The Modern Recordist with Jon Stinson | Inspiring insights with creative visionaries, artists, songwriters, and producers

A new approach we’re going to experiment with on the podcast is having some regulars that we rotate through from time to time. Up until now, it’s something that Jon has tried to avoid, in order to establish a wide variety of guests throughout the show’s early times.

But every now and then it makes sense to change things up on the podcast a little bit. So now that we’ve got The Modern Recordist established with more than 60 episodes, we think it would be fun to have a revolving door of familiar voices sprinkled about here and there.

And this all starts off with our guest this episode, artist, musician, performer, and writer, Tim Zimmermann.

Jon has worked with Tim on a couple projects – with his band Zasz, on an EP that Jon produced/recorded/mixed for them back in 2012, and now on a graphic novel project that Jon is helping in more of a consulting/advising role.

Tim first appeared on EP: 060 of The Modern Recordist. This time he’s back, with a discussion of what it takes to have consistency and get results with your creative work, tricks/habits/practices you can use to help yourself get psychologically geared up to be in the creative zone, and how doing creative work is a lot like war-that it all boils down to engaging in battle with yourself.

Make sure you pay attention to the story of Tim’s “war bandanna”

To follow up with Tim, and keep up with his graphic novel project he’s currently working on, head over to:

http://theinterstellarhealer.carrd.co

To check out Tim’s band, Zasz, and listen to all their music (start with the EP “The Transition”), head over to:

zaszmusic.bandcamp.com

Get More!

In addition to all the insightful conversations that you’re able to listen to for free on the podcast, there’s more for you at The Modern Recordist website.

Click or tap over to http://modernrecordist.com and sign up for the email list. You will get periodical articles on recording and mixing best practices and techniques, resources to help you with creative mastery, discussions about songwriting, and even the heads up on future online workshops or live events.

There’s a lot coming from The Modern Recordist, and you don’t wanna miss any of it.

Show Notes and Links

It’s the first episode of The Modern Recordist for 2018!

On this episode, Jon hangs out with entrepreneur, Logan Crowell, who is currently launching a non-profit organization out of Nashville for artists, producers, songwriters, audio engineers, and industry folks network with one another in a way that’s relevant to our modern times of music-making.

Helping Our Music Evolve, or HOME, is based out of Nashville, with a new physical space for co-working, recording, live performances, live workshops and seminars, and just hanging out and getting to know other music-makers.

Whether you’re new to Nashville looking to take the first steps in getting your music career going, or you’ve been working in the industry a while, HOME aims to provide many opportunities for people to start and/or grow their music careers.

And if you live outside of Nashville, HOME aims to provide a way to get connected through a website that has been called, “LinkedIn for the music business.”

To learn more about HOME and how to take advantage of the online platform, check out:

http://helpingmusic.org

To sign up for a membership for the physical space in Nashville, you will find the application here:

http://615homies.com

Hit up our website for more!

Enjoy this episode? Check out our website and sign up for the email list. We’ll share more recording, mixing, and studio production resources with you.

http://modernrecordist.com

On this final episode of The Modern Recordist for 2017, we highlight the top 3 most popular episodes for the year:

1) EP: 054 with Larry Crane

This was the first episode we put out after more than a year off from producing new episodes of the podcast. Larry Crane is a producer, engineer, and educator. He also owns Jackpot! Recording Studio in Portland, OR, and is the founder of Tape Op Magazine. Larry has a fun and one-of-a-kind philosophy on recording and making records.

To catch the episode in full, and as it was originally published, click or tap over to http://modernrecordist.com/054

2) EP: 055 with Suzanne Paulinski

Jon crossed paths with Suz in Nashville, during the CD Baby DIY Musicians Conference that took place in the late summer. Suz gave a presentation on how to mitigate burnout as a working musician, and one of her core focuses is to urge people to rethink the celebratory culture of being constantly overworked.

As Jon as had personal experiences with burnout in his career, he felt strongly about inviting Suz to be a guest on The Modern Recordist to talk more about her work and what she does

To catch the episode in full as it was originally published, click or tap your way over to http://modernrecordist.com/055

3) EP: 059 with Chris Silverio

Another guest that Jon crossed paths with around the CD Baby DIY Musician’s Conference. On this episode, Jon and Chris had fun connecting over shared stories, and the life and experiences of making records in the studio.

Chris has a fun and articulate ability for telling stories, and this conversation lent to many music-making and creative insights

To catch this episode in full as it was origanlly publisihed, click or tap yourself over to http://modernrecordist.com/059

And this concludes our 2017 relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast! Thanks for sticking with us all this time, for listening, encouraging, sharing, and giving us a reason to produce this show.

