Wanna level up your recording skills? You came to the right place! Join acclaimed producers Joey Sturgis (Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men), Eyal Levi (Chelsea Grin, Monuments) and Joel Wanasek (Machine Head, Vinyl Theater) as they sit down each week with the best producers in the business to talk shop. You’ll get information, inspiration and most of all actionable insights from every episode. And when you’re ready to hit the books, head over to http://urm.academy to get your learn on!

SEASON 1 - With Joey Sturgis, Joel Wanasek, and Eyal Levi

Ever wonder what it takes to produce and mix at the highest levels? 

If you answered yes, then this episode is for you. Master producer/gear builder, Dan Korneff (Paramore, The Devil Wears Prada, Papa Roach) joins us for a rapid fire Tips & Tricks session that will blow your mind. 

In 35 hard hitting minutes we cover:

- Dan's secret guitar widening trick
- Carving frequencies to make space in a mix
- High and low passing guitars
- Surgical EQ on guitars to eliminate harshness while retaining clarity
- His most hated guitar frequencies
- Harmonic EQ
- Processing individual tracks VS busses
- When to use sidechain compression
- What's on his master bus chain
- Optimizing hybrid mixing setups
- Why he prefers Cubase
- Maintaining a quick turnaround 

TT1 | A-List Production Tips & Tricks w/ Dan Korneff

This week we're joined by acclaimed producer Andrew Wade (A Day To Remember, Neck Deep) to discuss strategies for getting the most out of your sessions.

Everyone who records for a living will agree, no matter how hard you try, a session will almost never go as planned. Entropy will always creep in.

Producers who've been able to sustain long careers have learned to navigate through chaos in the most effective ways possible. 

In this episode you'll learn

- Why everything should be so organized
- How to communicate your vision
- What should be sent out when you are hiring a mixer
- A breakthrough template method for super efficient mixes 
- What a good rough mix should consist of
- How to keep things compatible across multiple DAWs
- A no brainer way to name tracks. You'll never hunt for lost audio again.
- What should be sent out when a track is going to be mastered
- Disaster avoidance AKA how to properly archive your files

EP4 | Wading Through Chaos w/ Andrew Wade

Welcome to the first ever #MixCritMonday, the show where we critique YOUR mixes. Anyone who subscribes to the podcast is welcome to submit. 

First on the chopping block is our longtime subscriber, Jenson Manning (we love you dude). We took him to school on:

- Bass VIs like Texas Grind
Multiband compression
- Getting the low end of the kick balanced right
- The dangers of mixing in headphones (and how to make the most of it)
- Different mastering chains including plugins like Izotope Ozone and Slate Digital FG-X
Getting the right snare sound
- Blending vocals
- The difference between real monitors and computer speakers


EP3 | #MixCritMonday w/ Jenson Manning

What's a producer's real job?

Engineer? Coach? Fearless leader? Psychiatrist? Band member? Chaperone? Friend? Arranger? Songwriter? Session musician?

Actually, it's all the above. A great producer understands:

- What a client really wants and needs
- How to properly pace a session for maximum results and creativity
- How to read a client's personality and mood
- Who the best musicians are in the band
- Who he's actually working for
- Dealing with real world nightmare scenarios like a singer blowing out their voice
- The importance of remaining in "the zone"
- The psychology of peak performance
- How to get takes the artists didn't realize they had in them

Think you've got what it takes to be a great producer?

EP2 | Musical Translator

What does it take to be successful in audio production? Ask anyone whose made it and there IS a formula. Here it is:

1. Ambition
2. Vision
3. Execution
4. Determination
5. Luck
6. Timing

This episode covers how all six of those factors come into play over the course of a career in audio production, and what you can do to harness them. 

EP1 |  Food For Success

Dan Korneff has perfected the process of turning out modern, top-quality mixes on analog gear in an industry that's moving faster than ever.

