Recording Studio Rockstars

My guest today is Graham Waks (wax) a drummer, engineer, and producer originally from California now living in Nashville TN who has been playing the drums for 12 years and teaching six. His recording studio is called Left + Right Music and he also runs Music City Acoustics designing and building acoustic panels for home studios. While he absolutely loves touring and making records, he also loves education and empowering people to learn something new. So today we are going to dig into the topic of choosing the best acoustic treatment for your home studio so that both your recordings and your mixes sound awesome and you can make your best record ever! Some of Graham’s music credits include: Lindi Ortega, Parade of Lights, Hadley Kennary, Kevin Presbrey, and Lauren Strange to name a few.  Thank you to Anders Jovaag from ADAM Audio for the introduction. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: http://MixMasterBundle.com THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy Use code ROCKSTAR to g

My guest today is Stephen Kelly a songwriter, producer, and mixing engineer from Dublin, Ireland. His mission is to help musicians and engineers create stream-worthy music without spending a fortune on gear. He has produced and mixed music for independent and major label artists, as well as producing award-winning audio for animated series, Fortune 500 companies, and AAA games. His career started in Dublin, where he got his break writing music for TV ads. He then landed a role as a full-time engineer and sound designer with one of the top post-production studios in the country. From there, he moved to London to continue his career. During his time in London, he has become an award-nominated sound designer, helped to produce the voice of Walgreens, contributed to AAA games projects and continued to make music! You can learn everything you need to about his methods on his site, Understanding Audio. Thanks so much to Kirk Teachout for making our introduction. You can catch Kirk’s podcast episode “4 STEPS TO 1.4

My guest today is Pierre de Reeder who spreads his time between making records as a commercial studio owner at 64 Sound and its affiliated production room facilities, inhabiting the occasional role as a solo artist or player in various projects, running his indie record label Little Record Company, and managing all things Rilo Kiley… a band for which he is both a founding member, as well as now having its two latest releases on his label. In recording things, he has worked with the likes of Mavis Staples, She & Him, M. Ward, Sia, Tim Heidecker (from Tim & Eric), Emitt Rhodes, Vampire Weekend, Ben Gibbard, Julian Casablancas, Bright Eyes, and much of his own and various bands.  And his studio, 64 Sound and its incarnations have hosted artists such as X, Devendra Banhart, My Morning Jacket, Amanda Palmer, Michael Kiwanuka, Tokyo Police Club, Bat For Lashes, Ty Segall, St. Vincent and Sleater-Kinney, Starcrawler, Warpaint, and many more.   Because of its very extensive collection of vintage recording gea

My guest today is Paul "Willie Green" Womack a producer, engineer and sonic artist, Paul "Willie Green" Womack has built a discography boasting names such as Wiz Khalifa, The Alchemist, The Roots, Billy Woods, ELUCID and many more, and established himself as one of the top names in independent Hip-Hop & R&B. Currently residing in Brooklyn NY, Womack is a member of the AES Board of Governors, and is an active educator and lecturer. Working from his studio The GreenHouse Recording Co., Willie Green is a leading voice in both music creation and audio education. Thanks so much to Anders at Adam Audio for making our introduction. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: http://MixMasterBundle.com THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy Use code ROCKSTAR to get 10% https://JZmic.com Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 50% off select mics Spectra1964 is having a bundle sale! Save $$ hundreds on the STX600 and the BBDI combo at https://www.Spectra1964.com http://MacSales.com/Rockstars http:

My guest today is Jaimeson Durr a San Francisco Bay Area Top Billboard charting recording engineer, mixer and producer that works on a variety of music genres from legends like, Sammy Hagar and his band The Circle, Chickenfoot, Megadeth, Joe Satriani, The Dead, Don Felder (The Eagles), The Head and the Heart, Dan the Automator as well as many other new promising artists.  Jaimeson works out of some of the best bay area recording studios but primarily works out of his own studio, Wally’s HydeOut in the legendary Hyde Street Recording Studio complex in San Francisco since 2004. It’s a classic studio where many well-known artists have recorded like, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Green Day, Train, and many, many more.  Jaimeson has also performed on and mixed several songs for hit prime time TV shows and movie trailers for, 90210, The Mindy Project, Ugly Betty, Rango, Arthur, The Lorax, Tangled and many more. He is a Waves Audio Artist who continually develops new p

