The SonicScoop Podcast | Music Production, Audio Engineering, and The Business of Music

Would you benefit from having alternate versions of your master for streaming services and other platforms? Mastering engineer Justin Colletti gives his take.

Justin Colletti talks about why he stopped stealing music and plugins a long time ago, and how it helped him in his career. ...And how doing it can hold your own career back.

"The client wants my mix to sound just like their demo! What do I do?" Justin Colletti tackles the question of what to do when your mixing clients won't seem to give you the freedom to really improve their sounds.

Justin Colletti offers his two biggest picks for the factors that will make you successful in the studio... and practically anywhere else.

Depth. Immersion. Front to back spatial definition. Here's how to get more of it in your tracks.

Do you need to come from money to make it in the music world? Some people tell themselves it's a big factor. But how much does it really matter?

Fail your way to success! Justin Colletti offers two prime strategies on how to mix better by failing on purpose.

Justin Colletti gives his vote for the two most commonly overlooked elements of getting great mix balances, that most new mixers neglect.

Justin Colletti goes over the two biggest mistakes new mixers make when it comes to reverb. Find more at SonicScoop.com

To become successful in music and audio production, should you diversify your skillset, or niche down and specialize in a key area? Justin Colletti gives you the best practices on whether and when each strategy is your best bet.

Justin Colletti shares his top 3 takeaways from Michael Brauer's masterclass at MixCon 2020.

Justin Colletti is back with another look at the top 3 takeaways from one of our MixCon Masterclass presenters, this time, Maria Elisa Ayerbe, a woman who has worked with Mary J Blige, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, JLo, Laura Pausini, Juanes, Kronos Quartet, Nashville Symphony, Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra, New World Symphony, and many more.

In this week's episode, Justin Colletti shares the top 3 mixing strategies revealed by 3x GRAMMY-winner Jacquire King in his MixCon 2020 Masterclass

Justin Colletti shares his 3 favorite takeaways from Jimmy Douglass' MixCon Masterclass. Catch the full presentation here: https://sonicscoop.com/2020/09/16/mixing-remixing-masterclass-w-jimmy-douglass/

Luca Pretolesi just kicked off MixCon 2020 with an awesome masterclass on mixing electronic music. Justin Colletti shares his top takeaways from Luca's presentation. Get the full free masterclass here: https://youtu.be/cahztwJBn7c

When, where and how should you use low cut (or "high pass") filters? Should you low cut everything that doesn't need lots of bottom end? Should you always do it? Never do it? Are there some elements you should always do it on? Never do it on? Does it have a place in mastering or recording along with mixing? Justin Colletti answers all these questions and more.

"Mastering Engineer" is a misleading term says Justin Colletti. It has little to do with the actual service they provide. What's wrong wit the name, and what should we think about calling them instead?

Do you need 16 mics to record drums well? Can you get away with 1, 2 or 4? If you had 8 mics to use, what would you record and what would you leave out? Justin Colletti answers these questions and more in this week's episode of the podcast. ►Get the free mixing workshop: https://sonicscoop.com/MixHabits ►Get the free mastering workshop: https://sonicscoop.com/Mastering101

►Get the free mixing workshop: https://sonicscoop.com/MixHabits ►Get the free mastering workshop: https://sonicscoop.com/Mastering101 Admit it. You get GAS sometimes. We all get GAS sometimes. But does GAS ever go away for good? This week, a listener writes in to ask about his GAS. Is it normal? Does it ever go away? Justin Colletti talks about our obsessions with gear, and how to ensure you have a healthy relationship with yours.

►Get the free mixing workshop: https://sonicscoop.com/MixHabits ►Get the free mastering workshop: https://sonicscoop.com/Mastering101 How long should you take to mix a song? Justin Colletti offers some clear guidelines in this week's episode of the SonicScoop Podcast. He also goes over best practices for managing your time when it comes to mastering and recording.

This week Justin Colletti answers a listeners question about his analog audio envy, and how to deal with it in a digital audio world. The subtitle of this episode is "Of Apples and Audio". Don't worry. You'll find out why.

In this episode, Justin Colletti talks about what might just be a contender for the #1 reason most albums fail. In order to have a successful music release, you've got to treat every release like a beginning, not an end. Here's what that means.

