Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

Ty Acord, a former member of the band Issues and a versatile producer, shares his insights into the music industry. He discusses the importance of evolving creativity and keeping fresh in songwriting while avoiding burnout. Acord emphasizes building genuine industry relationships over aggressive networking, and he highlights the significance of a formal music education. He also shares techniques to enhance collaboration and adapt to new challenges, all while maintaining authenticity in music production.

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/adchoices

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 experience working in Switzerland for Mutt Lange - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 - Adam’s favorite mastering tools - Applying a “fake master” during a mix - The many different paths for audio education - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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/adchoices

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Johnny Franck, a former member of Attack Attack, now thrives as a producer and engineer, notably collaborating with Jarrod Alonge. He reveals his innovative process for crafting parody tracks, often working remotely through Skype. Franck shares how experimentation is key to achieving unique sounds, advocating for unconventional approaches. He discusses the challenges of maintaining high standards from his band days to his production career. Trust-building with clients and navigating creative feedback are also highlighted, making for an insightful dive into modern music production.

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 about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices