If you think the phrase "Empirical Labs EL8X Distressor with British Mod Single Channel Rackmount Compressor/Limiter" sounds like a foreign language, you are not alone. Luckily, engineers/producers Brian Scheffer and Nelson Jones speak this language — fluently. The co-owners of Firebrand Recording have mastered every knob on the aforementioned Distressor, as well as countless other pieces of equipment on their intimidatingly long list of gear. Of course, any recording enthusiast worth their weight in Octava MK-012 omni mic capsules knows that engineers cannot survive on gear alone. Scheffer and Jones sharpened their skills and trained their ears by making records for the city's finest in a DIY basement studio before moving into a legitimate, custom-built studio a few years back. Today Firebrand Recording's roster reads like a who's who of local musicians: poppy punks the Humanoids, tech-metal prodigies Lye By Mistake, and the 2008 RFT Best New Artist Music Award winner the Blind Eyes — all of whom acknowledge the Firebranders for their professional demeanor and affordable rates.