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

There's a powerful concept in the world of productivity: "Finish your day before you start it". This idea can also be applied to mixing or anything else in music production, with amazing results. In this episode, Justin Colletti of SonicScoop gives insights into how to come up with a plan of attack before diving into your mix, so you can get better sounds than ever before. Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and YOU for sponsoring this podcast.

There's no such thing as a pair of studio monitors that are absolutely perfect. So, choosing the right speakers for your studio requires that you know your own biases inside and out, and that you pick a set that complements your strengths and weaknesses. Justin Colletti discusses in this episode of the podcast. Thanks to Eventide, Soundtoys and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode.

If you're new to releasing music, there's at least an 80%-90% chance that putting out an album first is not your best bet for developing your music or your audience. Try this approach instead. Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode.

This week, get one of the biggest "master tips" that will dramatically improve the way you set your levels in the mix. This strategy of "honing in" draws on a principle you'll find everywhere in the music world, once you know to look for it. It can help you not just with mix balances, but with how you adjust just about every knob in the audio world, from EQ gain to compressor thresholds to guitar tuners. Internalize this crucial approach, and soon you'll get so fast at it that you don't even realize you're doing it!

Is getting a sub for your studio worth it? There's a right and a wrong reason to get a sub. Justin Colletti gives you a framework for figuring out if you would benefit from adding a sub to your room, or if it will just make everything worse. Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode.

Get the FREE Music Pre-Production Checklist here: https://sonicscoop.com/checklist/ Pre-production is arguably the most important part of the record making process. It's also the most neglected. Justin Colletti give you the strategies you need to succeed in any type of music release. Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this podcast episode.

► Sign up to learn the Top 5 Habits of Truly Great Mixers here: https://sonicscoop.com/MixHabits How do you get the low end to sit right in your recordings and mixes? Justin Colletti has answers. Join him for this deep dive into the bottom end of record production in this, episode 47 of the SonicScoop Podcast. Don't forget to sign up for the free workshop at https://sonicscoop.com/MixHabits Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode.

In this episode of the SonicScoop Podcast, Justin Colletti gives some key principles on how to approach the prospect of "working for free" in the studio and audio world. Whether its "spec work" or the unpaid studio internship, or sample work, there are ways to make real progress, and ways to be sure to waste your time. Thanks to Gear Club, Soundtoys and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode.

Build your own home studio for under $5,000 here: http://bit.ly/winyourwishlist-sonicscoop Can you build a professional quality studio for just $5,000? This week, Justin Colletti offers some strategies and principles for doing just that. Along there way, he also gives some sound advice for making the most of any budget—whether you have $500 to spend or $500,000! Want to play along at home for a chance to win up to $5,000 worth of gear, complete free, thanks to Sweetwater? It's easy! To enter their Win Your Wishlist giveaway, just do the following: Step 1. Follow this special link to create an account or login on Sweetwater: http://bit.ly/winyourwishlist-sonicscoop Step 2. Create your own wish list Step 3. You're automatically entered to win the gear on your wish list, up to $5,000! Couldn't be easier! Just be sure to enter by November 24th, 2019 at 11:59pm. Be aware: This one is open to US residents only. Thanks to Sweetwater, Soundtoys and Eventide for sponsoring this podcast. Subscribe on iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. #Sweetwater #Sponsored #WinYourWishList

Justin Colletti gives you his master list of the very best places to learn audio and music production. And #1 might not be what you expect. Thanks to Gear Club, Soundtoys and Focusrite for sponsoring this episode.

Almost every producer, engineer and musician struggles in being able to hear compression at first—sometimes for many years. Justin Colletti offers a fool-proof strategy for really learning to hear these sometimes subtle differences. It involves limiting variables, and doing a little bit of focused listening. If you do the exercises in this podcast, you'll quickly be able to hear compression in all of its main flavors. You just have to focus on the right things. Thanks to Focusrite, Soundtoys and Eventide for sponsoring this podcast.

