Zemlin is an expert at recording who got his feet wet by recording for free at the start. Now, Zemlin is also a posting wizard at AudioMastersForum.net. Oh yeah - he's also a Gearwire MVP Candidate.

What is your background?

For audio, it is limited. I'm a mechanical engineer by day designing high-speed industrial automation equipment. I mixed live sound for a couple of small bands when I was 16-20, but only turned knobs - didn't know anything about setting up the gear.

How did you get started in music and what advice would you give to someone who just started?

The sound system at my church sucked. It is a small congregation and I learned that there was no "owner" of the system. I didn't know much at the time, but I was confident I could make improvements - and I did. I won't go into details, but it was a major overhaul and the results were dramatic. About the same time some people at the church wanted to start a Folk Music series. Since I was the guy who now knew the audio system they asked me to run sound. It is a very modest system for concerts, but it worked. For the second concert I brought in my PC and plugged my Sound Blaster card into the mixer purely as an experiment. I had Cool Edit and was blown away by the quality of the end result and what I was able to do with CE to make a very decent sounding recording. I decided to start spending money on recording equipment and the rest is history.

Advice? Don't be in a hurry. Recording is an art, and it takes time to learn to appreciate it. Start small - don't try to buy an entire studio right out of the gate. My first multitrack mix took me 6 months to mix. I did it no charge so there was no commitment. It was a learning experience for me and I started from scratch many times. I did a lot of work for free just to get my feet wet and learn the ropes. Until you can hear what you need in microphones, software, and electronics, don't just do what the experts say. Just like musicians, you need to find your "voice" and learn what's best for you. That takes time and starting off with the wrong kit is costly.

Who are your musical influences and what genre do you listen to most?

I don't make music - just record. I like Bonnie Raitt, Nora Jones, Clapton, SRV, some jazz and classical, choral, just about anything. Current mainstream pop and hiphop do nothing for me.

What's your inspiration?

I love to help people take their projects and turn them into more than they thought was possible. Whether it's music, a story, or a recorded greeting for a distant girlfriend, I love it when my clients get excited about what I'm doing for them.

What's your motivation for helping people out on forums?

I like helping folks, and online forums were a HUGE help for me when I was getting going (around 2000-2001). Without these people I don't know if I would have made it. In part, just returning the favor, but mainly it's because I can share what I've learned and shared knowledge is many times more valuable than duplicated mistakes.

What's your favorite piece of gear and why? What gear do you use?

I'd have to say it's my computer. The power available today for editing and mixing on a computer is awesome. That's where I have the most fun. I have some decent mics and electronics, but it's the PC that is really my main tool. It's my big 12' long console - it just happens to live in a couple of 19" windows.

What are your favorite sources for gear-related information?

A whole host of online sources.

What's the best music related advice you've ever given?

One of my favorite indie performers did not have a live album, and I thought she needed one. She really was not interested, but I persuaded her to let me record her in a very small venue, a totally unplugged show. It came out GREAT! Not super, technically, but the energy, the intimacy, the soul was all there and she was thrilled with the result. Convincing her that a live CD was the right thing to do is one of my best works.

What's the best music related advice you've ever received?

What's the best and worst thing about being a musician?

I'm not really a musician - I only work with others' music.

What is the best and worst thing about online forums?

The morons, and the ease by which something can be grossly misunderstood.

What music-related topic do you think is most neglected on forums?

n/a

What are the 5 forum posts/threads where you are most proud of your contributions? (Give actual URLs)

sorry - thousands of posts over several years - I'm not going back to look for "favorites".

Anything else you would like voters to know? Any interesting music related stories?

Packaging is important. I spent a lot of time learning how to create good looking print work for CDs. Folks get just as excited about the LOOK of their CD as they do about the sound. You can double the pleasure, double the fun, if you go the extra mile to create professional-looking packaging.