Eyal Levi, Author at Unstoppable Recording Machine

STEVE EVETTS: Why Modern Metal is Background Noise, Editing Drums By Hand, and The Dillinger Escape Plan

Producer Steve Evetts has a massive discography that has helped define the sound of heavy music for decades. His work spans from foundational hardcore records with bands like Hatebreed and Earth Crisis to genre-bending classics with The Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die. He’s also lent his touch to seminal albums from Architects, Suicide Silence, Devil Driver, and even The Cure, consistently delivering powerful productions that feel raw, real, and explosive.

In This Episode

Steve Evetts drops in to discuss his core philosophy: “learn your craft.” He explains why relying on grids, presets, and “fixing it later” strips the emotion from music, turning it into background noise. For Steve, capturing the “blood on the tracks” is what connects with listeners. He gets into the specifics of how he achieves his famously tight-yet-natural drum sounds, detailing his process of editing by hand to preserve a drummer’s feel rather than conforming to a rigid grid. The conversation also covers the importance of interpersonal skills in the studio, learning not to take mix revisions personally, and why a great producer knows when to get out of the way. He shares some killer stories, including his method for tracking drummers in the live room while running Pro Tools remotely and the wild, no-click-track approach to recording The Dillinger Escape Plan’s debut album on tape.

Products Mentioned

Timestamps

[2:49] Discovering recording on a reel-to-reel at age 7
[5:11] Buying a Fostex X-15 four-track with his bar mitzvah money
[6:19] Recording his first demos with Eric Rachel at the original Tracks East studio
[12:06] Steve’s mantra: “Learn your craft” and the problem with over-relying on editing
[13:51] Why modern metal can sound like “background noise”
[16:22] How The Dillinger Escape Plan’s first album was made by punching in on tape
[20:32] His approach to editing drums by hand to preserve the feel, not using Beat Detective
[27:32] Why being a good hang is more important than pure skill for an assistant
[32:03] Learning not to take mix revisions personally
[39:49] Why an untrained listener’s opinion on a mix (“the girlfriend test”) is valuable
[44:28] Ross Robinson’s chaotic method of inviting random people into tracking sessions
[48:16] How he gets drummers to “turn their brain off” and just play
[50:00] Standing in the live room with the drummer and running Pro Tools via screen sharing
[52:33] Why he makes guitarists stand up while tracking
[54:38] Why tracking drums *last* makes no sense
[58:27] The maturity it takes to realize production is about serving the artist, not yourself
[1:05:35] Why his records sound tight but natural (hint: it’s not the grid)
[1:07:34] Making the much heavier Story of the Year record they wanted to make
[1:11:09] The first Dillinger Escape Plan album was recorded with no click track
[1:13:25] How he understands Dillinger’s “musical language” because he was there from its inception

URM Home Studio Training Grounds Ep 4 | Programming Drums

“What drummers have that a machine doesn’t have is feel. That’s the thing that makes people move. That’s what makes people get physically inspired by music.” – Eyal Levi

If you’re a musician looking to get your home studio off the ground, this show is for you! Eyal Levi and Ryan “Fluff” Bruce sit down to talk shop about all the things they wish they knew when they were getting started.

In today’s episode they talk about the biggest hurdle for many musicians: drums! Or more specifically, the ins and outs of programming MIDI drums for those who don’t have access to a drummer (or drummers who simply can’t record their kit at the moment).

They cover the finer details of what makes programmed drums sound human, how to think like a drummer, and what software you’ll need to get started.

Get the Complete Beginner’s Guide To Recording Rock & Metal at http://recordingmetalguide.com

2:40 – How the software for programming drums has improved over the years

4:15 – The main people have with programming drums and how to fix it

12:08 – Which velocity you should avoid, especially for cymbals

13:41 – Don’t program drums in a way that someone can’t actually play them

21:44 – Preferences when it comes to the software and picking the drum sounds

URM Home Studio Training Grounds EP 3 | Choosing The Right DAW

“You shouldn’t choose your DAW based on trying to prove a point” – Eyal Levi

In this episode they dive deep into a hot topic: choosing the right DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). They touch on why you should NOT pick your DAW based on other people’s opinions, the pros and cons of many popular DAWs and most importantly, how to pick the one that’s best for YOU.

Get the Complete Beginner’s Guide To Recording Rock & Metal at http://recordingmetalguide.com

1:43 – Why your choice of DAW really isn’t that big of a deal

8:52 – Why they used Reaper for the beginner’s course

17:09 – Don’t be afraid to try new DAWs and use what works best for you

26:04 – How ProTools became the industry standard

URM Home Studio Training Grounds Ep 2 | Recording Guitars part 2

In this episode they continue digging into guitars, focusing on how to get the best results when recording: the proper way to play when recording (and why it’s not the same as playing live), why it’s so hard to program guitars, and the critical importance of simple but often overlooked details (for example, the RIGHT way to use a tuner).

Get the Complete Beginner’s Guide To Recording Rock & Metal at http://recordingmetalguide.com

1:44 – How playing guitar can be expressive and also have limitations

4:24 – Why isn’t the guitar a good melodic instrument?

10:38 – Guitar riffs should have a primal reaction

13:43 – If there’s a right or wrong way to go about how you play when you’re recording

22:03 – Finding the humanizing details in your riffs

26:21 – Why you need to invest in a good tuner even if it sounds elementary

URM Home Studio Training Grounds Ep 1: Recording Guitars part 1

WITH EYAL LEVI AND FLUFF

In this episode they talk about all things guitars: the simplest way to get started with recording guitars at home, some things you need to know to avoid damaging your gear, and a few simple but crazy-effective things you can do to level up your tones and more. If you want to record guitars at home without your amp catching on fire, make sure you give this one a listen!

Get the Complete Beginner’s Guide To Recording Rock & Metal at http://recordingmetalguide.com

2:07 – How to avoid guitar recording issues when starting out in your bedroom (hint: don’t plug it straight into your computer)

8:14 – Making sure you know about impedance

9:55 – How to not have your equipment catch on fire or blow up

14:41 – You won’t transform as soon as you get to the studio

17:59 – Why changing your guitar strings frequently is crucial