Justin Colletti answers a common question: Is it better to put your EQ before or after your compressor? Then, he dives into some tips and principles for using EQ sidechains and multiband compressors. Thanks to Focusrite, Soundtoys and Eventide for sponsoring this podcast. For much, much more on using compression, try Justin's full length courses: http://masteringdemystified.com http://mixingbreakthroughs.com

In this episode, Justin Colletti talks to Dave Hnatiuk, a music supervisor who has placed and written music for countless clients, including Viacom channels like MTV, VH1, BET, CMT and many more. Dave talks all about making money by placing your music in film, TV, games, commercials and a lot more. Listen for plenty of actionable advice on how to get started pitching your music. For the full course, click here: https://transactions.sendowl.com/stores/11815/13707 Remember to enter code "SonicScoop" at checkout by October 20th for 20% off! Thanks to Gear Club, Focusrite and Soundtoys for sponsoring this podcast.

In this episode of the SonicScoop Podcast, Justin Colletti talks to Marc Urselli about doing audio work in the studio vs the stage. Marc is an engineer and mixer who is equally comfortable whether mixing FOH or tracking and producing in some of the world's best recording studios. He has worked with the likes of Nick Cave, Lou Reed, John Zorn, U2, Mike Patton, Les Paul, The Black Crowes, Joss Stone and many more. In this episode, Marc and Justin talk about the differences between mixing for the studio and the stage, how to get the most out of musicians, controlling stage volume, using compression and a whole lot more. Then, the talk turns to gear, with Marc giving us a virtual tour of Manhattan's East Side Sound, and showing off a handful of very unusual (and useful) microphones. Thanks to Sonarworks, Focusrite and Eventide for sponsoring this episode.

In this episode, Justin Colletti reviews some of the most effective approaches in applying bus compression to a mix. Thanks to Soundtoys, Gear Club and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode. For more depth on this subject and more, try http://mixingbreakthroughs.com

This week, Justin Colletti gives an overview of 3 of the most useful advanced compression strategies, and details how to implement them on a variety of instruments. From parallel compression for drums, bass and vocals, serial compression for instruments and buses, and sidechain compression for making space, these are skills that should be in every producer or engineer's toolkit. Thanks to Eventide, Soundtoys and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode. For more on this topic, try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnKgDAImZtg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQmQ5uzwNmM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwrRF2SrP3U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i-cY4EQMoU For even more depth with Justin try http://mixingbreakthroughs.com and http://masteringdemystified.com

What holds you back in music, production or in mixing? This week, Justin Colletti talks to Ian Temple of Soundfly about some of the most common hangups and stumbling blocks for new musicians, producers and engineers and how to surmount them. Tune in for 5 of the most important principles for learning anything related to music and audio much faster, and for becoming much more productive in your pursuits. Thanks to Soundtoys, Gear Club and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this podcast. See more from Ian at http://Soundfly.com and http://flypaper.Soundfly.com

In this episode, Justin Colletti details the positive effects on the brain and general health and well-being that come from learning music. This is why music education really matters. For more on this topic, try: https://sonicscoop.com/2016/02/27/why-music-education-actually-matters/ Thanks to Gear Club, Soundtoys and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this podcast.

This week, Justin Colletti shares some evidence-tested ways to get much better, much faster, at what you do—whether that's playing an instrument, writing songs, mixing records, running a business, or anything else. Research shows that there are better and worse ways to go about improving at your craft—and that talent isn't all that it's chalked up to be. For more on this topic, try: https://sonicscoop.com/2016/09/09/become-best-music-sound-anything-else/ https://sonicscoop.com/2016/09/25/practice-musicians-producers-audio-engineers-entrepreneurs-can-improve-craft http://mixingbreakthroughs.com Thanks to Eventide and Soundtoys for sponsoring this podcast.

