"1000 burritos, tacos, and Bud Lights came flying at me like the arrows in 300!" Andy talked about recording Andrew WK from a mobile truck, doubling vocals like Mahler, learning to listen, recording Cuban music, guitars, vocals, and tuning drums.

My guest today is Andy Freeman who got his hands on a console at age 12 and at age 21 got his first job in audio, recording and editing voice over artists in Atlanta. In 2002, after a friend asked if he produced bands, Andy said yes. 

This was a lie. But he hasn’t stopped producing and mixing bands since then, so I guess it was a good lie.

Learning on the job at his own studio in Atlanta, he and his wife Malie [“Molly”] moved to San Francisco in 2008, then to Los Angeles in 2015, then to Nashville in 2017 where he works out of a full tracking and mixing space in his house. 

Andy doesn’t hear music in genre, preferring the idea that there are only two kinds of music: good and bad. Consequently he’s been able to work with just about anyone. Jason Hawk Harris, Ace Monroe, Leeann Skoda, Eisley, and lots of fun San Francisco bands you have never heard of. He also made a lot of live recordings in his time rambling around the country in a mobile recording truck with Bay Area Tone. They include Andrew WK, Carney, The Bravery, The Sounds, Niko Case… Anyway, if there’s passion and determination, he wants to be involved.

Oh, and he likes real stuff. Like real people in a real room playing real instruments while being really inspired by each other's presence. If you work with him, he will spend an awful lot of time talking about energy and flow and stuff like that. Because he wants to know who you are as an artist, he’ll use words like “identity” and “impact” and “deliberate” and he will frequently ask you why you’re doing what you’re doing when you could be doing something else. He believes in tube amps, consoles, tape machines, analog hardware, and doing it the hard way. He will make a record in Pro Tools but he doesn’t like it, and he refuses to learn how to program because let’s face it, everybody else can already do better than he could anyway.

He also doesn’t like writing in the third person. He thinks it’s weird.

Importantly to me Andy teamed up with Mark Rubel in 2020 to create a GoFundMe page to help me save home studios in Music City, which we did. It was probably the greatest honor I've ever received in music. So thanks Andy!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/nashville-says-039thank-you039-lij-shaw

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Watch More On Youtube:

Website Links:

RSR017 – Mark Rubel – Blackbird Academy & Pogo Studio

Instagram: @andyfreemanaf

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

If you stop being curious then you're done! Roger talked about choosing monitors for mixing, collecting guitars and amps, songwriting prosody, baritone guitar voicings, synth vs espresso, miking guitar cabinets, and how to take great session notes.

My guest today is Roger Alan Nichols, an all-around musician, songwriter, engineer, producer, mixer, and owner of Bell Tone Recording in Nashville, TN. His producing and engineering credits include a Grammy-nominated project with Larkin Poe and artists like Hayley Williams (Paramore), Steven Tyler, Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown, Kim Richey, and many others in Rock, Country, and Americana genres.

From 1981 to 1989, Roger Alan Nichols toured the 50 United States and Canada professionally as a guitarist, with multiple rock bands. During a brief stint in Atlanta, he attended the Art Institute and continued doing sessions and performing with regional acts. Roger then moved to Nashville and formed the alternative rock band, Dreaming In English. The band toured the Southeast, gaining a large fan base before releasing their debut album, “Stuff,” in 1998 to critical acclaim.  Shortly after that, Roger signed a publishing deal as a writer with Acuff-Rose/Idea Music. Through this publishing deal he started producing and engineering his own demos. Eventually, he established his studio where he began producing and writing with, and for, other artists. 

As a multi-instrumentalist, Roger has written and produced tracks for Showtime, HBO, MTV, Spike TV as well as all 3 major networks. His diverse playing and producing skills were showcased in the trailer music for Mission Impossible III’s national TV campaign and most recently he composed the music for “Bluebird,” a documentary on the legendary Nashville venue where numerous songwriters have advanced their careers. 

Listen to Roger’s previous episodes RSR045 talking about his start in recording and RSR286 when he joined us with Tyler Bryant in the studio.

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Website Links:

RSR286 – Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown With Roger Alan Nichols – the Making of the New Album Pressure
RSR045 – Roger Alan Nichols – Recording Vocals With Steven Tyler

https://www.rogeralannichols.com/
Instagram: @belltonerecording

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

Music needs boundaries to be great! Steven talked about starting in Seattle studios, moving his studio, being organized, limiting io inputs, becoming a backup badass, headphone mixers, reamping drums, modular synths, & when to buy your own building.

My guest today is Steven Lee Tracy, a writer, musician, producer, mixer and owner of Saint Cecilia Studios in Tucson, Arizona. Steven works with a variety of artists from electronic pop with big modern vocals to indie rock bands to Americana acoustic music. So I look forward to learning more about the ways he can interact with different artists to bring out their best work.

