Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

Luck is the meeting place of preparation and opportunity. Nobody knows that better than Josh Newell, who is regarded for his genre spanning work with artists such as Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Cynic, Intronaut, Celine Dion, and more. On this episode we discuss how Josh Newell has managed to work his way to the top LA production circles, the difference between producing pop and metal, what it takes to maintain a long career, as well as many of his favorite mixing techniques. If you want to work in big studios, on various different genres, for lots of different producers, this episode is for you. “If someone sings better upside-down, figure out a way to fuckin’ hang them upside down!” - Joey Sturgis WHAT YOU’LL LEARN: How to build intentional relationships How to spot and seize great opportunities The power of word of mouth How he became Linkin Park’s go-to engineer Josh’s take on Andy Wallace’s mixing style How to find “the hook” Links: Josh Newell's website NRG Studios CreativeLIVE audio courses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Douglass shares how he mastered drum editing and quit his day job. What are the #1 and #2 skills and traits that will get and keep your employment as an audio engineer? 1 - You must be reliable 2 - You must be an amazing editor John Douglass has worked his way up from being a kid with a laptop in a bedroom to working with some of the biggest artists in pop and metal. And he did it by becoming the best at crucial things that nobody else wants to do, like drum editing. If you want to up your drum editing game and turn audio into a full-time career, this episode is for you. John Douglass is an accomplished engineer/mixer/producer, having packed an impressive number and variety of credits into his five years as an audio professional. In the studio, he has worked with metal artists such as Battlecross, Cryptopsy, The Contortionist, Assassins, and Hypno5e in addition to pop artists such as Katy Perry, Nelly, TI, and Rick Ross. In addition to being an amazing engineer, he has also been an editor for Eyal Levi, Joey Sturgis, Will Putney, Andrew Wade, Jason Suecof, and Mark Lewis. He is an encyclopedia of engineering knowledge and a ninja of workflow. In this episode you will learn about: - Drum editing - Finding and keeping work as an audio engineer - Locking phase during edits - Using Quick Keys and batch commands for an efficient workflow - Transient alignment Links: John Douglass's Website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Finn Mckenty (CreativeLIVE, The Punk Rock MBA) joins us to discuss the inner workings of songwriting, creation of a unique point of view, and effective marketing for bands and producers in the fast-paced, highly competitive creative world of today. To say that today’s recording market is oversaturated would be an understatement. It’s more important than ever for producers to adopt effective and engaging ways to promote themselves. However, most think that self-promotion equals salesy spamming and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Hit play to find out the right way to promote yourself. “At the end of the day there are no secrets, just attention to detail and a lot of hard work. That's the difference between the pros and the beginners.” - Finn McKenty IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: Product market fit How to get an internship Developing your unique voice or sound The importance of high standards and how to maintain them Standing out in a crowded market The difference between part writing and songwriting What attention to detail really means What the pros share that amateurs don’t Links: CreativeLIVE The Punk Rock MBA Eyal’s CreativeLIVE songwriting class Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joey Sturgis shares his In The Box mastering tips and tricks. Out of the three of us, Joey Sturgis has done the most mastering and in fact, he's never had one of his mixes mastered by an outside engineer. He's totally self-taught and responsible for several chart-topping masters. In this episode, he shares some of his most effective mastering techniques. Joey dives into his process, and how goes about getting the last 5 to 10% out of the track, using tools such as saturation, harmonic exciters, processors like Waves MaxxBass and spatial treatment. “Having your mix unmastered is kind of like having a product on the shelf that doesn’t look like it was put together by a designer” - Joey Sturgis In This Episode You'll Learn about: Joey's goto mastering plugins Multi-band compression The loudness war Dithering Saturation in mastering Best uses for Izotope Ozone Enhancing the low end for small speakers Limiting vs clipping Mid-Side processing Links: Fuck 4k Plugin and Shirt Waves MaxxBass Fab Filter Pro-Mb Izotope Ozone Waves LinMB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joey, Eyal, and Joel are joined by mastering legend Bob Katz for some rousing discussion about the current state of recording and what it actually takes to create professional-sounding mixes and masters. It's really common for people to want presets and templates, however, mastering is always a case of figuring out what specific situations require. You can’t just slap the same plugins with the same settings on