This week, Justin Colletti shares some evidence-tested ways to get much better, much faster, at what you do—whether that's playing an instrument, writing songs, mixing records, running a business, or anything else. Research shows that there are better and worse ways to go about improving at your craft—and that talent isn't all that it's chalked up to be. For more on this topic, try: https://sonicscoop.com/2016/09/09/become-best-music-sound-anything-else/ https://sonicscoop.com/2016/09/25/practice-musicians-producers-audio-engineers-entrepreneurs-can-improve-craft http://mixingbreakthroughs.com Thanks to Eventide and Soundtoys for sponsoring this podcast.

In the world of audio or music you're either an amateur or a professional. Which are you? Sometimes we're not clear and honest with ourselves about what role we're currently in—and which one is really best for us. That can lead to heartache and headaches, no matter which goals you pursue. In this episode of the podcast, Justin Colletti offers his standard for telling the difference between amateurs and professionals, and for deciding which path is best for you. He also offers a robust defense of the amateur musician, and drives the point home by talking about a few of the hobbies where he is happy to be a committed amateur. If you're an amateur, be happy to be one! And if you are a professional musician (or want to be one) be clear about what it means to pursue that goal. Also know that chances are you'll live a happier, healthier life if you find some other area where you can happily be and act like an amateur.

Nicolas Verhnes has worked with an incredible number of critically acclaimed artists including Fiery Furnaces, Cat Power, Bjork, Dirty Projectors, Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Silver Jews, The War on Drugs, Wild Nothing and more. In this conversation with Justin Colletti, learn more about his open-ended approach to record production, and his decision to leave his New York City recording studio behind.

Mark Needham is an 11-time GRAMMY-nominated producer and mixer who has worked with The Killers, Imagine Dragons, P!ink, Fleetwood Mac, Bloc Party, Chris Isaac and many more. Today, he focuses on developing new artists from the ground up, helping them find what makes them unique refine their craft, and connect with big audiences and major labels. Find out more about Mark here: https://www.markneedham.com Special thanks to Sonarworks, Soundtoys and Gear Club for sponsoring this podcast.

In this episode of the SonicScoop podcast LIVE from MixCon, Justin Colletti is joined by three brilliant panelists for a look at how music production is changing right now, and where the field is headed next. First, Jonathan Bailey of iZotope tells us about the emergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning in music production. Are you going to lose your job to a robot composer, performer mix or mastering engineer? Or are they here to help you do more and better work than ever? Then, you won't want to miss Alan Silverman's full presentation on the current and future state of loudness in music making, as he describes how streaming services have taken us "through the looking glass" into an upside-down world where loud has become quiet, quiet has become loud—and the way we make records will never be the same again. Finally, Marta Gospodarek tells us all about the state of the art in "spatial audio", from binaural music productions to 360 recording formats to the cutting edge of "object based" surround sound and more. Thanks to iZotope for sponsoring this presentation and podcast at MixCon and to Soundtoys and Eventide for Sponsoring this podcast episode.

Aside from your ears, the most important tool you use every day might just be the music you listen to in the studio, and compare your work against. According to Justin Colletti, there's a "right" and "wrong" way to use references however. Here's his tips on how to get the most out of them, avoid some of the common pitfalls, stay creative, and keep from chasing your tail while comparing your tracks to other work. Whether you're songwriting, arranging, producing, mixing or mastering, you're simply not making music in a vacuum. For more on this topic, see https://sonicscoop.com/2017/04/24/reference-tracks-next-generation/ Thanks to Focusrite, Gear Club and Soundtoys for sponsoring this podcast.

"Your Audio is Amazing and Nobody's Happy!" MP3s and streaming platforms sometimes get a bad rap...But should they?? In this episode, Justin Colletti engages full on "rant" mode, eviscerating the view that poor audio quality is what's holding back the music industry, and offering insights on what is...And what can help bring it back to life. Join us for an episode sure to bring joy to music fans of good taste and scorch the delicate ears of digital era naysayers. Thanks to Soundtoys, Focusrite and Eventide for sponsoring this podcast.

