Master Your Mix Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

James 'Jimmy T' Meslin is a Grammy winning recording engineer, mixer, and live sound engineer. While his range of work supersedes any one genre, his best known work is with prog-metal giants, Dream Theater. With years of experience in recording studios and international touring, JTM's goal remains simple - make great sounding records and mix inspiring shows that are true and authentic to the artist.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Working with Dream Theatre
• Being a playback engineer
• Backing Tracks: Why big artists use them
• Having a practical approach to recording
• Navigating family life while working on the road and in the studio
• How to get massive guitar tones
• James’ approach to multi-micing guitar cabinets
• Why you should always record with a DI
• Using microphones instead of EQ
• Maintaining phase relationships when multi-micing
• Focusing on getting great performances, rather than fixing in editing

To learn more about James Meslin, visit: https://www.jamesmeslinaudio.com/

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit https://masteryourmix.com/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes? Check out my new coaching program Amplitude and apply to join: https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2K

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.com
• The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Subscribe to the show:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJej

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review: https://masteryourmix.com/review/

Sean Johnson got his start as a musician who toured the world multiple times with his DIY Bands, covering everything from pop to metal.

Since then, he has gone on to become a vocal coach who has helped over 4,000 students unlock their true voice.

His content and lessons have been part of multiple YouTube channels with a combined subscriber count of over 800,000 subscribers

He has also been repeatedly featured on publications such as:

 Metal Injection, MetalSucks, Esquire Magazine, The Chive, TubeFilter, and the covetous front page of Reddit

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Learning to sing
• How your emotions affect your ability to sing much more than you might think
• Understanding the mechanics of your voice
• Getting in the headspace for optimal singing
• How to sing in key and correct pitch issues
• Controlling your volume
• How to prevent vocal burnout
• Preventing issues such as sibilance and lip smacks

To learn more about Sean Johnson, visit: https://www.vocalacademy3.com/

To get a free vocal lesson with Sean, visit: https://funnel.vocalacademy3.com/masteryourmixlesson

To get his free Vocal Essentials Course, visit: https://www.vocalacademy3.com/masteryourmix

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit https://masteryourmix.com/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes? Check out my new coaching program Amplitude and apply to join: https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2K

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.com
• The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Subscribe to the show:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJej

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review: https://masteryourmix.com/review/

Brendan Duffey is a Grammy award-winning mixing and mastering engineer. 15 Grammy nominations, multiple certified Multi-Platinum records, and awards in film and advertising are some of the highlights of his 25+ career in music production. Brendan has worked with Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Kendrick Lamar, Sheryl Crow, Devin Townsend, Ella Mai, Mount Westmore (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Too Short, E-40), Milton Nascimento, Daniela Mercury, Muni Long, Graham Bonnet, Muni Long, Anitta, De La Tierra, Angra and many more.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Having diversity in your skillset
• Being a “people person”
• How to network
• Being an extroverted introvert
• Why work/life balance is bullshit
• Aligning with like-minded people
• Working with Sylvia Massy
• Being a creature of habit
• Engineers who have their own sonic footprint
• Establishing client expectations
• Having a checklist for your workflow
• Using AI in mastering
• The value of your personal brand as an audio engineer
• Atmos mastering

To learn more about Brendan Duffey, visit: http://www.brendanduffeyaudio.com/

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit https://masteryourmix.com/

Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2K

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes? Check out my new coaching program Amplitude and apply to join: https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

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.com
• The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Subscribe to the show:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJej

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review: https://masteryourmix.com/review/

Jason Livermore received his first snare drum at the age of three. Years later, Jason took up bass and guitar, but returned to drums because he liked them better. In junior high Jason discovered punk rock. His first vinyl purchase was the infamous, “Milo Goes to College”. He played in various bands throughout high school and college, recording some of these himself. After college, he decided that recording was probably going to be cooler than selling beer for Miller, his job at the time. 

Upon hearing that ALL was opening the Blasting Room in 1994, he moved to Fort Collins to land the job of a lifetime. Jason has been working at the studio ever since and in 2015 he became co-owner alongside Bill Stevenson. He has worked on about 95% of the albums that have come out of the studio. Jason has also played drums for Wretch Like Me, Drag the River, Bill The Welder, Soul City Missionaries, and The Virginia Sisters.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Finding trust in yourself that you know what you are doing
• Mixing punk drums
• How a drummer’s technique will change your approach to micing and tuning
• How to tune drums
• To polish your tracks or keep them raw? How to know when to edit
• Creating tempo maps
• How a particular type of guitar bridge cut his recording time in half
• Choosing string gauges for getting the most clarity with your guitars
• How to set up multi-amp blends
• Using phase alignment tools

To learn more about Jason Livermore, visit: https://theblastingroom.com/To learn more 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 the #1 Amazon bestselling book, The Mixing Mindset – The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Join the FREE MasterYourMix Facebook community: https://links.masteryourmix.com/community

To make sure that you don’t miss an episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Android.