everything. You must diagnose each situation individually, and then apply the correct processing. Learn about what it takes to master at the very highest levels of the game from a true legend and innovator, Bob Katz. “It’s like putting salt and pepper on your food before you taste it.” - Bob Katz WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Bob’s minimum specs for a monitoring setup - The truth about mastering for iTunes - Bob’s approach towards M/S processing - Stem mastering - The use of saturation in multiple genres - The NS10 phenomenon Links: Bob Katz's website Mastering Audio - Bob Katz's book Bob Katz's K-Meter plugin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #MasteringCritMonday, the show where we critique YOUR mastering. Prolific mastering engineer, Maor Appelbaum stopped by to help us critique some listener-submitted mastering work. In this episode you'll learn about: Nice and loud vs fatiguing to listen to What to submit to a mastering engineer Adding low end without destroying the track When to apply a heavy-handed mastering approach Maor's favorite outboard gear Adding treble without harshness Mastering for vinyl Links: Maor's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alan Douches is one of the most recognizable names in mastering when it comes to any genre of heavy music. With over 6000 mastering credits to his name with artists ranging from Mastodon to Whitechapel to Bowling For Soup Alan Douches has become one of the most in demand engineers in the world. We spoke at length about so many things that it's hard to summarize. Alan shared great advice for up and comers as well as lots of great mastering tips. “What are you pretending not to know?” - Alan Douches Topics: - Steps to take when mastering for vinyl - What mastering for Itunes entails - Analog mastering tips - The science of listening - Using dynamics to control your EQ Links: Alan Douche's Mastering Studio Pendulum Compressor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jesse Cannon, prolific mastering engineer/author/entrepreneur joins the URM Podcast crew to discuss what it takes to become great at mastering and promotion. After all, what good is your talent if you don't develop it or share it with the world? To really win at the game of audio you must learn to master your own motivation. Motivation is the most powerful personal asset you can develop. The same motivation that drives you to become a world class engineer is what will drive you to find better and better paying gigs. Without it you won't get off the couch, but with it you won't stop until the job is crushed. Easier said than done, right? Press play... "The motivation to not suck is all it took." - Joey Sturgis In this episode you'll learn: Jesse's ITB plugin chain How to handle ear fatigue The #1 way to refresh your hearing 2 keys to a great master Intentional relationship building The secret to keeping high level gigs A positive use of loudness in mastering Fundamentals that every mastering engineer should learn Links: Jesse’s site Jesse’s studio Off The Record Podcast Noise Creators Podcast Jesse’s book DIY Guide podcast The Lefsetz Letter Fundamentals of Mixing Rock and EDM with Jesse Cannon on CreativeLIVE DIY Mastering with Jesse Cannon on CreativeLIVE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vocal production that sounds amazing requires you navigate the intersection of composition, physical performance, gear selection, and creative coaching with your A-game the entire time! That's why we devoted two podcast episodes to vocal production and mixing. This one is jam packed with info! “If the vocal sucks on the record you might as well trash the entire thing” - Joel Wanasek What you'll learn in part 1: Acoustic treatment for vocal recording How to fix badly recorded vocals AT4040 vs SM7B Time aligning vocals by hand Using Revoice Pro Autotune tips Outboard compressors like Shadow Hills and Distressors Condenser vs dynamic microphones How to save money on high dollar microphones Links: Melissa Cross Izotope RX (audio repair) Real Traps Audio Technica Empirical Labs Distressor Revoice Pro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Korneff has perfected the process of turning out modern, top-quality mixes on analog gear in an industry that's moving faster than ever. Can you imagine mixing on a massive console with tons of outboard, yet still keep up with modern deadline demands? Dan Korneff does it every day. According to him the keys are in the efficiency of your setup and how well you understand you gear. One of the beautiful things about audio is that there's usually multiple ways to achieve the same goal. Learn which methods and workflows are best for you, and optimize them until your process is second nature. Then you'll be able to focus on what really counts, the music! In this episode you'll learn: Dan Korneff's client requirements Secrets to punchy mixes with bus compression How to get properly credited for your work Why he prefers Cubase How he integrates Cubase with his console and outboard His inspiration for becoming a gear builder Where to start if you want to build your own audio gear Tips for maintaining a healthy work/life balance Links: Dan Korneff's site Dan Korneff's credits Savior Custom Drums CreativeLIVE's audio courses Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices