Production Expert Podcast

In this week?s edition Ashea is joined by Dallas Taylor from Defacto Sound & Twenty Thousand Hertz Podcast, where they discuss the sound design process behind some of the world's most famous brands.

Talking Points:

Working to a brief: What is your process for capturing the mood and creating an experience that complements the visual storytelling?

Sound choice, inspiration, foley etc.

What makes a sound instantly recognizable, e.g Netflix. What is the process like getting to that point?

Optimising workflow: Tools, gear, deadlines. 

Emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities facing sound designers in an ever-evolving industry.

Finds of the week:

Ashea: Waves Stream
Dallas: Buy Back Your Time- Dan Martell

In this week?s edition Julian and  Ashea joined by Anna Bulakh of Respeecher, where they discuss the importance of ethics in AI and how to proceed with caution.

Talking Points:

What are some of the current threats AI poses in society/the audio and music industry today?Synthetic media, voice cloning software and other tools are still in their early stages but are incredibly powerful tools that can all be really useful if used wisely, however there needs to be ethical principles in place. The dangers of DeepfakesProvenance.Please tell us about Respeecher, what this tool offers and how you are putting ethical practices and policies at the forefront of your company.

Damian?s article On Respeecher 

Finds of the week:
Julian: Now TV has ads
Ashea: Notion App
Anna: Brief History Of AI - Michael Aldridge, Chip War Michael Phillips

In this week's edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Steve DeMott, where they discuss the music industry Gatekeepers of today, who are they and are they worse?

Talking Points:

Social Media age and the ?democratization? of the industry.Labels vs the new A.I/Digital gatekeepersYoutube, Google and artist revenue

Finds of the week:
Julian: High Strung/Nashville Strings
Ashea: MCenter
Steve: Pulsar 1178 

In this week?s edition Julian and  Ashea are joined by Reid Caulfield, where they discuss a recent article from the LA Times and ask ?Is AI coming for our jobs, and should we be worried??

Talking Points:

LA Times Article:
https://www.latimes.com/.../ai-artificial-intelligence...

From the article:

"In the music and sound-recording industry, the tasks most likely to  be affected by AI are voice generation and cloning, music generation and  recording and lyrics composition,  followed by mastering, mixing and  tools programming, according to the study.

More than 50% of survey  participants anticipated that AI would displace sound designers in the  next three years, while more than 40% saw AI coming for music editors,  audio technicians and sound engineers. Roughly a third of respondents  predicted a similar fate for songwriters, composers and studio  engineers."

Our thoughts on the survey

Bearing this in mind how should audio professional go about keeping themselves valuable (better than A.I)?

How can we use A.I to our advantage?

Finds of the week:
Julian: PSI Audio A17-M
Ashea: Landscape With Invisible Hand
Reid: Altiverb 8, Arrival

On request of our listeners. In this week's episode Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes and Paul Maunder where they give tried and tested advice on  how to make a living in today's audio industry.


Talking Points:

What was your first pro gig and how did that come about?Getting work in a traditional studio settingFreelancingTypes of clients and how to deal with themBalancing a day jobWhen/how to transition into full time

Finds of the week:

Ashea: All You Need To Know About The Music Business
Russ: Criminal Record Show , i73 Pro
Paul: Deity Theos digital radio mics

In this week?s edition Julian & Ashea are joined by Oliver Thomas and Maurice Patist from PMC.

Talking Points:

PMC & its history - background of company

Relationship with UGM/Dolby

PMC and suitability for Immersive - any particular features which you think make them particularly suitable?

How does an ATL differ from a ported or band pass cabinet in performance?

PMC and DSP, Network Control

What, if anything, can you share about future developments at PMC?

Finds of the week:
Julian: Focusrite Vocaster Two
Ashea: Crumple Pop Plosive Remover
Maurice: Voyage Audio Spatial Mic, Julia Holter Something In The Room She Moves
Oliver: Audient Oria

Talking Points:

In this episode Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes & Lexie Morgan of HHB London and formerly iZotope, to give three different perspectives on the recent UK government report about the obstacles women are met with while pursuing a career in the music industry.

Summary of the UK Government report:

The Report:

Production Expert Article:

Let?s briefly discuss how we feel about this report and how our experiences correspond with the data from the report.

Sexual Harassment & Safety Issues:
What safety & other measures do studios and workplaces need to put into place? What desperately needs changing?

Dismantling The Bias:
Change needs to take place from within. As well as the wonderful work that women (and men) are already doing to improve things, we also need to get more help from our male colleagues, bosses, fellow artists etc. What can men do to be better ?allies??

