Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

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

On this episode, we’ve got Sterling Winfield on board for a great talk about his extraordinary career, which has included time working with Pantera, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, and Hellyeah. There’s so much to learn from engineers and producers like Sterling, who have been in the industry long enough and have worked with enough legendary professionals to have acquired more recording knowledge than many will ever have the chance to. From his experience spending hours recording Dimebag Darrell, to what mic Phil Anselmo recorded with on Far Beyond Driven, to how to be a live sound expert, to why it sometimes makes sense to get off the bus, this one is stuffed full of amazingness. “I learned the most valuable lessons from [Pantera]: ‘You’d better eat something or you’re going to be really hungover,’ and ‘It’s not the gear it’s the people.’” - Sterling Winfield ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Sterling’s time in the studio and doing live sound with Pantera - Old school vs. modern production - The gear used

Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Atrium Audio (August Burns Red, Black Crown Initiate, Live, Candlebox) joined us to discuss the route they’ve taken to build their studio to the production powerhouse it is today. The Atrium Audio story is fascinating. They have one foot firmly planted in productions relationships they’ve built with established 90s acts and the other foot seriously kicking ass in trend setting modern productions. It’s something that very few producers are able to manage with the degree of success that Carson and Grant have achieved. “I love not being in my comfort zone, because that’s the way I learn.” - Carson Slovak ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How Carson and Grant built Atrium Audio to be the juggernaut it is today - Adjusting your approach to fit the player - Recording bands live in a room together vs. recording parts separately - Carson and Grant’s drum processing chain - Covering Star Wars - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more

You’ve got to get vocals right, and on this episode we’re walking you through the process, so you can make sure you’re getting the best results possible. Nine times out of ten, a vocal is going to make or break a song. Are you recording to maximize your results? How about layering choices? Do you know what you’re doing there? And you’re making sure not to edit all the life out of the vocals, right? Listen up for some tips to help you answer these questions for your productions. “If there’s a problem, don’t be lazy. Fix that stuff.” - Joey Sturgis ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How to ensure that you’ve got solidly recorded vocal tracks - Handling special mixes for the vocalist - Where layering should enter the picture - Processing to make those choruses pop - How tightly should you be editing - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to #Mixcritmonday, the show where we critique YOUR mixes. On this edition, we’ve got a pop punk song and an extreme metal track on the table. So, we’re throwing them in a blender and pouring a refreshing crit smoothie into your ears. “It really should be in your fucking face, and the song explodes through your speakers, and is upbeat and energetic and, ‘Fuck yeah! I wanna eat pizza and make out with pop punk girls’ kind of thing.” - Eyal Levi ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Making sure you don’t suck all the power out of your mixes - Not overloading a song with unnecessary panning - Why you need to keep the genre in mind while recording and mixing - Hooks! Why you need to work to find ones that connect with listeners - Why you shouldn’t just cram your tracks with filler riffs - No filler all killer - Every moment in a song having its perfect place in the arrangement - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc

Grammy winning and multi-platinum selling producer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, Mutemath) brings an abundance of incredible insight to this episode. Want your productions to go multi-platinum? Want to put out Grammy level results? What does that level even look like in today’s music industry? That’s certainly a complicated topic, but it’s one you’re going to want to be informed about, and Jacquire King has been at the top tier long enough that he’s someone you should definitely listen to. “It’s very important for us to know what things do technically, but never ever assume that because you have technical know how, or you know the way something should work, don’t just assume that it’s working that way.” - Jacquire King ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Changes to the industry that Jacquire has seen - His views on analog vs. digital - Recommendations for audio production education - Things potential interns should keep in mind - Jacquire’s gear recommendations - Why you need to keep basics in m

Zakk Cervini and Matt Pauling (Blink-182, Black Veil Brides, Sleeping with Sirens) have planted their flags at the top of the audio production hill, and they’re here to discuss how they’ve done it. It takes a lot to compete at a level that would lead to someone becoming the right hand man of John Feldman. On this episode we’ve got not one, but two guys that have done just that. Zakk and Matt bring some amazing stories and truly valuable insight to the discussion. “It just comes from doing it, and failing, and trying again.” - Zakk Cervini ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - What producers look for in potential interns - Zakk and Matt’s experiences working with John Feldman - How they make use of templates and presets - Recording in weird locations - Zakk and Matt’s go to gear - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zakk Cervini and Matt Pauling (Blink-182, Good Charlotte, Sleeping with Sirens) are here with tips to ensure that you don’t release songs with crappy guitar and bass, because they don’t want to have to listen to that. Every engineer and producer wants to be able to say that they put out badass guitar tracks. Are your guitar tones there yet? If you’re still trying to get your tracks sounding impressive when put up against professional productions then we’ve got some tips to get you heading in the right direction. “There’s always someone out there that’s going to be able to play faster than you.” - Zakk Cervini ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Strategies for layering guitars - Amp sims vs. real amps for studio and live use - Zakk and Matt’s secrets for getting stellar guitar tone - How to keep your guitars maintained - Approaching recording with musicians of varying skill levels - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a

