Recording Studio Rockstars

Creativity doesn't come from options. It comes from limitations! Jack talked about analog tape speeds, why cover bands make more money, how to track a live band in a room, rock vocal secrets, piano as cool drum mics, & hallways as reverb chambers. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Jack Miele, an 11x Platinum, 6x Telly and 5x Global Music Award Winning audio engineer/producer/composer/multi-instrumentalist. He is also an audio and/or mix engineer on 1 Grammy Award winning and 5 nominated albums, as well as Emmy Award winning television promos. Based in New Orleans, he is the former owner of the world famous Fudge Recording Studio. After Fudge closed its doors in 2012, Jack moved to The Music Shed recording facility as their head of operations /chief producer (2012-2018). He is now the owner of Jack Miele Productions LTD and runs his studio in the Garden District of New Orleans. Jack is also guitarist/vocalist for the sensational 80′s act The Mol

"Using plugins in mastering is 100% better than analog!" Matty talked about mixing controllers Softube's Console 1, Rock Solid Audio, & the SSL UF-1, CLA plugins for vocals, room correction tools for great mixing, and the top vocal chain for hip hop. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Matty Harris, a music producer, mixing and mastering engineer originally from Boston. As a young musician, he won several awards, including best drummer in New England touring with jazz, blues and calypso bands, playing clubs by the age of 14. And later went on to Berklee College of Music to study Music Production and Engineering. Matty’s work in the studio includes credits for Atlantic, RCA, & Warner Bros Records, Sammy Adams, A$AP Rocky, Logic, Lil Yachty, Cousin Stizz and the Grammy Award-winning song “Stronger” for Kelly Clarkson winning the 2008 Boston Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Engineer and Producer.  He mixes from his own studio in Los Angeles and is h

Vacuum the studio and blow a fuse! Tex talked about balancing a career as an electrical contractor with producing heavy rock records, ninja tips for Reaper drum editing and mixing, getting polarity and phase right, & his chain for a huge rock sound! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Tex Cokley, a music producer and mixer in SW Washington state. He has been producing and mixing rock songs and albums for bands for the last 15 years. As a musician, he is versed in different instruments and works with many studio musicians.  I met Tex and his friend Alex at NAMM a couple of years ago when they came to our first Recording Studio Rockstars meetup. I always love connecting with fans of the podcast aka the Rockstars and Tex is definitely one of them. He has a great rock band called Opticus and balances recording with a busy career as an electrician. His enthusiasm and dedication to making records and attending NAMM each year and the fact that Recording S

Ya gotta learn the rules to break the rules! Kris talked about big tracking sessions, orchestral arranging for small vs large string sections, killer Soundflow strategies, Pro Tools marker magic, sync sessions tips, & cool plugins for awesome mixes! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Kris Crunk, a first-call producer, programmer, and engineer in Nashville, Tennessee. He has 4 Grammy nominations, won 2 Dove Awards for Southern Gospel Producer of the Year in 2021 and 2022, and recently was nominated for a Mark Award from the Production Music Association.  In his 20+ years in Nashville, Kris has played or worked on countless songs for artists like OneRepublic, Rascal Flatts, 5 Seconds of Summer, Tina Campbell, Jason Crabb, Cindy Morgan and many more. Kris has been a Professor of Music Technology at Union University and is an app developer for the software Soundflow is on the Avid Beta team for Pro Tools and other plug-in companies.  Kris is currently

If it sounds good then it is good! Brennan talked about the importance of embracing your own sonic thumbprint, mixing with depth, programming drums, how to make a cooler gated snare, asynchronistic work, recording with an iPhone, and lyric writing. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Brennan Aerts, a producer, writer, and musician who has worked extensively in film, television, and ads since 2010 in Los Angeles, CA and Nashville, TN. He owns a music house called Bird Nest Int'l and has produced music content for every major network as well as multiple national ad campaigns, movies, and artists. He is a member of the bands Vinyl Pinups and The Werewolves and recent credits include Moon Taxi, Better Than Ezra, and Devon Gilfilian to name just a few. Thank you to Jay Tooke 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://

Give of yourself generously to those you work with! Jeremy talked about producing indie rock and pop bands in a small studio, touring in a signed band, building a new production studio, starting a mastermind group, and family life vs work balance. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Jeremy Steckel, a musician and producer in Columbus OH. Having settled into an indie-pop and rock production and mixing universe, Jeremy focuses on building the landscape of the song around the core part of almost every modern song: the vocal performance. Nothing speaks louder than an emotional, well-captured vocal delivery and the song always has to serve that objective. Jeremy’s credits include MEOWBOYS, Coastal Club, Lui, Darity, Sean Mac, Trauna, Brightest London, The Orphan The Poet and Embleton to name a few. Today we will talk about working as a touring guitarist, building a new mixing studio, how to get a great production and mix, and even finding ways to level up y

