Don't chuck that old iPad! Ben talked about mixing workflow using Soundflow, OSCTouch, Logic, and a variety of iPads for fast easy mixing in Pro Tools, producing hip hop and jazz, live recording at Smalls jazz club, and working with MC Masta Ace.

My guest today is Ben Rubin a producer, mixer, bassist, and composer in Brooklyn NY. Whether he’s melding hip-hop and jazz with legends like Masta Ace and Donny McCaslin, playing upright bass at the Newport Jazz Festival with Dred Scott Trio, remixing Karsh Kale or WuTang’s Killah Priest, rockin’ on electric bass with Marshall Crenshaw, or producing Peter Bernstein solo jazz guitar, Grammy-nominated producer/(re)mixer/bassist/composer Ben Rubin (aka Benny Cha Cha) is renowned for making records that are pure or genre-bending or both.

Picked seven times as a “Rising Star Producer” in DownBeat Magazine’s International Critics’ Poll, Rubin has well over 100 album credits to his name. Lately, he has been working with a diversity of artists including Queen Esther, Erik Deutsch & Theo Bleckmann, Steve Conte (New York Dolls), Stripmall Ballads, Rachel Eckroth (St Vincent), Lower Power, Caleb Wheeler Curtis, Drifter feat. Lucy Woodward, Buzzed Armstrong, and Jon Irabagon, as well as labels like Ropeadope, Sunnyside and Imani.

Most recently, Rubin’s attention has focused on Analog Players Society at the Bridge Studio in Brooklyn with APS founder Amon Drum creating cut-up hip-hop instrumental records and jazz albums released on Ropeadope and described by Downbeat Magazine as “truly compelling.” featuring legendary Juice Crew MC Masta Ace described as “in the direct lineage of classics like A Tribe Called Quest’s Low-End Theory, and Guru’s Jazzmatazz.”

Bens production and mixing credits include Walking Distance feat. Jason Moran, Grammy nominated composer/pianist Emilio Solla, and many recordings for Smalls Live Records releasing more than 30 records with jazz greats including Larry Goldings, Louis Hayes, Tom Harrell, Johnny O’Neal, Chris Potter, Tim Ries, Roy Hargrove, Mulgrew Miller, Seamus Blake, and Cyrille Aimeé to name just a few.

As a bassist, Ben has toured and recorded both upright and electric bass with a diversity of artists, including Dred Scott Trio, Patti Smith, James Maddock, Courtney Love, Mary J. Blige, Moby, Bill Frisell, and his own acclaimed, genre-bending band Mudville which I believe my brother Nate played in at one point. Ben has also composed scores for features and short films, including director Nelson Kim’s feature film debut, Someone Else, which premiered at the Miami International Film Festival in 2015

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Website Links:
https://benrubin.com
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson

Mixing in Pro Tools? Collin talked about using consoles for recording but mixing totally in the box, tons of cool plugin tips, Pomodoro mixing, reverse engineering Vance Powells speakers for Jack White, and how to run audio through guitar pedals.

My guest today is Collin Dupuis a Nashville and Detroit based multi Grammy nominated and two time Grammy winning mixer, producer, and engineer. Collin has been on the podcast previously to talk about working with artists and projects including, Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, Dr. John, The Black Keys, and many others. You can hear his back story on episode RSR252 where he talked about starting out in Detroit working with the Bass Brothers, Jack White, Planet-E Records, and Dan Auerbach and moving to Nashville.

Currently, Collin is busy working as a freelance mixer and engineer, recording, and mixing songs and albums for artists including, Angel Olsen, Yves Tumor, Boy and Bear, Cherry Glazer, Lawrence Rothman and many others.

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Website Links:

www.collindupuis.com
Instagram: @collin_dupuis_mixer

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson

Do you really need a console to mix? Mike talked about mix assisting with Vance Powell, recording to analog tape with Mitch Dane, building Sputnik Sound, mixing in the box, recording a live band in the room Glyn Johns style, and killer drum sounds.

My guest today is Mike Fahey an engineer, mixer, and producer from the great state of Maine. Michael went to college for mechanical engineering at the University Of Maine before switching over to an audio engineering degree at The New England School Of Communications (NESCOM). My first instrument was the trumpet in my elementary school band and he picked up the guitar at 11. 

In 2012, He landed an internship at Sputnik Sound after Vance Powell came to speak at NESCOM earlier that year about mixing for The Raconteurs' Consolers of the Lonely. He moved to Nashville that fall and after two months of interning was hired by Mitch Dane to be his assistant engineer. During that time, Sputnik moved to a new building in Berry Hill where he helped with construction for 7 months renovating the studio. In late 2014 Vance hired Michael as his assistant engineer and he has been with him ever since.

In May 2020 Mike started his own studio, Starbird Sound and has been able to spend time on his production projects while working full time at Sputnik.

Thanks so much to Vance Powell and Mitch Dane for making our introduction.

