Is it really all about the Benjamins or the Hamiltons? JJ Blair talked about recording Hammond Organ, how to store your studio mics, how to record the "Purdie Shuffle", and the secret to getting a great sound in Pro Tools using a console.

My guest today is J.J. Blair a native Chicagoan, who came up playing in blues and reggae clubs as a teenager in his home town, before eventually moving to Los Angeles to begin his recording career.  Known for taste, musicality and proficiency in a broad range of musical styles, J.J. has also amassed a great collection of vintage mics, outboard gear and instruments, which he draws on to make outstanding recordings and productions.  

He produced and mixed the Grammy winning record "Press On," by June Carter Cash, engineered on the Grammy winning and #1 Billboard Hot 100 record "Great American Song Book vol. 3," by Rod Stewart, as well as engineering on P. Diddy's #1 hit "All About the Benjamins." 

J.J. has been a producer and engineer since 1994.  His clients, credits and list of musicians he's recorded include Jeff Beck, George Benson, The Black Eyed Peas, Body Count, Joe Bonamassa, Jon Brion, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, David Cassidy, Kelly Clarkson, Vinnie Colauita, Double Trouble, Peter Erskine, Melissa Etheridge, Jason Falkner, Josh Freese, Jim Keltner, Roger Manning, Keb Mo, Zigaboo Modeliste, Bernard Purdie, Smokey Robinson, The Pointer Sisters, Rod Stewart, Tommy Stinson, Marty Stuart, Weezer, Whiskeytown, and Edgar Winter to name just a few.

J.J. works mainly from his personal recording studio, Fox Force Five Recorders. 

Thanks so much to William Wittman for making our introduction!

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Website Links:

Instagram: @j.j.blair
jjblairrecording.com
Produce Like a Pro
CVKeyboards.com

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

Wait.. a DI can sound better than a mic on a guitar? Adam talked about mixing for the stage with acoustic band Trampled by Turtles vs producing and mixing Hip Hop artists like Mina Moore scratching vocals on Serato in the studio, plus tons more!

My guest today is Adam Krinsky a Mixer/Engineer in Minneapolis, MN. He owns and runs a studio in St. Paul, MN called Bellows. In his 15 years of music, he has been a Producer, Engineer, Mixer, FOH Mixer, Tour Manager, Manager, and Educator. 

Adam’s career started after graduating from the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis. He was hired by the owner and co-founder Tom Tucker as his assistant engineer at Master Mix Studios. In parallel to working in a big fancy studio, he was also moonlighting in a small punk rock basement studio called Vaudeville. A million dollar studio during the day, a Mackie and 57’s at night. Krinsky started working at a local guitar shop called Twin Town Guitars which is where he met many of the local musicians. 

In 2006 he recorded and mixed an album called A Detail of Soldiers by The Alarmists which received local recognition. Since he has never been without a project to mix. Over the years Adam has worked on albums for artists like Bo Ramsey, Mason Jennings, The Pines, Kill The Vultures, Sadistik, and Peter Wolf Crier to name a few. These artists range in genre’s from Blues and Folk to Hip-Hop to Indie Rock. 

Somewhere along the way, he was asked to go on the road. Reluctantly he eventually tried it out and found a second passion in touring. He’s since mixed FOH for artists like Iris DeMent, Mason Jennings, Har Mar Superstar, Marijuana Deathsquads, The Pines, and Trampled by Turtles to name a few. He has also taught at a few recording schools and was a field mixer for the 6th Season of Jersey Shore. These days Krinsky is either mixing in his studio or on tour with Trampled by Turtles.

Thanks so much to Evan Bakke for making our introduction!

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Website Links:

www.adamkrinsky.com
Instagram: k_rinks
Facebook: Adam Krinsky
Twitter: @AdamKrinsky

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

How does a reverse Dr. Pepper help you capture great vocals? Will talked about how he sets up the ultimate vocal chain at Quality Touch Studios, why you need a top-down analog mix bus chain, how to make Reaper look like Pro Tools, and mixing bass!