This week, Justin Colletti is joined by Maor Appelbaum, a mastering engineer who as worked with Faith No More, Sepultura, Yes, Matisyahu, Lupe Fiasco, Meatloaf, William Shatner and many more. Maor is a creative mastering engineer who is obsessed with finding the right tools to apply the right kind of coloration to the project at hand. Hear about his approach to auditioning gear, choosing the right tones, interacting with clients and a whole lot more. Thanks to Focusrite, Gear Club and Sonarworks for sponsoring this podcast. Subscribe at https://sonicscoop.com Find more from Maor at https://www.maorappelbaum.com

Justin Colletti is joined by John Congleton, producer/engineer for St. Vincent, Lana Del Rey, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Baroness, Xiu Xiu, Explosions in the Sky, The Roots, Erykah Badu, David Byrne, Wye Oak and more. In their far-ranging conversation, John and Justin talk about everything from studio design, to co-writing with artists, to Texas vs LA to balancing a full life with a career in the studio and more. Thanks to Focusrite, Soundtoys and Eventide for sponsoring this podcast.

Influential producer/engineer Joel Hamilton shares his inspiring story, and the secrets to the success of Studio G Brooklyn, which has grown from humble origins to become one of the biggest and busiest studios in all of New York City, Joel tells Justin Colletti about his approach to business, audio and life in a conversation that covers everything from mixing to finding inspiration to surviving the vagaries of New York City real estate and beyond. Learn from the decades of collected wisdom from this 7-time GRAMMY nominee with has worked with the likes of Norah Jones, Tom Waits, Blakroc, Pretty Lights, Matisyahu, Sparklehorse, Marc Robot, Dub Trio, Bomba Estéreo, Bonobo, Unsane, Iggy Pop and more. This episode is sponsored by Plugin Alliance, Soundtoys and Eventide. Visit Joel at http://studiogbrooklyn.com for Joel's tips on recovering flood damaged audio gear, mentioned in the episode, try here: http://www.trustmeimascientist.com/2012/12/03/how-to-recover-flood-damaged-audio-gear/

Nic Hard has been fearlessly recording his effects and audio processing for decades, and talks to Justin Colletti about how you can do the same. This industry veteran has worked with artists including Snarky Puppy, The Bravery, Ghost Beach and routinely commits to audio processing choices while tracking, from compression to EQ to distortion to pitch vending, sometimes to an extreme degree, all in his pursuit of getting as finished of a sound as possible while going in. Thanks to Soundtoys, Gear Club and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode. See Nic's MixCon 2016 presentation, The Mix Starts With the Mics here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bR1n88OIDg

This week, Justin Colletti talks about the 80/20 approach to audio engineering: how to focus on the things that matter most and avoid the comforting lies that keep us from making great sounding releases. He skewers the "Myth of A Thousand Little Choices" and offers a better mindset and a set of techniques for making sure you can make bold choices and avoid getting bogged down in the kind of minutia that just doesn't matter. Thanks to Soundtoys, Gear Club and Mastering Demystified for sponsoring this podcast. For the original article that inspired this conversation, click here: https://sonicscoop.com/2014/05/29/the-myth-of-a-thousand-little-choices-the-8020-rule-as-applied-to-audio-engineering/

In this episode Justin Colletti talks to Manny Marroquin, one of the biggest mixers of the 21st century about music production and the studio business. Manny is a multiple GRAMMY winner who has worked with the likes of Post Malone, John Mayer, Imagine Dragons, Lizzo, Whitney Houston, 2Pac, Pink, Shakira, Maroon 5, Rihanna, Ludacris, and many more. In a conversation that jumps seamlessly from right brain to left brain, Manny and Justin talk about how to run a successful business in the contemporary music industry, Manny's approach to mixing and a whole lot more. Thanks to Plugin Alliance, Eventide and Soundtoys for sponsoring this podcast. For more, subscribe at SonicScoop.com, and be sure not to miss the MixCon even coming up in NYC, weekend of July 27.