Here’s to more in 2018

Happy New Year

//

Check out our brand new website!

We’ve got a brand new website! These final weeks of 2017 have not only seen the relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast, but also the launch of our website…

http://modernrecordist.com

Hit that link, and jump over to the brand new site to scope it out. While there, make sure you put your email address into any of the forms you will find on the site, and we’ll make sure you never miss an episode. We’ve got a whole bunch of new episodes coming to you through the end of 2017, with great guests sharing more inspiring stories and insights on living a life of making and recording music.

You don’t wanna miss any of it.

Episode 064 Show Notes

On this episode of the podcast, Jon hangs out with producer, musician, Grammy Award winning engineer, owner of The Toy Box Recording Studio in Nashville, TN, and host of the Recording Studio Rockstars podcast, Lij Shaw.

When Jon heard Lij’s podcast episode about receiving a “Cease and Desist” letter from the Nashville local government for running a home recording studio business, it compelled him to invite Lij to be a guest on The Modern Recordist to share his story.

Lij has been working to keep his home studio recording business from being permanently shut down, amidst confusion and uncertainty around what originally provoked this legal action. After looking into possible complaints that are common with running a business out of your home, working to resolve them, and making efforts to rezone his property for commercial use – all with no success – it seemed Lij’s only option was to publicly file a law suit against the city of Nashville.

On this episode, Jon an Lij discuss what possibly led to this situation, all the ways Lij has made efforts to resolve the conflict, and the problematic nature of the legal proceedings as result of the complaint being anonymous.

Additionally, Jon and Lij also discuss tactics for strengthening your creative songwriting muscle, such as writing a song a day, as well as cryptocurrency and it’s potential future role in bankrolling your music-making pursuits. Specifically, a platform Lij mentioned called Musicoin

If you’re a music-maker, being able to run a recording studio or other business out of your home is an important issue, as it’s such a real and fundamental aspect of creating music in today’s world. Chances are, if you’re listening to this podcast, you either have your own recording space in your home, or you know someone who does.

So it’s important to stay informed on not only what the laws in your area allow for, but also what may need to be reformed, in order to continue to empower people to make a living, as future innovation drives commerce to evolve, marketplaces to shift, and consumer behaviors change.

To find out more about Lij, and keep up on the latest with his story, how this could potentially effect you, and how you can participate, hit these links:

Recording Studio Rockstars Facebook Page

The Toy Box Recording Studio Facebook Page

Recording Studio Rockstars on Twitter: @rsrockstars

Recording Studio Rockstars on Instagram: @rsrockstars

Recording Studio Rockstars podcast episode: “Music City Declares War On Home Studios?”

//

Check out our brand new website!

We’ve got a brand new website! These final weeks of 2017 have not only seen the relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast, but also the launch of our website…

http://modernrecordist.com

Hit that link, and jump over to the brand new site to scope it out. While there, make sure you put your email address into any of the forms you will find on the site, and we’ll make sure you never miss an episode. We’ve got a whole bunch of new episodes coming to you through the end of 2017, with great guests sharing more inspiring stories and insights on living a life of making and recording music.

You don’t wanna miss any of it.

“Perception is reality.”

“Your response defines you in the world.”

Those are two thoughts shared by our guest on the podcast on this episode, Emmy Award winning film-maker, Steven Knapp.

Steven runs his own creative agency and multimedia production company, knapptimecreative, where he’s done work with folks such as the iconic rock band Kansas, Big Machine Label Group, Nashville Songwriters Association International, and many others.

On this episode Jon and Steven discuss the deep importance of cultivating presence and awareness in yourself, being mindful of the ideas and the media that you engage with, being in touch with your intuition, how this informs your creativity, and ultimately the impact of your work.

This episode goes really deep with thought-provoking ideas on not only how to make an impact with your art, but also how to be the best version of yourself possible.

Jon and Steven also talk about some of the technical aspects of creating great work, such as the importance of the editing process (in film-making) and how to keep your story from falling apart, the arc of a powerful narrative, and the importance of knowing the purpose and intention of every project you work on.

To follow up with Steven, find out more about his work, and get in touch with him about working with him, check out these links:

knapptimecreative Website: http://knapptimecreative.com/

knapptimecreative on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knapptimecreative

knapptimecreative on Instagram: @knapptimecreative

knapptimecreative on Twitter: @knaptimecreate

//

Check out our brand new website!

