

Recording Studio Rockstars
Lij Shaw
Lij Shaw Interviews music producers, engineers, studio owners, and other professionals to bring you inspiring stories, tricks, and insights from the recording studio. So that you can take your recordings to the next level and become a rockstar of the recording studio yourself! - Guests: Vance Powell, Michael Beinhorn, Russell Wolff, Graham Cochrane, Joe Gilder, Björgvin Benediktsson, and many more...
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 23, 2021 • 2h 14min
RSR294 - Brian Lucey - Mastering Music Is All About Love Not Fear
My guest today is Brian Lucey, widely considered one of the very best mastering engineers. He began in the late 80s in NYC East Village as a professional musician (guitar, voice, piano) then became a student of Robert Fripp and Guitar Craft through the early/mid 90s. Mastering began in the late 90s and his experience in all other phases has lead to a distinctly musical approach to mastering. Brian works out of Los Angeles at Magic Garden Mastering. Select Credits include: Chet Faker, Depeche Mode, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Shania Twain, Marilyn Manson, Green Day, The Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, Cage The Elephant, Dr John, Ghost and thousands more… Thanks to Brian Murphree at Soundporter.com for making the introduction. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: http://MixMasterBundle.com THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://www.SoundPorter.com Get your free mastering demo. https://JZmic.com Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 20% off The Pop Filter https://www.Spectra1964.com http://MacSales.com/Rockstars http://iZotope.com/Rockstars use code ROCK10 for 10% off https://www.Adam-Audio.com/Education https://www.APIaudio.com http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com Hear guests discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0xJk5J2s2yeYTGy29Gc1iF?si=lp3I2YAqR_uIMbi7GX9nuw If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/294

Apr 16, 2021 • 2h 29min
RSR293 - Vance Powell - Answers All Your Home Studio Recording And Mixing Questions
I am totally psyched to welcome today's guest. He is a Grammy award-winning mixer, and owner of the beautiful (and newly relocated) Sputnik Sound. He has a long discography of accomplished records including artists like Keb Mo, Jars Of Clay, Jack White and 3rd Man Records, Buddy Guy, Kings Of Leon, Danger Mouse, Sturgill Simpson and some well known local artists: Moon Taxi, Bobby Bare Jr, and Jeff The Brotherhood (who lives right down the street from me in fact). Our guest originally hails from the town of Joplin MO which most people mistake as being named after the Ragtime Pianist Scott Joplin, but was in fact named after its founder the Reverend Joplin. And other than being mentioned in Bobby Troup's legendary song "Route 66", the town of Joplin MO, which gained notoriety for mining Zinc, may owe its biggest musical credit to our guest on today's show. I met him back in 2002 when he became the head engineer for the incredible Blackbird Studios, right here in the city of Berry Hill a part of Nashville often referred to as the new music row with over 20 recording studios in a 3 mile radius. I am honoured to be here at Sputnik Sound for this episode of Recording Studio Rockstars. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: http://MixMasterBundle.com THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://www.SoundPorter.com Get your free mastering demo. https://JZmic.com Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 20% off The Pop Filter https://www.Spectra1964.com http://MacSales.com/Rockstars http://iZotope.com/Rockstars use code ROCK10 for 10% off https://www.Adam-Audio.com/Education https://www.APIaudio.com http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com Hear guests discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2eFssqoA3h4k2SzXLAsSws?si=XOLcGxADQk6x3aZMaByr3Q If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/293

