If you've been wondering how Chernobyl Audio came to be... or even where the name comes from, well, you'll enjoy this one.
The story starts over a decade ago... with a buddy trolling me.
The Beginning: Chernobyl Studios
Back then, I wanted to think of a name for my YouTube channel and my studio. I wasn't Chernobyl Audio and it was going to be a long time before I got to that point... but still: I needed a name.
Over 10 years ago, a guy by the name of Alex Cappa from The Metal Factory Studios in Spain was one of the first people to take me seriously and actually answer my (many) beginner questions about recording, mixing, and producing metal.
One day after complaining to him that I couldn't think of a name, Alex jokingly said "Chernobyl Studios."
Boom. That was it!
No deep symbolism, no branding session, no big artistic statement or anything like that. Just Alex trolling me.
I immediately checked to see if a domain name was available, and it was. I bought it immediately.
That's how Chernobyl Studios was born: from a friendly roast that actually turned out to be a good idea.
The YouTube Era: Cakewalk, Guitar Tones, and Metal Mixing
After that, things started to take shape.
I began posting YouTube videos under the name Chernobyl Studios: tutorials about Cakewalk Sonar, crafting metal guitar tones, testing amp simulators, and sharing metal mixing tips as I learned them.
It's hard to believe it, but I've been posting content for over ten years now.
During that time, I slowly began to mix for clients. The first one was a black metal project from California. From there, I branched out to more content, premium mixing courses and workshops about mixing metal and developing unique metal guitar tones.
Chernobyl Studios became a home for people that wanted, no-BS content about heavy music production and I'm proud to say that I never paid for subscribers, clicks, or anything like that. Chernobyl Audio has grown to nearly 30,000 YouTube subscribers simply by posting content.
From Ukraine to Europe to Ukraine
Fast-forward to 2022, my family and I moved to Europe. In a few months I found myself in Bialystok, Poland, home of legendary Hertz Recording Studio.
If you're into metal, then you already know Hertz. Iconic bands like Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated, and Patriarkh have recorded there.
Anyway, I ended up working and collaborating with Hertz Studio for a while, and it was promising. Unfortunately due to outside situations, it turned out that we were going to have to return to Ukraine, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Anyway, around the same time, I started a new site called Chernobyl Audio, and it was going to be a separate thing where high-quality presets, products, and training material was going to be offered.
However, it soon became clear to me that it made sense to merge everything under one name. Having both "Chernobyl Studios" and "Chernobyl Audio" was confusing and since I was heading in a new direction, both with my YouTube channel, products, presets, and training material, it just made sense.
So, in 2023, I officially made the switch: Chernobyl Studios became Chernobyl Audio everywhere.
What Chernobyl Audio is Today
Today, Chernobyl Audio is the next evolution of everything I've built over the last decade.
The goal is simple:
To provide high-quality resources for metal producers and songwriters, whether you've just started out or already are working on pro-level projects.
On the site, you'll find:
- Metal guitar tone preset packs for Neural DSP plugins like Nolly X, Gojira X, Fortin Nameless Suite X, Plini X, and hopefully more soon.
- Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 drum kit presets for black, death, and symphonic metal.
- Mixing and guitar tone training courses designed to help you develop your own sound.
- And of course: mixing and mastering services so that I can help you bring your vision to life.
Everything I create, be that a preset, course, product, whatever it is, is designed to help you sound heavier, work faster, and make the most out of your inspiration.
Chernobyl Audio: Built by a Metalhead for Metalheads
So, there you go, that's how it all started.
A Facebook joke, a ton of hard work, over ten years of sharing everything I've learned...
Chernobyl Audio is about passion, persistence, and helping other metal musicians create music they are proud to share with the world.
If you been here since the Chernobyl Studios days: thank you. If you're new here, then it's great to see you.