My guest today is Damian Taylor a six-time Grammy-nominated record producer, music mixer and programmer, songwriter, song doctor, sonic architect and explorer best known for his work with Bjork (in the studio and on stage), The Prodigy, The Killers, Arcade Fire, UNKLE, TR/ST, Odette, The Temper Trap, City of the Sun, and Dizzy to name a few. Damian describes his love for creating music and art at the intersection of ideas and expression, performance and design; juxtaposing not only organic and synthetic methods of creation and manipulation but also cultural and stylistic concepts and perspectives. He is also the founder of The Complete Producer Network, an active hub for people all over the world who are dedicated to improving their ability to create and share extraordinary music. It’s an open, inclusive, and supportive community of music creators who come together to share ideas, insights, tips, tricks, strategies and perspectives to drive themselves and others forward. Damian also live streams over on Twitc

My guest today is Justin Phelps chief engineer and designer of the Hallowed Halls recording studios in Portland OR. He began his career in 1996 at San Fransisco’s famed Coast Recorders where he worked as a house engineer and received considerable guidance from a chief engineer/producer John Cuniberti and studio owner/gear guru Dan Alexander as well as working at some of the Bay Areas finest studios including The Plant, Prairie Sun, Studio 880, Tiny Telephone and Studio D.  In 2004 he acquired the lease for one of the more historic spaces in San Francisco, Hyde Street Studio C which he restored to its former glory and ran for the next 5 years as one of the busiest rooms in San Francisco when he met his wife Deanna and started his family.  With the birth of their first daughter, they relocated to Portland Oregon where he founded Cloud City Sound a multi room facility with a busy mastering suite serving many regional and international until 2016 when he opened The Hallowed Halls located in a 5500 square foot, hi

My guest today is Geoff Daking who grew up playing in local bands before attending American University which he ultimately left to join the NY based Mercury artist Blues Magoos to play the drums in 1966 (I was born in 1967).  Between ‘66 and ’69, they recorded four albums, two of which were platinum, and a top-five single, “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet”. The peak of their career was in 1967 when they toured four months with Herman’s Hermits and The Who (the Hermits were the headliners). During that time he became fascinated with recording and engineered some of the Magoos last albums. In the summer of 1969, Geoff went back to Woodstock where he played in bands with Tim Harden, Dave Sanborn, Paul Butterfield and Buzzy Feiton.  In 1970, Geoff became a staff engineer at Sound Ideas in NYC, then SoundMixers NYC, and later as an independent engineer. And In 1982. he opened his own studio, Nimbus Nine, which grew to four rooms, one API, one Neve, one Trident, and one ProTools. Since 1970, Geoff has designed and built m

My guest today is Clint Murphy a multi-platinum, award-winning producer, engineer, mixer, songwriter, and musician. He has worked on records as diverse as Manic Street Preachers, Enter Shikari, RØMANS, and 50 Cent, racking up hits both in the UK and internationally.  UK chart successes include recording and mixing No.2 album ‘Half Way There’, for English pop-punk band Busted, mixing No.3 album ‘Rip It Up’ for hard rock legends Thunder and producing, mixing and writing for upcoming bands such as Keir, Courts, Twin Wild and Youth Club. Most recently, Clint has been working with British rock band Enter Shikari, mixing their critically-acclaimed, UK No.2 album ‘Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible’. Back in his native New Zealand, Clint’s work continually tops the charts through artists such as Devilskin, Opshop, Annabel Fay, The Feelers, Kimbra, Junica (Ladyhawke), 8 Foot Sativa and Bic Runga. This has resulted in Clint being recognized as ‘Engineer Of The Year’ multiple times at the New Zealand Music Aw

My guest today is Howard Bilerman, a GRAMMY and Juno awarded musician, sound engineer & record producer who has been recording bands for over 30 years. As co-owner & head engineer of the  hotel2tango recording studio in Montreal, Bilerman has enjoyed working with some of Canada’s most talented artists, as well as others from The USA, The UK, France, Italy, Scotland, Africa, Spain, Ireland, Switzerland, Portugal & Australia.  Some of the artists Howard has worked with include: LEONARD COHEN, THE ARCADE FIRE, VIC CHESNUTT, A SILVER MT. ZION, NAP EYES, BRITISH SEA POWER, SAM ROBERTS, PATRICK WATSON, COEUR  DE PIRATE, ADAM COHEN, LOU DOILLON, THE WEBB SISTERS, and WOLF  PARADE to name just a few. He has been credited on over 500 records to date,  including as an engineer on LEONARD COHEN’s GRAMMY winning song “ You Want It  Darker”.  Howard has been a regular faculty member at the BANFF CENTRE, having helped to create their groundbreaking INDIE RESIDENCY & SINGER SONGWRITER programs.  Bilerman’s r