Mentioned In This Podcast:
https://www.production-expert.com/home-page/2017/7/31/pro-tools-expert-podcast-episode-280

Finds of the week:
Ashea: Quickbooks App
Russ: Billy Joel - Turn The Lights Back On
Lexie: Poor Things Movie

In this week?s edition Julian & Ashea are joined by Eli Krantzberg where they discuss some of the stand out gear and plugins from NAMM 2024.

Talking Points:
Wolff Audio Console
Heritage Audio i73
SSL 360
Blue Cat Audio
Yamaha- Seq track
Raven MTi2
Beyerdynamic -DT-770-pro
ACE Studio - AI vocal synthesizer

Finds Of The Week:
Julian: Kii SEVEN
Ashea: Solodome
Eli: The red plastic water flask my wife got me for NAMM

In this week's edition Julian & Ashea are joined by audio engineer and current student James Watts, where they discuss ??whether music education is adapting to meet the evolving needs of students and the industry.

Talking Points:

How much emphasis is placed on the following?

Hands on experience, using hardware, navigating a mixing desk and traditional studio setups.A.I and one knob plugins: How granular are you taught to get with plugins?:Career Goals & Prospects: Training for commercial studio vs freelancer.The role of entrepreneurship, how the industry,networking and career advancement is changing.

Finds of the week:
Julian:  Avid NAMM Tech Preview
Ashea: VEA
James: Pythogorean Tuning

In this week?s edition Julian and Ashea are joined by  Steve DeMott where they discuss the importance and power of saying 'no' in a music production environment. 

Talking Points:

?The Power of No? in music production, recording & mixing.
 Expanding on William Wittmans article:

Finds of the week:
Julian: PMC 6-2
Ashea: Sketch Casette 2
Steve: Zoom H6 field recorder

 In this week?s edition Julian & Ashea are joined by James Richmond where they discuss some of the stand out developments of last year.

In the final edition of 2023, Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes & Reid Caulfield.  Where they discuss the important topic of managing mental health, particularly in the audio industry.

Talking Points:

Dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues that plague freelancers and audio professionals. 

The stigma attached to mental health issues.

The role of social media and how it can affect our mental health.

Coping and good practices to reduce stress etc.

Finds of the week:

Russ: A Therapeutic Journey Book
Ashea: Contact- Movie
Reid: The Demon- Haunted World , Blink, McDSP SA3

In this week?s edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Ary Maudit, where they discuss studio roles, terminology and definitions, are they changing, if so how?

Talking Points

As an engineer at Strongroom, what is your role, and what are the main things you get asked to do? Have you witnessed people?s role changing/morphing over time, if so how?Producer, beatmaker, songwriter let?s discuss our interpretations of those roles and how they have developed/changed.Stems,multitracks. Any definitions that are commonly confused?Our thoughts on Russ? article. https://www.production-expert.com/production-expert-1/its-none-of-your-business-how-people-choose-to-make-music

Finds of the week:
Julian: PSP Auralcomp
Ashea: Nutribullet Blender
Ary: Amedeo Modigliani

In this week?s edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Nathaniel Reichman, where they discuss the things they loved in the month of November. 

Talking Points:

 Universal Audio Opens LUNA to All Mac Users in Inclusive Software Update Avid Now A Private Company As STG Completes Acquisition Apple Logic Pro For Mac And iPad Updated - Includes Mastering Assistant And More Serato Unexpectedly Announce Native Apple Silicon Support For Pitch 'n Time  Plugin Steinberg Nuendo 13 Announced : A Comprehensive Update for Post-Production ProfessionalsSlate and SSL Gobbler Universal Audio Sound City Plugin Announced Spatial Audio And Using Audiomovers Binaural Renderer For Apple Music Ginger Audio iRender Spatial Released SSL E 4K released

Finds of the week:

Julian: Loudspeakers For Music Recording And Reproduction
Ashea: Fletcher & Mills Studio Desk 
Nathaniel: ChatGPT 3.5?s new voice conversation feature 

In this week's episode Julian and Ashea are joined by Graham Kirkman, where they discuss the gear and software that they wouldn't want to live without.

