Recording Studio Rockstars

My guest today is Mike Indovina, a recording, mixing and mastering engineer based out of Toronto, Canada. He also runs the website masteryourmix.com where he shares many of the lessons he's learned throughout his audio career to help thousands of musicians and engineers create better mixes that they're proud of. In addition, he hosts the MasterYourmix Podcast where he has interviewed many top-level audio engineers including Sylvia Massey, Nick Raskulinecz, David Bottrill, and more. With an interest in pop-punk and rock music, Mike got his start as a drummer, having spent the first decade of his career playing and touring with bands.  Most recently, Mike released a brand new book called "The Mixing Mindset - The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio". This book quickly became a #1 best seller on Amazon. This book aims to provide people with a complete understanding of the tools, workflow, and mindset needed to create polished mixes with confidence, speed, and ease. Th

My guest today is Wyn Davis and I am going to read his bio to you know because it tells his story well: I started playing guitar when I was 10. I grew up in Southern California and was influenced by all the music that was created here and in Northern California. Beachboys, Doors, Canned Heat, Spirit, Jefferson Airplane, Frank Zappa, all of it. I think the releases of 1967-1968, the folk music, the rock music, the psychedelic music, the British invasion, all of it was the foundation of my ear. I played in bands and in 1974 moved to New York and performed throughout the North East at over 200 colleges and universities. In 1981 I opened my studio in Redondo Beach, California and named it Total Access after a backstage pass I’d been given a few weeks earlier by George Massenburg when he was mixing FOH for Earth Wind and Fire. I imagined I’d be able to record my own music but quickly found out that keeping a studio open required clients. By word of mouth, the studio gained a reputation as a place where young bands

My guest today is Jordan Reynolds an established voice actor and in-demand, progressive voice-over demo reel and audio producer in Los Angeles. His voice has been heard all over the world. Voicing internationally known companies such as LEGO, Audi, Sprite, and Cisco - to voice dubbing and impersonating celebrities - to screaming in video games such as World of Warcraft to voicing villains in Netflix Anime series. He directs and records voice talent both in his professional home studio or from their home studio online. Where he then mixes and produces personalized demo reels with music and sound effects. He’s a frequent speaker on the topic of Demos, Audio, and Voiceover at some of the largest voiceover conferences in the industry. He also played a key role in designing the very first high-quality microphone made specifically for voiceover: The Roswell Pro Audio RA-VO. Thanks to our sponsors! OWC - Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com Boz Digital Labs - https://www.bozdigitallabs.com Use the coupon: RSRS

My guest today is Dave Hillis who started his career as a 17 year old guitarist for the legendary thrash metal band "MACE." Dave also spent ten years alongside legendary producer Rick Parashar, at Seattle's famed  London Bridge Studios, during the birth of the Grunge era where he worked as the engineer on Pearl Jam's debut album  "Ten" , "Mother Love Bone", the movie soundtrack for "Singles", Alice in Chains, Blind Melon, The Seattle Symphony, Love On Ice, and many others. Dave’s producing and engineering credits include The Afghan Whigs', The Twilight Singers, Kevin Martin of Candlebox, and he has even worked with comedian, Denis Leary among many others. In 2011,  Dave opened Starlodge Studios in Seattle; a private mix and overdub room featuring vintage and modern recording tools and his beloved AMPEX 1/2" tape Machine for analog magic. And he now lives in Pittsburgh PA where he recently works from a new multi purpose performance hall recording studio called The Sanctuary at Mr Smalls. Thanks to our sponsors

My guest today is Stuart Richardson who began his career as a recording engineer in his native Wales in the mid-'90s, cutting his teeth with bands and musicians who would go on to become breakout artists, such as Funeral for a Friend, Bullet for my Valentine, The Blackout, and Kids in Glass Houses. In 1998, Stu joined the band Lostprophets, who signed a record deal with Columbia Records/Visible Noise. He spent the next decade recording and earning No. 1 albums and sales of more than 3.5 million units, multiple industry awards, millions of YouTube views and music streams, sold-out shows in clubs, arenas and headlining music festival shows on stages across the globe. Stuart has taken part in every aspect of the music industry. In 2014 Stuart began focusing on recording, producing and mixing again moving his family from LA to Florida to open Rocky Water Studios. He is currently a member of the highly acclaimed band NO DEVOTION, and a touring bassist with the legendary post-hardcore band THURSDAY. Thanks to our s