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Website Links:

https://linktr.ee/starbirdsound
Instagram: 
@badmfamps
@starbirdsound

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson

How many mics does it take to record a drumset? Al talked about single mic drums, designing an open-concept studio, recording and mixing horns, the Zulu Passive Analog Tape Emulator, and how to make a band production sound live via the internet.

My guest today is Alan Evans a multi instrumentalist, engineer, producer, artist, studio and record label owner based in Western Massachusetts.  Alan has been making music on stage and in the studio for over 30 years, most notably with his band Soulive as well as with artist like Oteil Burbridge, John Scofield, George Porter Jr., Karl Denson, Ivan Neville and Reggie Watts.  

These days, Alan has pulled back from touring to focus his time and energy at Iron Wax Studios, his recording facility in Erving Massachusetts where he works with artists from around the U.S and beyond.  Iron Wax is also the sound of Vintage League Music, the record label he runs with his London based partner Robert Fleming.  In the end, Alan’s goal is to spread great music, love and positivity throughout the world which he hopes will inspire a new generation of creatives.

Al has been a guest on the show before so if you want to hear his backstory with Soulive you should check out RSR183.

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Website Links:

http://ironwaxstudios.com
http://vintageleaguemusic.com
RSR183 – ALAN EVANS – RECORDING FUNKY RETRO SOUL AT IRON WAX STUDIOS

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson

Is mixing in the box or on a console better? Enrico talked about hybrid mixing with his Neve VR 32 channel console at Mushroom Studio in Italy, playing guitar through a Korg MS20, looping in Ableton Live, and cool ways to add distortion in the studio.

My guest today is Enrico Berto an engineer, producer, and musician from Northern Italy. I am very lucky to receive a lot of wonderful emails and messages from our listeners, aka you Rockstars. Here is what I received from Enrico.

“Hello Lij,

Few weeks ago I discovered your podcast and ever since I've been an avid consumer of it! 

I love the way you make your guests feel cause they open up in a way I rarely saw on other shows. Beside the great nerdy tips they seem to be willing to share deeper stuff - ex I now know what's Vance Powell monthly break even or that huge mixers still suffer from "impostor syndrome" - and this is very inspiring and precious. 

I've been in the music industry as a session player, then a mixer/producer for nearly 20 years and as covid hit I was having a major momentum that got slowed down quite a bit. Listening to your podcast is a great source of inspiration and it's giving me the power to keep my head down and carry on with the grind. 

I thank you so much for it!

I have a vast love for music in all its genres. If I really had to pinpoint some they would be Classic Rock, Alternative Rock and HipHop. I make music because of a deep, almost spiritual, connection to it. Making music is my passion and my call. I decided to turn it into my profession so my whole life could revolve around it. 

I went to the University to study foreign languages and literature but later attended the Musician Institute in Los Angeles and a couple of Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft seminars. And then decided to give the music a serious go so I started hustling. I played in bands, composed jingles for TV, taught guitar, recorded and mixed bands on a crappy laptop out of mouldy rehearsal spaces …you name it! I was eager to get more so I pushed further by moving to London and studying sound engineering at the SAE Institute.

I then began session playing, touring, producing and engineering full time, all of it bouncing between UK and Italy. In 2008 I founded Mushroom Studio: a little production heaven hidden on the mountains of northern Italy where other artists and I could cozy up and create.”

I’m always grateful to receive emails like this, and listening to Enrico‘s work I discovered that it was fantastic! And so nothing brings me greater joy than to help showcase members of our own community at Recording Studio Rockstars. 

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Website Links:

https://www.enricoberto.com
Instagram
Mushroom Studio Instagram
Facebook
YouTube

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson

Will the noise ever stop? Jack talked about recognizing, avoiding, and managing tinnitus on stage or studio, why everything will be ok if you already have it, and lessons learned from recording with Tchad Blake at Peter Gabriel's Real World studio.

My guest today is Jack Rubinacci an Anglo - Italian Singer, songwriter, producer and author, now based in Norway. Jack started playing in bands in his hometown Birmingham UK. Was the lead singer of Honeyman, and was widely considered one of the best Birmingham bands of the late 90’s. 

He went solo and recorded his debut album with producer Tchad Blake at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studio with Jerry Marotta on drums. He released 4 studio albums including his latest album A Thousand Winters. And Worked with producer Ian Grimble and Thomas Johansen.

Many of his songs have been covered by international artists in Italy, France, Norway and Asia. 

He has opened for Lionel Richie. Joe Cocker. Arcade Fire. Jackson Browne. The Script. The Chicks. Heather Nova and many others. And many of his songs have gotten radio play in Norway.

In his 20s he Developed Tinnitus and has had chronic tinnitus ever since. He is now a strong advocate for ear protection and offers help and advice for people suffering from Tinnitus. Jack was recently a guest for The British  Tinnitus Association, speaking to their musician’s support group. And is the author of the book Overcoming Tinnitus. 12 Tools That Helped Me Overcome Tinnitus.

