Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

Jesse Cannon, prolific mastering engineer/author/entrepreneur joins the URM Podcast crew to discuss what it takes to become great at mastering and promotion. After all, what good is your talent if you don't develop it or share it with the world?

To really win at the game of audio you must learn to master your own motivation.

Motivation is the most powerful personal asset you can develop. The same motivation that drives you to become a world class engineer is what will drive you to find better and better paying gigs. Without it you won't get off the couch, but with it you won't stop until the job is crushed.

Easier said than done, right? Press play...

"The motivation to not suck is all it took." - Joey Sturgis

In this episode you'll learn:

Jesse's ITB plugin chain

How to handle ear fatigue

The #1 way to refresh your hearing

2 keys to a great master

Intentional relationship building

The secret to keeping high level gigs

A positive use of loudness in mastering

Fundamentals that every mastering engineer should learn

Links:

Jesse’s site

Jesse’s studio

Off The Record Podcast

Noise Creators Podcast

Jesse’s book

DIY Guide podcast

The Lefsetz Letter

Fundamentals of Mixing Rock and EDM with Jesse Cannon on CreativeLIVE

DIY Mastering with Jesse Cannon on CreativeLIVE

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Vocal production that sounds amazing requires you navigate the intersection of composition, physical performance, gear selection, and creative coaching with your A-game the entire time!

That's why we devoted two podcast episodes to vocal production and mixing. This one is jam packed with info!

“If the vocal sucks on the record you might as well trash the entire thing” - Joel Wanasek

What you'll learn in part 1:

Acoustic treatment for vocal recording

How to fix badly recorded vocals

AT4040 vs SM7B

Time aligning vocals by hand

Using Revoice Pro

Autotune tips

Outboard compressors like Shadow Hills and Distressors

Condenser vs dynamic microphones

How to save money on high dollar microphones

Links:

Melissa Cross

Izotope RX (audio repair)

Real Traps

Audio Technica

Empirical Labs Distressor

Revoice Pro

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Dan Korneff has perfected the process of turning out modern, top-quality mixes on analog gear in an industry that's moving faster than ever.

Can you imagine mixing on a massive console with tons of outboard, yet still keep up with modern deadline demands? Dan Korneff does it every day. According to him the keys are in the efficiency of your setup and how well you understand you gear.

One of the beautiful things about audio is that there's usually multiple ways to achieve the same goal. Learn which methods and workflows are best for you, and optimize them until your process is second nature. Then you'll be able to focus on what really counts, the music!

In this episode you'll learn:

Dan Korneff's client requirements

Secrets to punchy mixes with bus compression

How to get properly credited for your work

Why he prefers Cubase

How he integrates Cubase with his console and outboard

His inspiration for becoming a gear builder

Where to start if you want to build your own audio gear

Tips for maintaining a healthy work/life balance

Links:

Dan Korneff's site

Dan Korneff's credits

Savior Custom Drums

CreativeLIVE's audio courses

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Welcome to MixCritMonday, the show where we critique YOUR mixes.

In the hotseat this month is Caleb Rodriguez.

Caleb submitted a metalcore mix for us to crit and after a little investigation we figured out that he was making two major mistakes:

He used little to no reference material

His source tracks were not ready for mixing, yet he didn't fix them

We also discovered that his mixing environment was an acoustical mess and that he was compensating by mixing in headphones, a big no no. Considering he wasn't even using reference material to get his bearings, Caleb was basically his own worst enemy on this mix.

The combination of unedited, poorly performed tracks with an unreliable listening space placed a glass ceiling on how good his mix could actually get.

 In this episode you'll learn about:

Acoustical room treatments for under $200

How to properly use reference mixes

Steps to take if you mixing environment is sub par

Which little details make a huge difference in a guitar tone

Replacing an out of tune bass with a synth bass

Mid range buildups that can make a mix hard to listen to

Want us to crit your mix? Click here to find out how!

Links:

Line 6 Pod Farm

Savior custom Drums

Drumforge

Steven Slate Drums

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"Perfection Is The Enemy Of Progress" - Winston Churchill

Imagine if our favorite mixers decided to stop mixing until every single aspect of their control room was perfect...

They would never mix, because no control room is ever perfect!

No matter how hard you try, you can't get better than best. Sure, there's always room for improvement, and over time, with the right work ethic, anyone can improve what their best is. However, in the present moment, you can't do any better than the best you can do.

Learn to live with that.

Perfectionism is one of the biggest momentum killers we face. It's a futile pursuit because like it or not, nothing will ever be perfect. You are chasing the impossible. Once you replace perfectionism with an unbreakable commitment to getting the job done, that's when your audio skills will really jump to the next level.

Perfection is nothing, momentum is everything.

In this episode we cover:

Making the most of your listening environment

Using "crappy" speakers to improve your mixes

The difference between real and arbitrary deadlines

Don't trust a spec sheet, trust your ears

Resources for quality acoustic treatment

Links:

How to build your own acoustic panels

Build your own acoustic panels for under $30

Real Traps

GIK Acoustics

CreativeLIVE 

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The most common mixing mistakes up and comers make involve trying to run before they walk.

In other words... they try to do the advanced stuff before they conquer the basics.

Focusing on the wrong things will keep you from achieving your mixing potential. For instance, you shouldn't even think about Mid Side EQ before you've mastered a simple 4 band. Don't mess with parallel compression when you don't even understand what attack and release do. Don't start mixing a song if the tracking still needs editing and tuning.

All great mixes are built on solid fundamentals like EQ, compression, gain staging, levels, and panning.

 “You don’t spend years on the mix, but you spent years learning how to mix” - Eyal Levi

You can avoid the most common mixing mistakes when you learn:

The biggest steps you can take towards great tone

What to focus on first

The importance of fundamentals

The most common causes of bad tone

Technical vs musical mixing

When to take risks and experiment

The pros and cons of new plugins

Links:

Presonus Faderport

Fabfilter Pro-q2

Drumforge

Nail The Mix

Unstoppable Recording Machine

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Legendary producer Dan Korneff (Paramore, The Devil Wears Prada, Papa Roach) joins us for a rapid-fire Tips & Tricks session that will blow your mind.

Ever wonder what it takes to produce and mix at the highest levels of the music industry? If you answered yes, then this episode is for you.

"I think music exists in octaves. That’s just how it exists. So if you’re doing something in that 3k range check out the 6k, and the 12k and see what’s happening there." - Dan Korneff

In 35 hard hitting minutes we cover:

Dan's secret guitar widening trick

Carving frequencies to make space in a mix

High and low passing guitars

Surgical EQ on guitars to eliminate harshness while retaining clarity

His most hated guitar frequencies

Harmonic EQ

Processing individual tracks VS busses

When to use sidechain compression

What's on his master bus chain

Optimizing hybrid mixing setups

Why he prefers Cubase

Maintaining a quick turnaround

Links:

Dan Korneff's credits

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We're joined by acclaimed producer Andrew Wade (A Day To Remember, Neck Deep) to discuss strategies for getting the most out of your sessions.

Everyone who records for a living will agree that nothing goes as planned. Entropy always creeps in. That's why it's crucial to set up every aspect of your work environment for maximum efficiency. From your DAW routing to your client booking method, it all matters.

Remember, producers with long careers have learned to navigate the chaos.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:

Why everything should be so organized

How to communicate your vision

What should be sent out when you are hiring a mix

A breakthrough template method for super-efficient mixes

What a good rough mix should consist of

How to keep things compatible across multiple DAWs

A no-brainer way to name tracks. You'll never hunt for lost audio again.

What should be sent out when a track is going to be mastered

How to avoid disaster AKA how to properly archive your files

DOWNLOADS AND LINKS:

Nail The Mix with Andrew Wade

Andrew Wade's website

Download Pro Tools routing session ptx format

Download Pro Tools routing template ptxt format

Download Cubase routing template

Download Logic routing template

CreativeLIVE: Recording Rock Guitars With Andrew Wade

CreativeLIVE: Recording Rock Vocals With Andrew Wade

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Welcome to MixCritMonday, the show where we critique YOUR mixes.

First on the MixCritMonday chopping block is our longtime subscriber, Jenson Manning (we love you dude).

We took him to school on:

Bass VIs like Texas Grind

Multiband compression

Getting the low end of the kick balanced right

The dangers of mixing in headphones (and how to make the most of it)

Different mastering chains including plugins like Izotope Ozone and Slate Digital FG-X

Getting the right snare sound

Blending vocals

The difference between real monitors and computer speakers

Want us to crit your mix? Click here to find out how!

 

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"You're translating what people say into what they want."- Joey Sturgis

What's a producer's real job?

Engineer?

Coach?

Fearless leader?

Psychiatrist?

Band member?

Chaperone?

Friend?

Arranger?

Songwriter?

Session musician?

Actually, it's all the above.

You must become a musical translator.

"They aren't the ones who are the expert. You're the expert, they are the client. They just don't know how to say it in your terms. They will never say, 'adjust it to a 4 to 1 ratio." - Eyal Levi

"If they could translate it to you they wouldn't be hiring you. It's your job is to convert their language into technical shit."- Joey Sturgis

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:

How to become a musical translator and interpret your client's vision

What a client really wants and needs

How to properly pace a session for maximum results and creativity

How to read a client's personality and mood

Who the best musicians are in the band

Who he's actually working for

Dealing with real world nightmare scenarios like a singer blowing out their voice

The importance of remaining in "the zone"

The psychology of peak performance

How to get takes the artists didn't realize they had in them

Think you've got what it takes to be a great producer?

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