My guest today is Brandon Bell, a Grammy-winning recording engineer known for his work with Bluegrass, Americana, and Country music artists. Originally from central Arkansas, Brandon moved to Tennessee to study recording at Middle Tennessee State University. He got his start interning for, and later assisting, renowned recording engineer & producer Gary Paczosa. With Gary he was twice nominated for the Best Engineered non-classical Grammy for Alan Jackson's Like Red on a Rose and Sarah Jarosz's bluegrass album Follow me Down.   Brandon later received a Grammy in 2013 for Best Bluegrass Album for his work on the Steep Canyon Rangers album Nobody Knows You. His other credits at this time include Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Chris Thile, Darrell Scott, Dierks Bentley, and Blackberry Smoke. In 2014 Brandon was hired to be Studio Manager and Chief Engineer at Southern Ground Nashville, a beautiful Nashville recording studio owned by Zac Brown. Brandon has expanded into production with artist

Every year in April here in the US it’s tax time, and for those of us working professionally in the recording studio, it means organizing all the income, bills, and expenses of the year to see how we did and then send off a check to the IRS to show our gratitude to Uncle Sam. So today I have a guest that will help us better understand how to organize your recording business, and manage your money the smart way. My guest today is Jared Eliseo, a licensed CPA with over 10 years of invaluable experience having worked with some of the largest accounting firms and businesses in the world. In 2014, he began using his talent to fulfill his true passion to open his own CPA firm, currently located in Charlotte, NC. He now serves Main Street small business owners by offering customized one-on-one financial and accounting services. Thanks to our sponsors! OWC - Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com Boz Digital Labs - https://www.bozdigitallabs.com Use the coupon: RSRSasquatch2 when you checkout to get $70 off.  JZ

My guest today is John Paterno, a Grammy winning Los Angeles based producer, mixer, composer, engineer, mastering engineer, and musician who has worked with a diverse range of artists including: Robbie Williams, The Steve Gadd Band, Soraya, Robben Ford, Eros Ramazzotti, The Thrills, Tim McGraw, Bonnie Raitt, and Badly Drawn Boy in his twenty five-plus year career.  Dubbed ‘Mr Meticulous’ by industry writer Mr. Bonzai, Paterno is known for his attention to detail while at the same time allowing artists to feel uninhibited in their creativity. John moved to Los Angeles two weeks after graduation from the University of Miami MUE [Music Engineering] program. A short period of freelance assisting concluded with a staff position at Sunset Sound/Sound Factory in Hollywood, where for five years he was exposed to many great engineers, producers, and artists. After breaking out of assisting, John worked with a wide range of producers including Mitchell Froom,  Joe Chiccarelli, Byron Gallimore, Celso Valli, and Stephen

My guests today are Simon Walls & Greg Bonnier from Montreal CA. once a year, they pick a country, board a plane, pack suitcases full of gear and record as many talented artists as they can find. They have an amazing series on Youtube now called Simon & Greg Record The World. Simon Walls is a music producer, songwriter and adventurer. After producing his own original records, he has been producing, recording and mixing for other artists such as Le Winston Band, David Jobin, Clay and Friends, ILAM, Tee Cloud, Sadio Cissokho and Aaron Lumley. He also produces for Wapikoni Mobile, Musique Nomade and AVATAQ offering recording services and mentorship to indigenous musicians across Canada. Between records, Simon is a motivational speaker at The Great Explorers where he tells the tales of his adventures. Greg Bonnier is a record producer, sound engineer and filmmaker based in Montreal, Canada. Beginning at Musique Plus (Much Music) in 2000, he has since managed post-production facilities, mixed various TV sh

My guest today is Spencer Bastian, a Michigan-born and Los Angeles-based producer. Starting out as a musician Spencer played with Jason Evigan’s band After Midnight Project, and their first single “Take Me Home” peaked at number 25 on alternative rock radio in 2009. Spencer went on to your the 2009 and 2010 Vans Warped Tour opening for bands like Chevelle, Papa Roach, and The Used. Toward the end of those tours, Bastian's passion for electronic music grew. And In 2014 he founded the live electronic band Citizun who performed at festivals like Bass Camp Festival and Summer Camp Festival. It was his time with Citizun that began his segue into producing, and Bastian went on to help the band develop a fresh electronic sound for their two EPs Blood Love (2014) and Lay Low (2015), and their single "Echo". Since then, he has worked with a variety of artists including Chromeo, DRAM, Demi Lovato, Bea Miller, Rachel Platten, Jason Derulo, and Bridgit Mendler, and has exciting and notable projects in the works for 2019

