Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

On this episode we talk to John Maciel, Miami Dolphin, and Tyler Rodriguez about how they’ve gotten awesome internships, the skills you need and how to adapt to opportunities like these, and how to not screw it up.

Internships can seriously supercharge career progress for individuals that are able to capitalize on them. Knowing how to walk into an established studio and really prove your worth can be a scary prospect though. Tyler, Miami, and John really get into detail in this discussion about what you need to be prepared for and what skills you need to have in order to be successful.

“If you want to go big, you’ve got to put yourself around people that are already doing it.” - Eyal Levi

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Internship life hacks

- What DAW knowledge you should have if you want to intern for a studio

- How each guest got their internship

- Adapting to the situation you’re given, rather than trying to change reality

- Recognizing opportunities that you didn’t specifically envision

- Why you need to have a thick skin, be able to take criticism, and use it productively

- Not being “Option C” guy

- Knowing when to be proactive and when to make yourself scarce

- And much, much more

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Ryan “Fluff” Bruce is back with us for a talk about being reliable, incorporating new skills, and the 2017 URM Academy Summit.

There are few guys out there right now that are putting in as much work to blaze their own path in the audio industry as Fluff. He exemplifies the creativity that it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. You can’t just copy what he’s already done (seriously… don’t be the person that makes that mistake), but there’s work ethic lessons galore in this discussion.

“How many young people really can grasp and adequately take advantage of a good opportunity, because I certainly couldn’t when I was 22 or 23.” - Ryan “Fluff” Bruce

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Diversifying

- The reality of coming to the game when you’re older

- Developing the ability to recognize good opportunities

- Taking risks

- 2017 URM Summit lecture details

- How Fluff learned video production, and why you should too

- And much, much more

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Sam Pura (The Story So Far, Hundredth, The American Scene) joins the show to talk drum tones, workflow, and the weird way he tracks guitar DIs.

Sam is known for producing amazing sounding punk albums. After listening to the depth and precision he uses to craft his workflow and gear it’s going to be a bit more clear why that is. He really brings it from both the technical and artistic sides. Whether you’re looking to nerd out on gear talk or you’re looking for some inspiration this episode is one to pay attention to.

“Everyone’s just like, ‘Well, how do I make this sound good right now?’ Well, you fucking figure it out. You fucking try, try, and try again until you get a fucking result that you’re fucking stoked on and then you move the fuck on.” - Sam Pura

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Why Sam takes a “plug and play” approach to his studio

- Enjoying the process

- Recording guitars as just DIs

- The importance of the drum room

- Creating your own personal workflow

- And much, much more

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The living legend, Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, Devin Townsend, Soilwork), comes on board to talk his process, experimentation, and his passion for organization.

What can we really say about the influence Bergstrand has had on the industry that hasn’t already been said? He’s had a hand in some of the most well regarded heavy albums of the past couple decades. He absolutely killed it recently on Nail the Mix, and here he is sharing more secrets with us. There are some things about his approach to audio that are likely to surprise a lot of you.

“Every channel should sound good. You should be able to solo everything, and it should sound good. I don’t like covering things in the whole mix.” - Daniel Bergstrand

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Daniel’s very early start in audio

- The recording of Meshuggah’s Destroy Erase Improve

- Making sure soloed tracks sound great

- Experimenting to find new solutions

- How recording lackluster musicians can actually be good

- And much, much more

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Eric Guenther (The Contortionist, From Exile) sits in on this episode to shed some light on songwriting, collaboration, and being an effective keyboardist in rock/metal genres.

It seems like more rock and metal bands than ever are incorporating some sort of keys or synth in their music. Of course, that also means that there’s a lot of bands doing it without really having any idea how to not make a mess of things in the process. There are few people that we’d feel are as qualified as Eric right now to provide some guidance on the subject.