My guest today is William Bowser an audio engineer based out of La Plata Maryland. 

“I've been engineering for almost 20 years since 2002 where I started in the chorus room of Leonardtown High School, just myself, a microphone, and a tape recorder. From there for years I ran a home studio as an artist, producer, singer, songwriter, rapper, and engineer trying to make it and perform all over the country. 

I signed a developmental deal early on in my career with Universal Music and an indie label based out of Brooklyn New York which at the time was my most successful endeavour. When that fell through because of monetary mismanagement on the label's part I went back to being an independent artist but this time more informed and with a larger grasp of the business side of music. 

I began slowly but surely becoming more and more enamoured with the engineering side of things while bringing my skills and experience as an artist to the table. This helped me not only cross over easier but get jobs engineering for studios in Southern Maryland, Baltimore, and Atlanta Georgia.  

Fast forward after going through both a divorce and personal growth I was blessed to meet my now wife and Co-Owner of the studio (Quality Touch Studios) Tracy Bowser. 

The birth of my son signalled a new chapter in my life that changed everything from being more responsible to holding myself accountable for the actions that directly now affect my family as well as, myself and my career. Now here I am doing major work, being attached to millions of plays and achieving all my life goals one at a time, and letting God lead the way.” 

Thanks to Patrick Rene aka Killah Trakz for making our introduction.

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Website Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qualitytouchstudios
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/william_bowser_qts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/illsoulproduc
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/illsoulproductions

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

What's a "Meat Baffle"? Julian talked about recording with Steve Martin, The Avett Brothers, and Jaquire King at Echo Mountain, how to use gobos, tips for setting up your home studio monitors, and how to let go of your ego in the studio.

My guest today is Julian Dreyer who grew up in a small artist community in the mountains of western North Carolina and after a 3 year stint as a sound engineer at a large music venue in Asheville, NC he became the staff assistant engineer at the newly built Echo Mountain Recording.  

He has worked there for the last 15 years and been the chief engineer for the last 8 years.  In 2017 he won a Grammy with Secret agent 23 Skidoo for engineering and mixing the "Best Children's Album."  He has worked on hundreds of albums in every capacity from assisting to engineering and mixing to producing or all of these things at once.  

Since working at Echo Mountain he has worked on albums with The Avett Brothers, Steve Martin, Jerry Douglas, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Mandolin Orange, Band of Horses, Zac Brown, Jim Lauderdale and Rising Appalachia to name a few.  He also regularly engineers the PBS television show "Echo Sessions" which is shot in Echo Mountain Recording.

Thanks so much to Jessica Tomasin for making our introduction!

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Website Links:
Julian Dreyer on Facebook
@juliancdreyer on instagram
@juliandreyer on twitter

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

Indie music in India? Raag talked about building an affordable studio in Ahmedabad to record independent music from around Gujarat and India, growing a Youtube channel, capturing live performances, and how to keep your mic cables out of the video.

My guest today is Raag Sethi an award-nominated producer, bassist and guitarist from Ahmedabad, and also the founder of Compass Box Studio. He has been instrumental in promoting indie talent in Gujarat and India through the Compass Box Live Sessions on YouTube. 

Raag’s work has been featured in almost every major music publication in India. He has had the opportunity to work as an associate music producer with Clinton Cerejo, A.R Rahman and has also worked with Grammy-winning engineers for his projects. 

His work has been nominated for the best pop production track at the Production Music Awards in London. By focusing on one take live recordings, Raag and his team at Compass Box Studio have created high-quality production within the limitations of live recordings. His production work ranges from singer-songwriter to jazz, to neo-soul, rock and more.

Thanks to Ryan Earnhardt Creative Sound Labs for making our introduction!

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Website Links:
https://www.compassboxstudio.com/
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

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

-14 LUFS? Forgetaboutit! Justin shared advice for delivering your mixes to mastering, how to get the loudness just right, stories from recording Butch Vig at Smart Studios, tips for iZotope RX, and why your offline bounce is ruining your mix!