The days of huge commercial music studios with dozens of assistants on staff are mostly over. But assistants are still a crucially important part of the music production process for producers and studio owners who are wise. Whether you're looking to get your first gig in the studio world, or increase your productivity and earnings in your own studio, the role of the assistant is as important as ever. Justin Colletti explores.

Snake oil. It exists in the world of audio. Oh boy does it ever. But so do small changes that can make a real difference. How do you differentiate between the two, to get the best sound quality you can, while getting the most bang for your buck? Justin Colletti gives you the process for finding out.

Just what is the difference between multi band compression and dynamic EQ? How do they work, how do they differ, and perhaps most importantly—how should you use them? Justin Colletti dives deep.

What is music publishing, and how can you leverage it to make more money with your music? Ben O'Connell of Songtrust joins Justin Colletti of SonicScoop to talk about how music publishing deals can make musicians and artists more money, what they can do to get more streams and more revenue from their creative works, and what they need to know about copyrights for their recordings. Hear the case studies from this conversation at https://sonicscoop.com/bensongtrust Find out more about Songtrust at http://songtrust.com

Producer/engineer/mixer Dana Nielsen has worked with the likes of Rick Rubin, Rihanna, Neil Young, Adele, Metallica, Bob Dylan, Slayer, Weezer and so many more. He talks to Justin Colletti about making the most of compromised mix rooms, his favorite microphones, and recording remotely with the band Endless Field. Learn more about Dana at http://DanaNielsen.com Get a HUGE discount on the mics used in this video at http://jzmic.com with the discount code SONICSCOOP for free shipping on top of your 50% off for a limited time. Learn more about Endless Field and see the videos discussed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOGmv0NRPfY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLqwExRXmUY https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuv-ws9zdGenxhJ_PnEcNw

What is the role of "talent" in making or breaking your music production career? Can you overcome a lack of talent? Is it possible to cultivate more of it? How do you know if you have enough? Justin Colletti explores.

How do you know when your mixes are good enough? How do you know if YOU are good enough to keep at it, making music? Justin Colletti answers these questions in his most raw and intimate podcast to date.

Is mixing as important as we make it out to be? Maybe not. Justin Colletti explores. Enter to WIN the mic featured In this episode at http://sonicscoop.com/contest

Should you compress, EQ, or otherwise process your mix? How much headroom should you leave for mastering? Justin Colletti explores!

The best mixers and mastering engineers on the planet usually have systematic approach to mixing. This doesn't hamper their creativity. It enhances it. Justin Colletti gives you all you need to know to create a great mixing system for yourself.

Louder is better. At least it sounds that way. There are good reasons to level match your music for truly objective critical listening decisions. And there are also good reasons not to bother it at all. Justin Colletti discusses both sides of this subject.

Koen Heldens is a mixer for some of the most unconventional and cutting edge hip hop and R&B artists of today. Perhaps best known for his work with XXXTentaction, Koen has worked with the likes of Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Whiz Khalifa, Sizzla, Thutmose, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliot, Dreezy and so many more. Koen tells Justin Colletti about the philosophy he learned from working with Dr. Dre, which emphasizes making things "feel" right, rather than looking to achieve pristine sounds—something that took a lot of adjustment for this classically-trained musician and conventionally-schooled audio engineer. Thanks to Sonarworks, Soundtoys and Focusrite for sponsoring this episode.

Justin Colletti goes on a rant about some of the worst experiences he had in getting his own mixes mastered early on in his career.

Could short videos on music and audio production be killing your gains in studio skills? Justin Colletti argues that they can. Here's why, what to avoid, and what to try instead.

Thom Russo joins Justin Colletti to talk about his career working with major artists from Johnny Cash, Audioslave and Eric Clapton to Michael Jackson, Paula Abdul and Macy Gray to Latin music superstars like Juanes and Enrique Iglesias. Thom has received 16 GRAMMYs awards, worked with Rick Rubin, and regularly acts as a co-writer and producer for his clients.

Is it a good idea to mix your own recordings or master your own mixes? Justin Colletti discusses the pros and cons of each of these approaches. He offers some advice on how to do it right, as well as ways of thinking through when and why you might want to seek help, and when to go it alone. Enter the Focusrite giveaway here: https://bit.ly/PSM_SonicScoop Get 7% off DistroKid here: https://Distrokid.com/SonicScoop

There's a lot of uncertainty out there at the moment. Justin Colletti offers some strategies for making a living in audio and music when times are tough. He's been through it before and survived and prospered! You can too.

Is it wise to go to school for the audio, music, or the arts? In some ways, no. Here are 5 key issues with music production education, that any graduate is going to have to overcome—and that every prospective student ought to consider. Thanks to DistroKid for sponsoring this episode. Get 7% off your first year distributing your music through DistroKid at http://distrokid.com/vip/sonicscoop Special thanks to Gear Club and Soundtoys for sponsoring as well.

When should you reach for an EQ boost, and when should you cut? Is one approach better than the other? Justin Colletti offers some principles and concepts on how to think about and approach your EQs in this episode of the podcast. Thanks to DistroKid for sponsoring this episode. Get 7% off your first year distributing your music through DistroKid at http://distrokid.com/vip/sonicscoop Special thanks to Focusrite and Eventide for sponsoring as well.

Room and speaker correction have come a long way. Once hit-or-miss tool employed almost exclusively by larger studios, smart solutions for EQ treatment are now accessible to even the most humble of studios. The most successful of these new solutions is easily Sonarworks, which has become nearly ubiquitous in serious project studios. Justin Colletti talks to Sonarworks co-founder Martins Popelis about how these solutions work, what they can do for your studio—and what they can't. Justin has some uncommon questions for his quest. Such as: Now that the frequency response of your speakers can so easily be smoothed out by adaptive EQ correction, what are the remaining essential qualities to look for in a set of speakers? All that and a lot more inside.

Whether its conventional business loans, 0% store credit cards, even student loans... People have tried all sorts of ways to finance upgrades tp their new and existing studios. Are these strategies wise? Or will they just get you into trouble? Justin Colletti gives a primer on how—and how not—to use debt or credit effectively as part for your studio startup strategy. For a 50% discount on the mic used in this episode click here: https://usashop.jzmic.com/collections/new-models/products/amethyst

Sometimes it's easy to start new music projects. But actually FINISHING them can be the hardest part. Justin Colletti offers some strategies on how to finish your mixes and get moving on to promotion, playing and new projects.

Making high quality recordings requires that you ask the right questions as early on in the process as possible. Here's Justin Colletti's guide to getting your record on the right path from the beginning so you don't find yourself trying to "fix it in the mix", or worse yet, during mastering! Thanks to Focusrite, Soundtoys and Eventide for sponsoring this episode.

Why do some people seem to be able to make a living in music and audio, while so many people who are equally passionate, and even talented, can never quite get their careers off the ground? There are many factors in this equation, but one of the most important revolves on what KINDS of plans you are making. Here's how to live a life full of great music and great work without settling for an uninspiring "Plan B". Thanks to Focusrite, Soundtoys and Gear Club for sponsoring this podcast.

What are the most important pieces of gear in the studio? Justin Colletti offers a way to filter through noise and answer this question. In short: Gear generally gets more important the closer you get to the beginning of the chain. This concept has some profound implications. Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and YOU for sponsoring this podcast.

DIY approaches are popular in audio and music production...and for good reason. But the DIY mentality can and often does go wrong, holding us back in the development of our audio and music careers. Here's how to reap the benefits while avoiding the many pitfalls.

Justin Colletti talks about how to use an often-misunderstood mode found in an increasing number of plugins and hardware devices: Mid-Side processing. What does it mean, and what can it do for your productions? Justin discusses this, and more importantly the "why" of mid-side processing, especially in mastering, but also in special mixing circumstances. Thanks to Gear Club, Soundtoys and YOU for sponsoring this episode.

How long can you spend in the studio before you hit the point of diminishing returns? Justin Colletti recommends asking yourself this question and monitoring your productive studio time in this episode. He offers a few insights into how long you can expect to remain productive in any given session, and a few strategies on how to keep your longevity in the music business. Thanks to Gear Club, Soundtoys and YOU for sponsoring this episode.