Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

On this episode, we’re getting super nerdy about gear with Josh Florian, the founder of JCF Audio. Josh and JCF have been putting out god-tier hardware for years. So, if we’re going to go down the gear talk rabbit hole there are few people that would be better suited From converter components, to signal chain simplicity, to what to prioritize if you’re planning on starting your own company, if you’re looking for some deep technical talk this one’s for you. “Make sure you read the god damn manual, and you’re not requesting of this device something that it’s not capable of doing.” - Josh Florian ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Where to start with designing and building gear - Keeping your signal chain concise - Making intelligent gear purchases based on your usage - How various components can make surprising differences in gear - Why partnering with individuals that are skilled at things you’re not is important - The trend of DIY - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! L

We’ve got the mix poll winners from Saosin month: Robin Leijon, Luke Edwards, and Ivan Aguilar here to answer your questions about what it takes to end up with a winning mix. Listen in on this discussion if you’re looking for insight into what goes on in the minds of Nail the Mix subscribers that produce solid results. You’re going to hear some philosophies - like not overthinking and spending too much time on a mix - that carry over to all 3 winners. Each of them also have some things that they do a bit differently that are pretty intriguing. “I want to step up my game so I can be as fast as Decker, because that was insane.” - Robin Leijon ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Robin’s take winning multiple times and what he learned from the months when he didn’t even place - What all 3 did or didn’t do differently on months that they won - The most important things they’ve learned from Nail the Mix - Experiences when they thought they had a killer mix but didn’t - The most difficult things they’ve overcome

John Boecklin (Devildriver, Bad Wolves) talks about what it takes to be the type of musician that producers love having in the studio and musicians should strive to be. The song is what matters. We all know this, right? It’s been said countless times, but it can be difficult for many of us to set aside egos and actually put the song first. John is a guy that, by all rights, should have a huge ego; as if being a total badass drummer wasn’t enough, he also molded himself into an equally badass riff machine. But it becomes obvious when listening to him talk about it that he’s actually almost totally devoid of ego about it, because he approaches his craft to serve the song. “I could find problems in every piece of material I’ve ever written or done. And I think that’s an honesty that some people don’t have, but they should.” - John Boecklin ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - What it takes to be the go to guy for recording - Being honest with yourself about needing to work on your technique - John’s approach t

High powered entertainment attorney Eric German joins the podcast to answer your questions about legal issues in audio and music. Eric has an amazing mindset, and, beyond getting a peek into the mind of a lawyer, so much of what he says during this talk applies to people on all ends of the industry and beyond. We touch on topics from walking you through some of the legal hurdles to look out for to keeping youtube cover songs legal to philosophies for maintaining passion about your work. “People think that all they have to do is meet someone that’s connected, and that will take care of everything for them. That’s one of the biggest myths/fictions in music.” - Eric German ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How Eric has maintained passion for music while building his law career - How to find an entertainment lawyer - Handling copyright issues related to doing covers - Producer agreements - The legalities of running a studio from your home - Why stories about “getting screwed” by labels usually aren’t as clea

Bill Hudson (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) opens up about this episode about overcoming alcoholism (and living in Nebraska) to achieve a long running, successful career that he’s passionate about. Bill has gone from being a bedroom shredder in Brazil to making his way to the U.S. to grinding it out in bands and almost sabotaging himself with drinking to playing in one of the biggest institutions in metal. His story is amazing, and there’s lessons to be learned from every step he took along the way. “Generally, none of these great opportunities come out of nowhere. They’re usually a result of a couple years or more of knowing people and working with them on smaller things and developing relationships until the bigger thing happens” - Eyal Levi ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Bill’s experience growing up as a shredder in training in Brazil - Why you shouldn’t just hop on popular trends - The potential for alcoholism to damage careers - The opportunities that presented themselves when Bill started taking care

“Gone With The Wind” by Architects is the song for June’s Nail the Mix, and Henrik Udd is here to discuss the recording of Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, along with a ton of other priceless info. Henrik is an absolute monster of a producer. The results he gets are undeniable, and this episode provides a glimpse of mindset he has that’s allowed him to build the experience to get those results. We’re stoked to have him on board this month, and you should definitely listen in and absorb what he’s got to say. “To put together a template that you just pop tracks into, and somethng sounds incredible - like 90% of the way there incredible - that’s not normal. It’s not that easy.” - Eyal Levi ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Henrik’s early days at Studio Fredman and working with Fredrik Nordström - His process working with Architects - Dealing with clients that don’t seem to care - The importance of templates - Henrik’s signal chains for Our Gods Have Abandoned Us - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave

Jesco Lohan takes over the podcast in this episode to drop some knowledge bombs. Want Jesco to answer your questions? Send them to eyal@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Jesco.” The more detailed the better! “Our main job as mixers is to set the balance, and the better you get at controlling volume, at manipulating volume, at using volume creatively, the better your mixes will be.” - Jesco Lohan ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Dealing with bass when you share walls with neighbors - Jesco’s workflow and mix prep tips - How acoustic treatment should be installed - Setting up a small recording isolation booth vs. recording in your control room - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Machine is setting up shop on this episode to impart all sorts of wisdom that he’s gained over the course of his incredible production career. We had to super size this episode to make room for all the info. Machine touches on a bit of everything. He talks about techniques he used when recording drums with Lamb of God, narrowly avoiding setting band members on fire, why you need to stop worrying about your g.a.s., and that’s all just to get the ball rolling. “The smartest thing you can do is learn the shit out of what gear you have, and your ability to tweak it fast and use it fast and not think about it will actually probably in turn make you even dial it better.” - Machine ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Growing up with musical parents - Machine’s experience getting into the audio industry around the time of the start of hip hop - Setting up your studio to provide artists with the “rock n roll fantasy” - Why you shouldn’t focus on new gear - Being a “methodless producer” - Dialing for the riff - And

Beau Burchell (Saosin) was awesome enough to come on for an entire episode to answer your questions. Want Beau to answer your questions? Send them to eyal@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Beau.” The more detailed the better! “A big thing with mixing is making all the parts the most effective they can be, but not letting the production get in the way of the song.” - Beau Burchell ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Beau’s writing process - How to approach toms and overheads - Managing work/life balance - Beau’s views on mastering - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joey Sturgis provides the answers to your most pressing questions. Want Joey to answer your questions? Send them to joey@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Joey.” The more detailed the better! “There’s no mixing magic tricks to make a bad composition work.” - Joey Sturgis ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Ensuring your listening environment is translating well - Handling dense mixes - Techniques for making programmed drums more human - How to approach delegating work to others - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beau Burchell was kind enough to join us for #Mixcritmonday this month to give you guys some tips for mixing “The Silver String” by Saosin. Listen in to get the inside track for what you should be aiming for with this mix and some of the pitfalls you need to make sure you’re sidestepping. “I always take the more conservative route. If the want some shit in there they’ll tell me, but, for the most part, if I’m being hired to mix I’m just mixing.” - Beau Burchell ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Mixing for the job, not what you wish the job was - Beau’s tip for making sure your mix isn’t pumping - Making sure your mix is gelling - What happens when you accidentally misfire samples - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Wanasek has the answers you need to make sure you stay #nosmalltime. Want Joel to answer your questions? Send them to eyal@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Joel.” The more detailed the better! “Anybody that says you can’t do this for a living is full of shit. Because if I can do it, and I’m a guy that came up from cornfields… I built and broke a career from a basement literally surrounded by cornfields. If I can do it there, you can do it too.” - Joel Wanasek ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Why you need to take care of your health - What Joel does for inspiration and fun - Dealing with tuning artifacts in tracks you’ve been sent - Making your career goals a reality on your terms - Balancing learning and doing - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a long time coming; we’ve got John Browne on the podcast and we’re going all in on guitar tone and production philosophies. Browne needs no introduction, his guitar playing is legendary, his picking hand spoken of in hushed voices in guitar forums everywhere. Ok… people don’t actually talk in guitar forums. We all get the point though: Browne is a guitar wielding badass. Not only is his playing insane, but his production chops are second to none. And he was kind enough to share some of how he does it so you don’t end up with productions that make your playing sound like a Lil Wayne solo. “Monitors are not meant for enjoyment, they’re meant for problem solving and working.” - Eyal Levi ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - The early days of djent - Finding your own style rather than just repeating what’s already been done - Reamping issues - Fitting guitar into the bigger picture of a mix - Monitor selection - What to do if playing your instrument is causing pain - And much, much more Thanks for lis

