Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

Eyal Levi hosts a live roundtable discussion at Winter Namm 2019 with acclaimed producers Joey Sturgis, Billy Decker, and Machine about how they approach bands that haven’t broken big yet, and how they keep their clients coming back album after album after album. Thanks for listening!

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Multi-platinum record producer Matt Squire joins the podcast this week to discuss the laws surrounding the music industry and streaming platforms, what it was like working with Panic! At The Disco, his ability to churn out ideas, his time with Max Martin, and many more interesting tidbits along the way.

“Now we’re back into investing in artists again, which is exactly where we should be. And we found a new way to do it.” - Matt Squire

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

2:05 - Matt spending time in Los Angeles

6:28 - How people involved in hardcore music are almost pre-selected in the music business

13:04 - Gatekeepers saying you only need to be right twice a year

14:12 - The digital era and the “death” of the music industry

18:41 - How Steve Jobs screwed the industry and how streaming is fixing it

22:44 - The lack of oversight in streaming and how it can be fixed

29:50 - The idea of a data collection law and how it can be implemented

36:51 - Powerful people not wanting to change and leveraging against it

43:19 - Why the industry needs to get smart about adaptability

48:11 - How Matt’s productions span quite the range and what his headspace is like when working

49:42 - Matt’s ability to churn out ideas

52:19 - Working with bands who come in with a vision

53:49 - What it was like working with Panic! At The Disco

56:37 - What Matt goes through when a writing producer isn’t needed

59:48 - Building up trust with bands before having a track record

1:02:33 - Looking at some of the records that hit big, like Metallica and blink-182, and getting bad ideas out

1:05:38 - How the production for Nevermind by Nirvana took longer than expected

1:06:17 - How amp settings inspire the way a band plays

1:06:52 - What separate the gold and platinum artists from the rest

1:11:05 - The ability to keep going without losing inspiration

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Dan Briggs, bassist of Between the Buried and Me, and producer Jamie King join the podcast this week to discuss what it’s like working with each other, how you handle clients, and they go in-depth on Between the Buried and Me’s process in the studio. These two make a great team and this is one conversation that you don’t want to miss out on.

“All of our tastes in music and production styles and values have changed and it’s different. The problem with me in production is I enjoy the slick produced stuff, I enjoy the raw.” - Jamie King

“My only memories of Colors are really just positive because the album was birthed out of, you know, this negative period doing Oz Fest, this horrible summer. It just fueled us like creatively.” - Dan Briggs

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

4:48 - How Dan and Jamie know each other and how Dan got into the band

6:13 - What it was like for Jamie to work with Dan

14:15 - Needing a producer who conceptually gets it

15:17 - Having animal sounds on the records

17:26 - What directions the band typically avoids

18:40 - How quickly the band works in the studio and what their process is like

25:37 - How the band uses Guitar Pro and similar software

32:43 - How Jamie plays mediator with bands

37:52 - What it takes to get repeat customers at the studio

42:44 - Making of Alaska and bringing new personalities together

59:00 - What came after Alaska and the band’s growth

1:01:22 - What it was like getting into Colors

1:06:18 - The myth of producers having a “sound”

1:08:22 - What the biggest challenges were with Colors

1:11:25 - How Alaska pushed the band

1:12:12 - What it was like touring with bigger bands

1:16:45 - How BTBAM’s success helped Jamie in the studio

1:20:21 - What came after Colors

1:21:16 - The snags that BTBAM hit along the way

1:24:38 - The line between a producer’s involvement and what a band can do themselves

1:32:08 - How Dan creates bass lines that compliment the guitar parts

1:34:53 - How Jamie approaches mixing a bassist and getting guitar tones

1:41:21 - Being open minded with clients

1:44:07 - Art being a constant journey

1:45:00 - How the Orbs lineup came about

1:47:17 - How to keep your sound and not have things get stale

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Kevin Antreassian, producer and guitarist for The Dillinger Escape Plan, joins the podcast to discuss what it’s like running a studio, creating a YouTube channel, and teaching the next generation of the music industry. Kevin has produced hundreds of records and knows the struggles of owning your own studio. If you want to know what it takes to make it in the industry, you won’t want to miss out on this episode.

“You have to figure out your formula and you have to get the right people involved. An you have to put out quality content, you can’t just put out trash.” - Kevin Antreassian

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

0:02:46 - Is Dillinger Escape Plan done?