My guest today is Jay Tooke an Award-winning, Canadian born producer, songwriter, and musician who moved to Nashville back in 2012. Having gotten his start as a working musician at the age of 17 some of his earliest memories are of plunking out melodies by ear on the family’s piano, but it was the intro to Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” that lit a fire in his soul for the drums. Not long after he started a love affair with the guitar and from then on, his sights were set on a career in music.  During his 26 year career, he has toured all over the world with a range of artists from Canada and the US, and has produced records that have garnered critical and commercial success in Australia, New Zealand, Germany as well as Canada and the US.  His philosophy behind making records has always been about helping the artist find their own voice in the studio. It’s never about forcing ideas or making the record he wants to make. It’s a collaboration between producer and artist to find the truest form of the song. All

My guest today is Jessica Thompson a GRAMMY-nominated mastering and restoration engineer, audio preservation specialist, and educator. She has digitized, restored, and revived historic recordings for artists ranging from jazz pianist Erroll Garner to blues and folk revolutionary Barbara Dane, from Ethiopian keyboardist Hailu Mergia to proto punk band Jack Ruby, from anarcho-punk band Crucifix to synthesizer legend Pauline Anna Strom.   She masters music both new and old and has worked on records for Michael Daves, Flipsyde, Matthew McNeal, International Dub Ambassadors, Teno Afrika, Occurrence, and many more.  She sometimes writes gear reviews for Tape Op Magazine and contributed a chapter on "Mastering the Sonics of Historic Recording Media" for the book Music Preservation and Archiving Today.   She currently serves as President of the San Francisco Chapter of the Recording Academy. In her spare time, she likes to ride steel bikes and walk her dog, Eddie. Thanks so much to Ian Brennan for making our introduc

My guest today is Wes Little one of Nashville’s most adaptable and multi-faceted drummers, as well as a top flight arranger, producer and songwriter.  Wes was trained in performance and composition at the Manhattan School of Music and shaped by years of studio and stage work with major acts. Currently a first call session drummer in Nashville, Wes has also performed or recorded with Chuck D, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith,  John Legend, Melissa Etheridge, Robben Ford, Michael and Randy Brecker, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. He works in Nashville, where he lives and records daily in the studio.   Some of his credits for recording or touring are with Robben Ford, Christopher Cross, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Trey Anastasio, Little River Band, Larry Carlton, Sting, Stevie Wonder,  Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler, John Legend, Jamie Fox, Melissa  Etheridge, Jermaine Jackson, Mariah Carey, Public Enemy, Shakira, Busta Rhymes, Emmylou Harris, Mary J. Blige Anita Baker, Paul Shaffer, Dierks

My guest today is J.J. Blair a native Chicagoan, who came up playing in blues and reggae clubs as a teenager in his home town, before eventually moving to Los Angeles to begin his recording career.  Known for taste, musicality and proficiency in a broad range of musical styles, J.J. has also amassed a great collection of vintage mics, outboard gear and instruments, which he draws on to make outstanding recordings and productions.   He produced and mixed the Grammy winning record "Press On," by June Carter Cash, engineered on the Grammy winning and #1 Billboard Hot 100 record "Great American Song Book vol. 3," by Rod Stewart, as well as engineering on P. Diddy's #1 hit "All About the Benjamins."  J.J. has been a producer and engineer since 1994.  His clients, credits and list of musicians he's recorded include Jeff Beck, George Benson, The Black Eyed Peas, Body Count, Joe Bonamassa, Jon Brion, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, David Cassidy, Kelly Clarkson, Vinnie Colauita, Double Trouble, Peter Erskine, Melissa

My guest today is Adam Krinsky a Mixer/Engineer in Minneapolis, MN. He owns and runs a studio in St. Paul, MN called Bellows. In his 15 years of music, he has been a Producer, Engineer, Mixer, FOH Mixer, Tour Manager, Manager, and Educator.  Adam’s career started after graduating from the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis. He was hired by the owner and co-founder Tom Tucker as his assistant engineer at Master Mix Studios. In parallel to working in a big fancy studio, he was also moonlighting in a small punk rock basement studio called Vaudeville. A million dollar studio during the day, a Mackie and 57’s at night. Krinsky started working at a local guitar shop called Twin Town Guitars which is where he met many of the local musicians.  In 2006 he recorded and mixed an album called A Detail of Soldiers by The Alarmists which received local recognition. Since he has never been without a project to mix. Over the years Adam has worked on albums for artists like Bo Ramsey, Mason Jennings, The Pin