You asked, we answer! In this episode, Justin Colletti fields questions about monitoring levels while mixing and mastering, the details of Michael Brauer's multi-bus compression setup, how to land studio jobs and more. Want to ask questions of your own? Hit us at podcast [at] sonicscoop.com or comment below. For special, regular live Q&A sessions where you are sure to get your questions answered, consider becoming a supporter at patron.com/sonicscoop.com This podcast is sponsored by Eventide, Soundtoys and iZotope.

How much do audio engineers make? Justin Colletti dives into the statistics on income in the audio and sound fields to break it down, and examine some fo the latest trends. Some of key takeaways this year? After migrating from New York to California earlier this decade, some of the audio jobs may be migrating back OUT of California, now to smaller, even more affordable locales. Thanks to iZotope, Soundtoys and Gear Club for sponsoring this podcast. Want to go even deeper? Read the article version here: https://sonicscoop.com/2019/05/20/2019-audio-engineer-salary-jobs-report

Legendary music mixer Michael Brauer joins Justin Colletti to talk all about the art of mixing, and how to overcome the fears that have kept so many mixers—including him—from doing their best work early on in their careers. From Coldplay to John Mayer to Grizzly Bear, Brauer's body of work, spanning more than 40 years, has made him one of the most respected and influential audio engineers on the scene today. Filled with his incomparable wit and wisdom, this 90 minute journey with Michael Brauer just flies by. From the art and mindset of mixing, to some of Brauer's trademark tools and techniques, Justin and Michael cover a tremendous amount of ground, including how Brauer learned to hear compression, and how he integrates it into his multi-bus mixing setup, now in a new hybrid studio without an analog desk. Thanks to iZotope, Eventide and Soundtoys for Sponsoring this podcast. For more from Michael Brauer, visit https://www.mbrauer.com or https://MixWithTheMasters.com

In this episode, Justin Colletti tackles an unlikely topic for a channel that's all about music and audio production and business: Investing. In this episode, you'll get some evidence-based best practices for managing your surplus so that you can weather lean times in a creative field, more confidently make the leap to working for yourself full time, or even just support an expensive calling in the arts. Thanks to Gear Club, Soundtoys and iZotope for sponsoring this podcast. If you need help making sure you have a surplus each month to begin with, try "The Independent Musician's Guide to Not Going Broke" or podcast episode 9 at the links below: https://sonicscoop.com/2013/09/26/the-independent-musicians-guide-to-not-going-broke/ https://sonicscoop.com/2019/02/28/how-to-make-and-keep-more-money-in-the-music-and-studio-business-ssp-009/ For more of Justin's writing on this topic, try: http://justincolletti.com/2016/03/10/how-to-tell-when-stocks-are-overpriced-its-easier-than-you-may-think/ http://justincolletti.com/2016/03/08/good-profit-in-life-business-and-art-are-you-investing-trading-or-speculating/ https://justincolletti.com/2016/02/06/the-great-bubble-of-2016/ And for the charts and graphs in this episode, see: https://www.multpl.com/shiller-pe https://www.multpl.com/inflation-adjusted-s-p-500 http://pricedingold.com/charts/SP500-1880.pdf https://www.macrotrends.net/2574/dow-to-gdp-ratio-chart https://mebfaber.com/2019/01/06/you-would-have-missed-961-in-gains-using-the-cape-ratio-and-thats-a-good-thing/ https://mebfaber.com/2014/04/15/a-spectrum-of-possibilities-probabilities/ Note that this podcast is for informational purposes only and nothing in it should be construed as personal investment advice.

16 bit? 24 bit? 32 bit?? How much of a difference does bit depth really make? And are these differences you can hear for yourself? Justin Colletti dives deep into this topic to clear up the common misunderstandings around bit depth in audio and helps make you make the best choices for your productions, whatever DAW or interface you may be using. Thanks to Soundtoys, Focusrite and Eventide for sponsoring this podcast.