Thanks to James Ivey at Studio Rats for making our introduction.

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Website Links:

www.jackrubinacci.com
Amazon Books
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson

There's more than one way to mic a trombone? Nick talked about choosing the right microphone for acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drums, using pro earplugs, ultraclean mic preamps, mastering in the box, and his Adam Audio A7x speakers.

My guest today is Nick Broste, an audio engineer and musician who works in a wide variety of musical situations, ranging from creative improvisation to popular, folk and new music forms. He has engineered hundreds of recordings and performed all over the world, from tiny clubs to huge festivals and live television.  

Having spent much of his youth obsessed with music but in a small midwestern town, Nick moved to Chicago in 1996, where he attended music school and began performing around the city and on the road, all the while soaking up any new sounds he could find. Touring with bands led to performing in the recording studio, where he began to get interested in the capture, manipulation and reproduction of audio. 

In 2005 Nick moved into the Shape Shoppe, an underground music, art and living space with a 16 track analog studio, where he was able to experiment and teach himself how to record, eventually re-designing and completely rebuilding the space in 2008. At the same time Nick began mixing bands live in venues, trying to give both the musicians and audiences the best experience possible. This spirit of removing the obstacles of artistic expression for artists is the driving force for Nick's work to this day, no matter which side of the microphone he is on.

Nick can currently be found working freelance in studios such as Electrical Audio, Shirk, Palisade, Narwhal and Jamdek in Chicago, around the world and wherever interesting sounds are being made. And his clients include Wilco, TV on the Radio, Broken Social Scene, The Walkmen, Cursive, Mucca Pazza, Head of Femur, Calexico/Iron & Wine, and Afghan Whigs to name just a few.

Thanks so much to Greg Norman for making our introduction.

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LISTEN ON YOUTUBE

Website Links:

https://www.nickbroste.com
Instagram: @nbroste

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson

Do you really want to talk $$ when it's time to rock? Alena talked about managing clients like F Reid Shippen, why a manager is not your booking agent, how the most important thing is the project itself, and where you can improve with social media.

My guest today is Alena Moran a producer/engineer and artist manager based out of Nashville, TN. Her current roster includes Jon Randall , F. Reid Shippen , Cason Cooley, and Shani Gandhi. In addition to management, Alena handles production coordination work for artists including Seaforth , Tyler Braden, Jordan Harvey , and Warren Zeiders. 

Alena began her career in the music business as a photographer and blogger based out of Washington DC, and eventually relocated to Nashville in 2010 to attend Belmont University. She spent several years as a freelance audio engineer, studio manager, and production coordinator, before moving into management. 

In 2018, Alena joined Triple 8 Management as a full-time manager and launched their Creative Management vertical where she focuses on the roster’s producer and engineer clients. Outside of music, Alena trains in aerial acrobatics and spends her free time hanging out with her dog and cat. She also managed my Bonnaroo backstage Haybale Studio from  2015-2017 which is how we met.

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Website Links:

www.triple8mgmt.com
www.instagram.com/alenamoran
www.twitter.com/alenamoran

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson

Mixing is like Taekwondo! Bryan talked about finding the right balance in the studio, producing Jeff Goldblum's jazz album, how to record piano and organ, mixing U2, and how to create awesome vocal mixes, and how EDM tricks are great for folk bands.

My guest today is Bryan Cook a Los Angeles based mixer working in the studio world for the past 20 years. 

Bryan grew up just outside of Philadelphia, playing the saxophone. A book of Charlie Parker solos became the initial inspiration to pursue music on a deeper level experiencing the studio for the first time in high school and he went on to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston to study music production and engineering, where his first studio job was interning at Blue Jay studios outside of Boston. 

Upon graduation, Bryan headed to Los Angeles, where he landed at the legendary A&M Studios, which has since been renamed Henson Recording Studios.  He worked with artists like Rod Stewart, The Wallflowers, Korn and +Live+, and producers such as Brendan O’Brien, Roy Thomas Baker, Jerry Harrison, Richard Perry, and Trevor Horn. 

He then headed out on his own in 2002. He worked for many years recording and mixing for composer/producer Michael Andrews doing music projects including Inara George and Gary Jules, alongside film projects like Walk Hard and 40 year old virgin. He now mixes on his own full time with the rare tracking or production session sprinkled in. He enjoys all kinds of music, except klezmer and polka.

Bryan is best known for his work as a mixer for artists like U2, One Republic, the tv show Songland, and Allie Sherlock produced by Ryan Tedder. He has recorded the Raconteurs, Fleet Foxes, Iggy Pop, Queens of the Stoneage, Cold War Kids, Damien Rice, The Eels, and Autolux for Nigel Godrich’s well-received “From The Basement” series. His recent work includes producing, recording, and mixing Jeff Goldblum’s latest album, “I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This.”

Thank you to Howard Willing for the introduction.

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Website Links:

www.bryancookmixer.com

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Jon Richardson