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Jim Stewart is a Mixing Engineer and Producer based in Cleveland Ohio. Over the past 15 years he has worked with some of the most promising local, regional and national artists. Songs Jim has mixed, engineered or produced have been featured in tv shows, movies, commercials, as well as garnering millions of streams across streaming platforms.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Building your own studio
• Working on a budget
• Lessons learnt from failed studios
• The important budgeting tip that can make or break your studio business
• Getting clients for your studio
• Growing your clientele beyond only local artists
• Helping artists promote their music once they’ve recorded
• The reason most band’s record sales flop
• Mixing cello in rock music
• How to get your kick and bass to work together to create a solid low-end
• Distorting bass
• How to mix snares to sound big and fat
• Using room samples to get more control over your drum tracks

To learn more about Jim Stewart, visit: https://www.jimstewartmixing.com/

To learn more 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 the #1 Amazon bestselling book, The Mixing Mindset – The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Join the FREE MasterYourMix Facebook community: https://links.masteryourmix.com/community

To make sure that you don’t miss an episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Android.

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Simon Grove is a music producer based in Sydney, Australia. 

Having an equally strong musical background as a bass player and guitarist, he is able to seamlessly bridge the division between engineer and musician. This allows him to create records with technical precision whilst retaining the music's intended character and dynamic. 

Simon has built a vast catalogue of clients from around the world including Protest The Hero, Plini, Intervals, Richard Henshall, Stephen Taranto, Owane, Tashka, and many more.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

Becoming a session musician

• What makes a great bass tone?
• Using parallel processing on bass
• Simon’s live and in-studio signal chains for bass
• Kick and bass relationships: Deciding whether the bass should sit above or below the kick drum
• How to shape your kick drums to fit the tempo of your songs (to get more clarity out of them)
• His plugin, Grovebass
• How to make ghost notes be heard clearly in a mix
• Giving snare drums their own space
• How the thickness of a drum affects the tone
• Why he avoids using gates on drums
• Why editing is so important (even if you have great musicians and performances)
• Working on instrumental music: How to give lead guitars their own space
• Tracking techniques for getting tighter guitars
• The importance of tuning for tone

To learn more about Simon Grove, visit https://simongrove.com/

To learn more about joining the MasterYourMix Academy, visit: http://masteryourmixacademy.com/

To get 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 the #1 Amazon bestselling book, The Mixing Mindset – The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Join the FREE MasterYourMix Facebook community: https://links.masteryourmix.com/community

To make sure that you don’t miss an episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Android.

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Jay Ruston began his recording career in Canada in the early 1990’s, training under legendary producer Jack Richardson (Alice Cooper, Bob Seger, The Guess Who).  In 2003, Jay relocated to Los Angeles where he quickly fell in favor of producers such as Desmond Child and Peter Asher.  Since then, Jay has produced or mixed records for Anthrax, Steel Panther, Diana Ross, Wilson Philips, American Idol, Stone Sour, Meat Loaf, Better than Ezra, Killswitch Engage, Everclear, Bowling for Soup, Theory of a Deadman and many others.  Jay currently works from his studio in Sherman Oaks producing, mixing and mixing in 5.1 surround sound.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Stacking vocals & creating harmonies
• Pushing singers to get great performances vs relying on tuning
• Lessons learned from famed producer, Jack Richardson
• Working for free to start your career
• Working with Steel Panther
• Writing lyrics with artists
• To recording with click track or not
• Tempo mapping
• Preserving natural feel vs hyper-editing
• Top-down mixing
• Vocal compression for rock music

To learn more about Jay Ruston, visit http://jayruston.com/

To learn more 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 the #1 Amazon bestselling book, The Mixing Mindset – The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Join the FREE MasterYourMix Facebook community: https://links.masteryourmix.com/community

To make sure that you don’t miss an episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Android.

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Maor Appelbaum is a mastering engineer and musician.

After working as staff engineer (mixing, recording and mastering) for famed record producer Sylvia Massy Shivy at Radiostar Studios in Weed, California, Maor moved to Los Angeles where he opened his private mastering suite.

