Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

Adam “Nolly” Getgood drops in to touch on everything from launching his new drum sample company GetGood Drums, to why he stepped down as the touring bassist for Periphery, production and mixing tips, as well as what it takes to network with the top tier world-class professionals out there. “There’s this curve that happens where when you are first starting out, you don’t know what you’re listening for and being able to hear things in a really controlled environment in an amazingly treated room, allows you to develop your ear to hear the subtleties...what happens once you know what you're listening to, you start to need less information to be able to do your job...” - Adam "Nolly" Getgood (Periphery, GetGood Drums) On this episode: - How classical informs Nolly’s musical perspective - The countless producers who came up in the forum scene - Nolly’s transition from touring musician with Periphery to full-time producer/engineer - How he delivered amazing mixes working with headphones on a tour bus - What DAW Noll

Engineer and author Ermin Hamidovic provides insight into building a successful career in audio from the ground up, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable adversity. The grind. It’s nearly impossible to have a career in the audio industry (and pretty much any other field) without experiencing it. It takes a willingness to put in the work, and there are times when every signal you’re getting is telling you to curl up in the fetal position, cry, and quit. Ermin knows exactly what these experiences are like, and his story is one that demonstrates that perseverance pays off. “I think if you work smart and you work hard you will eventually get somewhere.”- Ermin Hamidovic ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Ermin’s game changing book “The Systematic Mixing Guide” - How keeping his head cool helped lead to his work with Periphery - The transition from semi pro to pro - Breaking out of working in one genre - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad cho

Producer, engineer and mixer, Alex Prieto, hangs out for a session of 20 questions, spanning project acquisition, mastering, buying useful gear upgrades, and the benefits/woes of interning. In addition to being a killer producer himself, Alex has also worked with legendary producers such as Susan Rogers, David Bendeth, Dan Korneff, Alex Newport, and Kato Khandwala. So, he’s seen it all, and thankfully for us all he’s happy to share his expertise. “Having one good pre for vocals and then monitoring. I think if you know what you’re listening to, you can do more damage than having a room packed full of gear.” - Alex Prieto ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How Joey, Eyal, and Alex built their client rosters - Alex’s thoughts on what gear to prioritize in adding to your setup - The importance of delivering outstanding service to increase returning artists - Referencing tracks in a lossless format inside your DAW to accurately portray mixes - Which amp sims Alex prefers - And much, much much more Thanks for l

We dive into an intriguing discussion with guitar wizard Lasse Lammert on an array of matters ranging from nerding out on guitar tones, to how he sees sounds in his head, to amp preferences, and a whole lot more. Whether you’re a guitarist or you’re a producer working in a guitar based genre, it’s essential to get your guitar game up to snuff. We touch on pretty much every part of the process in this episode, and Lasse brings perspective that goes way beyond just the technical stuff that everyone has the tendency to get bogged down in. “Commit as early as possible...Don’t compare guitars to guitars if the mix isn’t similar.” - Lasse Lammert ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Lasse’s super power ability to “hear” colors - How to make use of the wide variety of guitar tone tools available - Guitar cab mic placement - String preferences - Pickup comparisons - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and engineer Justin Colletti drops in to discuss his background, the blog he writes as well as his outlook on where the industry is headed. Colletti brings up the importance of the business end of being a creative type in the world today. You will get a sense of how to handle crucial processes, such as filing for an LLC, amongst other tasks that coincide with owning your own company. The guys also talk about the fact that having the most expensive gear doesn’t exactly equate to the best end result and that the mind behind the tool is the real magic. “The music/recording industry does not operate on the “If you build it they will come” basis.” -Justin Colletti THIS WEEK, YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Justin’s philosophy on work loads/schedules -The importance of personal financial organizational skills -Colletti’s well rounded written works portfolio (much of which isn’t music related!) -How too many fanatics on the web glorify gear all too often -Joey’s, Eyal’s and Justin’s sleep patterns (seasonal change descr

Former member of Issues now turned producer, Ty Acord, gives a look into the world of his productions, songwriting and keeping things fresh. Production has evolved and continues to evolve in every genre of music. Staying on the cutting edge and keeping fresh is at the utmost importance in an overcrowded market. Surrounding yourself with people that match their strengths to your weaknesses is more advantageous than trying to do it all yourself. “If you just act like a normal person, and you’re not always trying to force yourself and force your stuff onto someone, a lot of times, people just naturally, to put it frankly, like you better.” - Ty Acord ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How to stay fresh in your writing and productions - Proper ways to forge industry relationships - How to draw inspiration from multiple sources - Avoiding burnout - Why Issues stands out as a band - The importance of a formal music education - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more ab

We talk with Zack Ohren (Machine Head, All Shall Perish, Fallujah) about gaining trust, messy clients, and making Nintendo 64 soundtracks. We all have our audio origin stories, but Zack’s might actually take the cake. Our discussion takes us from him creating video game soundtracks professionally in his teens to producing some killer extreme metal. And, if you’re looking for a “how to” of dealing with problem clients, this one is a good place to start. “You can’t imagine something much nerdier than being a music nerd, that also is a computer nerd, quickly getting into digital audio workstation stuff.” - Zack Ohren ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Why working from home is a blessing and a curse - The pitfalls of housing bands - Zack’s audio industry origins - How not having a filter can actually help build trust with clients - Why working fast is important in extreme genres - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho

We’ve got Trey Xavier of Gear Gods here to talk building a YouTube empire, shred guitar, and, of course, gear. Okay, so we let our guitar nerd flags fly a bit on this one. Nothing wrong with that as long as you keep a sense of humor about things. And who better to join us for that than Trey? There’s also a ton here for anyone interested in learning how to market themselves and stand out from the crowd. “I think that humor is very very important in not being a joyless dick.” - Trey Xavier ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - The importance of finding your niche - Overdrive pedals - Approaching music theory from an interesting perspective - Perspectives on guitar gods - Shred, rock, pop, and jazz. Oh my! - Trey’s advice for starting a YouTube channel that can be applied to pretty much any venture - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk to the amazing Kevin Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, Shania Twain, In This Moment) about everything from his gear favorites, philosophy on work ethic, his rise to acclaim and working under legends like Mutt Lange. This episode jumps right into the nitty gritty of what specific struggles Churko had to go through before finally landing the gig that broke him through, as well as which skill sets ultimately landed him the gig. The importance of learning how to solve problems as well as take direction are covered in detail. “I don’t wanna be negative to the guys starting out, but If you can’t win the stamina test, you’re gonna fail..you really have to have extra juice other people don’t have..” - Kevin Churko ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How you need to be willing to spend every available hour in the day working on the craft - The importance of stamina - How to stay relevant - Helping artists change their sound to mass appeal - Kevin’s favorite microphone for overhead placement. - Kevin’s experi

Mastering engineer Brad Blackwood (Korn, Lamb of God, Maroon 5) sits in with us to talk everything from how he sets up his mental space at the beginning of the day, to the one tool he wouldn’t be able to work without, and his lone wolf approach. Still have questions about mastering? Yeah, you do. Everybody does! Mastering might as well be ancient black magic for a lot of us. Luckily, on this episode, we’ve got Brad Blackwood along to pull back the curtain to show that it’s not actually magic, but it is often misunderstood. “I’ve really made it a point to listen to all kinds of music, all the time.” - Brad Blackwood ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Brad’s history and early beginnings at Ardent Studios - His favorite pieces of gear - The ins and outs of invoices and payments - Why Euphonic Mastering is a lone wolf operation - Brad’s methodology on resetting his ears to prevent sonic biasing - Whether or not shadowing a pro is the most productive means to an end or not - And much, much more Thanks for list

On this episode, with Adam Ayan (Paul McCartney, Katy Perry): demystifying the final sonic footprint of recorded music that is mastering. This discussion is jammed full of so much amazing information about mastering. Whether you’re looking to get into mastering yourself, an engineer, mixer, or producer that wants to be informed about what a mastering engineer is going to be doing with their part of the process, or an artist that would just like to know what goes into your songs coming out sounding polished on the other end of the process you’re going walk away from this episode with a whole new perspective. “I think that every recording has a loudness potential and a window where loudness works. If you push it too far, you get outside of that window. If you don’t push it far enough, you get outside of that window on the other side, which is where compression works.” - Adam Ayan ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Why some pros take interns and others don’t - Navigating sonic options and making decisions -

On this episode of the podcast, Mike Kalajian (Saosin, Against the Current, Moving Mountains) joins the show to cast some light on the subject of mastering. Ever been confused about mastering? You’re not alone. It’s a process that a lot of audio professionals just take an, “It’s just weird magic or something” approach to. Well, no longer! Mike is here to demystify the process a bit and, by the end, hopefully you’ll be on some better footing about what mastering is, why it matters, and how to get started if it’s a part of the audio production process that you’re interested in persuing. "Mastering is like the final coat of paint." - Mike Kalajian ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Mastering trends and loudness wars - Best bang for your buck monitoring and acoustic investments - Mike’s opinion on ITB vs. OTB mixing - Test masters for landing business - Experimenting with new gear - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc

Producer Jay Maas (Defeater) joins us for a discussion about outboard gear, client psychology, and the pros and cons of traveling. We’re always excited to have Jay on board. This time we get into the gear talk and sort through how he makes use of hardware without causing his workflow to come to a grinding halt. We were also shocked to finally come across someone that actually wants the artist around for the mixing phase of production. What kind of madness is this? “Being a recording engineer is funny, especially if you do a lot of tracking too. You’re like a therapist, you’re like a negotiator. You have to wear all these weird hats.” - Jay Maas ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Balancing the complication of outboard gear with turnaround time - The importance of committing - Why Jay likes having the artist around for mixing - The many hats that producers have to wear - How traveling as a producer can be alternately good and bad - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Lear

