Julian Rodgers

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Editor at Pro Tools Expert

Editor at Production Expert Podcast

Editor at Production Expert

Unapologetic audio nerd and Pro Tools bore...

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Articles

Free Plug-in - MAAT Digital GON

6 days ago | production-expert.com | Julian Rodgers

As this week's Free Plugin, we are featuring GON from MAAT. It’s a phase scope or ‘goniometer’. An indispensable tool for checking how energy is distributed across the stereo panorama. Users of DAWs other then Pro Tools probably have one built in to their complement of stock plugins but for Pro Tools users the phase scope plugin has been absent since the transition to the AAX format. If you use Pro Tools and need a quick, no-nonsense phase scope this one delivers.
Neumann RIME Headphone Mixing System - Tested

2 weeks ago | production-expert.com | Julian Rodgers

Not everyone enjoys mixing on headphones. Some find it liberating, but many remain hesitant. Headphones present audio differently — panning, depth, and vocal placement often feel less grounded than on loudspeakers. For a long time, headphone monitoring was seen as a compromise. Still, there are situations where headphones are the only option. You might be travelling, working in a shared space, or lacking a full-range, treated monitoring environment.
Five Of The Most Iconic Recording Studios In The World

2 weeks ago | production-expert.com | Julian Rodgers

What makes a studio iconic? Is it the artists who pass through its doors, the records they make, the engineers who capture it, or the rooms themselves? For music professionals, studios are more than workspaces. They’re the places where ideas become tracks, where moments become masters. A handful of studios have done more than host great sessions—they’ve shaped music itself.
Pro Tools Folders, Submixes Or VCAs - Which Should You Use?

3 weeks ago | production-expert.com | Julian Rodgers

Mixing in Pro Tools needs careful management. To keep it under control, you’re probably using some combination of Aux Inputs, Folder Tracks, and VCAs. But with these overlapping options, it’s easy to wonder: which is the right tool for the job? In the video below, we walk through real-world scenarios using all three approaches—Auxes, Routing Folders, and VCAs—clearly showing what each does best and where they might trip you up.
Pro Tools Ultimate - Do You Need It?

3 weeks ago | production-expert.com | Julian Rodgers

Unlike the old ‘standard’, non-Ultimate version of Pro Tools, for music users Pro Tools Studio probably offers all the features from Ultimate you need but finding out exactly which features are still only available in Ultimate isn’t completely straightforward. This article goes further than the feature comparison tables you might have seen.
Free Plugin - Polyverse Wider 2.0

3 weeks ago | production-expert.com | Julian Rodgers

Polyverse Wider has always been one of our favourite free plugins. And in version 2.0 Polyverse updated Wider to include useful new features, and it’s still free!Polyverse Wider gives any mono signal the illusion of an expanded stereo image with an awe-inspiring amount of width. It’s a unique stereo widener plug-in that is completely “mono-compatible” — any signal that has been widened will always remain in phase with itself, even when it is summed back into mono.
Pro Tools: Multiband Splitter

1 month ago | soundonsound.com | Julian Rodgers

Multiband Splitter opens up a whole new world of processing options. Amazingly, the Avid Pro Series of plug‑ins that come bundled with Pro Tools is over 10 years old. They still feel fresh, and despite having some top‑flight alternatives, I use them in every session. But there are some which I’m sure get overlooked by most people.
Pro Tools: Creating Drum Sample Libraries

2 months ago | soundonsound.com | Julian Rodgers

There are many great virtual drum instruments around, but sometimes it’s best to create your own!There are many ways to finesse a drum recording at the mix stage, from manual editing to audio quantisation tools like Elastic Audio and Beat Detective. And as virtual drum instruments have evolved, many producers now prioritise the control and flexibility of MIDI‑triggered drums over traditional audio‑based editing.
Pro Tools: Vocal Levelling

Feb 20, 2025 | soundonsound.com | Julian Rodgers

Get your vocal levels just right in Pro Tools with these handy tips. Vocal production has changed enormously since the start of the DAW era. While not every production requires the big, bright, and ultra‑processed sound common in pop productions, even the most natural styles today exhibit a level of polish that simply wasn’t there a couple of decades ago. If the vocal isn’t right, its failings will let the whole production down.
Pro Tools: Post-production Techniques For Music

Jan 23, 2025 | soundonsound.com | Julian Rodgers

Pro Tools has many features aimed at post‑production. Could they help you with music production too? Pro Tools stands out as a DAW that is widely used in both music and post‑production. While some workflows and features might seem exclusive to the latter, the line between these two disciplines is often blurred, and features aimed at post can prove useful for music projects too. This was illustrated by a recent project I worked on, which involved creating promotional video material for social media.