My guest today Alan Evans is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, studio engineer, record producer, whose “retro” style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae and the psychedelic. In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Alan often plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and percussion on his solo recordings as well as for other artists.   Alan is also a founding member of the band Soulive who has toured the world for the past 20 years.  In that time, Soulive has toured with The Rolling Stones, The Dave Matthews Band, The Roots, Charles Bradley, John Scofield, Derek Trucks, Chris Robinson and many more.  These days, Alan spends the majority of his time recording, mixing and producing bands from around the world at his own Iron Wax Studios. Thanks to our sponsors! OWC - Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear more on Y

My guest today is Pete Johns, a singer-songwriter, recording enthusiast and music educator from Adelaide, South Australia. Pete played in bands and dabbled in recording in the 90s, before a full-time career and family put music on the back-burner. Twenty years later, Pete started getting back into writing, playing and recording music, starting out using Cakewalk and eventually Reaper to record on his PC, before discovering that he could record directly on his mobile device. Since falling in love with mobile music creation Pete has since released nine singles, an EP and in 2018 released his first full-length album "Self(ish) Aware", all recorded 100% in GarageBand on iPhone and iPad. While recording in GarageBand, Pete became frustrated with the lack of tutorials and instructional videos online that focused on mobile recording, especially using iOS, so he started his own website, blog and YouTube Channel, Studio Live Today. Pete has since created more than 400 videos focused on helping folks who want to create

My guest today is Jonathon Jircitano, a vocalist and songwriter who started playing in rock bands at the age of 12. After fronting bands for over six years, he decided to start performing solo after inspiration sparked working with former Cage The Elephant member Lincoln Parish. Jonathon spent time living and writing in Los Angeles, focusing on creating his sound, with influences from artists such as Imagine Dragons, Phantogram and Imogen Heap. Having recently moved back to Nashville, Jonathon’s upcoming debut will merge genres in alternative and pop, with hints of blues, electronic, and his permanent roots of rock. Thanks to our sponsors! OWC - Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear more on Youtube If you love the podcast then please Leave a review on iTunes here CLICK HERE FOR SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/181

My guest today is Yoli Mara who along with her husband Chris Mara, manages the Nashville analog focused recording studio, Welcome To 1979. Located in what used to be a thriving record pressing plant in The Nations area of Nashville, Welcome to 1979 is a spacious recording studio that specializes in analog recording at a time when most studios are 100% digital. Yoli also helps to manage three other businesses there: the successful tape machine restoration business, Mara Machines shipping and restoring tape machines worldwide , a vinyl mastering and lacquer cutting service operated by Cameron Henry, and a newly added electroplating facility allowing you to expedite the vinyl pressing process for your next record release with impressively fast turn around results. Welcome to 1979 has an impressive client list that include: Pete Townshend, Third Man Records, Jason Isbell, Lady Antebellum, Reid Shippen, Margo Price, Rodney Crowell, Pam Tillis, Chris Stapleton, John Prine, and Luther Dickinson. And that's just read

My guest today is Charles Holloman, Audio Engineer, Producer, Musician, Songwriter and Studio Owner in Muscle Shoals, AL. Originally from Atlanta, GA graduating from Georgia State University with a recording degree he migrated to Charlotte, NC, where he operated Charles Holloman Productions (chpaudio) for over 20 years. From his studio, he recorded everything from Anthony Hamilton, Fantasia and Benji Hughes, to dialog replacement for The Simpsons, music cuts for shows like East Bound & Down, on hold messages for pharmacies and Jingles for Car Dealers and Hooters. He’s currently operating the reopened East Avalon Recorders and renovating Widget Studio. As well as working on several projects with Rodney Hall at Fame Studios, the place that inspired him to take the journey in the first place. He’s a board member of the Muscle Shoals Music Association, and a self-described Ambassador of Everything Muscle Shoals, with a passion for preserving its history, but more importantly focusing on Muscle Shoals Now, and