Apr 9, 2021 • 2h 10min
RSR292 - Scott Michael Smith - From Score to Studio to Sound Stage for Mank, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Invisible Man
My guest today is Scott Michael Smith a Grammy nominated Mixer, Producer, and musician based in Los Angeles working largely in music for the screen. Scott got his start at the legendary Village Recording studio in Los Angeles where he became a staff engineer, working with artists like John Mayer, Keith Emerson, Colbie Caillat, Carole King, Fink and many others. He spent countless hours in the studio learning from guys like Ed Cherney, John Alagia, and T-Bone Burnett while honing his own skills as an Engineer/Producer. For over a decade Scott has been one of Hollywood's most in-demand film music mixers. Recording and Mixing scores for projects like The Revenant, The Handmaid's Tale, It Chapter 2, Minions, The Invisible Man, and many more. Recently Scott completed work on Mank, the new David Fincher period piece featuring the music of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, the entire score was done in isolation during the pandemic. Scott is known for his ability to bridge the gap between modern film scoring and record production, helping to create a sound that serves what's happening on screen while creating an immersive and rewarding listening experience at the same time. Scott has also recently composed music for Marvel 616, a behind the scenes look at the history of Marvel, streaming now on Disney+. Thanks so much to Andris Evelis at JZ Microphones for making our introduction. I'm excited to talk about recording and mixing music from the studio to the orchestral hall on the show today. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: http://MixMasterBundle.com THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://www.SoundPorter.com Get your free mastering demo. https://JZmic.com Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 20% off The Pop Filter https://www.Spectra1964.com http://MacSales.com/Rockstars http://iZotope.com/Rockstars use code ROCK10 for 10% off https://www.Adam-Audio.com/Education https://www.APIaudio.com http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com Hear guests discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7C04QO38sn0ovIq7mpKINC?si=HPpcnsKnReCxIAwUEf49UA If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/292
Apr 2, 2021 • 2h 9min
RSR291 - Larry Droppa - The Legendary Sound of API Audio in Your Home Studio
My guest today is Larry Droppa the owner and president of API since 1999, when he acquired the company at auction. He and two friends launched ATI, the live console company, in 1988, positioning that company's Paragon console as the premier live sound mixing tool for many years. After adding Uptown Automation in 1995 and then API in '99, Larry's quest for audio manufacturing notability had been satisfied. He spent the first half of his professional career as a live mixing engineer, progressing from a local bar band, to a small regional sound company, to one of the larger live sound companies in the US. Larry has toured with folk groups, orchestras, pop and rock bands and spent an ear-splitting 6 weeks on the road with the band listed in the 1984 Guinness Book of World Records as the 'Loudest Band In A Performance'. But the highlight of his live mixing days is unquestionably the 12 years he spent mixing in-ear monitors for Stevie Wonder. Stevie was an early adopter of in-ears and Larry developed both high-quality in-ear monitors as well as a unique wireless transmission system during that time. With the purchase of API, Larry had to pivot to become familiar with the studio environment and its inherent differences. Hard work and a team of dedicated audio professionals re-built the API brand into the acknowledged powerhouse it is today. The entire range of API products remains firmly dedicated to co-founder Saul Walker's original ideas and designs. A statement on Larry's passion for the music business can best be summed up in the words of a Stevie Wonder song, Sir Duke – 'Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand, With an equal opportunity for all to sing, dance and clap their hands…' It is an honor to have the fearless visionary leader keeping the legendary API sound alive and well joining us today... Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: http://MixMasterBundle.com THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! https://www.SoundPorter.com Get your free mastering demo. https://JZmic.com Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 20% off The Pop Filter https://www.Spectra1964.com http://MacSales.com/Rockstars http://iZotope.com/Rockstars use code ROCK10 for 10% off https://www.Adam-Audio.com/Education https://www.APIaudio.com http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com Hear guests discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4kXSuCq661WbrEHNc8h4Xw?si=KUu8OYaLRLCoAfJXHjKDbQ If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/291

Mar 26, 2021 • 2h 12min
RSR290 - Björgvin Benediktsson - "You Get What You Give" The Story of a Home Studio Engineer's Path to Success
My guest today is Bjorgvin Benediktsson an Icelandic-American author, audio educator, and entrepreneur. He is also a friend of mine and the founder of www.audio-issues.com where he has taught thousands of music producers how to make a bigger impact with their music since 2009. His latest book, You Get What You Give is a business parable a la The Go-Giver that follows Casey, an aspiring music producer stuck in a dead-end job. He dreams of becoming successful in the music industry but has no idea how to find clients. After a disastrous start (sound familiar?), he meets a mentor who teaches him the success principles he needs to make an impact and find success with his music. Björgvin is the author of seven other books in the music industry: Step By Step Mixing, Get More Gigs, and Better Mixes in Less Time. He has written over 1,000 articles on music production and his advice has been featured in publications such as MusicTech magazine, The Huffington Post, CD Baby's DIY Musician's Blog, Audiotuts, and the SAE Institute. Today we are going to talk about his new book, and dig into some of the topics surrounding the business side of running a recording studio whether it's a pro or home studio or recording and releasing your own music. We will tackle the often elusive question of marketing and promotion so that you can connect with your customers and make a great living doing what you love. Thanks to our sponsors! Soundporter Mastering: Get your free mastering demo at https://www.soundporter.com JZ Microphones: Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 50% off The BB29 mic at JZmic.com Spectra1964: https://www.spectra1964.com OWC: Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com iZotope: iZotope.com/Rockstars code ROCK10 10% off ADAM Audio: https://www.adam-audio.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear discography on Spotify If you love the podcast, then please Leave a review on iTunes here CLICK HERE FOR SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/290