Scott Bradlee started with nothing but a keyboard and a camera and grew his Postmodern Jukebox channel into a small musical empire, with nearly 4 million subscribers on YouTube alone, dozens of album releases, and tours all around the world. There's a thing or two that any kind of musician can learn from his story. Join in on a conversation between Scott and SonicScoop's Justin Colletti on what it takes to leverage video platforms and social media establish your own base of fans, and to build a real, sustainable career in music—or any other creative field. Join in on a conversation between Scott and SonicScoop's Justin Colletti on what it takes to leverage video platforms and social media establish your own base of fans, and to build a real, sustainable career in music—or any other creative field. Thanks to Novation, Eventide and Soundtoys for sponsoring this podcast. Check out Scott's channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORIeT1hk6tYBuntEXsguLg Read the first chapter of his new book here: https://sonicscoop.com/2018/07/23/truth-behind-postmodern-jukebox-shocking-new-tell/ Or check out a detailed synopsis of his story here: https://sonicscoop.com/2015/01/08/postmodern-jukebox-the-making-of-a-multi-million-view-youtube-music-channel/

Justin Colletti talks with Paul "Willie Green" Womack about wearing the many different hats a modern producer/engineer must don in the studio. How do you keep it all together, shifting between the roles of technician, coach, arranger, craftsman, collaborator, and when should you farm some of the tasks to assistants and others? This podcast is sponsored by Novation, Gear Club and Soundtoys. Find Paul at http://www.williegreenmusic.com Follow Paul on Twitter at https://twitter.com/williegreen1 Read his articles on SonicScoop at: https://sonicscoop.com/author/willie-green/

Taxes? Yes, taxes. SonicScoop's Justin Colletti can make even this topic fun, interesting and useful! If you're in business for yourself as a producer, engineer or musician, taxes are a big and unavoidable part of your business. And if you're not doing them right, it could be needlessly costing you thousands of dollars per year. In this primer, learn all the things you never learned in school, and get a great framework and tons of useful tips, tactics and strategies for making sure you can keep more of your heard-earned money each year, and continue to grow your creative business. Thanks to Focusrite, Soundtoys and Eventide for sponsoring this podcast. For more detail on this topic, try: https://sonicscoop.com/2018/03/22/independent-musicians-guide-not-overpaying-thousands-taxes/

Sampling rates. 44.1k. 48k. 88.2k 96k. 192k?? How do they impact your sound, and how can you make the best choice for your projects? Justin Colletti dives into the science behind sampling rates in a fun and informative talk that demystifies what they're really all about, and puts to bed much of the confusion surrounding this topic. Thanks to Soundtoys, Sonarworks and Eventide for sponsoring this podcast. Get more from Justin at masteringdemystified.com or mixingbreakthroughs.com For the articles mentioned in this post try: https://sonicscoop.com/2016/02/19/the-science-of-sample-rates-when-higher-is-better-and-when-it-isnt/ https://sonicscoop.com/2013/04/17/beyond-the-basics-harmonic-motion-and-the-root-of-all-music/

Throw out your textbooks! Ariel Borujow stops by the SonicScoop Podcast to talk all about how the music business really works in the internet age, and offers some tested tips for improving your career whether you're a producer, artist or engineer. Thanks to Soundtoys Sonarworks and Gear Club for sponsoring this podcast. Find out more about Ariel at https://arielborujow.com

Ben H. Allen joins Justin Colletti to talk about ways of breaking the mold when producing music, and coming up with memorable, trailblazing sounds. Ben has worked recently with critically-acclaimed artists including Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Belle and Sebastian, Washed Out, and Gnarls Barkley, after an early career engineering for major hip hop all stars like Puff Daddy, Mase and and Notorious B.I.G. He shares strategies for avoiding the the cookie cutter approach, and getting the most out of artists—and yourself—in every production. Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and Sonarworks for sponsoring this podcast. Learn more about Ben at http://www.makerecordsnotbombs.com