Can you imagine mixing on a massive console with tons of outboard, yet still keeping up with modern deadline demands? Dan Korneff does it every day. According to him the keys are in the efficiency of your setup and how well you understand you gear. 

One of the beautiful things about audio is that there's usually multiple ways to achieve the same goal. Learn which methods and workflows are best for you, and then optimize them until your process is second nature. Then you'll be able to focus on what really counts, the music!

In this episode you'll learn:

- Dan Korneff's client requirements
- Secrets to punchy mixes with bus compression
- How to get properly credited for your work
- Why he prefers Cubase
- How he integrates Cubase with his console and outboard
- His inspiration for becoming a gear builder
- Where to start if you want to build your own audio gear
- Tips for maintaining a healthy work/life balance

EP8 | Interview With Dan Korneff

“Perfection Is The Enemy Of Progress” – Winston Churchill

Imagine if our favorite mixers decided to stop mixing until every single aspect of their control room was perfect…

They would never mix, because no control room is ever perfect!

No matter how hard you try, you can’t get better than best. Sure, there’s always room for improvement, and over time, with the right work ethic, anyone can improve what their best is. However, in the present moment, you can’t do any better than the best you can do.

Learn to live with that.

Perfectionism is one of the biggest momentum killers we face. It’s a futile pursuit because like it or not, nothing will ever be perfect. You are chasing the impossible. Once you replace perfectionism with an unbreakable commitment to getting the job done, that’s when your audio skills will really jump to the next level.

Perfection is nothing, momentum is everything.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

- Making the most of your listening environment
- Using “crappy” speakers to improve your mixes
- The difference between real and arbitrary deadlines
- Don’t trust a spec sheet, trust your ears
- Resources for quality acoustic treatment

EP6 |  Thinking About Better Than Best

Welcome to MixCritMonday, the show where we critique YOUR mixes.

In the hotseat this month is Caleb Rodriguez.

Caleb submitted a metalcore mix for us to crit and after a little investigation we figured out that he was making two major mistakes:

1 - He used little to no reference material
2 - His source tracks were not ready for mixing, yet he didn't fix them

We also discovered that his mixing environment was an acoustical mess and that he was compensating by mixing in headphones, a big no no. Considering he wasn't even using reference material to get his bearings, Caleb was basically his own worst enemy on this mix. 

The combination of unedited, poorly performed tracks and an unreliable listening space placed a glass ceiling on how good his mix could actually get. 

In this episode you'll learn about:

- Acoustical room treatments for under $200
- How to properly use reference mixes
- Steps to take if you mixing environment is sub par
- Which little details make a huge difference in a guitar tone
- Replacing an out of tune bass with a synth bass
- Mid range buildups that can make a mix hard to listen to

EP7 | Mixcritmonday With Caleb Rodriguez

The most common mixing mistakes up and comers make involve trying to run before they walk. In other words, they try to do the advanced stuff before they conquer the basics.

Focusing on the wrong things will keep you from achieving your mixing potential. For instance, you shouldn't even think about Mid Side EQ before you've mastered a simple 4 band. Don't mess with parallel compression when you don't even understand what attack and release do. Don't try to start mixing a song if the tracking still needs editing or tuning.

All great mixes are built on solid fundamentals like EQ, compression, gain staging, levels, and panning.

in this episode you'll learn:

- The biggest step you can take towards great tone
- What to focus on first
- The importance of fundamentals
- The most common causes of bad tone
- Technical vs musical mixing
- When to take risks and experiment
- The pros and cons of new plugins

EP5 | Run Before You Walk

Jesse Cannon, prolific mastering engineer, author, and entrepreneur joins the URM Podcast crew to discuss how to become great at both mastering and self promotion. After all, what good is your talent if you don't develop it or share it with the world?

To really win at the game of audio you must learn to master your own motivation.

Motivation is the most powerful personal asset you can develop. The same motivation that drives you to become a world class engineer is what will drive you to find better and better paying gigs. Without it you won't get off the couch, but with it you won't stop until the job is not only done, but conquered.