0:03:39 - Trying to start up a business with a touring member of a band

0:06:39 - Having his studio/rehearsal space shut down

0:11:41 - How long it took to get the business stabilized and having to take business from anyone

0:13:42 - Having engineers threatened in the studio

0:16:20 - Other studio stories about some of the people who would come in and make ridiculous requests

0:20:42 - Going DIY when it comes to fixing things around the studio

0:26:41 - Making sure things are done right when it comes to construction in the studio

0:31:11 - Starting a YouTube channel and how it isn’t as easy as one might think

0:36:34 - Trying to figure out the balance of how long videos should be

0:43:31 - Responding to comments on your videos

0:46:45 - Teaching at a university

0:52:46 - If Kevin’s background makes his students more stoked to learn

0:53:53 - Explaining that he’s fallible and his method isn’t the only method

0:59:02 - Kevin’s favorite thing about having interns

0:59:12 - Never being too old to learn

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Producer/mixer/songwriter David Bendeth is one of the all time greats; we're honored to have him on the show for a wide ranging, thorough discussion about his career, the psychology of working with musicians, and the importance of evolving with not just technology, but also emotionally.

“Music is ever evolving, and you have to keep up with whatever the technology is; that’s important. But, at the same time, if you don’t keep up with the emotional, inner side of creativity, it doesn’t matter what kind of technology you’ve got, you’re not going to do anything that means anything or that inspires anybody.” - David Bendeth

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

3:55 The feeling that music has chosen you, rather than the other way around

7:00 David’s perspective on the 60s as transformative years

18:40 The importance of demonstrating that you can follow instructions

25:37 The importance of figuring out your passion, and why David is drawn to producing rather than engineering

27:49 Frustration as a motivator and learning at the side of masters

30:53 Record label staff producers

33:52 Working on multiple projects at the same time

39:53 Going independent after years of working at labels

46:16 How pay worked with a label, and how David made going it on his own work

53:30 Perspective on the modern state of the industry to the way things used to be

59:07 The goal of stripping away the bullshit and how to know when you’re actually getting deep with an artist

1:03:11 The value of verbal communication over written communication

1:09:35 The psychological difficulties of the music industry, and strategies to face them.

1:30:20 Getting great drum source tone while also maintaining the performer’s vibe

1:33:26 How to evolve without losing your signature sound

1:35:18 What David wanted to bring to Underoath’s “Lost in the Sound of Separation”

1:37:54 The snare sound on Bring Me The Horizon’s “Sempiternal”

1:45:46 David’s experience working with Candiria

1:49:02 Reverb and delay strategies

1:52:31 Setting the best key and tempo for a song

1:58:39 Dealing with layered vocals

2:01:48 Logistical systems to facilitate a smoother recording process

2:05:31 Recording vocals with Breaking Benjamin

2:07:32 Getting low end in your snare

2:10:09 What a producer’s involvement in rolling out a record should be

2:13:17 David’s advice for his younger self

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Dave Otero and Archspire guitarist Dean Lamb discuss the production of the band’s album Relentless Mutation.

We also talk pre-production, the importance of work scheduling, and the state of technicality in modern heavy music.

I use my experience from every project I work on, but I look at it through the lens of the project I’m working on at that time, and what they want, and what their fans want, and what’s best going to represent them. - Dave Otero

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

6:00 How Archspire and Dave Otero connected, musicianship as more than just a gimmick

15:00 Archspire’s extensive pre-production, and actively working on other aspects of the record during downtime

18:00 Having working hours so that the recording schedule is predictable and as stress-free as possible while working under time constraints

26:00 “Music prison” - cabin fever in the studio and how bands deal with it

35:00 Writing together in a room as a technical death metal band and having real respect for other band members’ opinions, how writing in Guitar Pro can negatively affect songs

54:00 The evolution of technicality in guitar playing, other instruments

1:09:00 How far to go when suggesting ideas as a producer, potentially pushing bands out of their comfort zone

1:15:00 Managing artist preferences against what a producer knows will work

1:20:00 Tracking guitars with a low-gain Podfarm tone in preparation for reamps

1:34:00 Dean on the process of playing fast and recognizing that you likely use completely different muscle groups when you play a riff at different speeds

1:50:00 Orchestral influences and neo-classical metal versus a more authentic orchestral compositional style

2:00:00 Recording real gunshots for Archspire - ‘Callous Will Animate Our Souls’, approaching drum edits for technical metal

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We’re talking marketing and when and how to invest money into your music career with Finn McKenty and Dan Tsurif.