Is audio school really worth it? Can you get a "job" out of music school? Is a degree actually going to help you break into a creative field? Justin Colletti dives deep into this topic for prospective students, career changers and those in the job market. Thanks to Soundtoys, Gear Club and Sonarworks for sponsoring this podcast. For more info on this topic, try: https://sonicscoop.com/2014/09/25/is-pro-tools-certification-worth-it-3-great-reasons-and-3-terrible-reasons-to-take-a-training-course/ https://sonicscoop.com/2018/06/07/industry-intel-2018-audio-engineer-salaries-jobs-report/

In this week's podcast, Justin Colletti is joined by Dean Olivet, a musician and educator who has compiled data on the biggest songs in history to help discover what goes into making hit records that capture music fans' imaginations. Dean shares his research into the 40 biggest tracks of the past year—and the 500 most popular songs in history—to find common threads and new trends in the tastes of listeners. Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and Sonarworks for sponsoring this podcast. To read Dean's original analysis on Soundfly's "Flypaper" blog, see: https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/we-analyzed-every-dang-song-that-cracked-the-billboard-top-5-in-2018/

Aka "The Independent Musician's Guide to Not Going Broke" In this episode of the SonicScoop podcast, Justin Colletti talks about mastering your money and finances in a creative field so that you can continue having the freedom you need to do your best work. Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and Sonarworks for sponsoring this podcast. Find the article that inspired this episode at https://sonicscoop.com/2013/09/26/the-independent-musicians-guide-to-not-going-broke/

In this week's podcast, veteran mixer Mike Major [At The Drive In, Coheed and Cambria, Tall as Lions] joins Justin Colletti to talk all about enhancing drum sounds in the mix. He breaks down his process and workflow in detail, offering a repeatable framework for getting the most out of real drum kits, whether you're looking to add size and ambience, or get tighter, cleaner sounds. Thanks to Soundtoys, Gear Club and Sonarworks for sponsoring this podcast. http://Sonarworks.com http://Soundtoys.com http://Gear-Club.net See more from Mike at https://Mike Major Mix.com https://MixingDrums.com Fine the article mentioned in the episode at: https://sonicscoop.com/2017/01/31/advanced-drum-mixing-time-aligning-drum-tracks-better-phase-coherence/ Find more of Mike's free articles at: https://sonicscoop.com/author/mike-major/

Prolific rock and metal producer Eyal Levi of Unstoppable Recording Machine joins Justin Colletti to talk all about advancing your career in audio or music by making networking work for you, and discusses strategies for landing new clients. These insights apply to any genre, whether it be rock or hip hop or jazz or classical. Thanks to Sonarworks, Soundtoys and Gear Club for sponsoring this podcast. Check them out at: http://Sonarworks.com http://Soundtoys.com http://Gear-Club.net See more from Eyal at http://urm.academy

Are you about to send your music in for mastering? Veteran GRAMMY-nominated mastering engineer Joe Lambert joins Justin Colletti on this week's podcast to answer some of the most common questions mastering engineers get, and to give some tips on avoiding the biggest mistakes artists and mixers make. Thanks to Sonarworks, Soundtoys and Eventide for sponsoring. Reach Joe at http://joelambertmastering.com Check out Justin's course at http://MasteringDemystified for more great tips or his "Mixing Tips from Your Mastering Engineer" series on the Joe Lambert Mastering blog: https://sonicscoop.com/2015/11/12/mix-tips-from-your-mastering-engineer/ See Joe's video masterclass with SonicScoop here: https://sonicscoop.com/2017/09/28/music-mastering-masterclass-joe-lambert/ Or, check out SonicScoop's best ever posts on mastering at: https://sonicscoop.com/2018/05/13/sonicscoops-top-10-best-posts-mastering/

How do you go about setting the release time on a compressor? How hot should I mix and how high should I set my output levels for mastering? Are EPs a viable alternative to albums? All that and a whole lot more in this first Q&A episode of the new SonicScoop podcast with Justin Colletti.