Easier said than done, right? 

In this episode you'll learn:

- Jesse's ITB plugin chain
- How to handle ear fatigue
- The #1 way to refresh your hearing
- 2 keys to a great master
- Intentional relationship building
- The secret to keeping high level gigs
- A positive use of loudness in mastering
- Fundamentals that every mastering engineer should learn

EP9 |  Mastering Month Kickoff W/ Jesse Cannon

Vocals are arguably the most important element in any production. If the vocals are bad, the song is bad, and the mix is bad.

Vocal production is challenging because you're dealing with multiple issues that require mental balance, physical stamina, patience and not to mention advanced engineering skills.

Listen to this if you want to learn more about:

- Recording vocals in your control room
- Vocal editing
- Common home studio vocal death traps to avoid
- Creating an exciting headphone mix for the vocalist
- Dealing with screamers

TT2 | Vocal Production Tips And Tricks PT1

Alan Douches is one of the most recognizable names in mastering when it comes to any genre of heavy music. With over 6000 mastering credits to his name with artists ranging from Mastodon to Whitechapel to Bowling For Soup Alan has become one of the most in demand engineers in the world.

We spoke at length about so many things that it's hard to summarize. Alan shared great advice for up and comers as well as lots of great mastering tips. Just a few of the topics are:

- Steps to take when mastering for vinyl
- What mastering for Itunes entails
- Analog mastering tips
- The science of listening
- Using dynamics to control your EQ

EP10 | Interview With A Master feat Alan Douches

Welcome to #MasteringCritMonday, the show where we critique YOUR mastering.

Prolific mastering engineer, Maor Appelbaum stopped by to help us critique some listener submitted mastering work. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN:

- Nice and loud vs fatiguing to listen to
- What to submit to a mastering engineer
- Adding low end without destroying the track
- When to apply a heavy handed mastering approach
- Maor's favorite outboard gear
- Adding treble without harshness
- Mastering for vinyl

Thanks for listening! Please leave us a review and feedback!

EP11 | #Masteringcritmonday w/ Maor Appelbaum

JOEY STURGIS SHARES HIS IN THE BOX MASTERING TIPS AND TRICKS.

Out of the three of us, Joey Sturgis has done the most mastering and in fact, he’s never had one of his mixes mastered by an outside engineer. He’s totally self taught and responsible for several chart toping masters. In this episode he shares some of his most effective mastering techniques.

Joey dives into his process, and how goes about getting the last 5 to 10% out of the track, using tools such as saturation, harmonic exciters, processors like Waves MaxxBass and spatial treatment.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:
- Joey’s goto mastering plugins
- Multi-band compression
- The loudness war
- Dithering
- Saturation in mastering
- Best uses for Izotope Ozone
- Enhancing the low end for small speakers
- Limiting vs clipping
- Mid-Side processing

Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment!

TT3 | Joey Sturgis Mastering Tips and Tricks

Finn Mckenty (CreativeLIVE, The Punk Rock MBA) joins us to discuss the inner workings of songwriting, creation of a unique point of view and effective marketing for bands and producers in the fast-paced, highly competitive creative world of today.

To say that today’s recording market is oversaturated would be an understatement. It’s more important than ever for producers to adopt effective and engaging ways to promote themselves. However most think that self promotion equals salsey spamming and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Hit play to find out the right way to promote yourself.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:
- Product market fit
- How to get an internship
- Developing your unique voice or sound
- The importance of high standards and how to maintain them
- Standing out in a crowded market
- The difference between part writing and songwriting
- What attention to detail really means
- What the pros share that amateurs don’t

Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment and review below!


EP13 | Standing Out From The Crowd w Finn Mckenty

Joey, Eyal, and Joel are joined by mastering legend Bob Katz for some rousing discussion about the current state of recording and what it actually takes to create professional sounding mixes and masters.

While it seems like everyone wants the latest presets and templates, mastering is always a case of figuring out what individual instances require. You can’t just slap the same plugins with the same settings on everything. You must be able to properly diagnose each situation individually, and then apply the needed processing. 

Learn about what it takes to master at the very highest levels of the game from a true legend and innovator, Bob Katz. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:
- Bob’s minimum specs for a monitoring setup
- The truth about mastering for iTunes
- Bob’s approach towards M/S processing
- Stem mastering
- The use of saturation in multiple genres
- The NS10 phenomenon

Thanks for listening!


EP12 | Interview w Bob Katz

What are the #1 and #2 skills that will get and keep you employment as an audio engineer?

1 - You must be reliable
2 - You must be an amazing editor

John Douglass is an accomplished engineer/mixer/producer, having packed an impressive number and variety of credits into his five years as an audio professional.In the studio, he has worked with metal artists such as Battlecross, Cryptopsy, The Contortionist, Assassins, and Hypno5e in addition to pop artists such as Katy Perry, Nelly, TI, and Rick Ross.

In addition to being an amazing engineer he has also been an editor for Eyal Levi, Joey Sturgis, Will Putney, Andrew Wade, Jason Suecof, and Mark Lewis. He is an encyclopedia of engineering knowledge and a ninja of workflow.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Drum editing
- Finding and keeping work as an audio engineer
- Locking phase during edits
- Using Quick Keys and batch commands for an efficient workflow
- Transient alignment

Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment!

EP14 | Clutch Drum Editing w John Douglass

If you don’t have a great drum mix, you don’t have a mix. This can be intimidating because there are so many moving pieces to deal with. The first thing you need to get right is your overall balance. Without that your drums will either lose energy or sound disjointed. 

Once you nail an initial balance then you can start working on individual elements like how much energy is being driven by the kick, or dialing a slamming snare. 

“50 to 60 percent of my snare sound doesn’t come from the actual snare.” - Joey Sturgis

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
- Joey’s favorite methods for compressing drums
- How to get a big roomy snare sound
- The importance of overall balances
- To parallel compress or to not parallel compress
- Using multi-band compression to control the low end of a kick
- Drum mixing automation tricks

Thanks for listening! Leave us a comment!


TT4 | Drum Mixing Tips and Tricks

Luck is the meeting place of preparation and opportunity. Nobody knows that better than Josh Newell, who is regarded for his genre spanning work with artists such as Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Cynic, Intronaut, Celine Dion, and more. 

On this episode we discuss how Josh Newell has managed to work his way to the top LA production circles, the difference between producing pop and metal, what it takes to maintain a long career, as well as many of his favorite mixing techniques. 

If you want to work in big studios, on various different genres, for lots of different producers, this episode is for you!

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- How to build intentional relationships
- How to spot and seize great opportunities
- The power of word of mouth
- How he became Linkin Park’s go-to engineer
- Josh’s take on Andy Wallace’s mixing style
- How to find “the hook”

Thanks for listening! Leave us a review!


Unstoppable Recording Machine

EP16 | Special Guest Josh Newell

In the modern music industry musicians and engineers must learn to wear multiple hats in order to succeed. You might have to balance your time as a guitarist, songwriter, mixer, videographer, and blogger just to make ends meet. That’s the new normal. 

In this episode Ola Englund (The Haunted, Feared, Ex-Six Feet Under) talks about his guitar playing, techniques, studio experience, and how he accomplished a breakout success with his YouTube channel. 

“I’m always trying to up my game.” -Ola Englund 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- Tips for developing your ears
- How to dial amp sims for consistency
- Ola’s sweet spot for micing cabs
- The importance of video in an oversaturated market
- How Ola Englund started in YouTube 
- OE’s stance on cheaper series guitars vs small company boutiques. 
- Ola’s practice/warm-up routine or lack thereof

Leave us a comment!