Mar 19, 2021 • 2h 13min
RSR289 - Adam "Atom" Greenspan - Producing & Mixing IDLES, Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and The Veils
My guest today is Adam Greenspan A Grammy-nominated engineer, mixer, and producer who had a pretty good start to his career engineering Faith No More's "Album of the Year" at age 20. He later spent time at two world-class studios, Westlake Audio and The Village Recorder, working with artists such as Marilyn Manson, Rage Against the Machine, and Bono before going freelance in 2000. As a consultant for setting up home studios, he met Nick Launay and began collaborating on albums by Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Refused, while at the same time taking on more and more producing and mixing gigs of his own for the likes of The Veils, INVSN, and French Style Furs (featuring members of Cold War Kids.) More recently Adam has seen great success receiving a Mercury prize nomination for IDLES "Joy As An Act Of Resistance." also nominated for Best Album at the UK Music Producers Guild Awards and won the Ivor Novello award for writing. In 2019 Adam was Grammy-nominated for Thomas Dybdahl "All These Things" and he just had his first #1 in the UK with IDLES "Ultra Mono" and a top 10 with Cliff Richards. I have really enjoyed listening to Adam's discography which we have put together in a special playlist for you in the show notes. Thanks so much to Adris Evelis at JZ Microphones for making our introduction. Thanks to our sponsors! Soundporter Mastering: Get your free mastering demo at https://www.soundporter.com JZ Microphones: Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 50% off The BB29 mic at JZmic.com Spectra1964: https://www.spectra1964.com OWC: Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com iZotope: iZotope.com/Rockstars code ROCK10 10% off ADAM Audio: https://www.adam-audio.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear discography on Spotify If you love the podcast, then please Leave a review on iTunes here CLICK HERE FOR SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/289

Mar 12, 2021 • 2h 2min
RSR288 - Rafa Sardina - 5 x Grammy Winning Mixer For Alejandro Sanz, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, and D'Angelo
My guest today is Rafa Sardina a recording and mixing engineer with 5 Grammy wins, 12 Latin Grammy awards, and a total of 60 Grammy nominations during his career including winning the South African SAMA award in 2018. A Basque native of Spain Rafa started out with four years in med school before deciding to pursue his passion for music which led him to Full Sail University. After graduating as valedictorian he found himself at Oceanway in Los Angeles working with a wide variety of artists including the Black Crows, Celine Dion, Greenday, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Frank Sinatra to name a few. Today he works from his own After Hours Studios where he regularly mixes artists from around the world. Though Rafa is best known for working on pop, rock and R&B projects, he has recorded and mixed just about any genre of music you can imagine: orchestral recordings, big band, R&B, dance, gospel, soul, rap, choral, film/TV soundtracks and huge movie scores like "Any given Sunday", "102 Dalmatians", "Michael Jordan- To the Max", Johnny Depp's "The Rum Diary" and many more. He is also a founding member and vice-chairman of the Latin Recording Academy's CPI the equivalent to the Producers and Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy. And Rafa enjoys teaching what he knows through platforms like Mix With The Masters, Pensado's Place and of course Recording Studio Rockstars. Thanks to Andris Evelis at JZ microphones for making the introduction. Thanks to our sponsors! Soundporter Mastering: Get your free mastering demo at https://www.soundporter.com JZ Microphones: Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 50% off The BB29 mic at JZmic.com Spectra1964: https://www.spectra1964.com OWC: Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com iZotope: iZotope.com/Rockstars code ROCK10 10% off ADAM Audio: https://www.adam-audio.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear discography on Spotify If you love the podcast, then please Leave a review on iTunes here CLICK HERE FOR SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/288

