About IMR
Hi, I'm Chris. I test it before I tell you to buy it.
Indie Musician Resources is one musician's honest notes on the courses, apps and gear sold to people like us. Most of it you don't need. When something is worth it, I'll tell you exactly why.
The short version
A mixing engineer who got tired of reading sales pages
IMR started as a simple list: the resources I wished someone had handed me when I started making records. The internet had plenty of information. What it didn't have was someone telling you which parts were worth your time.
Since then I've spent years mixing records for independent artists, mostly indie rock, folk and Americana, singer-songwriter and pop R&B. I ran that work as Layer Five Studio, built on one idea: a mix should serve the story of the song, not the engineer's plugin chain.
I'm also still a student. I take guitar, piano and voice lessons, and I've even busked. So when I review a course, I'm the one doing the homework.
Off the site, I live in Korea and teach English to kids. It turns out that's great training for explaining things without jargon.
What I believe
How I review things
I use it first
Reviews come from actual use, often months of it. That's why you'll see titles like "My 6-Month Experience". If I haven't tested something, I say so.
I name the price
What I paid, how billing works and how to cancel. Up top, where you can see it, not buried under the fold.
I name the cheaper option
If the honest answer is "don't buy this", you'll also get the free or cheaper thing that does the job.
From an artist I mixed for
Seth Cardew, independent musician"The worst feeling is when you ask an engineer to change something, and the next mix has the same exact issue. This is not the case with Chris."
Where to start
Pick a topic, or read Creative Endeavours, my personal column about what I'm practicing, building and getting wrong.
How this site makes money
Some links on IMR are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
It doesn't change the verdict. A negative review stays negative whether or not there's a link in it.
Want something tested, or spotted a mistake? Get in touch.
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