When Jesse and Joshua first started down the path of getting the “Overload in Stereo” project up and running they were both convinced of one thing. Because of their hectic schedules, they needed to focus only on recording and releasing music. Playing lives shows is currently out of the picture, at least for now. This gave Joshua the reason he was looking for to get back into recording, mixing, and producing music. At this point, “Cackling Dog Studios” was born.

The evolving studio

When Joshua first started out building his studio, he was living in a small 3 bedroom townhouse. So, a compact solution was needed for that time. Through multiple iterations, he finally settled on a setup that would work for this project. He used moving blankets in the master bedroom when recording vocals and focused primarily on using amp sims to get the tones they need.  This was because of the noise from live amps and being so close

to neighbors. He didn’t want to get shut down before starting. As for drums, they enlisted the help of Roy, who is oddly never around for any type of photographs. Although not an official member of the group, Roy has been fundamental in the drums of the music.

So, this is how we started working on songs like “Going Back,” “Something Else,” and the soon-to-be-released “Know What I Mean.” It wasn’t the best solution, but it was the solution that worked. It served its purpose well

for the time that Joshua lived there.

The final version…for now

After moving to another location in the late summer of 2021. Joshua outfitted his basement into a full production studio. The studio has the space to record full live drums, a booth for vocals and amps, and is able to handle most mid-sized band needs. His studio mainly consists of a Universal Audio Apollo x8 with a Behringer ADA8200 piped in via ADAT to expand to a total of 16 channels.

The studio does have some outboard gear, such as Art Pro tube pre’s and optical compressors, but most of the mixing is done in the box. The recording is done using either Avid’s Pro Tools or Apple’s Logic Pro. It all depends on the song and what is needed. Aside from that, the studio is equipped with an array of microphones and a full drum set. The dead space is great for capturing sound without the nuisance of having room frequencies being an issue with the recording. It’s big enough for most amps as well as taller people. However, it does get a bit warm in there.

Ultimately, this new recording space has opened up much more potential for Overload in Stereo. Being able to track new songs when inspiration hits are invaluable. Not having to depend on external studios or services also proves to be much more beneficial to their more hectic schedules.

Honorable mentions

The new space also comes equipped with a studio cat. That’s Mittens, he’s the mascot for Wobbly Cat Records. We also can not forget about Jovie, the Boston Terrier that was the inspiration for the namesake of the studio: Cackling Dog Studio.