My guest today is William Bowser an audio engineer based out of La Plata Maryland.  “I've been engineering for almost 20 years since 2002 where I started in the chorus room of Leonardtown High School, just myself, a microphone, and a tape recorder. From there for years I ran a home studio as an artist, producer, singer, songwriter, rapper, and engineer trying to make it and perform all over the country.  I signed a developmental deal early on in my career with Universal Music and an indie label based out of Brooklyn New York which at the time was my most successful endeavour. When that fell through because of monetary mismanagement on the label's part I went back to being an independent artist but this time more informed and with a larger grasp of the business side of music.  I began slowly but surely becoming more and more enamoured with the engineering side of things while bringing my skills and experience as an artist to the table. This helped me not only cross over easier but get jobs engineering for stud

My guest today is Julian Dreyer who grew up in a small artist community in the mountains of western North Carolina and after a 3 year stint as a sound engineer at a large music venue in Asheville, NC he became the staff assistant engineer at the newly built Echo Mountain Recording.   He has worked there for the last 15 years and been the chief engineer for the last 8 years.  In 2017 he won a Grammy with Secret agent 23 Skidoo for engineering and mixing the "Best Children's Album."  He has worked on hundreds of albums in every capacity from assisting to engineering and mixing to producing or all of these things at once.   Since working at Echo Mountain he has worked on albums with The Avett Brothers, Steve Martin, Jerry Douglas, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Mandolin Orange, Band of Horses, Zac Brown, Jim Lauderdale and Rising Appalachia to name a few.  He also regularly engineers the PBS television show "Echo Sessions" which is shot in Echo Mountain Recording. Thanks so much to Jessica Tomasin for making our intr

My guest today is Raag Sethi an award-nominated producer, bassist and guitarist from Ahmedabad, and also the founder of Compass Box Studio. He has been instrumental in promoting indie talent in Gujarat and India through the Compass Box Live Sessions on YouTube.  Raag’s work has been featured in almost every major music publication in India. He has had the opportunity to work as an associate music producer with Clinton Cerejo, A.R Rahman and has also worked with Grammy-winning engineers for his projects.  His work has been nominated for the best pop production track at the Production Music Awards in London. By focusing on one take live recordings, Raag and his team at Compass Box Studio have created high-quality production within the limitations of live recordings. His production work ranges from singer-songwriter to jazz, to neo-soul, rock and more. Thanks to Ryan Earnhardt Creative Sound Labs for making our introduction! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: http://MixMasterBundle.com THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

My guest today is Justin Perkins a mastering engineer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin who has worked on remastering projects for The Replacements, En Vogue, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and mastering projects for Michael Franti &  Spearhead, Tommy Stinson, The Gaslight Anthem, Smoking Popes,  Anberlin, Screeching Weasel, The Mr. T Experience, and thousands of other independent bands and artists around the world.  Before transitioning to mastering full-time he also spent time at Butch Vig’s Smart Studios in Madison Wisconsin recording and mixing a  number of projects, and has been working full-time in the audio field for nearly 20 years. His studio Mystery Room Mastering has been in business since 2009.  Growing up and playing in bands in the midwest is what helped  Justin formulate a career in audio and ultimately led to playing bass for a time in the band Screeching Weasel, as well as playing bass for Tommy Stinson’s solo shows, and the relaunch of Tommy Stinson’s post-Replacements band called Bash & Pop who rel

My guest today is Cason Cooley a writer, musician and producer who started music at a young age in Wichita, KS, often travelling across the country with his parents who were a part of the Grammy award-winning Southern Gospel group, The Cathedral Quartet. In 1997 Cason moved to Nashville to pursue music becoming a member of the Normals followed by focusing his attention on songwriting and production.  Cason has written and produced artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, including her singles "Girls Chase Boys" and "Hell No," American Authors single "Deep Water," Katie Herzig, Ben Rector, David Archuletta and more. His work has been placed in dozens of popular television shows including Grey's Anatomy and Pretty Little Liars. Most recently he has produced NEEDTOBREATHE’s latest album “Out of Body” and American Author’s “Seasons”, Drew Holcomb’s “Dragons” and Ingrid Michaelson’s “Stranger Songs."  Cooley is now based out of Nashville, TN where he works out of his studio The Masonic Lodge. Thanks to Alena Moran at Tr