Author
@KHeavy
Founder of BandVolt - engineer by day, guitarist the rest of the time
32 posts · writing here since May 2026
I founded BandVolt and I write most of what you will read here. Software engineer by trade, guitarist in Ketos - the second one is the more relevant qualification for almost everything on this blog.
BandVolt exists because of a specific, unglamorous frustration: a band that could write and play perfectly well kept losing time to admin. Mixes arrived in a group chat and nobody could tell which was current. Feedback came as voice notes somebody had to transcribe by ear. The gig calendar lived in three places, all slightly different, and the money lived in a spreadsheet on one laptop. None of that is a music problem, and all of it eats the evenings you meant to spend playing.
So the writing here is not product marketing dressed as advice. It is the working-out - what actually goes wrong between a bounce and a release, which habits fix it, and where a tool genuinely helps versus where it is just another subscription. Where BandVolt does something relevant it gets mentioned, and where it does not, that gets said too.
What you'll find here
- Mix version control and why file naming always fails
- Timestamped feedback, and giving notes a producer can act on
- Mix readiness - loudness, true peak, headroom, mono compatibility
- Running a band remotely without losing momentum
- Setlists, shared calendars, and the admin around gigs
- Band finances, and splitting money without the awkward meeting
More about the product and the company on the about page, or get in touch.
Everything by @KHeavy
Mixing & feedback
- Stop letting loudness choose your mix
Why the louder bounce always wins an A/B - and how Quick Compare loudness matching levels every version so you hear the mix decisions, not the master bus gain.
- A DAW is not a band workspace (and neither replaces the other)
Logic, Ableton, and Pro Tools are where music gets made. A band workspace is where the band decides. Here is where the line sits, why confusing the two slows records down, and how they work side by side.
- How to give feedback on a mix
A complete guide for bands - what to listen for, how to describe what you hear without production jargon, how many rounds a mix should take, and how to disagree without stalling the record.
- WeTransfer vs a band workspace for stems and mixes
Expiring links, re-uploads after every revision, and no feedback loop - why one-shot file transfers fail ongoing music projects, and what to use instead.
- WhatsApp vs timestamped mix feedback
Voice notes, "the bit after the second chorus", and mixes compressed on send - a side-by-side look at why a group chat fails as a mix review tool, and what timestamped comments do instead.
- Mix Health - know if your mix is release-ready
A complete guide to mix readiness for bands - what loudness, true peak, dynamic range, phase, and mono compatibility actually mean, and how to check a mix against all of them before you ship it.
- AI Mix Summaries - what the band is really telling you
Forty timestamped comments on a mix is a lot to read. AI Mix Summaries turn the noise into a clear list of what to change next.
- Working with session players without fourteen emails
How public share links and external collaborators let you bring in session musicians, producers, and labels without giving them an account.
- Quick Compare - hearing what actually changed
How to A/B two mix versions properly - why level matching and switching at the same playback position matter, and how to turn "it sounds different" into a note a producer can use.
- Timestamped feedback that actually lands
"Tighten the verse" is useless. "0:39 - the triplets feel rushed" is a fix. A full guide to giving mix notes your band can act on, and the tooling that makes specificity easy.
- Stop sending `final_FINAL_v3.mp3`
A complete guide to mix version control for bands - why file naming always fails, what a real version history looks like, and how to keep every mix findable, comparable, and clear.
- The voice memo graveyard
Why most band ideas die in the group chat - and how to stop losing the good ones to scroll.
Band management
- The tools an indie band actually needs
A job-by-job guide to building a band's toolkit - what you genuinely need, what you can skip, where the gaps are, and how to avoid paying five subscriptions to solve one problem badly.
- The gigging band's guide to staying organised
How established bands with a busy gig diary stay tight - setlists built from live versions, tech riders that are always findable, dep-friendly access, and clean books.
- For labels and managers: running multiple bands without the chaos
How labels and artist managers keep a roster organised - a workspace per band, version control on mixes, no-signup share links for pitching, and per-band finances.
- The shared band Google Drive (and its one password)
One shared login, one person fielding Authenticator requests, folders nobody dares reorganise. Why a shared drive fails bands, what it costs you, and what a band workspace does instead.
- Running a church worship band: keeping a rotating team in sync
How to organise a worship team - shared setlists per service, keys and BPM on screen, arrangement recordings for rotating volunteers, and a service calendar.
- Band management for indie bands: a practical guide
How to organise an indie band - song versions, feedback, setlists, gigs, money, and sending music to labels - without a manager or a stack of subscriptions.
- From rehearsal room to release - a workflow checklist
A simple, repeatable flow for taking a song from voice memo to released single without losing the thread.
- Running a remote band without losing momentum
When the band lives in three cities, the workflow is the only thing keeping the project moving. A practical guide to remote band collaboration - handoffs, deadlines, decision-making, and the tools that hold it together.
- The hidden cost of stitched-together tools
Free tools are not free if the cost is your band's momentum. A look at what bands actually spend on chaos.
Gigs & setlists
- From shared setlist to stage sheet
How to get a clean numbered setlist onto the monitors without screenshotting a Google Doc - one tap from the setlist everyone already shares in BandVolt.
- Spotify playlist vs a real rehearsal setlist
Many bands rehearse to a Spotify playlist. Here is what it can't do - unreleased songs, live arrangements, keys and BPM - and what a purpose-built setlist tool does instead.
- Rehearse the live version, not the album cut
BandVolt setlists can now use any version of a song - album cut, extended live arrangement, or abridged edit - plus unreleased tracks no streaming playlist can hold.
- The 11pm hunt for the tech rider
Press shots in one inbox, the stage plot in another, the EPK on a laptop that died. Give your band one organised home for the files that aren't music.
- The gig nobody put in the calendar
Half the band found out about the show from the venue's Instagram. A shared band calendar fixes the scheduling chaos that kills good bands.
- The five-minute setlist
How to build and share a setlist without the spreadsheet - sequencing a set that works, keeping the live arrangement rather than the album cut, printing a stage sheet, and keeping one current version everyone can see.
Sharing & promo
- Electronic Press Kit for bands - one link for promoters and press
What goes in a band EPK, what promoters actually read, and how to publish a free Electronic Press Kit on one custom URL - bio, music, photos, videos, booking contact, and upcoming shows.
- Send your music to anyone - no account needed
A label, a promoter, your mum. Public share links give anyone a clean page to stream your songs from, without making them sign up for anything.
Band business
- Splitting band income without the awkward meeting
How bands actually split gig money - even splits, expenses-first, and points systems compared - plus why a shared ledger turns Sunday afternoon negotiations into a five-minute glance.
Product
- Why we built BandVolt
The story behind BandVolt - solving the real problems bands face when collaborating on music, from first demo to show night.
- Welcome to BandVolt
Introducing BandVolt - the all-in-one workspace where bands write songs, review recordings, manage setlists, and stay in sync.