My guest today is Justin Perkins a mastering engineer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin who has worked on remastering projects for The Replacements, En Vogue, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and mastering projects for Michael Franti &  Spearhead, Tommy Stinson, The Gaslight Anthem, Smoking Popes,  Anberlin, Screeching Weasel, The Mr. T Experience, and thousands of other independent bands and artists around the world. 

Before transitioning to mastering full-time he also spent time at Butch Vig’s Smart Studios in Madison Wisconsin recording and mixing a  number of projects, and has been working full-time in the audio field for nearly 20 years. His studio Mystery Room Mastering has been in business since 2009. 

Growing up and playing in bands in the midwest is what helped  Justin formulate a career in audio and ultimately led to playing bass for a time in the band Screeching Weasel, as well as playing bass for Tommy Stinson’s solo shows, and the relaunch of Tommy Stinson’s post-Replacements band called Bash & Pop who released a new album in 2017 on Fat Possum Records and performed on The Late  Show with Stephen Colbert. 

Aside from mastering tons of singles, EPs, and albums, Justin also masters nearly all the content for The License Lab which is a library music company based in Milwaukee Wisconsin, and recently started doing a monthly livestream for Steinberg Media to help both new and current users of WaveLab Pro get a better understanding of how to use it. 

Justin has also written a number of articles for the popular website  The Pro Audio Files on the topic of mastering, preparing for mastering,  and an overview of what types of master files you may need for various release formats.

A big thank you to Harold LaRue for making our introduction!

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Website Links:
https://www.mysteryroommastering.com
https://www.justincarlperkins.com
Instagram: @mystery_room_mke
Twitter: @MysteryRoomMKE
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Hugh Macdonald
Vlad Vasilcenko

Is the iPhone mic good enough for the studio? Cason talked about producing artists who start the songs in home studios, producing "Girls Chase Boys" for Ingrid Michaelson, tips for co-writing and powerful lyrics, and why Zoom is the end of bridges.

My guest today is Cason Cooley a writer, musician and producer who started music at a young age in Wichita, KS, often travelling across the country with his parents who were a part of the Grammy award-winning Southern Gospel group, The Cathedral Quartet. In 1997 Cason moved to Nashville to pursue music becoming a member of the Normals followed by focusing his attention on songwriting and production. 

Cason has written and produced artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, including her singles "Girls Chase Boys" and "Hell No," American Authors single "Deep Water," Katie Herzig, Ben Rector, David Archuletta and more. His work has been placed in dozens of popular television shows including Grey's Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars. Most recently he has produced NEEDTOBREATHE’s latest album “Out of Body” and American Author’s “Seasons”, Drew Holcomb’s “Dragons” and Ingrid Michaelson’s “Stranger Songs." 

Cooley is now based out of Nashville, TN where he works out of his studio The Masonic Lodge.

Thanks to Alena Moran at Triple 8 mgmt for the introduction!

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Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Hugh Macdonald
Vlad Vasilcenko

You're not still checking your mixes in the car, are you LOL? Bob talked about designing the ideal mix room to mix bass right the first time, tips for building bass traps, dialing in hi and low pass eq, how to mix vocals, and tons of favorite plugins!

My guest today is Bob Horn a multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning mix engineer known for working with artists spanning many genres; R&B, Pop, Hip Hop, Rock, Adult Contemporary, and Jazz, as well as artists from countries around the globe including The U.S., Korea, Japan, Australia, Spain, Indonesia, Brazil, and China.

Some of those artists include Usher, Timbaland, Michael Jackson, DVRKO, Neon Trees, Kelly Clarkson, Brandy, Ashanti, Everglow, Akon, Lupe Fiasco, Everclear, Brian McKnight, LeAnn Rimes, The Common Kings and many more.

Bob attended Berklee College of Music before relocating to Nashville to start his career as a recording engineer. In 2001 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a mix engineer.

Although Bob's career focus is mixing music, he is an accomplished musician playing drums, guitar, bass and piano, and is also involved in songwriting and production. In 2011 Bob and a long time friend and colleague designed and built The EchoBar Recording Studios in North Hollywood, CA where he mixes for his clients.