Mar 6, 2021 • 2h 12min
RSR287 - S Husky Hoskulds - How To Be Original Recording & Mixing in The Studio
My guest today is S. Husky Hoskulds a Grammy winning engineer, and mixer who moved to LA in 1991 to study audio engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. He began his career working with Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake as a staff engineer at The Sound Factory in the early 1990s but would quickly move on to independent projects with Michael Penn, The Wallflowers, Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits and steady collaboration with Mike Patton on his various projects. In 2002 he won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical alongside Jay Newland for the multiple awarded debut album Come Away with Me by Norah Jones co-produced by Craig Street. Husky's many credits also include Joe Henry, Solomon Burke, Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint, Mavis Staples, Ann Peebles, Bettye Lavette, My Brightest Diamond, Billy Preston, Aloan, Chocolate Genius, Fantomas, Sheryl Crow and many more... Thanks to Andris at JZ microphones for making our introduction. Thanks to our sponsors! Soundporter Mastering: Get your free mastering demo at https://www.soundporter.com JZ Microphones: Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 50% off The BB29 mic at JZmic.com Spectra1964: https://www.spectra1964.com OWC: Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com iZotope: iZotope.com/Rockstars code ROCK10 10% off ADAM Audio: https://www.adam-audio.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear discography on Spotify If you love the podcast, then please Leave a review on iTunes here CLICK HERE FOR SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/287

Feb 26, 2021 • 2h 15min
RSR286 - Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown With Roger Alan Nichols - the Making of the New Album Pressure
My guests today are Roger Alan Nichols and Tyler Bryant. Roger has been a guest on the show before to talk about producing great rock records with his band Dreaming In English and artists like Paramore, Seal, Larking Poe, and Steven Tyler and you can hear his story on episode RSR45. But today we are here to talk about the records he makes with the other Tyler of Nashville based rock band Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown. Tyler is a gifted singer and guitarist who has released four successful studio albums with his band. He has toured with such groups as Jeff Beck, ZZ Top, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses and Lynyrd Skynyrd, as well as playing several rock focused music festivals. The group's current lineup consists of Tyler Bryant (lead guitar & vocals), Graham Whitford (rhythm guitar), Ryan Fitzgerald (bass), and Caleb Crosby (drums). Recently Roger recorded Tyler and the band for their new record Pressure and powerful driving rock album that sounds like Audioslave, The Foo Fighters, and Tom Petty all wrapped up in one with killer guitar tones, Swampy slide playing, and soulful songs. Somehow they managed to pull off this record at a time when most of the world was hiding away or venting on social media. So it's great to hear some creative fire come out of the speakers. Thanks to our sponsors! Soundporter Mastering: Get your free mastering demo at https://www.soundporter.com JZ Microphones: Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 50% off The BB29 mic at JZmic.com Spectra1964: https://www.spectra1964.com OWC: Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com iZotope: iZotope.com/Rockstars code ROCK10 10% off ADAM Audio: https://www.adam-audio.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear discography on Spotify If you love the podcast, then please Leave a review on iTunes here CLICK HERE FOR SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/286

Feb 19, 2021 • 2h 12min
RSR285 - Brent McCollough - Producing The Viral Bee Gees Parody Video "Stayin' Inside"
My guest today is Brent McCollough a Nashville-based producer, keyboardist, and artist. He started playing the piano by ear at the age of five later accepting a full scholarship at the University of Alabama to pursue a degree in Music Production and Performance followed by a full-time graduate teaching fellowship for his master's degree in Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas. He records and mixes his own music as well as artists all over the country, and plays keyboards and sings for many bands like The Black Jacket Symphony, and Trace Atkins. More recently he became well known for his coronavirus parody video, "Stayin' Inside," which went viral and was shared by the Bee Gees, John Travolta, and countless news networks all over the world. Brent's studio work and content creation spans many various genres, and he is also regularly hired to mix and master live performances. He currently runs Brent McCollough Studios and prides himself in making his clients' musical dreams become reality. Brent also joined Kurt Hugo Schneider, Tony Succarr, and me for an OWC workshop "How To Be Creative With Video Content From Your Home Studio". That link will be included in the show notes. Thanks to our sponsors! Soundporter Mastering: Get your free mastering demo at https://www.soundporter.com JZ Microphones: Use coupon ROCKSTARS to get 50% off The BB29 mic at JZmic.com Spectra1964: https://www.spectra1964.com OWC: Other World Computing: https://www.OWC.com iZotope: iZotope.com/Rockstars code ROCK10 10% off ADAM Audio: https://www.adam-audio.com RSR Academy: http://RSRockstars.com/Academy Want to learn more about mixing? Get Free mix training with Lij at: http://MixMasterBundle.com Hear discography on Spotify If you love the podcast, then please Leave a review on iTunes here CLICK HERE FOR SHOW NOTES AT: http://RSRockstars.com/285


