Category: Season 4 – March

Andrew Wade is a recording engineer and producer who has worked with A Day To Remember, Motionless In White, The Ghost Inside, Neck Deep among many others. He’s also established himself as one of the top audio educators: he’s done two CreativeLive courses and holds the honor of being the only person to appear on Nail The Mix three times!

He joins the podcast today to talk about his new URM course, Ultimate Guitar Production. Years in the making, this is the most comprehensive and detailed course ever made about guitars, covering every single variable that goes into guitar tone: setup, gear selection, tracking techniques, recording tricks, editing, reamping, mixing, and of course, working with the player to get the best possible performances that he or she is capable of.

To find out more and get a sneak preview of several chunks of the course, go to Ultimate Guitar Production

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

2:07 – Andrew’s CreativeLive class and being in the infancy of online education

5:22 – When you don’t know what to listen for, you don’t know what you’re missing

9:59 – The approach taken for the in-depth tests in the course and how you can analyze the information to use in your own work

13:07 – What’s included in UGP

15:33 – Setting up guitars

22:41 –  Which DI box to purchase

33:20 – Common problems tracking in tune guitars and how to solve them

37:48 – The relevance of amp simulators and IRs. Why you should know them even if you prefer real amps.

43:37 – How to listen and what to listen for in different audio sources in order to find out why you like something or why you don’t

46:24 – Why you should be able to dial tones in multiple genres

50:16 – People not wanting information in order to come up with their own sound and why that isn’t a great approach

 

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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MixCritMonday is the show where we crit YOUR mixes!

Mixcritmonday returns with a brand new co-host, John Maciel! We’re thrilled to have him join us to break down URM student submitted mixes of “365” by Amaranthe and “Iron Strengthens Iron” by Dyscarnate.

“I think it’s really important, once you get the fundamentals, to really have a vision for what you want the mix to be.” – John Maciel

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

2:52 – What a balanced mix should sound like

8:33 – How to better handle the low end of a mix

18:08 – Needing more power in your mix and establishing a basic drum mix

28:13 – How to avoid an overblown mix and why sometimes you just have to start over

32:34 – Creating the room for the mix when it isn’t provided and when a snare needs a sample to give it more body and length

38:38 – When you should re-amp guitars for a mix and how you should handle the snare

 

FIND AMARANTHE AND DYSCARNATE ONLINE:

Amaranthe Website

Dyscarnate FB

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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JF Dagenais is the guitarist for Kataklysm and an award winning record producer.

We’re thrilled to have JF Dagenais on the podcast today. He dishes on getting his start in the studio, how he approaches dialing in and tracking such punishingly deadly guitars, and how he used his career in the band to feed his studio work, and vice versa. If you love learning about how producers get genre specific tones, this is the episode for you!

“When you do good work, I think that your reputation precedes you. The word that you’re doing a good job, or not moves really fast.” – JF Dagenais

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

5:55 – How Montreal, Canada is a mecca for metal music

7:11 – Moving to Dallas, TX and how JF was able to continue his career there

10:03 – If JF was concerned about bands starting to do more recording on their own about 10 years ago and how he adjusted for it

13:47 – Getting enjoyment out of helping bands improve  and what his favorite process of making music is

19:08 –  How simplicity is the answer

21:18 –  How having two careers helped JF make his move to Dallas

25:46 – Why word-of-mouth is one of the best way to get work and why it’s good to be entrepreneurial

31:00 – Trying to live out your passion and continuing to learn

35:46 – Earning trust with clients because of knowing what it’s like to be in a band

36:52 – How JF got his start working in a studio

42:10 – How the other members in Kataklysm viewed JF since he also produced and when they had to have someone else mix their records

47:26 – Where JF started with his guitar tones versus where he is with them now and working with profiles

56:36 – The state of mind of not being satisfied with where you’re at and continuing to get better

1:00:32 – How JF approaches riff tracking

1:06:11 – Where bass fits in for JF and how it’s hard to get right

1:11:50 – If JF gets his guitars set up by a pro guitar tech before tracking

1:13:21 – Having the mastermind mentality, being able to get your ego out of the way, and knowing when to delegate

1:20:26 – Where the extreme metal kick drum lands and how JF approaches it

1:24:42 – How JF stays sane and balances his life so everything gets the attention it needs

1:28:34 – Knowing when to not spend too much time on something in the studio

 

FIND JF ONLINE:

https://www.jfdstudio.net/

 

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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Seth Munson is a producer with credits ranging from Drake Bell, Christina Grimmie, and a whole lot more.