Talking Points:

Let?s discuss some of the gear/software that we find ourselves relying on and why that is.Open Back Headphones, Sit Stand Desk, Macbook Pro,VisLM, Celemony Melodyne. Neve 1073 Mic Pre, Neumann U87. Logic Pro

Finds of the week:

Julian: Caldigit TS3 Plus -

Ashea: Waves Silk Vocal 

Graham: Supperware Bridgehead 

In this week?s edition Julian & Ashea are joined by Eli Krantzberg, where they dissect the meaning of the commonly used term 'Sounds Like A Record'.

Talking Points:

We hear the terms ?radio ready? and ?sounds like a record? used a lot in this industry, so let?s break down the elements that make a song worthy of that statement, and why do some songs fail to sound like this?

Music is constantly changing, and so the definition of a ?record? surely has too. Let's compare some hits of yesteryear and how they match up to those of today.

Can a  great production/mix make an average song sound like a record?

Gear and tools used on many of the great records. 

Eli, as we have you on, let?s discuss the new Logic Pro updates.  

Finds Of The Week:

Julian: Sonos Era 300
Ashea: Witness For The Prosecution Play
Eli: Model N Channel 

In this week?s edition Julian & Ashea are joined by Steve DeMott, where they discuss the future of music production and emerging trends in the world of audio.

Talking Points:

Let?s discuss some of the new trends and practices we are seeing pop up in the industry in general.

Steve, you mentioned a few days ago that you?ve noticed a trend in audio plugins, how they seem to be geared towards improving subpar recording techniques- Let?s discuss this point.

Are there any areas that need more attention in terms of technological development?

Are there areas that we feel would be best left to traditional practices and can?t/shouldn?t be solved by a plugin?

Finds of the week:

Julian: McDSP SA3
Ashea: Miloco Gear's Pro Audio Showcase Returns
Steve: KiiveAudio Complexx

In this week?s edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Luke Steven Ramsay, where they discuss how to revive and make use of old material, that?s currently collecting dust on our hard drives. 

Talking Points

Do you have a lot of unfinished material sitting around on your hard drive? If so, why do you think that is?

Let?s discuss some useful ways as producers we can make use of the old unfinished material.

Are there some good tools you know of to speed up & help the process of finishing songs?

Platforms that allow us to put our work to good use, e.g beatstars, sample libraries etc

Finds of the week:

Julian: Live From Daryl?s House Glenn Tilbrook
Ashea: New Logic Pro Updates
Luke: Middle Kids Dramamine

In this week?s edition Julian & Ashea are joined by William Wittman, where they discuss the things they loved in October.

Talking Points:

Supertone- Clear Voice Separator (Goyo)Gik Acoustic- SlatFusor 4SHarrison Audio Mixing ConsoleLandr Mastering Plugin,*Presonus- Open Source DAW CollaborationMaag Audio Pre Q2

Finds Of The Week:
Julian - New Macbook Pro
Ashea- New Super Atomic Material
William - Eventide MicroPitch Immersive 

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea & Siobhan Anderson. Where they compare 3 of the most well known DAWs and ask, ´Does your DAW do this?´

Talking Points:

What first attracted you to your DAW of choice?Let?s briefly discuss platform compatibility for Logic X, Pro Tools & AbletonWhat do you like about your DAWs user interface? Have you tried other DAWs, what didn?t you like about them?MIDI, Virtual Instruments and samplers: What is this like with the DAW you use, is there room for improvement?Audio Recording and Editing.How does your DAW of choice fit into your workflow?


Finds Of The Week:

Julian - 32 Classic Mixing ConsoleAshea-LANDR Mastering PluginSiobhan - Natural Symphony

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea & Marcel Schechter from Genelec , where they discuss  ?Solving Room Acoustics For Better Mixes ?

Talking Points

What are some common acoustic problems in recording studios, and how can they be solved?

How can room size and shape impact the acoustics of a recording space?

Are there specific materials or treatments that are essential for improving room acoustics in a studio?

.What role does speaker placement play in achieving optimal room acoustics for mixing and monitoring?

What advice do you have for home studio owners on a budget who want to improve their room acoustics for better audio quality?

Are there any myths or misconceptions about room acoustics that you'd like to debunk?

What are some common mistakes that recording engineers make when dealing with room acoustics, and how can they be avoided?

Let's Talk SAM, GLM, GRADE Reporting etc

How can the UNIO Audio Monitoring Platform help with the points we?ve just discussed?

Finds Of The Week:

Julian -  Lola Young ConceitedAshea- UAD Free Plugin LA 2AMarcel - Jacob Collier Little Blue

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea, Paul Maunder and Roger Guerin, where they discuss the pros and cons of an education in audio. 

