Recording Studio Tour: Real Amps vs. Modelers, Home Studios & Going Viral with Bret Michaels

We take the Tone Tailors Podcast inside MDW Productions, a recording studio in the Colonial Park section of Harrisburg, PA, for a conversation with owner, producer, engineer, and musician Michael Washkevich about recording guitars, tracking real bands, mixing, home studios, streaming, and making records in 2026.Michael gives us a behind the scenes look at how a professional recording studio actually works, why the engineer matters more than expensive gear, and what musicians should do before stepping into a session. He's been making records since the late 90s, has engineered CPMA award winning records for The Jellybricks and The Depth Beneath Us, and plays bass in the suddenly viral Van Halen tribute act Van Wirsing and guitar in the instrumental band Very Fine Gentlemen.If you're a guitarist, musician, producer, recording engineer, or building a home studio, this episode is packed with practical advice and some genuinely wild stories.We talk about:-How guitar players should prep their instrument before a session-Real guitar amps vs. amp modelers when tracking-Full band tracking, isolation, and the producer's role in mixing and producing a record-Why every musician should have a home recording setup-Spotify payouts, streaming, and the return of physical vinyl and CDs-Building a live show people actually remember-Van Wirsing, Van Halen, Bret Michaels, and going viralWe also get into Very Fine Gentlemen's new EP Relish, and their decision to hold it off streaming until after The Relish Road Show release show on September 26 at Capital City Music Hall in Harrisburg, plus the wild story of how Van Wirsing went from a one off backyard festival set to sharing the stage with Bret Michaels.🎸 GET TICKETS TO THE RELISH ROAD SHOW HERE: https://the-very-fine-gentlemen-llc.square.site/s/shop🎧 HEAR MUSIC RECORDED & PRODUCED AT MDW PRODUCTIONS:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2jenSblCBtfhmyvREHNIBu?si=wnX-uEfcTs6zHdbiiL_X5Q&utm_source=copy-link&pi=4ecChq7FRnyN4🎚️ MDW PRODUCTIONS:https://www.mdwproductions.com/🎸 VERY FINE GENTLEMEN:https://www.veryfinegentlemen.com/🔥 VAN WIRSING:https://www.vanwirsing.com/CHAPTERS:00:00 Don't Skip this Intro00:44 Inside MDW Productions02:35 Meet Michael Washkevich13:28 Preparing Your Guitar for the Studio17:10 Tracking, Mixing & Producing Records27:27 Why Every Musician Should Have a Home Studio35:01 Streaming, Physical Media & the Live Show Experience51:48 Van Halen, Van Wirsing & Going Viral with Bret MichaelsABOUT THE TONE TAILORS PODCASTThe Tone Tailors Podcast talks with the musicians, producers, engineers, builders, artists, and industry professionals who make music happen.From recording studios and guitar shops to live stages and home studios, we're talking about the gear, techniques, people, and stories behind the music.Need your guitar ready for the studio? Tone Tailors offers professional guitar repair, setups, fretwork, electronics, pickup installation, restringing, upgrades, plus new and used guitars, amps, pedals, and recording gear.🎸 SHOP TONE TAILORS:https://shop.tonetailors.comSubscribe for more guitar gear, recording studio tours, music production conversations, artist interviews, guitar repair tips, and episodes of the Tone Tailors Podcast.