This episode is particularly interesting to me because Saint Cecilia is also the patron saint of music. And Cecilia is the name that I gave to my one of a kind, famous MCI console, originally from Criteria Studio C in Miami, that I had here in my studio, The Toy Box Studio, for 15 years. This is the console that recorded hotel California for the Eagles, the Bee Gees staying alive and Saturday night fever, Margaritaville, We’re An American Band, and the Grease soundtrack to name just a few. 

Thank you to Björgvin Benediktsson at Audio Issues, and Matt Boudreau at WCA for the introduction!

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Website Links:

https://www.saintceciliastudios.com/
Instagram: @saintceciliastudios

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

"Finished in two words = Vocal level!" Dan talked about mastering from anywhere with a laptop and Audeze headphones, why speed is crucial, how to serve the song and client, finding your ideal speaker/headphone listening level, ear training, and bass!

My guest today is Dan Millice, a mastering engineer located in NYC with over 13 years of experience. During his career, Dan has been credited for mastering 11 Grammy-nominated projects. He recently mastered Terri Lyne Carrington's album "New Standards, Vol. 1," which secured a Grammy win for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

Thank you to Michael Estok and Jim Stewart for the introduction!

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Website Links:

https://www.danmillicemastering.com/
Instagram: @danmillice
X: @doctormillice

https://samply.app/ - Use code RSR20 to get 20% off!

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

Sometimes you feel like a Nutt... Jimmy talked about Fame Studios, Jason Isbell, how to get $1000 for recording your music, miking up a bluegrass band, miking upright bass, the secret to great drums, large versus small mics, and setting up monitors.

My guest today is Jimmy Nutt a GRAMMY Award winning Engineer, Jimmy Nutt, grew up in Shreveport Louisiana surrounded by musicians steeped in blues and rock. He joined his first band at age 13. Early on, Jimmy was interested in recording and sound. He acquired a Tascam 4-track cassette recorder while still in his teens and started learning how to record a band.

In 2000, Jimmy moved his family to Muscle Shoals, AL. to work as a staff-recording engineer at FAME Recording Studios. During his time at FAME, he recorded sessions for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Clarence Carter, Heartland, Russell Smith, The Drive-by-Truckers and many more. He worked at FAME for almost 3 years before becoming an independent recording engineer and producer. He was also a staff writer for FAME’s publishing company during this time.

Jimmy is now the owner of The NuttHouse Recording Studio, Inc. located in downtown Sheffield, Alabama. He transformed a bank built in 1955 into a recording studio and has hosted numerous recording sessions in the last 14 years including well-known artists; Percy Sledge, The Dead South, Blind Boys of Alabama, Dylan LeBlanc, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Isbell, John Paul White, Donna Jean Godchaux, and The SteelDrivers.

In 2016, Jimmy won a GRAMMY award for engineering and mixing the “Bluegrass Album of the Year”, The SteelDrivers, “The Muscle Shoals Recordings”. And In 2020, Jimmy won the Canadian Juno award for producing and mixing the “Traditional Roots Album of the Year” for The Dead South album “Sugar & Joy”.

Thank you so much to Jake Kiser, Mark Rubel, Craig Alvin, suggesting Jimmy come on the show and Kyle Lenhing for making our introduction!

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Website Links:

https://thenutthouse.com/
Facebook: @musicnutt @The-NuttHouse-Recording-Studio
Instagram: @thenutthousestudio

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

Don't sweat the noise too much! Harold talked about derressering masters, iZotope RX ninja tips, phase aligning mixes, how to use mid side eq, mastering Moogs, bass wins in big vs small control rooms, LUFS targets, and why linear eq + hip hop = bad.

My guest today is Harold LaRue, a GRAMMY-winning mastering engineer in Houston, Texas. Harold’s recent clients include contemporary jazz masters: The Wayne Shorter Quartet, Terri Lynn Carrington, and Joey Alexander — synth sorceress: Lisa Bella Donna, and R&B legend: Jeffrey Osborne.

Harold has worked as a software developer, pro-audio service manager, theatrical sound engineer, and restaurateur and was the monitor engineer for the Houston Symphony Orchestra before leaving to focus on his growing mastering business.

As an audio educator, Harold has developed and taught studio production and mastering courses at universities and recording schools across the country. He continues to present public workshops and teach privately. He is a Voting Member of the Recording Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing, Audio Engineering Society, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Check out our previous interview on episode RSR225 to learn more about Harold’s backstory.

I want to dedicate this episode to the late great audio designer and engineer Glenn Coleman whom Harold introduced me to at NAMM 2020. 

