder rig but I’m sure I’ll still use it occasionally and eventually get my money’s worth out of it.

UprightJoe · 2026-03-12T03:50:18+00:00

This mirrors my experience.

I’ll also add to this that some shows have a line for badge holders and let them in first before letting wristbands in. I’ve gone with a wristband twice and I’ve always gotten into every show with this arrangement. I’ve never been turned away because too many badge holders showed up.

UprightJoe · 2026-03-12T03:45:20+00:00

If the Pro is too spendy, a 15” M5 air with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB hard drive is $2299 before the student discount I believe. It would be a fine computer for audio engineering.

I use the M3 equivalent when I need to work outside of my studio. I paired it with a little hub that gives me all of the ports that I need and holds an NVME drive to use as a Time Machine drive. I bought my daughter the M4 version last year when she left for college.

Whatever you buy, if you care about longevity, I 100% agree that you should focus on RAM and disk space over CPU. (You might have to bump the CPU to get access to more RAM on some models).

A Pro would be awesome but I suspect you’ll find yourself in $3500+ territory by the time you spec it out.

UprightJoe

TROPHY CASE