Recording Studio Rockstars

If you stop being curious then you're done! Roger talked about choosing monitors for mixing, collecting guitars and amps, songwriting prosody, baritone guitar voicings, synth vs espresso, miking guitar cabinets, and how to take great session notes. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Roger Alan Nichols, an all-around musician, songwriter, engineer, producer, mixer, and owner of Bell Tone Recording in Nashville, TN. His producing and engineering credits include a Grammy-nominated project with Larkin Poe and artists like Hayley Williams (Paramore), Steven Tyler, Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown, Kim Richey, and many others in Rock, Country, and Americana genres. From 1981 to 1989, Roger Alan Nichols toured the 50 United States and Canada professionally as a guitarist, with multiple rock bands. During a brief stint in Atlanta, he attended the Art Institute and continued doing sessions and performing with regional acts. Roger then moved to Nashville and formed

Music needs boundaries to be great! Steven talked about starting in Seattle studios, moving his studio, being organized, limiting io inputs, becoming a backup badass, headphone mixers, reamping drums, modular synths, & when to buy your own building. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Steven Lee Tracy, a writer, musician, producer, mixer and owner of Saint Cecilia Studios in Tucson, Arizona. Steven works with a variety of artists from electronic pop with big modern vocals to indie rock bands to Americana acoustic music. So I look forward to learning more about the ways he can interact with different artists to bring out their best work. This episode is particularly interesting to me because Saint Cecilia is also the patron saint of music. And Cecilia is the name that I gave to my one of a kind, famous MCI console, originally from Criteria Studio C in Miami, that I had here in my studio, The Toy Box Studio, for 15 years. This is the console that recor

"Finished in two words = Vocal level!" Dan talked about mastering from anywhere with a laptop and Audeze headphones, why speed is crucial, how to serve the song and client, finding your ideal speaker/headphone listening level, ear training, and bass! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Dan Millice, a mastering engineer located in NYC with over 13 years of experience. During his career, Dan has been credited for mastering 11 Grammy-nominated projects. He recently mastered Terri Lyne Carrington's album "New Standards, Vol. 1," which secured a Grammy win for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Thank you to Michael Estok and Jim Stewart for the introduction! THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.c

Sometimes you feel like a Nutt... Jimmy talked about Fame Studios, Jason Isbell, how to get $1000 for recording your music, miking up a bluegrass band, miking upright bass, the secret to great drums, large versus small mics, and setting up monitors. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Jimmy Nutt a GRAMMY Award winning Engineer, Jimmy Nutt, grew up in Shreveport Louisiana surrounded by musicians steeped in blues and rock. He joined his first band at age 13. Early on, Jimmy was interested in recording and sound. He acquired a Tascam 4-track cassette recorder while still in his teens and started learning how to record a band. In 2000, Jimmy moved his family to Muscle Shoals, AL. to work as a staff-recording engineer at FAME Recording Studios. During his time at FAME, he recorded sessions for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Clarence Carter, Heartland, Russell Smith, The Drive-by-Truckers and many more. He worked at FAME for almost 3 years before becoming an i

Don't sweat the noise too much! Harold talked about derressering masters, iZotope RX ninja tips, phase aligning mixes, how to use mid side eq, mastering Moogs, bass wins in big vs small control rooms, LUFS targets, and why linear eq + hip hop = bad. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Harold LaRue, a GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer in Houston, Texas. Harold’s recent clients include contemporary jazz masters: The Wayne Shorter Quartet, Terri Lynn Carrington, and Joey Alexander — synth sorceress: Lisa Bella Donna, and R&B legend: Jeffrey Osborne. Harold has worked as a software developer, pro-audio service manager, theatrical sound engineer, and restaurateur and was the monitor engineer for the Houston Symphony Orchestra before leaving to focus on his growing mastering business. As an audio educator, Harold has developed and taught studio production and mastering courses at universities and recording schools across the country. He continues to presen