Talking Points:

How has education helped you in terms of knowledge and your career?There?s a plethora of free material online, on Youtube etc, how valuable is learning via this method?The value of structured courses. ?You don?t know what you don?t know?Should we learn from the very beginning? Can learning backwards be a thing?Online vs attended courses.How important is studying audio engineering in the era of A.I & assisted mixing etc. Can you still be a good producer/engineer without this knowledge?

Finds Of The Week:

Julian - Shure SM7dBAshea-Antares- Spanish LanguagePaul - Soundly Cloud librariesRoger-Amie (by Meyer)

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea and Steve DeMott. Where they discuss the ?Things We Loved In September  ?

Talking Points:

Export Selection In Pro Tools 2023.9AutobouncePro Tools SketchDX Revive Nugen AB AssistSontec MES-439-D9DMixland Vac Attack Vacuum Tube Limiter

Finds Of The Week:Julian - Kii SevenAshea- Encounters- Docuseries NetflixSteve-  Sontec MES-439-D9D

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea and James Richmond, where they discuss Perpetual Licences vs Subscription Models.

Talking Points

Pro Tools Perpetual Licences are now available for sale exclusively through authorised Avid resellers, they will not be sold via the Avid Web Store, thoughts on this?

Pros and cons of perpetual licences vs subscription-based models from both the consumer and companies perspective.

Compatibility issues-  Operating Systems- Backwards forwards compatibility- legacy versions. 

What considerations should audio professionals keep in mind when deciding between perpetual licenses and subscription-based access for their software tools?

How do perpetual licenses affect software updates and support? Are there potential drawbacks in terms of staying up-to-date with technology? (Avids announcement re updates).

Are there specific scenarios or types of users for whom perpetual licenses make more sense, and conversely, situations where subscription models might be preferable?

In the ever-evolving world of audio technology, how do perpetual licenses impact the long-term sustainability and compatibility of software tools?

 With the rise of cloud-based services and remote collaboration, how do perpetual licenses fit into the changing landscape of audio production and software accessibility?

 What advice would you give to audio professionals looking to make informed decisions about licensing models and software access in today's market?

How do licensing models impact the relationship between software developers and users? Are there community and support differences between perpetual and subscription models?

Finds of the week:
Julian - Blue Cat Audio Axiom
Ashea- Slate Digital- Infinity Bass
James- Razer Basilisk V3 Pro mouse and SteerMouse

In this week?s edition Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes & Vincent Hervy, where they discuss, how A.I and new technology  is changing the audio industry.

Ways in which A.I/ new technology has changed the way we work in music up until nowHow will our jobs need to evolve with the ever improving advances in technology?How can we make A.I work to our advantage?

Finds of the week:
Toy Box Audio- Thump One
The Godfather Of Harlem - TV Series

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea and William Wittman, where they  discuss the hottest new releases for August.

Talking Points:

 Avid Pro Tools SketchFocusrite Scarlett 4th Gen InterfaceSonnox VocaSTL Tones Control HubUJAM UFX ReverbAllen & Heath CQ Series Mixers

Finds of the week:

Julian - Audio Plugin Uninstaller
Ashea- Acon Digital Remix Real-Time AI Stem Separation Plugin
William- TONEX Pedal 

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea and Gareth Nuttall, where they discuss  how arrangement can affect the mix.

Talking Points:

How often do you end up changing parts of the arrangement to improve a mix? The importance of sound selection, layers and instrument placement.Frequency masking and arrangement tricks that can help. Filling in frequency gaps:Combining kick and bass, for a better low end.Vocal layers and processing

Finds Of The Week:

Julian - Miso Gochujang noodlesAshea- Sonnox VocaGareth - Korneff Audio- Amplified Instrument Processor

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea, Graham Kirkman and Steve DeMott who discuss ?Plugin UIs. What are the important things that developers need to consider??

Talking Points:

How important are visuals to us?Visual, graphical displays vs skeuomorphic designs, what are some of the pro?s and cons?What Plugin UI features do you think improve your mix/production decisions and why? Inter-Plugin communication and why is that useful to us?How can plugin developers make better use of the technology available today?

Finds of the Week:

Julian - David Bennet Piano Beatles 7 Modes
Ashea- Mixing Night Audio- LOL Comp
Graham - Mix To Mobile
Steve - Fender J Bass

In this week's podcast, Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes and Karen Down (The Support Squad) who discuss 'Mental Health In The Music Industry'.