Maor has had the pleasure of mastering recordings for major international acts such as: Rob Halford, Sepultura, Yngwie Malmsteen, Fates Warning, Cynic, The Prog Collective, Nekromantix, Armored Saint, Lita ford, Fight, Angra, Walter Trout, Treponem Pal, Seven The Hardway, Marco Mendoza, The Top Chops and more…

He has mastered the works of well-known music producers such as: Toby Wright, Justin Gray, Roy Z, Sylvia Massy, Gilby Clark, Warren Riker, Ryan Greene, Ulrich Wild, Fabrizio Grossi, Greg Hampton , Logan Mader, Stan Katayama, Ben Schigel, Mark Lewis, Jacob Hansen, Tue Madsen, Eyal Levi, Jason Suecof, Thomas Lang and more… Also, he does mastering for unsigned artists of all genres from all over the world.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Should a mastering engineer offer constructive criticism to their clients?
• How to be tactful with client communication
• Working with Sylvia Massey
• How to be creative with mastering music
• Understanding how your gear affects your sound
• Remastering records: How to preserve the legacy of an artist
• Building custom gear
• Modeling hardware for plugins
• What makes a great master?
• How your portfolio helps you grow your career

To learn more about Maor Appelbaum, visit: https://maorappelbaum.com/

To learn more 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 the #1 Amazon bestselling book, The Mixing Mindset – The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Join the FREE MasterYourMix Facebook community: https://links.masteryourmix.com/community

To make sure that you don’t miss an episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Android.

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

A Long Island native who got his start playing jazz trumpet, Andrew Scheps has mixed records for artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Metallica, Jay-Z and many others. After graduating from the Recording Engineering Program at the University of Miami, he spent some time working for New England Digital as a field service technician for the Synclavier, one of the first digital synthesizers / samplers / workstations, then on the road with Stevie Wonder (as a keyboard tech) and Michael Jackson (mixing live sound), before settling in LA.

Having got into mixing a few years before the analog-to-digital revolution, Andrew worked with a collection of vintage gear at his Punkerpad West studio in Van Nuys, California, including a Neve Electronics BCM-10 with ten 1073s that were used for reference during the Waves Audio Scheps 73 plugin modeling process.

In July 2015, he made the switch to working completely “in the box”

Scheps is known for his balanced, modern sounding and often loud mixes. 

He is also the owner and president of Tonequake Records and Punkerpad UK (formerly Punker Pad West).

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• The importance of having skills that go beyond basic audio engineering
• Diversifying your skills and musical genres
• Being proactive vs reactive in the studio
• Why he switched working on analog gear to being 100% in the box
• Creating efficiencies in your workflow
• How using macros will make you a better engineer
• His go-to macros for saving time
• Andrew’s new app, Bounce Factory
• The various mixes you should be delivering to every client
• How he uses his “rear buss” system to make his mixes feel bigger
• His approach to creating ambience in a mix
• Various ways you can manipulate your plugins to get a cooler sound

To learn more about Andrew Scheps, visit: http://www.mcdman.com/scheps

To learn more 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 the #1 Amazon bestselling book, The Mixing Mindset – The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Join the FREE MasterYourMix Facebook community: https://links.masteryourmix.com/community

To make sure that you don’t miss an episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Android.

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!

Photo Credit: Mix With The Masters

Vance Powell is an American six-time Grammy Award winning record producer, engineer and mixer. His credits include Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, The White Stripes, Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, Deadly Apples, Seasick Steve, Black Prairie, The Revivalists, Tinariwen, JEFF the Brotherhood, Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes, and Martina McBride, among many others.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

• Working with Jack White and Chris Stapleton
• How his live sound experience influences his work in the studio
• The importance of “making decisions” while tracking
• Why he doesn’t edit his tracks
• Should you record with a click track?
• Imposter syndrome: How to learn from it
• Why doing “shootouts” is a bad idea
• Reverb vs delay: When it’s better to use one vs the other
• Using saturation: 
  • How to dial it in
  • Where to use it
  • His go-to pedals for saturation
  • How using tape can give your drums a bigger sound
• Mixing Snare:
  • How to make your snares sound more like a note vs a quick hit
  • His go-to compression settings
  • How to use a transient designer
  • How to get the right tuning
• How to create ambience through mic positioning

To learn more about Vance Powell, visit: http://www.sputniksound.com/vance/

To learn more 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 the #1 Amazon bestselling book, The Mixing Mindset – The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Join the FREE MasterYourMix Facebook community: https://links.masteryourmix.com/community

To make sure that you don’t miss an episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Android.

Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!