This week, we’ve got Jake Subin (chief engineer for Telefunken, Ruben Subin Productions ) on the show for a conversation that’s going to make the gear nerd in all of us happy.

Not only has Jake built an encyclopedic level of technical knowledge for himself over the course of his career, but he also brings a lot of insight to the table on how to actually apply all that knowledge. Most of us have that side that goes down the rabbit hole of gear obsession; it’s important not letting that get in the way of what matters at the end of the day, and that’s the music.

“I always have to keep in mind that it’s not my record, it’s not my music. I’m making somebody else’s record and my job is to take their vision, capture it, and make it the best it can be in their minds, not mine.” - Jake Subin

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

2:00 Jake’s work at Telefunken, real-world testing of condenser microphones, mixing/engineering for Telefunken, live band sessions

16:00 Maintaining momentum and avoiding technical problems in expensive commercial sessions

20:00 Utilizing studio time at college, Jake’s experience rebuilding an analog console

24:00 What Jake learned taking apart TV’s as a child, why “they don’t make em like they used to” is actually true

33:00 The traditional separation of producer/engineer roles for session efficiency, work/life balance and family support

44:00 Effective communication with clients re: expectations

52:00 Rational Acoustics Smaart, tuning studios and live environments, always learning new things

58:00 Getting it right at the source and the limits of that philosophy

And much, much more

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