This is the first site on the web to show where real artists and designers work. Painters, musicians, photographers, illustrators. The site lets you see their environment in which they go about the creative process and will hopefully inspire yourselves. [more inside]
posted by Joe Beese on Jun 13, 2009 - 11 comments

10cc's I'm Not In Love and the story behind it.
posted by klangklangston on May 12, 2009 - 56 comments

Billy Joel performs "Only The Good Die Young" as it was meant to be heard: a reggae number.
posted by Joe Beese on Feb 10, 2009 - 53 comments

The Brothers Warner premiering nationally via PBS this week. From Rin Tin Tin to Eastwood, the story of the original Hollywood independent filmmakers.
posted by ms.jones on Sep 23, 2008 - 6 comments

"And by magic, I mean me drinking a lot of coffee and not bathing for days while sitting in my PJ's and drawing comics until the wee hours of the morning." Gasp at comics creator Mike Allred's lovely home! Admire artist Stuart Immonen's tastfully furnished work area! And marvel at writer Mark Waid's piles and piles of comic crap! Click the [more inside] for more studio tours guided by your favorite funnybook creators! And Mark Millar, too! [more inside]
posted by Alvy Ampersand on Mar 8, 2008 - 11 comments

James Lipton: pimp.
posted by XQUZYPHYR on Oct 23, 2007 - 64 comments

Think that all photography has gone digital? Well, output probably has, but read a few of the detailed articles and interviews, each about an individual image, over at The FStop and you'll see that for professional photographers going digital, perhaps more than anything else, means unlimited control over all mediums of photography and unlimited combinations. (via the always wonderful Strobist)
posted by ztdavis on Aug 3, 2007 - 18 comments

Tech industry to FTC: stop studios from giving consumers scary, inaccurate copyright warnings.
posted by grobstein on Aug 1, 2007 - 26 comments

What does the Digilog Dynamicator (DD-301), the 3P-III Palindrometer and the AP-302 Algorhythmic Prosecutor have in common? They're all products of Funk Logic; a company that designs filler panels for studio/live sound racks (or to quote them: "rack filler panels with stuff all over em'"). Notable: Their "Ideas That Never Made It" section.
posted by KevinSkomsvold on Sep 29, 2006 - 24 comments

Tweak's Guide to Home Recording. A comprehensive home recording guide that will take you all the way from buying an audio interface to choosing a mic preamp to learning the subtle arts of compression and EQing. A good refresher course even for those with recording experience. And for those more interested in composition than recording, Tweak's piece on Inspiration is insightful as well.
posted by ludwig_van on Apr 3, 2006 - 32 comments

Mike Disfarmer had a photo studio in the resort town of Heber Springs, Arkansas throughout the 30s and 40s, creating images with an amazing blunt, unvarnished beauty and strength. Nothing speaks more eloquently about Disfarmer's artistry than the photographs themselves. His genius was the ability to capture without judgment, the essence of a people and a time.
posted by amberglow on Apr 11, 2004 - 11 comments

The Daily Adventures of Mixerman is the hilariously brutal daily blog of an anonymous studio engineer, recording an anonymous major-label rock band. As Ink19 says, "What Spinal Tap did to Heavy Metal, Mixerman does to The Recording Process."
posted by Espoo2 on May 8, 2003 - 27 comments

Real World Studios If you were a recording musician, how could you not want to record here at least once? A gorgeous environment that's inspiring on mulitple levels. Peter Gabriel deserves more credit than he gets. He's a forward thinking, decent guy who never stops trying. Now - release "Up" dammit.
posted by davebush on Apr 8, 2002 - 8 comments