"Build Your Toolkit!" Mark talked about finding job opportunities in the audio industry, recording sessions on Music Row at Ocean Way, Masterphonics, and The Workshop, running the SAE Institute, Teaching film at IFC, Atmos mixing, & flying drones. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Mark Martin, an engineer who worked at Masterfonics, Emerald, OceanWay l, SAE and the Workstation. He became VP of Marketing for all 38 SAE locations in 18 countries. He moved to Austin to do live sound. Mark came back to Nashville to be VP of Marketing at the Nashville Film Institute. Thank you to Michael Cronin for the introduction! THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's disc

What's wabi sabi? Brad talked about searching for the human story in production, why you should keep your old gear, arranging strings for quartet vs section, staying on schedule and within budget, and why band playback is better than words. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Brad Jones, a producer, engineer, mixer, and musician based in Nashville. With Robin Eaton Brad has co-owned the studio Alex the Great Recording since 1994. I started recording there a few years later as an assistant engineer in 1995, and Brad was the one who taught me the ropes of engineering and running a real session. Brad’s credits include: Jill Sobule, Bobby Bare Jr., Butterfly Boucher, Hayes Carll, Caitlin Cary And Thad Cockrell, Steve Forbert, Government Cheese, Jason And The Scorchers, Josh Rouse, Ben Goldsmith, and The Shazam to name just a few. Brad was an early guest on the show before on episode RSR034 which we recorded at Alex The Great and I’m happy to have him back join

"Keep the mix interesting for yourself!" Damian talked about simplifying and optimizing his home studio for fast writing, The ultimate input routing patchbay, the effect of loudness, recording drums, with two mics, and the mystical aspect of vibe. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Damian Taylor is 10 x Grammy nominated producer, engineer, and mixer best known for his work with Bjork, The Prodigy, The Killers, Arcade Fire, UNKLE, TR/ST, Odette, The Temper Trap, City of the Sun, Bomba Estéreo, and Dizzy. He hosts an online community called The Complete Producer Network for folks to talk about all aspects of creating and releasing music. And he has been a guest on the podcast previously for episode RSR316 and RSR406. Thanks to Colin Ramsay at GPS Management for making our original introduction. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://ww

"I don't go ham, bologna, turkey, on tuning vocals..." Greg talked about building studios, the importance of trying hard in music, adobe brick walls, double bass and drum bands, making mic pres, and how to record killer drums, bass, and guitars. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Greg Norman, a recording producer/engineer and studio technician based out of Chicago, IL. In 1996, he started working at Electrical Audio, initially aiding in the design and construction of the two-studio complex in the north side of Chicago. A few years later, he built his own studio to keep up with the demands of recording projects outside of Electrical.  Over the years, he has recorded over a hundred records as a staff member of Electrical Audio and traveled abroad as a freelance producer/engineer. Greg has also designed, consulted, and installed several studios in Chicago, throughout the states, and Canada. He has unique expertise in analog tape machine and console design an

Will Ai ever understand emotion in music? Bobby talked about writing the Musician's Ai Handbook on how to write lyrics, chords, melodies, and beats, generate vocal tracks, mixing and master, create lyric videos, and market your music easily using Ai. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Bobby Owsinski a Producer/engineer and one of the best-selling authors in the music industry with 24 books that are now staples in audio recording, music, and music business programs in colleges around the world, including The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, Social Media Promotion For Musicians, and now The Musician’s Ai Handbook.  He’s also a contributor to Forbes as a category expert on the new music business, his long-running production and music industry blogs have won numerous industry awards, and he’s appeared on CNN and ABC News as a music branding and audio expert. Bobby’s highly-rated Inner Circle podcast is now in its 10th year, with more than 500 episodes that feature

The best ad for mixing was "Leave the door open!" Glenn talked about mixing at the Power Station and Sigma Sound, recording Madonna, Springsteen, U2, Talking Heads, Ziggy Marley, the birth of remixing, and renewing Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Glenn Rosenstein a Multi Grammy-winning producer, engineer, and mixer who began his music career at the legendary Power Station Recording Studio in NYC, assisting alongside some of the best producers, engineers as well as at New York’s historic Sigma Sound Studios where Glenn became a mixer and remix engineer, creating work for such artists as U2, Madonna, Talking Heads, The Ramones, Ziggy Marley, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, James Brown, Miles Davis and many others. Glenn’s music production & mixes continue to be highly visible & diverse, from Whitney Woerz, Carly Simon and Earl “Chinna” Smith to James Taylor, Black Uhuru, Wes Sheffield and Bif Naked. He produced Benedictin

