Master Your Mix Podcast

Ed Donnelly is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer, record producer, and activist from Pioneertown, CA. He has worked with Willie Nelson, Matchbox Twenty, The Cult, Gladys Knight, Willie Nelson, Smashing Pumpkins, Del McCoury, Nathan Jacques, OK Go, Exodus, Tom Morello, O.A.R., Madness, The Crystal Method, Deadmau5, Cole Gallagher, Zac Brown, Crowded House, Marc Cohn, CrysP Tyger, Bighead Todd and the Monsters, Jake Shimabukuro, Barenaked Ladies, Tsar, Killola and more. Donnelly regularly performs with Little Silver Hearts and records with GhostsDream. Little known fact: He previously held Top Secret Security Clearance with the Department of State and Q Clearance from the Department of Energy.He currently runs The Barber’s Basement Recording Studio in Highland Park and the Electric Desperado Studio in Pioneertown, CA.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:The live-show habit that made him a calmer, more confident studio engineerHow Ed decides which mix decisions are worth agonizing over and which ones aren'tWhy pre-production is the most important part of the production processHow thorough pre-production creates more room for spontaneous moments, not lessWhy mistakes often make a record sound betterThe volume trick he uses to tell whether a mix is actually balancedWhy he tells keyboard players to stop playing with their left handWhy younger artists are asking for rougher, less polished production these daysTo learn more about Ed Donnelly, visit: https://www.barbersbasement.com/Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join: https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/Want additional help with your music productions?For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit https://masteryourmix.com/Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.comThe Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/Get the latest plugins from Carve Audio:Smashburger Compressor: https://carveaudio.com/smashburger/Busboy: https://carveaudio.com/busboy/Slapshot Delay: https://carveaudio.com/slapshot/Gas Can Amp: https://carveaudio.com/gas-can-amp/ALL PODCAST LISTENERS GET 25% OFF. USE PROMO CODE: PODCAST25Subscribe to the show:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJejYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMixHave questions you’d like answered on the show?Send them to [email protected] leave a rating and review:https://masteryourmix.com/review/Thanks for listening!

Originally from Rochester, NY, producer/engineer Neal Cappellino is the owner of The Doghouse Studio in Nashville, TN. A lifelong musician, he completed his formal education with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (’87).Neal is a 5-time Grammy® Award recipient with a discography that includes Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Robert Plant, Vince Gill, T Bone Burnett, Avicii, and Kygo. He is a member of The Recording Academy, the Audio Engineering Society, and Leadership Music Class of ’15.He has served on the Advisory Board for the School of Arts & Sciences at WPI and was the 2022 recipient of their Robert H. Goddard Award for outstanding achievement in the professional field. He previously served on the board of directors for The Melodic Caring Project, a nonprofit organization that dedicates live-streamed music events to the hospital rooms of critically ill children.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:Why your monitors don't need to sound impressive; they just need to make you do the right thingThe listening check Neal runs on every mix before he calls it done, away from his main roomHow he actually tracks down what's making a mix sound muddy, instead of guessing with EQHow he knows when a mix has gone past the point where more tweaking is helpingThe headphone setup he built specifically for Alison Krauss, and why it matteredThe difference between giving a vocalist real feedback and just telling them it sounds goodThe one question he asks himself before making any move on a mixHow to record great vocalsThe psychology of coaching a vocalistTo learn more about Neal Cappellino, visit https://www.nealcappellino.com/Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/ Want additional help with your music productions?For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.comThe Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/Get the latest plugins from Carve Audio:Smashburger Compressor: https://carveaudio.com/smashburger/Busboy: https://carveaudio.com/busboy/Slapshot: https://carveaudio.com/slapshot/Gas Can Amp: https://carveaudio.com/gas-can-amp/ALL PODCAST LISTENERS GET 25% OFF. USE PROMO CODE: PODCAST25Check out our Sponsors:Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2KSubscribe to the show:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJejYoutube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMixHave questions you’d like answered on the show?Send them to [email protected] leave a rating and review:https://masteryourmix.com/review/Thanks for listening!

