Reader Spotlight: James & FJ And Their Killer Rock Covers

A lot of my readers reach out to me with their mixes, to let me know they’ve benefited from the tips and tutorials here on the website. And so much of what I hear is really well done. But when I first heard a track from reader James Ruiz, of James & FJ, I was blown away. These guys are arranging, recording, and filming killer rock covers of hit pop tunes and becoming a YouTube sensation with over 4 million views. All from a bedroom!

The Studio Setup

James (the drummer) does the recording and mixing himself and his setup is a solid home studio rig. He uses mics from Shure to record drums and guitars, runs them into a couple of daisy chained PreSonus Firestudio Projects, and records/mixes it all in Studio One Pro from PreSonus.
 

I record my drums right beside my bedroom. I wish I had a big boomy room, but that’s what I have right now. I modify it a little bit so I can get a little better sound from my drums. I record guitars in the same room. – James Ruiz

I hope you caught that. He doesn’t have the big sounding room that he wished he had, but he gets it done anyway. That’s the home studio mantra: find a way to get it done with what you have.

Getting Better At Mixing Each Time

James, like many of us when we first started, admits to getting better at mixing each time he does a track. It’s a learning process that takes time, and more importantly takes commitment to actually finishing mixes and moving on to the next one.

At the beginning it was just for fun, but then we started getting some significant views/subscribers on YouTube and I wanted to take things more seriously and make better mixes. Since I bought your REthink Mixing and JumpStart To Mastering videos and after watching all your youtube tutorials I think I’ve improved my mixing skills significantly.

With improving mix skills and a growing subscriber base, James & FJ hope to become famous on YouTube for their unique rock covers. Eventually they’d like to even get noticed by a top notch singer and work on original music.

Inspiration And Motivation

James & FJ are a perfect example of what this “recording revolution” is all about. Talented people having the ability to record, mix, and distribute their music worldwide. They are an inspiration to the home and project studio hobbiest. If you are passionate about your music, get some basic gear like these guys and make it happen. Don’t just wait around for something to happen, make things happen with what you have!

In the mean time, please check out the rest of James & FJ’s covers on their YouTube channel and subscribe if you like it. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.