Category: Season 4 – February

Shan Dan Horan, record label president and acclaimed video director joins us today to share insights from his deep well of knowledge and experience.

Donning multiple hats over the years ranging from working for Barack Obama, to labels Century Media Records, Artery Recordings, and Outerloop Records, as well as his work as a director, Shan Dan has seen what this industry has to offer. We discuss what bands should invest in early on in their careers, how he made the jump from the corporate world to the music industry, and unpredictable nature of the business. This is required listening for anyone wanting to pursue a career in a creative field.

“The music industry plays by its own rules. You’ll see someone graduate with a fancy degree yet fall on their face because they went into the real world without being able to articulate and apply what they learned in a book whereas people who didn’t get the best grades will go out and kill it because they understand the concepts on a deeper level. They know how to put things into motion” – Shan Dan Horan

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

3:30 – Shan Dan’s involvement in videography and his time in corporate marketing

8:06 – If Shan Dan was frustrated moving from the “real world” into the music industry

13:34 – How so many variables contribute to what makes the music business a tough one to be in

18:18 – If Shan Dan was ever a musician in addition to being creative with videography

20:04 – How Nuclear Blast has had an impact on metal music

24:09 – Shan Dan’s time working at Century Media

26:07 – How you never know who is going to stick it out in the music industry

28:10 – What Shan Dan’s mission is and what he wants his legacy to be in the music industry

38:54 – Having a Master’s Degree and not really needing to show it to anyone, but showing accomplishments instead

42:53 – If Shan Dan would have had the same success in music without his Master’s Degree and the experiences that came with it

54:59 – What Shan Dan looks for in a producer and lets him feel confident to take a chance on a new one

59:53 – Giving someone the benefit of the doubt when you have a history of working together with them

1:01:40 – Would Shan Dan work with the person who is a 100% great producer and is always late or someone at 90% who is always on time

1:04:19 – How entitlement is a turn off and will stunt your growth

1:06:06 – What labels look for in engineers, especially ones who are just starting out

1:10:09 – How engineers should find appropriate labels to work with based on the size of their studio

1:12:17 – How a band sticks out from the many applications that a label gets

1:16:22 – What bands at the local level should prioritize in their careers and if they should invest in publicists and managers early on

1:25:32 – Building up a fan base and getting people out to shows before trying to get on big package tours

1:30:16 – If a label consider someone for a text mix with only three slamming tracks in their portfolio

1:31:13 –  If a label would want to see a portfolio with each song displayed as a standalone video with a custom graphic and some animation over just a regular website player

1:33:00 – How the whole process between the label and engineer works

 

SHAN DAN’S LINKS:

Musician Rescue trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owoZlRDXqaA

http://www.shadowborngroup.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review on iTunes!

Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Meshuggah, Gojira, Machine Head, and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Leave any questions, comments, or feedback in the comment section below.

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Fredrik Nordström, the architect of the legendary “Gothenbug Sound” joins us for a very special episode of the URM Podcast.

Fredrik Nordström has worked with heavy hitters like At the Gates, Bring Me The Horizon, Dimmu Borgir, In Flames, Arch Enemy, Opeth, Soilwork, and the list of who’s who top tier extreme metal bands just goes on and on and on. Of course we cover the making of some of those legendary records and his world known “Fredman technique” for miking guitars, but we also delve into topics such as how to give credits, who deserves those credits, the challenges of mixing metal with an orchestra, Fredrik’s multi-amp slaving technique, and much much more.

“What I’ve noticed when I do stuff is I never tell anybody that I’m trying new stuff here. I just do it. Because if you cannot try new stuff, then you cannot develop.” – Fredrik Nordström

 

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

1:59 – What Fredrik thinks of the production landscape now versus a decade or two ago

6:46 – How the At the Gates album had a tight sound  and how long it takes for Fredrik to work on albums

14:26 – How it’s not necessarily the tech you have that allows you to make a great record

23:26 – If Fredrik imagined that he was working on albums that would define the next decades of metal and how much time you need to dedicate to your craft

28:29 – Artists needing a leader who is outside of their group to show them the right way to do things

32:30 – How people are shifting away from digitizing everything and how not every little thing needs to be perfect for music to be great

37:54 – How long it took for Fredrik to do Death Kult Armageddon by Dimmu Borgir and what it is like working with orchestras

48:22 – How orchestral instruments can sound weird next to a metal band

50:56 – Whether or not Fredrik automated like crazy on the Death Kult Armageddon mix

52:04 – How good arrangements help when working on an album

58:05 – How there were two camps when it came to Nick Barker and the drum sounds on Death Kult Armageddon

1:03:59 – How Fredrik handled vocal effects for Dimmu Borgir

1:08:31 – If Fredrik knew how big Death Kult Armageddon would be

1:12:03 – How Fredrik started getting work with American bands and expanding out to work with companies

1:17:10 – Why starting a studio could be a bad investment

1:18:37 – Fredrik’s process for training the people who work with him and giving credit where credit is due

1:24:46 – Working with the Architects on Lost Forever // Lost Together and getting good guitar tones on various albums

1:28:42 – What Fredrik’s breakdown is for the cab slaving, multi-amp technique

1:33:40 – The popularity of the Fredman technique for mining guitars and how it’s impacted Fredrik

1:35:19 – What it was like working with Bring Me The Horizon

1:37:44 – Whether or not age matters in an audio environment and why you should keep trying new things in the studio

Click here to learn more about Studio Fredman

 

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review on iTunes!

Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Meshuggah, Gojira, Machine Head, and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Leave any questions, comments, or feedback in the comment section below.

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Nick Rad joins us to talk about the transition from musician to full time producer, crushing your audio career even without a massive hit, and how to leverage your network for success.

Nick Rad is a mixing engineer, producer and musician who has worked with Skillet, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and Jason Mraz among many others, in addition to playing in Hangnail and Acceptance. His career began in the 90s, which means he brings plenty of insight to the podcast where we talk about how he decided to work in production, how not to network, and a host of other lessons he’s learned from over two decades in the music industry.

“It might take me 10 hours to do one song, but it’s going to be epic when it’s done. That’s my thing.” – Nick Rad

2:35 – What it’s like working with artists from very different genres and how Nick ended up working in those genres
6:12 – How most producers don’t have a huge record and it’s a myth that you need one to make production work
9:35 – What drew Nick to the polished sound in his work and knowing who he is as a producer
12:36 – If Nick ever regretted sending a band to someone else
16:33 – How long Nick played music before diving into production and how his touring experience helped him
19:31 – How working with Aaron Sprinkle influenced his decision to work in production
21:33 – If Nick still had hope for playing in a band to work out after Acceptance broke up
24:54 – Making the transition from the band to producing
28:00 – Nick’s work on The Color Morale’s “Prey For Me” acoustic release
29:37 – What advice Nick would give on networking in socially fruitful situations and how it can lead to future clients
37:13 – How his work leads him to working with Hilary Duff
40:18 – If there’s more pressure when working with a big pop budget versus working on a rock album with a smaller budget
42:06 – What Nick’s fine-tooth comb process consists of
45:52 – What some of the common issues Nick comes across when working with vocals
51:49 – How to avoid losing recordings should an accident happen
58:05 – How Nick’s work with Stone Sour came about
1:03:49 – Nick being in a place where he can say no to projects he doesn’t want to work on
1:05:51 – Getting work through word of mouth instead of advertising and how not to network

Click here to find out more about Nick Rad 

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review on iTunes!

Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Meshuggah, Gojira, Machine Head, and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Leave any questions, comments, or feedback in the comment section below.

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Grammy nominated producer, Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Loma Prieta) joins the podcast to discuss the critical importance of creating repeat clients, why producers need to be involved in their community, and how NOT to promote yourself and your work.

“When I’m tracking a band, I would say 80 plus percent of the processing on the recording is happening on capture. So like EQ and compression, often times distortion, like whatever it might be, that’s all happening as part of the capture. Which I think always sounds better.” – Jack Shirley

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

4:07 – What got Jack Shirley into recording
7:15 – Production styles for various genres hadn’t landed yet when Jack first started recording
10:30 – Jack Shirley’s dealings with black metal
13:19 – The high quality production with Deafheaven still being able to sound raw and if that poses any challenges
14:28 – What point computers come in during the process of making an album
18:38 – What happens when a band wants to sound a certain way, but doesn’t record in a way that’s conducive to it
23:28 – Great production being built on a thousand little decisions
30:11 – How you win with the better you get as a band and finding the equipment that suits you
35:59 – Having bands come in that want your sound, but don’t want to do things your way
39:34 – How Jack would earn a band’s trust
47:10 – Wanting to leave some of the human aspects in a take and weighing your options to figure out what’s most important
51:53 – How fast Jack moves with the recording process
55:00 – Working with people who you’re on the same page with and having repeat clients
57:48 – Living in your studio and dealing with the people who stay with you
1:09:38 – Being part of the music scene in order to get work by word-of-mouth and taking advantage of opportunities where you can
1:15:23 – Having a deeper connection with the bands because of also having experienced being on tour
1:16:57 – Why producers shouldn’t market themselves the way companies do

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review on iTunes!

Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Meshuggah, Gojira, Machine Head, and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Leave any questions, comments, or feedback in the comment section below.

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Eyal Levi hosts a live roundtable discussion at Winter Namm 2019 with acclaimed producers Joey Sturgis, Billy Decker, and Machine about how they approach bands that haven’t broken big yet, and how they keep their clients coming back album after album after album.

Thanks for listening!
Sign up to our [cp_modal id=”cp_id_7934d”]mailing list[/cp_modal] to discover more!

Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Meshuggah, Gojira, Machine Head, and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Leave any questions, comments, or feedback in the comment section below.

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