“I kind of like that ability to use a wide variety of different toys on every record, so that each record has its own character and place in time in a way.” - Eric Guenther

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Using new tools to distinguish records from each other

- Getting keys to live peacefully with other instruments in a mix

- Finding creative ways to use pedals that “suck”

- Effectively working with collaborators to craft balanced arrangements

- How Eric uses Ableton for his live performances

- And much, much more

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Joel Wanasek has the answers you need to make sure you stay #nosmalltime.

Want Joel to answer your questions? Send them to [email protected] with the subject line “Dear Joel.” The more detailed the better!

“Small time is when you have really big dreams, but you don’t have the balls to go out and go after them.” - Joel Wanasek

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- The importance of setting yourself apart, and how to do it

- Small time behaviors to avoid

- Why you should always be open to help

- What to do about a lack of motivation

- Navigating past scene drama

- Diversifying businesses

- And much, much more

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We’re happy to have producer and engineer Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Dream Theater, Rush) on the show to impart wisdom that he’s gained working at the industry’s top tier.

Richard’s discography reads like a who’s who of all time amazing musicians. There’s so much information to mine from this discussion it’s crazy. From the process behind getting amazing guitar tones from guitar gods to how to communicate in a manner that maximizes creativity to the benefits he sees when looking back on his path into the industry, if you want to hear the mindset of one of the all time greats, you’re going to want to pay close attention to this one.

“The biggest attribute that I could give to the majority of artists I work with in the ‘upper echelon’ is that they are not chasing success, they’re being creative, and they’re doing what they want to do to express their musical outlet at that time in their lives.” - Richard Chycki

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Communicating effectively with artists

- The common traits of upper tier artists

- Dealing with “big personalities”

- Gaining trust

- What Richard would want to tell his younger self

- And much, much more

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Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder joins us to discuss his undying love for metal, what it takes to keep a band running at peak performance, and learning lessons about what to do (and what not to do) from the bands around you.

Trevor is undeniably one of the great metal frontmen, and anyone looking to be successful in an extreme metal band stands to learn a lot from what he shares in this episode. The Black Dahlia Murder has always done things their own way and they’ve done it well. They’ve faced adversity and roadblocks along the way, but they’ve excelled due to tenacity and skill.

“That’s the ultimate goal. To be a tight band. To be a good band. To make good records that resonate. To make songs that are dynamic. To make songs that emote, despite being a fast band, despite being a death metal band.” - Trevor Strnad

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Trevor’s metal obsession

- Why it’s ok for musicians to be open about enjoying what they do

- Focusing on work ethic and professionalism

- How bringing in band members that aren’t local can be beneficial

- Developing a band and learning from those around you

- And much, much more

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Finn Mckenty has the life and career answers you crave.

Want Finn to answer your questions? Send them to [email protected] with the subject line “Dear Finn.” The more detailed the better!

“Is it really true that bands make decisions based on whether somebody has nice gear or not? I’m not sure that it is. What I’m very certain of is that, if they are making that decision, they have no fucking idea what nice gear is.” - Finn Mckenty

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- What branding actually is

- Why Finn believes that charisma is essential for performers

- Degrees for creatives

- How to prepare for career transitions

- Getting clients for you new studio

- Why no one is going to care about your unknown band’s studio diary

- And much, much more

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Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Paradise Lost, Sunn O))) shares his perspective on natural drum production, what you can buy today that will level up your productions immediately, and when enough compression is enough.

Modern tools like samples, plugins, and amp sims definitely have a place in many productions. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise. However, it’s always intriguing to chat with a producer like Jaime that takes the extra time to do things with more of an analog approach. There’s tons of info in this episode for those of you interested in classic production techniques.

“I’ve had records where it’s like: I can’t get it to sound louder without making it sound bad. So, I just need to leave it there, because I don’t want it to sound bad.” - Jaime Gomez Arellano

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

- Starting every project with a “clean slate”

- How to get the most out of going to a music school

- How Jaime went about starting his studio

- Putting in the time and getting your name out there when you’re starting out

- Why you should limit your recording session time

- Why you should be careful with high end instruments that the artist has toured with

- And much, much more

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