Eyal Levi, Author at Unstoppable Recording Machine

BRYAN VON REUTER: Audio Forensics, The 60-Cycle Hum, A Career Outside the Studio

Bryan Von Reuter is a Bay Area-based musician and audio professional who has forged a unique career path as an audio forensics examiner. Instead of the typical studio life, Bryan applies his deep knowledge of digital audio to the legal world, primarily working with criminal defense attorneys. His job involves analyzing, authenticating, and improving the intelligibility of audio recordings—from body cams to phone calls—that are submitted as evidence in court proceedings. It’s a fascinating field that combines a passion for sound with a commitment to justice and ensuring a fair process for the accused.

In This Episode

This week, we dive into a side of the audio world you’ve probably never considered with audio forensics examiner Bryan Von Reuter. He breaks down what it’s really like to analyze audio evidence for court cases, explaining the technical process of authenticating recordings and the difference between Hollywood voice identification and the real deal. Bryan drops some serious knowledge on the power of spectrograms, not just for forensics but as an indispensable creative tool for music production. We also get into the mind-blowing science of Electric Network Frequency (ENF)—how the 60-cycle hum from a power grid creates a unique, verifiable timestamp that can be used to detect edits. Beyond the tech, Bryan shares his journey from musician to examiner and offers a unique perspective on finding a fulfilling, sustainable audio career outside the studio.

Products Mentioned

Timestamps

[5:05] What an audio forensics examiner actually does
[9:25] The different types of recordings used as evidence in court
[15:41] Why verifying the “chain of custody” for a recording is so crucial
[18:26] How audio can be maliciously edited for the purpose of fraud
[22:14] The reality of voice identification vs. what you see in movies
[23:23] The science of speaker identification: It’s about the *absence* of sound
[28:13] The emotional weight and desensitization of working on high-stakes legal cases
[35:19] Using audio to establish a precise timeline in a wrongful death case
[40:51] The ethics of providing a strong defense for potentially guilty people
[47:36] The difference between making music for yourself versus for a commercial audience
[59:12] How forensics introduced him to the spectrogram, his most important creative tool
[1:01:24] Bryan’s unlikely career path from Kinko’s to audio forensics
[1:10:42] The power of just asking questions and contacting experts directly
[1:23:31] What the 60-cycle hum *really* is and how it creates a unique timestamp
[1:29:28] Using the 60-cycle hum (ENF) to detect edits in a recording
[1:33:01] Why every audio professional should learn to read a spectrogram
[1:50:38] How to approach improving the intelligibility of a poorly recorded voice
[2:00:06] What to study if you want to get into the field of audio forensics
[2:07:19] The number one rule for processing audio evidence (hint: don’t turn things up)
[2:13:19] The business side: How to sustain an income as a freelance forensics examiner

BLASKO: The business of touring, artist branding, and why musicians need a side hustle

Blasko is a manager, marketing specialist, and musician with over two decades of experience in the heavy music world. He’s held down the low end on bass for iconic acts like Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, and Danzig. In the management world, he founded Mercenary Management and has guided the careers of bands like Black Veil Brides, Andy Black, and the one and only Zakk Wylde.

In This Episode

Blasko returns to the podcast to drop some serious knowledge on what it actually takes to build a sustainable career in music. He kicks things off by explaining why a good manager always shows up for the first day of a tour, detailing how he micromanages everything from the merch booth layout and setlist flow to the sound and lights. This leads to a killer discussion on the business realities of the road, including understanding your “per head” merch numbers and dealing with venue cuts. Blasko also gets real about the need for a long-term plan, using his own experience of starting a management company while playing with Ozzy as a prime example. He breaks down how artists like Zakk Wylde have stayed relevant by treating themselves as a brand, mastering social media, and maintaining an insane passion for their craft. For any producer looking to understand the artist mindset and the broader music business, this episode is an unfiltered look at the grind and strategy required to survive and thrive.