Damian Taylor is a Grammy-nominated producer, mixer, programmer and songwriter who spent six years as Björk's personal engineer and programmer, working on Volta and Biophilia and touring the world with her on stage. His credits include The Prodigy's Invaders Must Die, The Killers' Battle Born, Arcade Fire, The Temper Trap, Odette, Bomba Estéreo's Grammy-nominated Deja, and Dizzy's Juno-winning Baby Teeth. Known for a hand-built approach to editing and sound design that was years ahead of standard workflows, he now teaches producers through The Complete Producer Network and his Mix Accelerator Process.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:Why imposter syndrome is a sign you careThe legendary producer who still needed a pep talk before sessionsFeeling qualified enough to release musicWhy done is better than perfectHis "Preset Roulette" approach to building creativityWorking with artists like Björk and The ProdigyHaving structure for the benefit of creativityThe signal Damian uses to know a song is finishedTo learn more about Damian Taylor, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@HereIsDamianLooking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/ Want additional help with your music productions?For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.comThe Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/Get the latest plugins from Carve Audio:Smashburger Compressor: https://carveaudio.com/smashburger/Busboy: https://carveaudio.com/busboy/Slapshot: https://carveaudio.com/slapshot/Gas Can Amp: https://carveaudio.com/gas-can-amp/ALL PODCAST LISTENERS GET 25% OFF. USE PROMO CODE: PODCAST25Check out our Sponsors:Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2KSubscribe to the show:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJejYoutube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMixHave questions you’d like answered on the show?Send them to [email protected] leave a rating and review:https://masteryourmix.com/review/Thanks for listening!

Peter Craft is the owner and chief engineer of Boxer Lodge, a destination recording studio in the hills above Napa Valley. A former software engineer and patent-holding tech architect, Craft left that career to build records full time, first from a San Francisco garage and now from a purpose-built studio centered on a 32-channel API 1608 console. He's engineered and mixed for Noelle & The Deserters, New Earth Farmers, and Strange Cities, and in 2024 hosted a session for reunited trip-hop pioneers Halou. A lifelong drummer, Craft often plays on the records he's running the board for.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:Owning a destination studioLeaving a successful job to follow your passionsTaking a chance on yourself to lean into your passionsThe importance of connecting to your communityThe pros and cons of niching downThe one question he asks before touching a single faderWhy copying a famous mixer's exact chain rarely worksWhat two mixers with completely opposite styles taught him about staying in his laneThe specific mistake that made his guitars sound thin for yearsFeeling connected to analog gearKnowing your genres before trackingHaving a North Star to followCreating contrast in a mixChoosing reverbs for vibe versus filling spaceWhy piling on reverb can shrink your mix instead of opening it upBeing intentional with every decisionHis parallel vocal chain To learn more about Peter Craft, visit: boxerlodge.comLooking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/ Want additional help with your music productions?For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.comThe Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/Get the latest plugins from Carve Audio:Smashburger Compressor: https://carveaudio.com/smashburger/Busboy: https://carveaudio.com/busboy/Slapshot: https://carveaudio.com/slapshot/Gas Can Amp: https://carveaudio.com/gas-can-amp/ALL PODCAST LISTENERS GET 25% OFF. USE PROMO CODE: PODCAST25Check out our Sponsors:Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2KSubscribe to the show:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJejYoutube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMixHave questions you’d like answered on the show?Send them to [email protected] leave a rating and review:https://masteryourmix.com/review/Thanks for listening!

Chris Collier is a producer, mixer, mastering engineer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Las Vegas, operating as CMC21 Productions. Across nearly three decades in hard rock and metal, he's engineered and produced for Korn, earning a promotion to producer on 2022's Requiem after years behind the board on the band's records, plus Prong, Lynch Mob, KXM, and Whitesnake, whose classic catalog he's remixed. On Mick Mars' 2024 solo debut, The Other Side of Mars, he played bass on every track in addition to mixing and mastering it. He's currently mixing and producing new material for Nonpoint, Society1, and Gunshine.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:Why being a "button pusher" gets you replacedThe real line between an engineer's input and a producer's inputKeeping a band's identity intact while still pushing them forwardWhat changes in the room the moment a band actually trusts youWhy quad-tracking guitars usually backfiresThe sidechain trick Chris uses instead of EQ to fix a fighting kick and bassWhy fewer tracks means fewer decisions laterBalancing speed vs qualityA simple pre-record exercise that gets two guitarists playing tightHow much editing is too much editing on a guitar takeTo learn more about Chris Collier, visit: https://www.cmc21productions.com/Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/ Want additional help with your music productions?For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.comThe Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/Get the latest plugins from Carve Audio:Smashburger Compressor: https://carveaudio.com/smashburger/Busboy: https://carveaudio.com/busboy/Slapshot: https://carveaudio.com/slapshot/Gas Can Amp: https://carveaudio.com/gas-can-amp/ALL PODCAST LISTENERS GET 25% OFF. USE PROMO CODE: PODCAST25Check out our Sponsors:Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2KSubscribe to the show:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJejYoutube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMixHave questions you’d like answered on the show?Send them to [email protected] leave a rating and review:https://masteryourmix.com/review/Thanks for listening!