Recording Studio Rockstars

Vocal production starts with a hand-shake! Nick talked about the secret to a great vocal performance, mixing with the SSL UF8 and Neve Satellite, building a barn studio, running a studio business successfully, and how to mix the perfect vocal track! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Nick Bullock a Nashville based producer, engineer, musician, and artist. One of the many things I was taught as a young man was to follow my curiosity. That curiosity led me to music school, to my band of ten years (and over fifteen hundred shows worldwide), and to my love of recording today. It leads me to ask questions even when I felt stupid asking them. Each and every one of those questions, and the discoveries that came afterwards have led to a wonderful life and relationship with music, and the artists I work with. Following that curiosity is one of the main reasons I'm still in love with music and recording. Every day I do my best to live by some pretty simple principl

Would you say no to a session with Bono and Edge? Dan talked about working at Memphis Sound Productions, recording B.B. King & Paul Schaffer, writing manuals for API, mixing with SSL, and teaching at one of the top recording colleges in Nashville TN. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Dan Pfeifer a professor in the Department of Recording Industry and Graduate Faculty Member at Middle Tennessee State University, and a native of Louisville, Kentucky. He got his Bachelor of Music degree from Middle Tennessee State University in 1983 and Master of Arts degree from the University of Memphis in 1987 with an emphasis in audio engineering and music production.   Before to coming to MTSU, Dan worked professionally as an audio engineer and producer, working with artists that include B.B. King, ZZ Top, Albert Collins, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many others. He has also served as 2nd Vice President and member of the Board of Governors for the Memphis Chapter

What does The Scream sound like? Shawn talked about listening to paintings to guide your productions, acoustic guitars as synths, how to record Adele and not f#$% up, room mics on vocals, and how to match real EQs to plugins like a rocket scientist. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Shawn Everett a six-time Grammy-winning music engineer and producer originally from Canada and now in Los Angeles whose credits include Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves, The War on Drugs, The Killers, Weezer, Local Natives, and Julian Casablancas to name a few.  Shawn has previously been a guest on episodes RSR137 and RSR270 when we talked with Shawn about his background and starting his studio in LA, and engineering and mixing Sound & Color by the Alabama Shakes.  Today we will talk more about recording and mixing and find out what's new at Shawn’s studio. Thanks to Lysee and Vanpelt Management for helping to set up this interview. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://UltimateMi

Don't touch that kick drum! Bryan talked about riding the drums during fills, adding drum distortion, setting up your Pro Tools mix template, how to mix with reverbs and delays, keeping the vocal realistic, and how to use mix bus plugins and stems. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Bryan Cook a Los Angeles based mixer whose credits include U2, One Republic, the Raconteurs, Fleet Foxes, Iggy Pop, Queens of the Stoneage, Cold War Kids, Damien Rice, The Eels, and Autolu to name a few. He has been a previous guest on the podcast for episodes RSR333 where we talked about his beginning at Berklee School of Music, working at A&M Studios, mixing with composer/producer Michael Andrews, and his recent work on Jeff Goldblum’s latest album. Today we will dive back into talking about mixing, and Bryan’s thought process and workflow in the studio to bring his experience to your home studio and help simplify what can seem like a very complex process. THANKS TO OUR SP

Replace the Replacements? Justin talked about delivering mixes and masters with Samply, remastering Can’t Hardly Wait by the Replacements, the best plugins you can use for mastering, fixed-level monitoring, and mastering with speakers and headphones. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Justin Perkins a mastering engineer in Madison, Wisconsin with Mystery Room Mastering who has worked on remastering projects for The Replacements, En Vogue, Ol’Dirty Bastard, Busta Rhymes, Jason Mraz, and mastering projects for Michael Franti & Spearhead, North Mississippi Allstars, Tommy Stinson, Lydia Loveless The Gaslight Anthem, G. Love, Screeching Weasel, The Figgs, and thousands of other independent bands and artists around the world. Justin also masters nearly all the content for The License Lab which is a library music company based in Milwaukee Wisconsin, and does a monthly livestream for Steinberg Media to help both new and current users of WaveLab Pro get a bett

