Florent Garcia, the interview…

Somewhere between Nice and Monaco, producer Florent Garcia spreads the guitar gospel from his home studio to more than 210,000 subscribers, through captivating self-made videos. The Woodbrass team sat down with Florent to talk about his music, his videos, and the Blue Microphones mics he uses every day.

Woodbrass Team: What’s your musical background?

Florent Garcia: I started music as a kid at the classical conservatory. I joined very early—around first and second grade—but after the first cycle the classical approach put me off. In middle school I told my parents I wanted to quit. Then my brother introduced me to rock bands—more on the hard rock and heavy metal side—like Iron Maiden and Metallica. I broke the piggy bank and bought a Squier guitar that wasn’t too expensive. I got back into music, first on my own, then jamming with friends and starting bands. We played a lot around our area, between Nice and Monaco. Much later I went back to the Nice conservatory, linked to Monaco’s, in the jazz department, because I wanted to level up since I also played drums, bass, and guitar. I figured having a diploma could help me teach on the side to make ends meet. I ended up getting a DEM in contemporary music.

What does your work look like today?

Everything now revolves around my online activity. I split my time between my website and two YouTube channels—the main one takes a lot of time with analytical videos on music styles and techniques, with plenty of editing since I do it all myself and I’m not big on delegating! Alongside that I do studio sessions, for my own tracks and for others. I even released an EP in 2021. After Covid I decided to put live shows on hold for a while before getting back to it later on.

**You’ve just released a new EP, Cocktail. How would you describe your sound?**

For the two EPs under my own name, I’d say my world is instrumental hip-hop with a strong jazz influence, a touch of neo-soul, and bluesy colors from my rock roots. It’s instrumental. I work with a lot of producers from the chill-out and instrumental hip-hop scene. What really interests me is production—searching for textures and nailing the mix.

How long has your YouTube channel been around?

It’s been about three or four years that I’ve been posting in the format I do now. I started with more guitar-lesson-oriented videos for potential students. Over time I shifted to song analysis and technique explainers to reach a wider audience. And also because I prefer sharing music by playing guitar rather than teaching theory.

How do you approach home-studio techniques?

I gradually brought production into the channel because more and more people were asking about recording methods or how to get a specific guitar sound. I drop these tips into videos now and then, even though I want to focus more on arranging concepts.

Can you tell us about the Flow methods?

I offer three progressive, video-based methods. The starting point is Flow Creator—guitar-focused, aimed at developing improvisation for beginners and intermediate players. It balances technique with analysis and ear-training. Then Flow Backing Track builds on that by analyzing chord progressions, working on solos, and playing over backing tracks I made. Finally, Flow Production helps newcomers set up a home studio—what gear and software to choose—covering several DAWs like Apple Logic Pro or Ableton Live. To wrap up, I also talk about communication—once you’ve recorded yourself, how to make a nice video for social media and how to communicate so it fits your musical world.

What gear do you have in your home studio?

It’s actually pretty simple: a powerful PC with a Universal Audio apollo x4 interface and two Adam A7X monitors—that’s it. Everything else is plug-ins and VSTs, and even most of my guitars go through plug-ins like Neural Archetype: Plini. I also have personal presets in Guitar Rig 6 from Native Instruments—they reached out a while back to collaborate. I own a nice Fender Deluxe Reverb, paired with a Universal Audio OX. But in an apartment it’s always tricky to record amps for the neighbors. Practically speaking, it’s so nice to just plug in and instantly recall your settings with a VST. On the EP I just released, the guitar sound is about 80% Archetype: Plini and 20% Universal Audio OX. To control Ableton Live I use a Push, and from Native Instruments I work with a Komplete Kontrol keyboard.

What do you need to make your videos?

Obviously, everything in my home studio—and crucially, a good vocal mic, a Sony A7 III to film, and DaVinci for editing. The Blue Microphones Bluebird is my Swiss-army mic—I use it for guitars too.

How did you end up working with Blue Microphones?

Funny thing is, with Blue Microphones I don’t have a formal partnership—I never signed anything. Julien Garros from Blue Microphones / Logitech contacted me when I didn’t even have 50,000 subs yet. He offered to loan me any mic and I picked the Bluebird, which a friend already owned. We hit it off—he’d worked in studios in the US and was active in the English-language cover scene on YouTube. We became friends and one thing led to another: I got to test other mics. I’ve worked with them for two to three years now. I simply use their products because I like them and they sound great.

What mics would you recommend for different studio tasks?

Their range is really broad. Entry-level options under €100 are great to start with—like the Ember I use for acoustic takes. When I’m on Twitch I use the Yeti over USB—tons of streamers use it, and it’s killer. In the midrange, around €300, my favorite is the Bluebird—one of the most versatile mics I’ve tried at that price, punchy and flattering. I use it for almost everything—my vocals and my partner’s—and it works for male and female voices with its low-cut. For more acoustic recordings, I pair the Bluebird with a second mic, the Hummingbird (now discontinued). Depending on the project, I’ll also go for the Baby Bottle, a bit warmer with more low end. In post, a touch of compression and EQ does the trick.

And what do you think of their look?

Blue Microphones are beautiful and have a real visual identity. They bring a vintage vibe that fits a studio well. People instantly notice they’re distinctive mics—not just another clone.