My guest today is Smith Curry, a session player primarily on pedal steel and slide guitar who also has toured with acts ranging from uber-star Kid Rock to British synth/pop stars Erasure. As a Session Player over the past two decades Smith has worked as a Sideman with over 100 major-label Country artists such as Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, and Randy Travis and his credits include CMA, ASCAP and ACM songs of the year.  His playing can be heard on Randy Travis's #1 "Three Wooden Crosses", Jason Aldean's #1 hit "Why", and Billy Currington's #1 “Good Directions” among many others. And he has played major-label master sessions for legendary producers like Paul Worley, James Stroud, Don Cook, Blake Chancey, Kyle Lehning, Chuck Howard, and Ron Chancey. Thanks to our sponsors! OWC - Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear more on Youtube If you love the podcast then plea

  My guest today is Tim Easton, artist, musician, songwriter, and troubadour originally from Akron Ohio before starting his musical journey traveling Europe busking the streets of London, Paris, Spain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Ireland for seven years. Tim has since had a long career of songwriting, collaborating, and record making that includes his band the Haynes Boys in the 90s, followed by two decades of solo records recording and toured with the likes of members of Wilco, The Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams, Tift Merritt, Mike Campbell, Jim Keltner, Kenny Vaughan, John Hiatt, and many more. He has been signed to EMI publishing, and New West Records, and Thirty Tigers, and even started his own record label, Campfire Propaganda. He continues to make records and make it happen through crowdfunding when appropriate. Thanks to our sponsors! OWC - Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: ht

My guest today is Daniel Tashian is a Gammy nominated producer, musician, and song writer who started early in his career with a deal at Elektra Records at 19 years old. He grew up in a musical family. Daniel’s father opened for the Beatles at Shea Stadium. Daniel did a record with T-Bone Burnett but it did not get traction. After his deal ended, Daniel went back to art school to study photography, but soon he was back into music again and started various musical projects: He played guitar on Patty Griffin's album "Flaming Red" He had an alt rock band called "The Umbrellas" that was very influenced by the Soft Boys.  He then started a band called The Silver Seas with Jason Lehning (episode 74) in 1999. Their second album did well in the U.K. including a gig on the Jules Holland Show.  Daniel had his first #1 Country song with “Hometown Girl” by Josh Turner co-written with Marc Beeson Daniel co-produced Kacey Musgrave’s critically acclaimed and CMA and Grammy nominated album Golden Hour & also co-wrote 7

My guest today is Michael Estok, a producer, engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter born in Youngstown, OH. Starting with school at the Recording Workshop, and then Full Sail University. In 2004, Michael moved to Nashville, TN for an internship at Sony/ATV Tree studios, and worked under the watch of music industry legend, Pat Mcmakin. During the 14 years he spent in Nashville, Michael worked as an independent producer out of his home studio, and eventually returned to Sony/ATV when his client, Nashville based pop artist, Kynlie, was signed. Estok continued to work with Sony, producing for Sony’s Artist development team under the watch of Troy Tomlinson, Ed Williams, and Abbey Adams.  He also co-wrote and produced countless songs for artists such as Wesley Orbison, Lionel Cartwright, Tiffany Johnson, and Jon Raven. In 2017, Michael and his family decided to leave Nashville, and return to Canfield in Northeast Ohio, where he built Court Street Recording inside the National Historic Charles Ruggles Hous

My guest today is Brian Charles, a producer, engineer, and now plugin designer from Boston Massachusetts. Brian’s studio (Zippah) has become a renowned destination for indie rock bands from New England and around the world.   Brian’s credits span 30 years of record making, from the punk band  “The Vatican Commandos” (fronted by a young Moby) in the 80’s. To the indie guitar pop of the 90’s from bands like The Gigolo Aunts, Dirt Merchants and The Figgs to the present day with artists like Mike Slap and power trio “Weakened Friends”. Embracing the idea that to create a successful life in music these days, you have to do everything you know how to do...with a passion, Brian also created a plug-in company (Rare Signals) with a few of his musician friends, and they recently released their first plug-in, called the “Transatlantic Plate Reverb”, which really sounds fantastic. Thanks to our sponsors! Sonarworks: https://www.sonarworks.com/ OWC - Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com Hear more on Youtube If you