On this episode, Johnny Franck joins the show to discuss his recent collaboration with Jarrod Alonge and his process for mixing and using Skype to facilitate his projects. Inspiration can come from any number of places. Having Johnny Franck on board gave us a unique opportunity to discuss inspiration in a unique way. Whether it’s crafting a parody album, which required experimenting to find distinct tones for each song or producing over Skype, he’s pushing boundaries ways that audio professionals should take note of. “If I farted into a microphone, and somehow figured out a way to make it sound like a good snare drum, that’s the right thing to do. There is no right or wrong way to get to where you need to get to.” - Johnny Franck ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - The importance of experimentation - Using different genres as inspiration to step outside your box - Setting standards that will solid results - Gaining client trust - How Johnny handles revisions - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leav

Nick Sampson joins us to give you some tips and tricks to ensure that you don’t end up in the studio with a janky guitar that sounds like trash. Whether you’re a guitarist trying to make the most out of a lower end guitar or a producer tired of dealing with guitarists that don’t seem to care about making the most out of that lower end guitar this discussion is full of info that can help. In addition to tips for getting your guitars setup, we talk about advances in guitar technology, and how to make sure you’re making smart guitar purchases in the first place. “You think audio stuff is challenging, try working with wood.” - Nick Sampson ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Nick’s drive to advance guitar technology - What to expect when going with a custom vs. mass produced guitar - Truss rod issues - How to make sure that you’re making a smart purchase - New developments in materials and hardware - String gauge suggestions - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more a

We had Ryan “Fluff” Bruce on the show, and it led to a ton of valuable discussion about building a career in the audio industry. It’s incredibly rare for lives to actually go according to plan. We think we’re heading in one direction, and we end up being presented with an undeniable opportunity or faced with hardships that can necessitate a complete about face. Ryan’s story is a perfect example of how important it is to recognize an opportunity that will make you happy and work to make it a reality. “It all starts with doing it for the love of it. Don’t ever do it for money or for fame or for large social media followings.” - Ryan “Fluff” Bruce ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Branding, and how to approach it effectively - How Ryan built his career - Pivoting when life throws you curve balls - Game changing gear? Is there any? - The creative jury rigging that we resort to when first starting with audio - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad cho

Drum mastermind, Matt Brown, wants you to craft stellar drum recordings, and on this episode we’re dropping some knowledge to get you started on that path. The drums on your productions need to sound killer. There are few things that will kill a song’s feeling faster than lame drums. And there are few people that are more qualified to impart wisdom about how to make sure you don’t end up with lame drums than Matt. We touch on a range of elements, from getting your drummer up to snuff on playing to a click, to how to play to the strengths of your setup, and knowing how to cater your production for the specific job. “Approaching something from the idea that somebody can fix it later doesn’t mean success and a long career.” - Matt Brown ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How Matt started down the path to drum greatness - Tips for getting good results from a small, dead room - The click, and how to artfully play to it - Making the most of a meager setup - Why you don’t actually always want to use room recordi

#party, people! Listen in on the 1 year anniversary of the URM Podcast. We’ve got Josh Newell on board to help us celebrate. Josh isn’t JUST here to celebrate with us. We also load the discussion with tons of info, as usual. The festivities include discussion about how to persevere through the difficult early days of your career, not getting caught up in specific gear or software, and how to not become the subject of an assistant horror story. “I think like with anything, you get what you put into it, and the harder you work, the more passionate and committed you are to excellence, and the more you want to be great at what you’re doing, the better you’re going to be. And I feel that education is an immersive experience; you just have to live, breathe, eat, sleep what you’re passionate about and you’ll become great at it over time.” - Joel Wanasek ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - The importance of paying attention to successful individuals - Working with limited resources - Assistant horror stories - Not

Kevin Antreassian (Dillinger Escape Plan, Backroom Studios) joins us for a conversation about the benefits of networking and staying open to opportunities at every stage of your career. In addition to being a killer guitarist and engineer, Kevin exemplifies what can happen if you keep your networking game on point. We also get into what it takes to jump in and learn technical songs, why getting on the road and teching for bands can be a great opportunity, and why people should refrain from awkwardly attempting to touch our godly beards. “If you really want to get anywhere in this industry you have to play some kind of music, you have to be involved in some scene of some kind. Otherwise, who’s going to trust you with their music if you’re not actually doing what they want to do.” - Kevin Antreassian ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How Kevin ended up working in audio after initially wanting nothing to do with it - Things to keep in mind while touring internationally - The networking that led Kevin to joi

On this episode, we’re going over some tips and tricks to make sure that you end up with gear that’s actually worth your hard earned money. Audio gear can get expensive, and it never feels good to be saddled with a piece of gear or software that you don’t end up using. We’re going to help you make smart decisions about what you drop your cash on, so that you don’t spend more time staring and cursing at your gear than you do mixing. “Just because it costs a lot doesn’t mean it’s going to sound like it costs a lot on the wrong source.” - Eyal Levi ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Maximizing your interface and converter investments - How many channels do you really need? - Where lunchbox systems fit in - When you should consider going 2nd hand - Microphone selection - Optimizing your setup with a mix of hardware and software - Indispensable plugins - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices