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

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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

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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

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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 recordings

- What Matt has learned from recording with classic acts and in different genres

- And much, much more

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#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 getting caught up in gear/plugin acquisition syndrome

- Why you need to network, network, and network some more

- The difficulty of starting a career and how to persevere

- And much, much more

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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 join Dillinger Escape Plan

- What kind of effort and dedication it takes to learn complicated songs

- How to deal with noisy neighbors

- The benefits of being open to being a tech for bands

- And much, much more

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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

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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 to record Pantera, and why it wasn’t the gear that mattered

- Working with Terry Date

- Sterling’s decision to transition away from a life on the road

- And much, much more

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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

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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!

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