On this episode, producer/songwriter Erik Ron (Attila, Issues, Like Moths to Flames) shares his experiences rising through the ranks of the audio industry, and discusses the importance of navigating it with grace. We were really caught off guard by the twists and turns of Erik’s career story. It’s important to remember that career paths almost never look like what we think they’re going to when we set out on them. Going with the flow, learning from mistakes (both yours and other people’s), maintaining professionalism in the face of roadblocks, and so many other lessons that you need to hear are crystal clear in what Erik discusses in this episode. “If you open up to be someone that people can confide in you’re going to get a lot farther along.” - Erik Ron ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Practicing your craft as an engineer - Balancing attention to detail and speed - How Erik got to where he is today - Leading by example - Maintaining relationships, even when things don’t go according to plan - And much

Doc Coyle (Vagus Nerve, Bad Wolves, God Forbid) is one of those rare musicians that truly has great ideas about how to approach building a career in the industry, and we’re stoked to have him on board to expound about how he does it. The music industry is complicated. We all know this. The landscape is constantly shifting and it takes a lot of effort and skill to stay on top of things. Doc has put in the effort, continues to put in the effort, and he’s become more than just a musician at this point; he’s carved out a space for himself as a fixture in the world of heavy music. Everyone with eyes toward a long term career stands to learn from the philosophies he shares in this episode. “The heavy music community is very small, everyone knows everyone, and if you do bad business it gets around.” - Doc Coyle ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Doc’s philosophies on maintaining an engaging career - Strategies for social media - Modern touring realities - Insight into the label perspective - The importance of cr

We’ve got Beau Burchell here to provide insight into how he’s worked to build and maintain dual careers as guitarist for Saosin and a kickass producer. Having Beau on board to mix Saosin’s “The Silver String” for Nail the Mix this month is going to be amazing. And we’re equally excited to have him on the show with us to dive deep talking about his path in the industry as both a musician and producer. “Every record that you work on, the better the record does the better that is for you, because no one cares about a rad record you did that no one heard.” - Beau Burchell ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Balancing being a musician with a career in audio production - How to deal with miscommunications and plain old dumb moments that people have during recording - Why sometimes you have to put yourself in check - What to look for from people you get mix input form - Details about Beau’s tracking and mixing workflow - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your

Blasko (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Mercenary Management) has built a career that most people would kill for, but it hasn’t taken murder, it’s taken constant hustling. “Pivoting” is something that’s come up before on the podcast. It’s invaluable to be able to recognize an opportunity and risk going for it. There are few people in the industry that embody that philosophy better than Blasko. Whether it’s being in the band of history’s biggest metal gods or building a business empire from the ground up, he’s worked his way to the top. So, put away the murderous thoughts, because success isn’t going to come that easy, and listen up about what it takes to hustle. “You’ve got to get out there. You’ve got to grind.” - Blasko ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Navigating the music industry’s constant state of reinvention - Hustling, the Blasko way - The path that led him to add management to his resume - The power of returning favors and being authentic - Time management - And much, much more Thanks for listening!

Jordan Valeriote is launching his Hardcore Tracking course this week, and he’s back to fill us in on some of the awesome philosophies behind it. Get things right at the source. We’ve all heard it. It’s obviously great advice. But do you actually know how to implement it? It can be easier said than done. Jordan recognized that a lot of people have a tendency to overcomplicate matters and end up with subpar results; that’s why he decided to start Hardcore Tracking. We’ve checked out what he’s got planned for it, and it kicks ass. “For me, it all comes down to, ‘Why?’” - Jordan Valeriote ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Why Jordan decided to release Hardcore Tracking - 3 things recording engineers should be doing - Signal flow hierarchy - What to do when the band you’re recording sucks - How to coax great performances out of musicians - Strategies for each instrument - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You guys have questions, Eyal Levi’s got your answers. Want Eyal to answer your questions? Send them to eyal@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Eyal.” The more detailed the better! “You’ve got to know when to stop.” - Eyal Levi ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Strategies to stop messing up your mixes by overthinking - Studio location priorities - Avoiding nightmare scenarios with out of town bands - 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 Russ Russell (Dimmu Borgir, Napalm Death, Sikth) for an awesome conversation about how to build a long lasting production career, mix like a badass, and tons more. Whether it’s a long lasting relationship with Napalm Death or tackling an insane live production for Dimmu Borgir Russ seems to have unlocked the secret to creating amazing career opportunities. We go over an hour before even getting to technical stuff (don’t worry gearheads, we go there too). You should probably take notes, because this is how you build the lifelong career that you want. “Make sure people are happy right from the beginning, because otherwise you’re going to sink.” - Russ Russell ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How Russ built his production career - Tips for how to be an awesome assistant in the studio - Getting clients hooked on you so they keep coming back - The psychology of recording bands - Russ’s approach to taming massive productions - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! L