Was Elvis the real phantom of the Opry? Bill talked about songwriting with artists over Zoom, writing for Mojo, the Brill Building in 1961, confederate ghosts, Crowded House, Jill Sobule, Tin Pan Alley, and finding inspiration in artwork & cartoons. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Bill DeMain, a successful author, songwriter, journalist, tour guide, and musical historian who has been on the podcast previously for episode RSR200. As one half of the pop duo Swan Dive, he has released ten acclaimed albums with his singing partner Molly Felder, enjoying several Top 5 singles and tours of Japan, Thailand and Korea. He’s also written songs for and with many other artists, including Curtis Stigers, Marshall Crenshaw, Teddy Thompson & Kelly Jones,  David Mead, Bleu, Kim Richey, Jill Sobule and Boo Hewerdine. His songs have appeared on TV shows like Sons of Anarchy, Private Practice, Felicity and The L Word, and in commercials for Laneige Cosmetics, Uni

Learn to mix first! Mike talked about setting up a home studio, recording remotely, how to record drums, bass, and guitars, where to stand for a vocal mic, how to sing with speakers, contact mics, and why 60-70Hz is causing so many problems for you! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Mike Senior, a professional recording, mixing engineer, teacher and writer for years at Sound On Sound magazine. He is also the author of the popular books 'Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio', and its sequel 'Recording Secrets For The Small Studio', which has recently come out with the updated second edition. Mike has also been on the podcast for episodes RSR124 and RSR253 which you can hear in the attached playlist. Today we are going to focus on the new version of his popular book and see what tips we can learn for making great recordings in your home studio. Especially if you are starting out in recording you will love to content covered in this book but even if you have

Uboats will float your Atomic Instruments! Joe talked about his new mastering studio Garage Masters, how to get loudness right for streaming, set up your mastering session in Presonus Studio One, do song spacing, and choose limiters, eq, and plugins. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Joe Hutchinson, a mastering engineer at Garage Masters in Nashville, TN where Joe has been providing mastering services for over 10 years.  Joe works in a well-designed room built in 2022 and uses a combination of analog and digital tools to give each song or project what it needs. Every project is different, and what happens in mastering can vary from heavy-handed processing to being almost transparent. Often mastering will catch little things missed in the production/mixing process since a mastering engineer offers a fresh set of ears, and in that sense acts as the quality control at the end of the recording process. Joe was my mastering engineer at the Hay Bale Studio at

This is a quick update to let you know that iZotope RX11 is here, featuring enhanced modules such as Dialogue Isolate, Spectral Editor ARA (for Logic Pro), Loudness Optimize, Streaming Preview, Music Rebalance, Repair Assistant, Dialogue Contour, Audio Device Handling, and Mid-Side display mode. Don't miss out on a special 10% discount on this or any iZotope product with our coupon code: ROCK10." https://www.izotope.com/en/lp/rockstars.html Adam Audio proudly presents the limited-edition Arctic White series of the A4V and A7V speakers. Not only will they sound incredible in your studio, but they'll also add a touch of style with their sleek, cool design. https://www.adam-audio.com/en/news/industry/a4v-and-a7v-limited-edition-white-studio-monitors/ LEWITT brings you the RAY microphone with advanced Aura technology on board to create autofocus for your voice! You no longer have to worry about levels or boominess for voice and instruments -the RAY automatically adjusts your levels for perfect sound every time.