What are some of the challenges and pressures that audio professionals face in the music industry that might impact their mental health?Pressures of freelancing-How do we address the financial and emotional pressures that audio professionals might experience, and how does this impact their mental well-being? How does the music industry handle issues like sickness burnout, anxiety, and depression, which can be prevalent in this field?How do you address the stigma around mental health in the music industry and create a supportive environment for musicians/artists?

Finds Of The Week

Russ- Colin From Accounts- Tv ShowAshea- Essentialism- BookKaren- Sound Of Silence- Song by Disturbed

 

In this week?s podcast Julian is  joined by Ashea, Dom Morley and Steve DeMott who discuss ?How much do traditional analogue rules still apply today??

All four of us are producers/mixers of slightly different vintage, so it would be interesting to go around the table and hear a little about which techniques & practices we learned from and perhaps how that affects our workflow today. Gainstaging, 32 bit recording- Is anyone working with this?Analogue workflow (e.g. making decisions early, capturing ?the sound? from the start vs. capturing a clean sound to manipulate later, etc).Mixing/Producing in and out of the box, we compare techniques and results.Favourite analogue emulation plugins, how do they compare to the real deal?

Finds Of The Week

Julian - The Rest Is Politics PodcastAshea - Techivation M-De-EsserDom - PSP Audio BinAmpSteve- Dynaudio 9S subwoofer

In this week's Episode Julian is joined by Ashea and James Richmond, they discuss the new product releases of July 2023.

Talking Points

Air- Sprite 

SSL G3

Scheps Omni Channel 2

Slate Digital VIRTU

WavesFactory Equaliser

RME Fireface

Sound Particles Audio Matrix

Find Of The Week

Julian - Focusrite VocasterAshea- Oura RingJames- DADlink from DAD/Avid

In this week's episode Julian and Ashea are joined by George Tizzard and Rick Parkhouse of SUPER-Hi talking about the creative vision and technical decision making behind a chart hit. 

Talking Points

Starting a track, what is your approach, does it change depending on the vibe/artist?Producing for very established artists, what is the process, how involved are the labels/artist in the sound and how does that differ to writing your own material?Making the ?right? decisions in production is very important, how do you deal with decision making?Samples, presets, sound design, any go to plugins that you use.Behind the track: Choose a track, either as Super-Hi or Red Triangle that you?d like to share with us. What was the production process ?Working together, do you have set roles? How to work successfully as a production duoThoughts on A.I, are you already embracing this, if so how?Favourite studio gear and why?

Find Of The Week

Julian - The Songs Of David Bowie - Songbook 1973Ashea- Sonible- Smart GateRick- Kilohearts Trancegate, Underwater jet packGeorge - Sheet Music Could Have Been Me The Struts

In this week's Podcast Julian is joined by Ashea and Ian Shepherd for a discussion about about mastering in the streaming age.

Ian Shepherd is a mastering engineer of 25 years experience who has become well known for his work around the detrimental effects of the loudness wars. He runs the Production Advice blog and hosts The Mastering Show podcast.

Talking Points

Mastering for Streaming Platforms, let?s talk specificsLoundness Normalisation and Album NormalisationLoudness Wars, are they still a thing? Do we still need loud masters?True Peak Limiters vs normal limitersClippingWidening mixes

Finds Of The Week

Julian - Genelec GRADE ReportsAshea - Pope AudioIan - AM coustics, Who Killed the KLF

In this weeks podcast Julian is joinned by Ashea and Eli Krantzberg.  We have a belated discussion of the new releases in June 2023 and having two experienced Logic users on the show we have a discussion of Logic and the significance of the coming of Logic to the iPad.

Finds of The Week

Julian - Genelec 8341 and 7350AAshea- Cableguys ShaperboxEli - The Private Equity Buyout Of Music Production

Following up from our podcast looking at how post mixers use the new expanded Track Widths in Pro Tools 2023.6 Julian and Ashea are joined by Steve Genewick and Nathaniel Reichman to discuss Atmos for Music and whether track widths beyond 7.1.2 are significant for music mixers.

Finds Of The Week

Ashea - Gearfest UKNathaniel - Auto Align 2Steve - Vanguard Audio V44SJulian - UAD Capitol Mastering Compressor

In this week?s Podcast Julian is joined by Ashea, Gareth Nuttall and William Wittman who discuss fixing in the mix. Can it be done successfully?

Finds Of The Week:

Julian - Space Lens in Clean My MacAshea- Avid Collab with Audio Movers or CHAPEAGareth - Hi Hat Bleed TrickWilliam- Dr. Tver Robert pedal by Aclam 

In this weeks episode Julian is joined by Ashea, Roger Guerin and Korey Pereira. They discuss the extended track widths introduced in Pro Tools 2023.6 and what they mean for Atmos mixers.

