Category: Season 4 – September

Jakob Herrmann is a staple in the Gothenburg music scene and the owner of Top Floor Studios. As a producer and recording engineer he’s worked with killer artists such as Anthrax, Amaranthe, Evergrey, and Raised Fist.

ON THIS EPISODE:

3:10 – The history of Jakob’s studio and Gothenburg’s music scene

13:29 – You can’t just throw bands together and say “support the scene”

17:32 – How Sweden’s way of life makes being in a band easier

25:44 – Why is the Gothenburg community is good for business?

34:22 – Cultivating relationships and being a pro will help you immensely 

51:40 – How Jakob went from 0 to getting people to trust him in the studio

1:01:10 – Drums were Jakob’s main obsession and it led him to a different kind of side gig

1:14:29 – Don’t inflate what your role is and how you should approach it instead

1:25:14 – Don’t be creepy when you want to be someone’s assistant

1:30:44 – Prepare to sacrifice everything

1:37:18 – Learning how to handle turning points and hitting critical mass

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a 5 star 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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Dan Swano is not only a multi-instrumentalist but a mixing and mastering machine. He’s a staple in the Scandinavian Metal scene best known for work with Opeth, Bloodbath, Katatonia, Aeon, Edge of Sanity, and many, many more.

ON THIS EPISODE:

1:40 – How Dan would define his career

4:45 – Metal music sounding horrible in a live setting

13:57 – Things you probably didn’t know about how ABBA recorded vocals 

20:25 – Overcoming the issues that come up with vocalists who can’t stand still

29:00 – Time management, because the music industry is inefficient

44:15 – Handling momentum, especially when you need to switch projects

53:00 – Don’t release songs just to cater to fans

1:00:00 – How Opeth blew Dan’s mind in the studio

1:04:00 – Figure out what it is you want to do, no matter how long it takes you

1:12:04 – Dan’s unusual guitar playing

1:19:49 – Guitar tones on Resurrection Through Carnage

1:29:20 – Using reverb in metal mixes

LINKS:

Unisound

Swano Merch

Swano Merch – Bandcamp

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a 5 star 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!

On today’s episode, we crit URM student submitted mixes for Papa Roach’s “Not the Only One” which was originally mixed by Colin Brittain. These mixes are picked at random from our private student-only mix crit group on Facebook, The URM Rocktagon.

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

1:19 – What’s unique about the mix

8:21 – Go listen to the final version of the song first

11:07 – Sounding like a rough mix isn’t a bad thing

16:07 – Getting the right snare balance and not overwhelming the low end

24:50 – If you’re going to go in a different direction with a mix, go all the way with it

31:53 – Having the music build is crucial, but so is balance

40:05 – Vocals need to be loud, but not too loud

45:43 – A good example of capturing the build up of the instruments

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a 5 star 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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Guitarist, songwriter, and producer, Jasen Rauch (Red, Breaking Benjamin, Love & Death) joins us to give his perspectives on work ethic, navigating personalities, and dealing with higher profile clients.

The music industry requires constant and quick adaptation, and Jasen embodies that. If, for some reason, you feel like your career is requiring too much attention or you think you’re working too hard, and you’re starting to doubt yourself, this is one you need to hear.

“Learn who you’re working for.” – Jasen Rauch

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

9:00 Why, even with Full Sail and recording schools, work ethic and attention to detail is often under-emphasized in terms of getting your career off the ground
27:00 Figuring out the personalities of A&R guys, bands, etc and finding common ground solutions for all parties
35:00 Jasen’s experience joining Breaking Benjamin
39:00 Working with higher profile clients and “song briefs”
49:00 Jasen’s take on work/life balance, being careful with taking on projects
1:00:00 Using pure tactics vs having the right strategy for each project
1:16:45 Jasen’s advice for advancing your career
1:22:00 Working with Brian “Head” Welch on his band, Love and Death; working on the last two Breaking Benjamin records

Links:

Breaking Benjamin
Follow Jasen on Instagram

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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Jesse Cannon returns to the show to discuss his new podcast “Inside the Album,” emotion in lyrics, and details about the URM SUMMIT.

We always have amazing discussions with Jesse when he joins us on the show, and this time is no different. If you have a tendency to get hung up on the technical side of recording there are some truth bombs in here that you really need to hear.

“It was very interesting that a band that’s regarded as so musically adept and technically proficient, but also emotional as fuck, their delivery would also get sloppy in those moments. It doesn’t matter who you are, the moment that that emotion comes out your skills will go down the drain.” – Eyal Levi

ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

4:00 How lyrics depend on the emotional delivery
5:38 Working with Ross Robinson and Korn
9:30 Jesse’s view on divergent streams – people who overthink vs not enough concentration and how producers can manage personalities
15:00 Jesse’s URM Summit discussion – dealing with inherent limitations in creative ways to get the job done
20:00 Good faith/bad faith arguments when it comes to mix notes and taste decisions
32:00 Jesse’s work on Atlantic Records “Inside The Album” podcast, Jesse’s time management strategies
40:00 Document your failures and focus on them rather than putting them aside, on the hour reminders
52:00 The process of quickly becoming friends with strangers from the music industry perspective
58:00 Shotgun mics and incorporating new ideas into your process
1:05:00 The URM Summit and the importance of networking

Links:

URM Podcast EP9 | Mastering Month ’15 Kickoff with Jesse Cannon
URM Podcast EP115 | Jesse Cannon

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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