We’ve got a brand new website! These final weeks of 2017 have not only seen the relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast, but also the launch of our website…

http://modernrecordist.com

Hit that link, and jump over to the brand new site to scope it out. While there, make sure you put your email address into any of the forms you will find on the site, and we’ll make sure you never miss an episode. We’ve got a whole bunch of new episodes coming to you through the end of 2017, with great guests sharing more inspiring stories and insights on living a life of making and recording music.

You don’t wanna miss any of it.

This episode of the podcast is with a semi-recent friend of Jon’s. He’s a recording engineer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and manager of the world-class recording studio in Nashville, TN, The Tracking Room.

Our guest on the podcast this week is Matt Leigh.

On this episode, Jon and Matt discuss a lot of the “people” attributes that make up a part of a career as a recording engineer or producer, and what it takes to keep yourself booked with a calendar full of work.

Key points of discussion include:

• Perhaps the most challenging part of the job – getting people to say “yes” to working with you

• Understanding people’s true motivations when working with them

• The importance of a good attitude and work ethic

• Being present – showing up is 90% of the battle

Matt also shares his story of what led him to land a management position at such a high caliber recording studio, as well as the history of The Tracking Room, the design of the space, best practices for getting great sounds out of each part of the studio, and some of the notable artists that have recorded at The Tracking Room (U2, Shania Twain, Megadeath, and Taylor Swift to name a few).

To connect with Matt Leigh, learn more about The Tracking Room in Nashville, and get in touch with him about making your next record there, visit these links:

The Tracking Room website: www.thetrackingroomstudio.com

The Tracking Room on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trackingroomstudio

The Tracking Room on Instagram: @thetrackingroomnashville

The Tracking Room on Twitter: @trackingroom

//

Check out our brand new website!

We’ve got a brand new website! These final weeks of 2017 have not only seen the relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast, but also the launch of our website…

http://modernrecordist.com

Hit that link, and jump over to the brand new site to scope it out. While there, make sure you put your email address into any of the forms you will find on the site, and we’ll make sure you never miss an episode. We’ve got a whole bunch of new episodes coming to you through the end of 2017, with great guests sharing more inspiring stories and insights on living a life of making and recording music.

You don’t wanna miss any of it.

On this episode, Jon hangs out with another artist, songwriter, and musician that he’s worked with a few times over recent years – Sean Sunderland.

Sean plays drums in the band Zasz, writes music under his own name (Sean Sunderland), and even has a more experimental project called Chatter that serves as yet another creative outlet for him.

On this episode, Jon and Sean discuss many facets of life as a music-maker such as, the recording studio as a catalyst for learning, the importance of having alone time and slowing things down to achieve honesty in your music, the un-obvious challenges that can come up when working at a “big” studio, breaking through creative blocks, and tactics for getting into a creative flow, among TONS of other things.

This is a bit of a longer episode, as it’s packed DENSE with a lot of thought-provoking insights.

You’re getting WAY more than your money’s worth on this one, folks. With so many ideas shared, and yet you don’t pay a dime… you’re getting $100’s of value, for not even but a penny of time.

Seriously… people regularly pay $300+ for this exact same content that we’re just giving to you on this podcast. The best way you can support The Modern Recordist is simply by signing up to our email list via our website:

http://modernrecordist.com

Links from this episode

To listen to Sean’s new album Douceur De Vivre, hit these links…

Spotify

iTunes

Sean Sunderland’s Bandcamp page

To listen to Sean’s “Chatter” project, hit these links…

Chatter on Soundcloud

Chatter on Spotify

Chatter on iTunes

//

Check out our brand new website!

We’ve got a brand new website! These final weeks of 2017 have not only seen the relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast, but also the launch of our website…

http://modernrecordist.com

Hit that link, and jump over to the brand new site to scope it out. While there, make sure you put your email address into any of the forms you will find on the site, and we’ll make sure you never miss an episode. We’ve got a whole bunch of new episodes coming to you through the end of 2017, with great guests sharing more inspiring stories and insights on living a life of making and recording music.

You don’t wanna miss any of it.

“It’s one thing to create art, but a whole other thing to create art that reaches people, and is something people can identify with.”

“Art is the by-product, and it’s really the development you’ve had as a person, that is the biggest take-away.”

Those are two thought-provoking ideas shared by our guest today. On this episode of The Modern Recordist, we have musician, songwriter, artist, and theatrical visionary, Tim Zimmermann.

Jon and Tim have worked together in the past, when Tim’s band Zasz sought out Jon to produce a record with them in late 2012.

Since that time, Jon and Tim have stayed in touch, and served as creative inspiration to one another.