Products Mentioned

Timestamps

[0:05:35] What a manager looks for on the first day of a tour
[0:06:40] Picking apart the merch booth setup for maximum sales
[0:07:30] Critiquing the setlist and show flow
[0:08:20] Using the first show to prep for major markets like LA and New York
[0:12:55] Understanding your “per head” merch number
[0:15:57] Why a bad merch booth location can kill your sales
[0:17:35] The controversial topic of venues taking a cut of merch sales
[0:22:15] How being in the right “circle” gets you opportunities
[0:24:28] “Your network is your net worth”
[0:26:41] The other 23 hours of the day on tour are more important than the one hour on stage
[0:29:10] Why even musicians in huge bands need a side hustle
[0:30:30] Why Blasko started his management company when he joined Ozzy
[0:38:43] Why it’s not up to the artist whether they get big or not
[0:40:57] The importance of understanding gross vs. net to tour profitably
[0:42:42] Using Goatwhore as an example of a band that makes a living by being smart
[0:45:28] Even Metallica fails sometimes
[0:49:17] Zakk Wylde’s insane passion for just playing guitar
[0:50:21] How Zakk Wylde mastered social media as a branding tool
[0:56:49] The one consistent trait among everyone successful in music: passion

SUSAN ROGERS: Engineering for Prince, the neuroscience of music, and the psychology of success

Susan Rogers is a multifaceted audio professional and academic. She began as a self-taught audio engineer, working with artists like Crosby, Stills & Nash, Barenaked Ladies, and David Byrne. Her most notable work was as Prince’s staff engineer during his prolific mid-80s period. Rogers later transitioned into academia, earning a doctorate in psychology. She is now an associate professor at Berklee College of Music, directing the Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory and researching auditory memory and psychoacoustics.

In This Episode

Susan Rogers joins the podcast for a deep dive into the intersection of art, science, and career strategy. She breaks down her philosophy on finding success by balancing your fantasies with your innate strengths, and why artists need to move from a passive “lemonade stand” mentality to a more strategic approach to finding their audience. Susan gets into the neuroscience of creativity, explaining what separates a “genius” from a hobbyist, and shares the incredible story of how preparation and guts landed her the gig with Prince. For producers, she offers a fascinating look at her research into how our brains process music, revealing the key physiological differences between how musicians and non-musicians listen—and why a non-musician’s perspective can be a producer’s secret weapon. The discussion also explores the modern debate between “human” feel and machine-like perfection in recording.

Products Mentioned

Timestamps

[2:59] Daydreaming, motives, and strengths: Finding what you want vs. what you can do
[6:31] The line between self-belief and delusion
[11:32] Evidence of being on the right path (audience growth, ease of execution)
[13:31] The “lemonade stand mentality” vs. the “food truck mentality” for artists
[17:27] How Prince understood human nature and targeted specific audiences
[26:28] The perfect storm for success: brain architecture + personality + opportunity
[28:31] The four archetypes of a successful team: artist, engineer, entrepreneur, and competitor
[36:19] Is there such a thing as talent? A look at the neuroscience of creativity
[46:48] How Susan got her start as an audio trainee and studio tech
[52:23] Why established LA technicians turned down the job with Prince
[56:42] Susan’s “second calling” and decision to pursue science in her 40s
[1:05:23] The courage to admit music isn’t your path: “I want to stay home and watch TV with my girlfriend”
[1:13:50] Susan’s doctoral thesis: Do our brains distinguish between consonance and dissonance?
[1:22:54] How musicians and non-musicians process sound differently (analytic vs. synthetic listening)
[1:27:12] The advantage of being a non-musician producer
[1:46:44] The human vs. the machine: Are perfect, grid-aligned drums better?
[1:53:06] Can you train your auditory memory?
[1:57:20] Kurt Ballou asks about Prince’s Boss HM-2 settings on the drum machine
[1:58:28] A breakdown of Prince’s signal chain for percussion and guitar

ELIRAN KANTOR: Turning anxiety into art, why craft beats networking, and landing his Testament gig

Eliran Kantor is a Berlin-based artist and illustrator who has created some of modern metal’s most iconic and evocative album covers. His distinctive, painterly style can be seen on records for a diverse range of artists, including Testament, Archspire, Thy Art Is Murder, Hatebreed, Bloodbath, Gojira, and Devin Townsend, making him one of the most in-demand visual artists in the scene.

In This Episode

Artist Eliran Kantor chats about his journey from painting murals in his friends’ bedrooms to becoming a go-to artist for metal’s biggest bands. He gets real about the early hustle of cold-emailing bands on MySpace and how that relentless approach eventually landed him his breakthrough gig with Testament. Eliran offers a killer perspective on creativity, explaining how he channels personal flaws like anxiety and obsession into an intense focus on detail. He argues that the key to success isn’t networking or marketing, but simply getting so good at your craft that it solves all the other problems for you. He also breaks down his collaborative process, the importance of drawing inspiration from outside your genre to stay original, and how he used the real-life fear of becoming a new dad to create the chilling concept for Bloodbath’s album cover. It’s a great look into the mind of a top-tier creative who sees art as a “force multiplier” for great music.