Social media, paid engagement, buy ons, video content, paid mentorship: where modern marketing elements such as these fit into a music or production career and when to incorporate them are always at the top of the list of questions people ask. They’re also at the top of the list of things people tend to get wrong, and getting them wrong can be a waste of money and derail a career. If you want to know how to get them right then you’re definitely going to want to pay attention to what we’ve got to say on this episode.

“If you’re not getting traction, instead of thinking that money is the answer, 99 times out of 100 the answer is that you need to keep working on the product.” - Finn McKenty

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

3:30 ‘Buying success’, having the resources to open doors

36:00 Paying for advice from successful people as a useful resource

42:00 Talking numbers on views/likes and when it’s time to invest in a project

48:00 URM Podcast and Asking Alexandria as case studies of developing a successful project

1:00:00 Bands buying on to tours - when it makes sense and when it doesn’t

1:17:00 The dynamic between in person events like NAMM or URM Summit and online interaction

1:30:00 Facebook ads, likes, and the evolving social media landscape

1:42:00 Graduate school, higher education - when does it help or hurt your career opportunities

1:58:00 Learning from the media approach of this generation of up and coming rap artists, music videos - “what’s the twist?”

2:21:00 The importance of having a social media following for a band versus a producer/engineer/mixer

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We talk to Colin Brittain (Dashboard Confessional, Papa Roach, All Time Low) about feeding your successes with passion, why you should maintain a vast musical knowledge, and mentorship.

“Keep your eye on the ball. Look at the big picture. Don’t get caught up on what compressor to use. If your song sucks it doesn’t matter.” - Colin Brittain

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

0:05:30 The evolution of heavy music fusing with electronic music and pop.

0:13:00 People paying you for your taste as a producer. Your musical knowledge needs to be vast.

0:25:00 URM and the new landscape of mentorship in engineering and production.

0:32:00 Alex Prieto and the process of establishing relationships with the intent of finding mentors.

0:40:00 Gradually transitioning a career into different roles but always in the realm of music.

0:44:00 Vocal production and communicating with vocalists, keep it to a few takes and keep your session moving.

1:00:00 Papa Roach's temporary beach and pre-production strategies.

1:12:00 The journey should be the reward; on Gary V.

1:18:00 Artists responding to a lack of fear and confidence in the project from the producer.

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Michael Beinhorn (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Korn, Soundgarden) brings his immense experience to the topics of leaving your mark, building a career, pre-production, and much more.

If we listed all of the important records Michael has worked on this page would be way too long. He’s made his mark at the upper echelon of multiple genres. There’s a lot to take away from his perspective on how he’s gotten to where he is, and how he continues to blaze new trails.

“It’s important to have a sense of recognizing what your name means on someone else’s work.” - Michael Beinhorn

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

7:30 Meeting and working with Bill Laswell and Herbie Hancock.

17:30 The reality of what is likely to follow initial success.

27:00 Getting to do Red Hot Chili Peppers record and identifying with the ‘black sheep’ of record labels

32:00 Dealing with drug abusing musicians and their individual personalities

39:00 Working on Korn’s ‘Untouchables’ - super high budget and production values

44:00 The importance of pre-production - cutting from 40+ demo ideas with Korn, artistic intent and self-knowledge

59:30 Why, on any record where a band member has had to have been fired, they were at a place of no coming back

1:07:00 Michael’s philosophy on editing drums/rhythm section, editing by hand, with/without a click

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We’re incredibly excited to have Billy Decker back on the show to talk beating cancer, Nashville standards, and maintaining motivation.

Mixing is almost as much a state of mind, as it is a state of hearing. - Billy Decker

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

5:00 How Billy’s Attitude towards life has changed post-cancer

17:00 Adding extra production elements or vocals that aren’t strictly part of the mix process, where do you draw the line?

23:00 The Nashville work ethic and quality of musicianship, full sessions recorded in a half-hour.

28:00 Starting to track one piece at a time, mixing heavy rock with female vocals, how that has changed Billy’s process.

32:00 Applying other people’s settings with context to your own mixes rather than simply copying.

37:30 Learning from other Nail the Mix sessions and what those mixers are great at.

51:55 Dealing with disgruntled clients.

1:00:00 Producing as a way to maintain motivation, other ways to prevent burnout.

1:07:00 Parallel compression strategies, using Gain Reduction on lead vocals instead of 1176, sneaking in a Def Leppard snare sample into a country mix.

1:18:00 Country-based Nail The Mix sessions, audience feedback.

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