Thanks so much to Maor Appelbaum for the introduction.

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Website Links:
https://www.bobhornmixing.com

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Hugh Macdonald
Vlad Vasilcenko

It's all about your ear, not the gear! Michael talked about switching his Brauerizing mix template from analog to in the box, why and where the settings don't matter so much, and how you can design your own mix template in the box.

My guest today is Michael Brauer a multiple Grammy-winning New York mix engineer. His many credits include "Best Pop Vocal Album" for John Mayer's Continuum, "Best Alternative Album" for Coldplay's Parachutes, and also "Best Rock Album" for Coldplay's "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends". Other credits include The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Jeff Buckley, David Byrne, Paul McCartney, Ben Folds, Willie Nelson, KT Tunstall, Martha Wainwright, and more recent projects include Zac Brown Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, Michael Kiwanuka, Slash, and The Courteeners.  

Beginning at MediaSound Studios in New York City in 1976, Michael worked his way up from the Shipping Department to staff engineer assisting the hottest guys in town including; Bob Clearmountain, Mike Barbiero, Ron St. Germain, Michael DeLugg, Ed Stasium, Godfrey Diamond, Tony Bongiovi and Harvey Goldberg. He became Luther Vandross’’s engineer recording all his music for four years including two Aretha Franklin albums and spent half of the eighties making records in London’s exploding music scene returning home to focus on the American scene after 1990.

In 2018 Michael opened BrauerSound Studios, in New York City's Chelsea area. At the new studio, he began utilizing a hybrid mixing setup for the first time in his career, making the mixing process more powerful and efficient. He also created the technique known as 'Brauerizing', in which mixes are routed through multiple compressors and busses to create a blended sound. And he is a co-founder of Mix With The Masters which has been running for over a decade. 

Thanks to Randy Fuchs at Artist Relations and OWC for making our introduction.

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Website Links:
https://www.mbrauer.com
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
https://reverb.com/shop/soundtowers

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Hugh Macdonald
Vlad Vasilcenko

How do you set up a turntable properly? Piper explained the best way to get started with vinyl, analog vs digital mastering, why you need pro mastering for vinyl, and how you might be avoiding finishing your own record by attending the mastering session!

My guest today is Piper Payne a mastering engineer based out of Nashville, TN, where she works on albums for independent artists and major labels. In Spring of 2019 Piper joined the famed Infrasonic Mastering team, merging her successful Oakland studio, Neato Mastering, with the Nashville based company, owned by Pete Lyman.

Piper is a Trustee of the Recording Academy and she is Co-Chair of the P&E Wing Steering Committee. She is a Governor of the Audio Engineering Society and she is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the AES’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee as well as an active member of Women's Audio Mission and she serves on the Board of SoundGirls.org.

In addition, Piper is a keeper of Vinyl Quality Control and a consultant for vinyl record pressing plants and is opening her own vinyl manufacturing plant in Nashville in mid-2021. She has been an audio professor and guest lectures often about mastering and recording.

 Piper began her career with a BFA in Audio from The University of Michigan, continuing her graduate education in Audio at the University of Stavanger in Norway.

Piper has a diverse background in musical styles. As a drummer, she knows that the best outcome of every project is that it has to feel good. As an engineer, Piper is focused on technical quality and correctness. But, at the end of the day, mastering is about format conversion and quality control so the project gets just what it needs.

Piper has mastered a wide variety of music including nationally renowned artists Third Eye Blind, LeAnn Rimes, The Go-Go’s, Madame Gandhi, Geographer, The Steven Universe Soundtrack composers Aivi and Steven, Basement, Hundredth, Elettrodomestico (Jane Wiedlin/Go-Go’s), Blithe, ANIIML, Shamir, Betsy, Between You & Me, and Fritz Montana to name a few. 

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Website Links:
Sf_mastering (instagram)
Sfmastering (twitter)
Infrasonicsound.com/piper
Piperpayne.com

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Hugh Macdonald
Vlad Vasilcenko