Currently, Tim is working on the creation of a rock opera, which will be a live theatrical performance, and will also have a graphic novel element to it.

On this episode, Jon and Tim explore many ideas and conversations around creativity, the artistic and cultural aspects of music making, and how the internet and technology have an impact on an artist’s creative psychology.

Some of the specifics include:

•Creativity and it’s role in innovation-whether in art, athletics, or tech

•Spending time with other creatives to open up your flow

•Building a team, and putting yourself around people with high expectations

•Taking artistic risks

•Working to understand the human condition through art

To follow up with Tim, get more info on the rock opera he is creating, and find out when it will be available, click or tap on over to The Interstellar Healer website:

http://theinterstellarhealer.carrd.co

To take a listen to the record Jon produced for Tim’s band Zasz – The Transition – click or tap on over to their Bandcamp page:

zaszmusic.bandcamp.com

//

Check out our brand new website!

We’ve got a brand new website! These final weeks of 2017 have not only seen the relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast, but also the launch of our website…

http://modernrecordist.com

Hit that link, and jump over to the brand new site to scope it out. While there, make sure you put your email address into any of the forms you will find on the site, and we’ll make sure you never miss an episode. We’ve got a whole bunch of new episodes coming to you through the end of 2017, with great guests sharing more inspiring stories and insights on living a life of making and recording music.

You don’t wanna miss any of it.

“Perfection is the only thing worth failing to achieve.”

This is episode 5 out of a series of 5 episodes recorded around the CD Baby DIY Musician’s conference that happened in Nashville in late August 2017.

During the conference, host Jon Stinson connected with a number of other musicians, songwriters, producers, and music entrepreneurs. On this episode, Jon hangs out with producer and songwriter Chris Silverio.

Jon and Chris talk about:

• The spirit of DIY

• Knowing your environment, system, and monitors, and making good mixes

• The idea of the song being most important

• Using social media as a tool

• The idea of “playing up” to become a better writer

• Ego needs to go – you work for the song

Chris is a fun and well thought out music maker. With decades of experience and an articulate passion to share, Jon and Chris were able to have a broad conversation around the philosophy of making music and art. Listen now to gain new insights on how to thrive in your creative lifestyle.

Check out more of Chris’s work, the artists he’s worked with and projects he’s done, and get in touch with him at:

http://overbrookmusic.com

//

Check out our brand new website!

We’ve got a brand new website! These final weeks of 2017 have not only seen the relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast, but also the launch of our website…

http://modernrecordist.com

Hit that link, and jump over to the brand new site to scope it out. While there, make sure you put your email address into any of the forms you will find on the site, and we’ll make sure you never miss an episode. We’ve got a whole bunch of new episodes coming to you through the end of 2017, with great guests sharing more inspiring stories and insights on living a life of making and recording music.

You don’t wanna miss any of it.

On this episode, Jon hangs out with artist, musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer, and educator, Rob Flax. Jon met Rob in late August during the CD Baby DIY Musician’s Conference that came through Nashville. Rob played a couple sets at some of the conference afterparties, and showcased an improvisational style of performance that interacted with the audience. It was fun to watch, and Jon decided he wanted to dig in more over a podcast conversation.

This is episode 4 out of a series of 5 episodes recorded around the DIY Musician’s Conference. Rob and Jon talk about:

• Building a career around being a DIY musician and artist

• How new models for media and business have changed the way music is made, marketed, and shared

• Rob’s unique style of performance art and improvisational musicianship

• How Rob approaches education and teaching others to become great musicians

• Rob’s concept of “COGIAD”

• The concept of “Orchestrating for cognition” that Rob learned from one of his teachers

• The importance of music education on your brain and intellect

• The impact of artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Reggie Watts, Stevie Wonder, John Hartford, among others

Check out the new record “Distractible Boy” by Rob Flax available now via his website, as well as all the major outlets where music is available these days:

http://robflax.com

Rob Flax on Facebook

Twitter: @robflax

Instagram: @robflax

Snapchat: @robflaxmusic

//

Check out our brand new website!

We’ve got a brand new website! These final weeks of 2017 have not only seen the relaunch of The Modern Recordist podcast, but also the launch of our website…

http://modernrecordist.com

Hit that link, and jump over to the brand new site to scope it out. While there, make sure you put your email address into any of the forms you will find on the site, and we’ll make sure you never miss an episode. We’ve got a whole bunch of new episodes coming to you through the end of 2017, with great guests sharing more inspiring stories and insights on living a life of making and recording music.

You don’t wanna miss any of it.