Rack-mount your own real transformers! Todd talked about recording with dynamic mics, mixing with real transformers as plugins, setting up Atmos, automating Pro Tools with Soundflow, how to 3-mic drums, building a studio, and mastering your own mix. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Todd Burke who has been recording and mixing records and underscores in Los Angeles for over 25 years. His album credits include Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, The Kooks, Belle and Sebastian, M83, and Fitz and the Tantrums. More recently, he has been enjoying mixing Atmos versions of records by Albert Hammond Jr, Christina Perri, and Jeff Goldblum and working as a Score Mixer. A few notable films include The Big Sick, Daddy's Home 1 & 2, Second Act, I Feel Pretty, The Lovebirds, Stargirl, The King of Staten Island, Yes Day, and The Bubble. He also dabbles a bit in Album Mastering with recent projects for The Lickerish Quartet, Motochrist, and Greyboy Allstars. As a teacher he’

Lower that cheese flag dude! Mark talked about writing music for sync that is fun and relatable without being too obvious, building a hotel studio in Mexico, placing music in feature films, using the iPhone mic, horn arrangments, and Shruti boxes. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Mark Rudin, an accomplished artist, producer, and songwriter with a masterful command of multiple instruments - particularly horns. His song "Miracle" was a winner on season 2 of the NBC show Songland, and his work has been featured in major ad campaigns for brands such as Grey Goose and Simple Mills, as well as trailers for the Tom and Jerry Movie and the movie, Easter Sunday. Mark newest release "That Looks Good On Me" ft. KONG is out now and we have a playlist of his music and discography in the show notes. Thank you to Rodger Alan Nichols for the introduction! THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instrume

Send Santa's sleighbells to the chimney object of course! Brad talked about recording awesome drums, creating your own snare and kick samples, how to get a great kick drum sound, how to capture a guitar DI without the buzz, and mixing 9.1.4 in Atmos. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Brad Wood, a producer originally from Chicago where he had Idful Music Corporation - a small but mighty recording studio in Wicker Park. There he recorded albums by bands like Seam, Tar, Shrimp Boat and Eleventh Dream Day. In 1993 he produced Exile In Guyville for Liz Phair which became the catalyst for what became a very long and prosperous career as a producer and mixer. Brad wrapped up the 90’s with many debut albums under his belt, including Sunny Day Real Estate‘s Diary, Veruca Salt‘s American Thighs, Placebo’s self-titled LP, Placebo, and Ben Lee‘s Grandpaw Would. He also notably produced the Original Broadway Cast Recording for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Throughout th

Organization is everything! Marc talked about recording Bill Frisell & John Zorn, producing The Ramones tribute with Steppendoom, how to make a great compilation album or killer remix, traveling the world to collect vintage ribbon mics, and backup. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Marc Urselli a 7-time Grammy Award nominated, 3-time Grammy Award winning music producer, audio engineer, mixer, sound designer and front of house engineer. Marc Urselli is an interdisciplinary artist, scholar and devotee of all things art, sound & music and works for and collaborates with musical & visual artist, bands, musicians, composers, theater directors, film, TV, brand & mixed media multi disciplinaires from around the world. He has worked with U2, Foo Fighters, Nick Cave, Lou Reed, Sting, Keith Richards, Kesha, Jeff Beck, Les Paul, Buddy Guy, Luther Vandross, Bill Frisell, Kronos Quartet, Laurie Anderson just to name a few in syles ranging from rock, p

A hit recording might only be 2.5 min in 13.8 billion years of the universe! Dom talked about playing bass for the Queen of England & Obama, the history of KC jazz, learning to make beats, the power of publishing, and 5 reasons to use Ableton Live. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Dominique Sanders, an accomplished producer and composer from Kansas City Missouri. By age 16, he had performed for the Queen of England and established himself as a mainstay in the Kansas City music scene. During one of his many shows in the area, Dom was discovered by Tech9, which started a writing/producing partnership that continues to this day. Dominique currently resides in Los Angeles California and is a published songwriter and producer at prescription songs Notable works include many of Tech9’s #1 Billboard chart debuts, and collaborations with Nipsey Hussle, James Fauntleroy, Jidenna, Janelle Monea, The Game, Jay Prince, Snoop Dogg, and Boyz II Men, Herbie Hancok