Kurt Ballou (Converge, GodCity Studios) is a musician and producer that need no introduction to fans of heavy music. There are precious few individuals out there that approach similar levels of raw brutality and emotion in their productions.
Photo: Jimmy Hubbard
If you can give one piece of advice for upcoming engineers what would it be?
Always listen with your heart. Don’t ever feel constrained to use a certain piece of gear or certain technique. You’ll never get something to sound exactly like what you wanted it to sound like, but if you listen with your heart, and make good decisions based on that, you can make a record that feels like it is supposed to.
Photo: Aaron Jones
What would you say is the one thing that has motivated you to keep going in your career?
If I’m not doing something creative regularly, I feel like a piece of shit.
Amps or sims?
Amps are more fun, look cooler, and have more individualistic quirks. Plus, I need to justify my investment in amps, cabs, mics, sound proofing, etc. somehow, right?
Photo: Aaron Jones
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career?
If there’s some sort of tension in the studio or with the label, keep it classy and take the high ground. Behave how you would want to be treated if the shoe were on the other foot.
What are your top five go to gear choices?
Heil PR-30
If you could change anything about the world what would it be?
No hate. No war. Tax religion. Tax the rich. Stop making so many stupid babies.
What record still mystifies you and why?
For more awesome tips on becoming a better producer, head on over to the URM Academy blog and subscribe to our podcast.
Listen to episode 18 of the URM Podcast with Kurt Ballou HERE
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Comments 2
The man!!
It would be really cool to learn about Kurt’s production style in the URM