Guestblogger and multi-instrumentalist Nigel Hubee explains the setup he uses when he performs as part of the acoustic duo The Tickets on YouTube. To his mind, the trick is to simply use the resources that you already have around you: so your backdrop can be your own living room or another good room; you can use the instruments and microphones that you always use on stage anyway; and you can film everything on just your phone, a tablet or an action camera that’s able to film in HD (1080p) – so that’s most models these days. Next to that, you’ll need your laptop and some kind of recording software, some simple video editing software, some monitor speakers and, last but not least, an audio interface so everything can be coupled up.

In this new age of countless plectrum variations, Guestblogger and multi-instrumentalist Nigel Hubee talks about what got him thinking more deeply about his pick of plectrum and his happy surprise at finding out how cheaply he could experiment with using picks made of different materials, picks with different shapes, and picks with different thicknesses – and what a massive difference it made to the sound of his instrument. If you’re on your own pick-related journey of self-discovery then allow Nigel to help you take your tone to a level you didn’t know existed.

Guest-blogger and multi-instrumentalist Nigel Hubée reveals how he bumped the foot percussion of the acoustic duo he’s one half of (The Tickets) up to the next level with a mix of self-contrived drums, a fresh take on an old-school hi-hat, and modern digital technology. Read on and learn!