What does it sound like miked in the bathtub? Matt talked about being at Strongroom Studios, tape flying off the machine, why you need hardware synths, MDing for Björk and Ellie Goulding, how to record ambient music, and why real guitar pedals rock! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Matt Robertson, a British-born, Canadian-based, 3x Grammy-nominated composer, producer, and musical director. Matt has worked with Björk, Anohni, Arca, The Cinematic Orchestra, and Ellie Goulding as musical director and orchestrator / arranger.  He has released four albums under his own name to date, balancing ambient sound design alongside warm organic techno and ripples of delicate electronics. His albums ‘Forecast’, ‘In Echelon’ and ‘Entology’, have been described as “symphonic electronica and leftfield techno that’s cinematic in scale” (Mixmag), “magnificent…wild, electronic sound” (The Line Of Best Fit) and “Nils Frahm’s modern classical meets Jon Hopkins’ grainy tec

How many room mics do Atmos drums need? Matt talked about recording and mixing a jazz band in Atmos, how to let old gear go to make room for new gear, speakers, mix levels, full setup for mixing in Atmos, and new ways to think about space and sound. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Matt Boudreau, a very successful audio engineer, Atmos mixer, producer, drummer and podcast host. I often call Matt “my brother from another podcast” as the host of the awesome Working Class Audio podcast where he also conducts interviews with producers and engineers about life in the studio but more focused on work/life balance for the working audio professional. Matt has been a guest on Recording Studio Rockstars a couple of times already so you can check out his back story on episode RSR053 (when we actually met) and then again on RSR375 when Matt taught us all about mixing with drum samples. And today we will talk primarily about mixing because after 28 years, Matt no

Be willing to chase the dragon! Nick talked about creating the ultimate custom mix template, finding your ideal studio listening level, why you should only use two volumes, ninja tips for Soundflow and Avid S1, de-essing vocal tricks, and fx chains. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Nick Krill, an indie rock producer, mixer, and engineer. Nick's interest in the studio began as a teenager when he would spend weekends in a basement 4-track studio with his band, The Spinto Band.  Nick spent the first part of his career simultaneously playing in bands and recording and mixing other artists in the studio. In the early 2000s, The Spinto Band gained notoriety and went on to release 4 LPs and tour extensively in North America and Europe. After the Spinto Band went on hiatus, Nick spent four years touring and recording with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. In 2018 Nick decided to focus solely on the studio side of his work, and now produces, mixes, and engineers ind

Make some noise about dither ya'll! Daniel talked about how mastering flow is like songwriting, how to null check audio files, his hybrid mastering signal chain, why Wavelab is so cool, monitor levels, Ozone 11, and the magic of an old Mackie mixer. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Daniel Bacigalupi, a Minnesota native who has been mastering music in Nashville for 15 years. Daniel began his career at Ithaca College in New York where he earned a B.M. in Sound Recording Technology under the direction of Alex Perialas. Upon graduation, he moved to Nashville and began a 6 year career at Georgetown Masters with renowned Mastering engineer Andrew Mendelson.  Daniel opened dB Masters in Green Hills in 2014 before teaming up with Grammy Award-winning engineer Pete Lyman and Infrasonic Mastering. He now works out of Infrasonic Nashville and continues to work on projects across a variety of genres. Daniel has mastered for a range of artists including Gabby Ba

What does fifteen 1176s at once to vinyl sound like? Bobbi talked about cutting direct to disk for Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown, choosing the best compressor, pure analog mastering, speakers vs headphones, recording a Broadway cast, and iZotope RX. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Bobbi Giel, a mastering engineer based out of Nashville, TN. She made the move to Nashville in October 2017 and spent four years at Georgetown Masters under the direction of Chief Mastering Engineer Andrew Mendelson before joining the team at Welcome to 1979. Bobbi began her career at University of Hartford’s The Hartt School where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Production and Technology with a concentration in Classical Piano and a minor in Business Administration. Following graduation in 2015 she spent two years working at various recording and post-production studios in New York City including MSR Studios (now Sound on Sound Studios in Montclair, New J

"1000 burritos, tacos, and Bud Lights came flying at me like the arrows in 300!" Andy talked about recording Andrew WK from a mobile truck, doubling vocals like Mahler, learning to listen, recording Cuban music, guitars, vocals, and tuning drums. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Andy Freeman who got his hands on a console at age 12 and at age 21 got his first job in audio, recording and editing voice over artists in Atlanta. In 2002, after a friend asked if he produced bands, Andy said yes.  This was a lie. But he hasn’t stopped producing and mixing bands since then, so I guess it was a good lie. Learning on the job at his own studio in Atlanta, he and his wife Malie [“Molly”] moved to San Francisco in 2008, then to Los Angeles in 2015, then to Nashville in 2017 where he works out of a full tracking and mixing space in his house.  Andy doesn’t hear music in genre, preferring the idea that there are only two kinds of music: good and bad. Consequently

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