Where is the attack of a bass anyway? Damian talked about wireframing production, mixing on small speakers, Pro Tools editing by hand, recording modular synths, pen and paper producing, how to get wide bass, and why you don't need no stinking mono! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Damian Taylor a 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, and Dizzy and recently for Bomba Estéreo’s album “Deja” picking up 4 nominations between the Anglo and Latin Grammys, including an album of the year nomination at the Latins. Damian has also been a guest on the podcast previously for episode RSR316 where we talked about his background in recording. Damian hosts an online community The Complete Producer Network is a positive and supportive place for folks to talk about all aspects of creating and releasing music at www.completeproduce

I love the smell of analog tape in the morning! Larry shared tips for mid-side two-track remixing, improving your recording craft, four-track cassettes, mixing She & Him, Pavement, mixing in Pro Tools, and referencing with multiple speakers. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Larry Crane the founder of Tape Op Magazine, owner of Jackpot! Recording Studio, a producer/engineer/mixer, and recording arts educator. He has been on the podcast previously to talk about starting out in a band, launching the magazine TapeOp, producing records and mixing at Jackpot! He also talked about recording and curating the musical archives of Elliott Smith, and lots of other fun stuff. Today we will talk about what's new in the studio, various archival/restoration jobs, and more recording and mixing insights. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.Spectra1964.com https://MacSales.com/rockstars https://iZotope.com/Rockstars Save up to 50% off

"Damn it Jim I'm a mixer, not a bricklayer!" Collin reminds you to make sure that the arrangement is right before the mixing session, why old houses sound great, how to mix drums with phase and polarity, mix into busses, and soothe bass and vocals. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Collin Dupuis a Nashville and Detroit based multi-Grammy nominated and two times Grammy winning mixer, producer, and engineer who has been on the podcast previously to talk about working with artists and projects including, Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, Dr. John, The Black Keys, and many others. You can catch those episodes at RSR252 and RSR341  Currently, Collin is busy working as a freelance mixer and engineer, recording, and mixing songs and albums for artists including, Angel Olsen, Yves Tumor, Boy and Bear, Cherry Glazer, Lawrence Rothman and many others. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.Spectra1964.com https://MacSales.com/rockstars http

Got mixing questions? Vance answered all your questions from the RSR Facebook group, talked about the challenges of mixing in Atmos, multi-miking Chris Stapleton guitars and vocals, the SSL mixing template breakdown, and how to make a washtub bass. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Vance Powell, a multi-Grammy award-winning producer, engineer and mixer, and owner of Sputnik Sound in Nashville with Mitch Dane. Vance’s many credits include Chris Stapleton, The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys, and Wolfmother to name just a few. Vance is a repeat guest on the podcast and you can hear his previous episodes on RSR 002, 171, 293 and 360 to hear about his backstory and get some great tips on mixing and mixing in Atmos. Today we will catch up with Vance and see what's new in rock and roll, and find out more about mixing in both stereo and Atmos as well. Vance also has a ton of great videos on Youtube if you want to go learn more plus he has some great courses over at P

Gloria Estefan was right! Stephen talked about Sphere and the history of American consoles, Smoky Joe amps, printing fx plugins, recording drums, acoustic, and electric guitars, deconstructing your tape machine alignment, and stereo ribbon mics. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Stephen Shirk an Engineer, Co-Producer and Musician. Stephen has been a guest on the podcast back on episode RSR272 when he talked about his background and starting Shirk Studios in Chicago restoring a beautiful Sphere console and building a dedicated space for recording full bands to analog tape.  “CONSOLE: 1976 Sphere Eclipse A - Discrete Inline Console.  32 Channels - 24 Mic Pres - 16 + 8 busses (24 outputs during recording) - With Eight 920 EQ’s and twenty four 910 EQ’s - Reichenbach input and Jensen output transformers give the console a punchy tone that defines the pinnacle of the 70’s American console design. Balanced Line Input mod features Cinemag Transformers and Discrete G

Is it bad to print your mix offline? John talked about the importance of arrangement, mastering dynamics in your mix, the Fletcher Munson curve, listening loud and quiet, crest factor, customer care, and why some plugins are different every time! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is John Mayfield a mastering engineer with over 50 years of experience and owner of Mayfield Mastering in Berry Hill. Originally a career musician, John turned to recording and mixing in the 80s travelling to studios all over the world. He has also been a guest on episode RSR036. Originally a successful touring and studio musician John started out in the studio recording and then mixing all over the world finally settling on Nashville to start his own mastering studio. Dave Matthews Band, Sara Evans, Kathy Mattea, Naturally 7, Warner Brothers Records and Universal Music Group-UK, to list a few. John notes on his website that everyone in music is trying to figure out what is next and de

"Made Loud To Be Played Loud!" Bill talked about recording with his son Michael, how to create cinematographic drums, single mic vocal stacking with The Eagles, producing demos on a boat, how to record great rock guitars, and singing at 8000 feet. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Bill Szymczyk (and his son Mike Szymczyk) a Grammy-winning and multi-nominated American music producer and engineer best known for producing Hotel California by The Eagles. He produced many top albums and singles of the 1970s, though–aside from continuing to work with Joe Walsh–he retired from the music business by 1990  re-emerging in the late 2000s for select projects including the 2007 Eagles album Long Road Out of Eden and the 2008 eponymous debut of Brian Vander Ark. Unlike many music producers, Szymczyk has no background as a musician. He was originally a sonar operator for the U.S. Navy and took some audio production classes as part of his Navy training. Besides his work wit

Delete most of those damn tracks before you mix! Billy talked about narrowing the drum and guitar mics down to the essentials for mixing, his vocal chain, bass eq roll-off, designing the perfect mixing chain plugins, and how mixing mono can help you. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Billy Decker aka The Deckerator is an award winning Nashville mixing engineer known for his efficient and effective mixing method.  He’s mixed 16 Billboard #1”s to date such as Dustin Lynch’s “Riding Roads” and notable artists as Sam Hunt, Chris Young, Rodney Atkins, Parmalee, Colt Ford, and the metal band Starset to name just a few. He also mixed George Jones’s last album before he passed. Billy Decker made history in July of 2014 when Sam Hunt became the most added new artist of all time.  Decker works in a unique way. “I mix really fast. Most of my mixes are finished within an hour. To be able to do this, I use a lot of templates in pro tools. Instead of spending two hours EQ

Is it OK to Butcher a session? Sean talked about recording at the kitchen table with John Prine, capturing powerful vocals with Sturgill Simpson, when to use goboes and figure eight mics, and why the fiddle player texts you during a tracking session. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Sean Sullivan a 3 time Grammy award winning engineer, mixer and producer based in Nashville. After graduating from MTSU a chance opportunity landed him at The Butcher Shoppe Studio, owned by John Prine and producer David Ferguson, where he continued to work for a decade before the building was sold and demolished in the summer of 2020.  Notable artist that recorded at the studio include Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, The Black Keys, Kurt Vile, Jake Bugg, The Devil Makes Three, Margo Price, The Steeldrivers, and The Del McCoury Band. Since the Butcher Shoppe's closing Sean has primarily been working out of The Tractor Shed studio in Goodlettsville, TN and his personal home mi

It's all about the vibe! Adam talked about recording the Bloc Party Alpha Games, overdubbing cymbals, recording like Al Schmitt, guitar pedals mixing in the box, why the Mini Moog has nothing new to say, and where to use Slate Virtual Console. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Adam Greenspan A Grammy-nominated engineer, mixer, and producer who had a pretty good start to his career engineering Faith No More’s “Album of the Year” at age 20. He later spent time at two world-class studios, Westlake Audio and The Village Recorder, working with artists such as Marilyn Manson, Rage Against the Machine, and Bono before going freelance in 2000. Adam has been a guest on the show for episode RSR289 when we talked about his background in music. Today we will see what's new in his studio. Thanks so much to Adris Evelis at JZ Microphones for making our introduction. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.Spectra1964.com https://MacSales

How many recording engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Joe talked about tracking to tape without headphones, mixing in the box using headphones, ns10s, and Auratones, creating cool drum sounds with plugins, and vocal mic and mixing tips. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Joe Costa a freelance engineer/mixer in Nashville, TN, originally from Dartmouth MA. A Berklee College Of Music graduate, Joe started out at Syncro Sound in Boston before moving to Nashville in 1993. Since then, he has worked in many great studios like Sound Emporium, Treasure Isle, House Of David, and RCA Studio A, and with many great artists, producers, and engineers through his career like Richard Dodd, William Shatner and Joe Baldridge, and also for more than a decade with Ben Folds. Joe’s credits also include Amanda Palmer, Elizabeth Cook, Lyle Lovett, Sara Bareilles, Kesha, and Caitlin Rose, among many others. He has been a guest on the show on episode RSR090 to talk about

Mix with your ears closed! Bobby talked about mixing using only visual meters, why playlist mixes are the new radio mixes, immersive audio, simple home studio sound treatments, mixing in headphones, and how to take your mix from muddy to magnificent. 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 The Music Business Advice Book.  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 9th year, with more than 400 episodes that feature mo

We need more kettlebell! Josh talked about mixing in Studio One so your song sounds like a finished record, a healthy studio lifestyle and working routine, understanding compression, mixing dance kick and bass, and producing in Poland and Romania. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Josh Harris an internationally known producer, composer, engineer, remixer and music industry educator. His credits include top artists like Seal, Madonna, The Killers, and James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem). His corporate clients include NBC, ABC, MTV, VH1 and USA Network. Classically trained as a pianist and composer, he has always focused on fusing different musical genres, resulting in memorable songs and productions that stay with you long after the first listen. No stranger to working with major label recording artists, in 2008, Josh toured with Grammy award winning artist, Seal, as his musical director and keyboardist. In both 2007 and 2008, Josh received nominations from the I

Don't be afraid to grab the guitar when engineering! Warren talked about choosing the right mic for your studio, why modern mics sound so clean, giving back to the community, the future of the clicktrack, TEC award, the Beatles, and session players. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Warren Huart an English record producer, musician, composer and recording engineer based in Los Angeles, California who is most associated as a music producer and/or engineer in the recording industry as a multi-platinum producer for The Fray, Daniel Powter, Marc Broussard, Trevor Hall, Korn, Better Than Ezra, James Blunt, Matisyahu, Ace Frehley, Aerosmith and Howie Day.  His film and television credits include Inglourious Basterds, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, MTV’s The Hills, Lost, Scrubs, and Grey’s Anatomy. Huart is the owner of Spitfire Studio in Los Angeles, California, and runs a DIY YouTube Channel called "Produce Like a Pro" with over 670,000 subscribers worldwi

There's beauty in Blumlein! Wessel talked about the power of mixing quickly, trusting your gut before your ears, why you need great low end in monitoring, how to record double bass, the future of immersive sound and mixing to multiple busses. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Wessel Oltheten a mixing and mastering engineer in the Netherlands, who has been on the podcast on episode RSR152 to talk about his mixing studio and philosophies. He is also a published author of the book Mixing With Impact on Focal press and teaches at  Utrecht University of the Arts.  Wessel is very prolific and in 2021 was able to work on no less than 862 tracks. His discography sounds really great working with very cool bands like Dewolff, Pocket Knife Army, Black Oak, and many others. Whether it's art rock, electronic music, or singers up close and personal Wessel has the ability to make it sound great with his thoughtful mixing and mastering. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://Ulti