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Website Links:

RSR225 – HAROLD LARUE – HOW TO DO PRO MASTERING IN YOUR DAW
https://haroldlaruemastering.com/
https://bio.site/mastering
Facebook: @haroldlaruemastering
Instagram: @haroldlaruemastering
LinkedIn: @haroldlarue

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

"Build Your Toolkit!" Mark talked about finding job opportunities in the audio industry, recording sessions on Music Row at Ocean Way, Masterphonics, and The Workshop, running the SAE Institute, Teaching film at IFC, Atmos mixing, & flying drones.

My guest today is Mark Martin, an engineer who worked at Masterfonics, Emerald, OceanWay l, SAE and the Workstation. He became VP of Marketing for all 38 SAE locations in 18 countries. He moved to Austin to do live sound. Mark came back to Nashville to be VP of Marketing at the Nashville Film Institute.

Thank you to Michael Cronin for the introduction!

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Website Links:

https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/category/stereo-sessions/
https://www.nfi.edu/
Instagram: @nashvillefilminstitute

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

What's wabi sabi? Brad talked about searching for the human story in production, why you should keep your old gear, arranging strings for quartet vs section, staying on schedule and within budget, and why band playback is better than words.

My guest today is Brad Jones, a producer, engineer, mixer, and musician based in Nashville. With Robin Eaton Brad has co-owned the studio Alex the Great Recording since 1994. I started recording there a few years later as an assistant engineer in 1995, and Brad was the one who taught me the ropes of engineering and running a real session.

Brad’s credits include: Jill Sobule, Bobby Bare Jr., Butterfly Boucher, Hayes Carll, Caitlin Cary And Thad Cockrell, Steve Forbert, Government Cheese, Jason And The Scorchers, Josh Rouse, Ben Goldsmith, and The Shazam to name just a few.

Brad was an early guest on the show before on episode RSR034 which we recorded at Alex The Great and I’m happy to have him back joining me this time from my new podcast studio Ready To Rock (Thanks to James Tuttle) aka Podzilla Studio.

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Website Links:

RSR034 – BRAD JONES – ALEX THE GREAT
https://www.alexthegreatrecording.com/

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

"Keep the mix interesting for yourself!" Damian talked about simplifying and optimizing his home studio for fast writing, The ultimate input routing patchbay, the effect of loudness, recording drums, with two mics, and the mystical aspect of vibe.

My guest today is Damian Taylor is 10 x Grammy nominated producer, engineer, and mixer best known for his work with Bjork, The Prodigy, The Killers, Arcade Fire, UNKLE, TR/ST, Odette, The Temper Trap, City of the Sun, Bomba Estéreo, and Dizzy. He hosts an online community called The Complete Producer Network for folks to talk about all aspects of creating and releasing music. And he has been a guest on the podcast previously for episode RSR316 and RSR406.

Thanks to Colin Ramsay at GPS Management for making our original introduction.

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Website Links:

RSR406 – DAMIAN TAYLOR – MIXING, PRODUCTION, SYNTHS, AND SPEAKERS
RSR316 – DAMIAN TAYLOR – COLLABORATING WITH BJORK AND ARCADE FIRE
http://www.damiantaylor.com/
https://globalpositioningservices.net/damian-taylor/
https://www.twitch.tv/hereisdamian
https://www.completeproducer.net/
Instagram: @hereisdamian
X: @hereisdamian

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya

"I don't go ham, bologna, turkey, on tuning vocals..." Greg talked about building studios, the importance of trying hard in music, adobe brick walls, double bass and drum bands, making mic pres, and how to record killer drums, bass, and guitars.

My guest today is Greg Norman, a recording producer/engineer and studio technician based out of Chicago, IL. In 1996, he started working at Electrical Audio, initially aiding in the design and construction of the two-studio complex in the north side of Chicago. A few years later, he built his own studio to keep up with the demands of recording projects outside of Electrical. 

Over the years, he has recorded over a hundred records as a staff member of Electrical Audio and traveled abroad as a freelance producer/engineer. Greg has also designed, consulted, and installed several studios in Chicago, throughout the states, and Canada. He has unique expertise in analog tape machine and console design and maintenance, which has become a dying art. He also designs, and manufactures custom recording studio equipment.

Greg has been a guest on the podcast before for episode RSR014 so please check that out and listen to his discography with the link below.

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Website Links:

RSR014 – GREG NORMAN – ELECTRICAL AUDIO & NORMAPHONE
RSR206 – STEVE ALBINI – HOW TO MIX A RECORD
RSR078 – STEVE ALBINI – ELECTRICAL AUDIO, RECORDING NIRVANA, & SHELLAC
www.normaphone.com
www.electricalaudio.com
Facebook: @electricalaudio
Instagram: @normaphone @electricalaudio
Youtube: @electricalaudioofficial

Additional podcast editing and production by:
Brayden Stremming
Vlad Vasilcenko
Liz Hulitskaya