Chris Sernel works with some of the biggest pop acts in the world, and no matter your genre, he’s got songwriting advice that’s going to help you level up your songs. Writing and producing songs that compete at the top of the charts is not an easy feat. Regardless of the genre, no one wants to release songs that go unnoticed. Are the songs you’re working on going to connect? Would you like to know how to make it more likely that they do? This episodes’ for you. “Several writing sessions start with an unspoken form of who’s copyright can we violate today.” -Chris Sernel THIS WEEK, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How to write songs that connect with listeners - The power of the hook - Coming up with cohesive, clear ideas - The complications involved in releasing music on major labels - The importance of making your songwriting routine - Getting through writer’s block and not waiting for inspiration - Figuring out how to deal with shifting trends - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Le

Matt Brown is the guy you want to listen to if you want great sounding drums, so, we brought him in to give you some tips and tricks to do just that. If you want amazing end results in your drum recordings then you need to start at the beginning of the process. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 until you’ve figured out how to set that drum kit up. Yes, really digging into the setup of drum kits can be difficult and it takes a lot of experience to figure out. Matt has that experience, and you’re going to hear some secrets on this episode that he was actually hesitant to share. But he’s a generous guy. “If you don’t develop your ear, you’re never going to know whether something is in tune on a drum or out.” - Matt Brown ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How to get better at drum tuning - Why Matt isn’t a fan of drum dials - Guidelines for finding a drum’s pitch - When and how to use muffling - The importance of bottom heads - The cotton ball trick - Getting the most bang for your buck from your drums - A

Fred Archambault (Avenged Sevenfold, Last Call With Carson Daly, Alice Cooper) has a wealth of knowledge about getting into and being successful in the audio production industry. From producing the biggest metal bands on earth, to mixing live recordings for hit TV shows, there’s very little that Fred Archambault hasn't done. And you’re in for a treat, because he doesn’t hold anything back in this episode. “If you do good work, then you’ll leave a trail.” - Fred Archambault THIS WEEK, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Different methods for mixing bass - Fred’s advice for breaking into the industry - Differences between mixing live recordings and studio work - Fred and Eyal’s experiences going to Berklee - The place of internships in building careers - The technical secrets behind some of Fred’s mixing techniques - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Mowery, president of Outerloop Management joins us to discuss the ever changing landscape of the music industry. Branding, social media, video, photo content, getting management, on and on - keeping up with all of them is a juggling act and it can get overwhelming. How do you build an effective and manageable game plan for all of these things? Mike Mowery lays down some guidelines that are certain to get you on the right track. “Change is inevitable. And sometimes it’s exciting and sometimes it’s frustrating.” - Mike Mowery THIS WEEK, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - How to keep up with the ever changing music industry - The importance of branding - Effectively using social media - Why you should be active in helping develop a scene - If and when a producer should get management - How to get in touch with industry professionals as a producer - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A&R representative and Noise Creators founder Johnny Minardi joins us to demystify the A&R process. The music industry is in a constant state of flux; as an A&R rep, Johnny Minardi is in a great position to map out practices that are likely to help you succeed, no matter what part of the industry you’re in. Whether you’re a producer, musician, or looking to get into the behind the scenes business side of the industry, you will find something of value here. “Why am I investing time and effort into a band who doesn’t want to work?” - Johnny Minardi THIS WEEK, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Artist development - What A&R actually is and how to get into the field - How A&R has changed with the industry - How to know if A&R is something you need - How to get more work as a producer - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment or review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Acclaimed songwriter and producer Drew Fulk (Motionless In White, Escape The Fate, We Came As Romans) joins us to discuss songwriting, his methods for co-writing with bands, and how he became the in demand writer he is today. Writing great songs isn’t simple. Things gets even more complicated if you’re a producer co-writing with a band. Everyone has the same goal of creating a great end result, but will you have the tools to make the process go smoothly? Listening to what Drew Fulk has to say is a good start. “The less changes you have, the more cohesive the song will sound to the listener.” - Drew Fulk THIS WEEK, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - The various forms that co-writing with bands can take - Networking, networking, networking, and not overselling yourself - Maximizing your creative output - Tips for transitions and outros - Drew’s opinion on what makes a great song - How to refine initial ideas into finished songs - The legalities involved in co-writing - And much, much more Thanks for listening! Leave us a co