This episode is a testament not only to our ability to overcome tremendous odds, but at a much more mundane scale, it shows that we can transcend whatever genre we think we are trapped in. Seth Munson successfully transitioned from a roster of all local metal bands to working with some of the most recognizable acts in popular music.

“Because I was sick and because I dropped out of high school and had all these obstacles, it’s helped my career in a sense where I can really push through with things that I don’t like because I’ve gone through much, much worse.” – Seth Munson

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

2:49 Navigating the trials of moving to a different genre in your career

6:20 How to utilize free work to build a client base

10:20 Transitioning into paid work

12:00 How Seth took the jump to LA (with a wife and kids)

15:41 How to adapt production skills to translate across genres

16:58 Bringing vocals to life in pop music

18:55 Keeping the vocalist fresh during the session

21:42 Screening artists to make sure their music is something you’ll be excited about

24:10 The importance of prioritizing cool personalities over bigger artists

28:01 Finding the balance between business and art

33:40 Why business people aren’t out to get you

37:50 The gamble of offering a free record for a huge artist

46:05 Validating your emotions and keeping them in check

49:59 How to handle rejection and stay professional when your mix doesn’t make the cut

52:19 Staying humble and appreciating opportunities when you have them

54:24 Making decisions on sticking through formal education

58:32 Shaking off the stigma of dropping out of school

61:01 Fighting against illness while working and building a career

69:56 How to thrive in an oversaturated market

71:34 Advice on moving to a major recording market

72:58 The struggle of posthumously working on a close friends art

78:40 Being friends with Joel Wanasek

81:06 The long journey of art creation

 

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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Benny Grotto is a Boston-based producer and the co-owner of Mad Oak studios. Since opening in 2000 the studio has hosted artists including Aerosmith, Ben Folds, The Dresden Dolls, and Weird Al Yankovic among countless others.

We’re thrilled to have Benny on the podcast for a lengthy discussion on what it takes to be a partner in a studio, why client comfort is so crucial yet often overlooked, why unsigned bands are often more profitable than big name clients and many more insights from his lengthy career.

“When you get older and you start looking back over your career, you realize there were opportunities that you didn’t even know were there at the time. It’s all about having the right disposition to go for it and make it happen.” – Benny Grotto

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

4:36 – How what Benny has going on in the studio is what others should strive to achieve and not having the next NRG studio

8:35 – What board and some of the gear that Benny has in the studio and what type of work is done in the studio

13:57 – How long ago Benny started working in studios and being in the right place at the right time

17:05 – Pouncing on an opportunity when one is presented to you

29:20 – Looking up to whoever you’re working with on any given day in the studio even if they aren’t the most famous person in their profession

36:34 – The importance of setting realistic goals when it comes to what success will mean to you and realizing that not every single day in the studio will be a fun one

45:41 – Getting a big paycheck from unsigned bands instead of from labels

48:54 – What Benny’s path was like from studio to studio and ending up being a partner at his current one

57:38 – Becoming indispensable so that a company will understand your worth to them and being consistent with your work

1:06:08 – What the term “punisher” really means and how it can apply in the studio

1:21:53 – How Benny goes about picking interns for the studio and if the studio hires new engineers

1:38:08 – How certain studios and engineers can thrive through the negativity of the internet and how things have changed since the 90s

1:50:26 – Not needing to be at the highest level to get your career going

1:55:04 – What Benny’s ultimate mixing technique is and the fact that you should just keep learning

2:01:17 – Different techniques and how they can become trendy at different times

2:05:50 – More often than not, sessions can be simple and the mixes won’t need a ton of plug-ins

2:08:16 – How Benny helped to get the studio back off of the ground after the hiatus

2:10:31 – How Benny went about managing Mad Oak Studios

2:11:38 – If there is anything Benny would have done differently when setting up the facilities and how he handles renting the studio

2:15:52 – What some of the more obvious obstacles are when running a business that can be overlooked

2:17:38 – The fact that Benny doesn’t reach out to bands very often

2:22:18 – What you should invest in when it comes to having a commercial studio

2:25:17 – The story about having cold brew on tap at Mad Oak and how client comfort matters

 

FIND BENNY GROTTO ONLINE:

Benny Grotto’s website 

Mad Oak Studios 

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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