Products Mentioned

Johnson J-Station Amp Modeler

Timestamps

[0:04:39] How his dad’s Pink Floyd paintings inspired him as a kid
[0:06:58] His short-lived attempt at music production using an early amp sim
[0:08:19] Cold-emailing bands and labels in the MySpace era
[0:09:25] How a cold email led to his long-running collaboration with Testament
[0:12:04] Embracing flaws like anxiety and obsession as creative strengths
[0:14:28] Why getting great at your craft is more important than networking
[0:16:46] Working on an album with Devin Townsend
[0:21:11] How a lack of maturity and awareness of the odds helped him not quit
[0:24:40] Why having a “Plan B” can kill your “Plan A”
[0:28:37] Creating the Testament artwork before the music was even written
[0:31:31] The kinds of questions he asks bands to understand their vision
[0:37:16] Why modern metal sometimes lacks originality
[0:40:26] How Archspire’s vocal style combines death metal with Busta Rhymes
[0:52:59] How to be a team player when you’re not naturally a team player
[1:04:12] Using the anxiety of new fatherhood to inspire the Bloodbath album cover
[1:12:25] Why album art is a “force multiplier” for a great song
[1:16:37] Using his phone’s thumbnail view to improve his compositions
[1:19:34] His process for coming up with concepts (hint: it doesn’t involve sketching)
[1:21:40] Why he never “practices” and prefers to experiment directly on the final piece

Tom Lord-Alge: The “Higher Love” Intro, His Hybrid SSL Workflow, and Mixing With a Listener’s Ear

Producer and mix engineer Tom Lord-Alge has a massive discography that includes seminal albums from artists like Oasis, Weezer, Blink-182, U2, The Rolling Stones, and Steve Winwood. A three-time Grammy winner, his punchy and polished sound helped define the sound of modern rock. Coming up alongside his brothers Chris and Jeff, he transitioned from live sound to become one of the most in-demand mixers in the world.

In This Episode

Tom Lord-Alge pulls back the curtain on a career built on instinct, creativity, and a deep love for music. He shares incredible stories from the 80s, a time of technical innovation where he and his brother Chris were on the cutting edge of MIDI and SSL automation, including a fantastic breakdown of how he created the iconic intro for Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love.” Tom explains how being a non-musician gives him a unique “listener’s ear,” allowing him to make bold decisions that serve the song above all else. He also gets deep into his current hybrid workflow, explaining how he uses Pro Tools as a “multi-track on steroids” while still leveraging the analog summing and workflow of his beloved SSL 4000 G+ console. It’s a masterclass in mindset, workflow, and what it really takes to craft impactful mixes that stand the test of time.

Products Mentioned

Timestamps

[0:09:36] The Lord-Alge brothers’ shared love for prog rock
[0:13:20] Why he limits his mixing day to about 8 hours for maximum focus
[0:15:33] Using the “overnight mix” to get client feedback early and stay on track
[0:19:25] How not being a musician helps him mix with a “listener’s ear”
[0:25:02] Making artistic decisions on dense productions like The Wallflowers’ “One Headlight”
[0:28:58] The fluke gig that turned him from a lighting guy into a FOH engineer
[0:33:08] The creative explosion of MIDI and early samplers in the 80s
[0:38:57] How getting an SSL console and 48-track setup opened new creative doors
[0:41:50] The story behind the iconic intro to Stevie Winwood’s “Higher Love”
[0:45:40] Recording drums one piece at a time back in 1985
[0:50:39] How a gig his brother Chris gave him led to his first Grammy
[0:58:11] The story of passing on Green Day’s “American Idiot,” leading to his brother Chris’s first Grammy
[1:07:13] Why Pro Tools is his “multi-track on steroids” and how he integrates it with his SSL 4000G+
[1:10:21] Using plugins for creative flexibility and perfect recall
[1:17:35] Why he wants the producer’s raw session with all plugins active
[1:22:54] The importance of session organization and management
[1:44:03] His number one piece of advice for interns and assistants
[1:49:46] His go-to stock and “old school” plugins (Bomb Factory 76, Avid Red EQ)
[1:54:30] Why it’s not the gear, it’s your ear