Let?s go round the table and talk about each of your current work and how affected by Atmos it is.What has changed in Pro Tools 2023.6 regarding Track Widths?What is the 7.1.2 ceiling and why does it exist?How is greater track widths better? Lets talk about beds vs objects and channel agnosticism. Why is 7.1.4 better than 7.1.2. What about 9.1.6, how does speaker density affect the listening experience?What about the two approaches to getting greater widths out of pro tools beds vs static objects. To what extent is this new?Are these changes going to affect how you work?

Finds Of The Week

Julian - The Loudspeaker Design Cookbook 8th Edition Vol 1 Ashea - Steinberg SpectralayersRoger - Amie loudspeakers by Meyer SoundKorey - Kraken DET Speech Recognition Beta

In this week's episode Julian and Ashea are joined by Greg Tan and Steve DeMott to discuss producing music for picture.

Talking Points

What is the creative process when composing music for movies/video games. How do you approach capturing the desired mood and atmosphere?

What?s the collaborative process like with directors, producers, and other members of the creative team to understand their vision and translate it into musical compositions? 

When/how does a brief arrive? 

What factors do you consider when creating a score that complements the visual content?

Working with Deadlines: How do you manage your time and resources effectively?

Working with sound libraries or creating custom sound effects for TV and movies? How do you ensure that the sound effects align with the overall audio mix?

Best Software synths, plugins, gear etc?

Are there any specific strategies you use for revisions, feedback, project management, storage space and backups?

Talking Points

Greg - Agency on Netflix
Steve - Audioscape D-Comp Limiter
Ashea - Spatial Audio Festival at Media City Salford
Julian - Batch Converter in Rogue Amoeba's Fission

In this week?s edition Julian is joined by Ashea, Reid Caulfield and James Richmond. We discuss the announcements made at Apple?s WWDC 2023, particularly the much anticipated Apple Silicon Mac Pro.

Talking Points

Mac Pro - Who needs it when the Mac Studio exists?PCI cards - how relevant in 2023?Upgradeable SSD is back (kind of)New Mac Studio and M2 UltraGame Mode in macOS SonomaApple Vision Pro

Find Of The Week

Julian - WaterhaulAshea -Meta AI ToolReid - GoyoJames - Auto Bounce

In this week's Podcast Julian and Ashea are joined by Russ Hiughes. they discuss the new releases of May 2023.

Talking points

Genelec 8381A Monitors Announced | Production ExpertAIR Music Technology Delay Pro Plugin Released | Production ExpertApple Logic Pro For iPad Announced | Production ExpertPlugin Alliance BX Masterdesk PROToontrack EZkeys 2 Released

Find Of The Week

Russ - Akai MPC Key 61
Ashea - UMG- AI Startup Partnership
Julian - Mimestream

In this week's Podcast Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes and Alex West, a BBC Radio DJ who works with up and coming bands as part of BBC Introducing. They discuss what makes a radio hit in 2023?

Finds Of The Week

Russ - I/O by Peter Gabriel
Alex - Fizz At Great Escape
Ashea - Slate Digital Storch Filter

In this week's podcast Julian and Ashea are joined by Ary Maudit and Iggy B, both working engineers who spend part of their time working at Strongroom Studios in London. In this podcast we discuss the role of studios in 2023.

Finds Of The Week

Ashea - Flower Pot Dessert at Bill?s Julian - Mix To Mobile, routing to a Wifi SpeakerAry - Bloody MaryIggy - Kara Jackson

in this week?s episode Julian and Ashea are joined by songwriter producer publisher and A&R Greig Watts. We talk about songwriting, the role of producers inthe songwriting process and Eurovision.

Talking Points

To what extent these days are songs written in a DAW?How involved are producers these days in the development of a song and how has that changed over the years?How many unfinished songs/tracks do you have on your hard drive and do you ever go back to finish them, if not why would you abandon them?When is your favourite time to write, during the day/at night and do you think that can affect your perception?How important is the overall mix, production, and song when pitching to labels/publishing?EurovisionWhat are 3 plugins that you can?t live without?

Finds Of The Week

Greig -  Jailhouse cafe
Ashea - Softube Model 80
Julian - Christmas Beach Barbecue

In this week's podcast Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes and Reid Caulfield. They discuss the importance of workflow, as inspired  by Russ' article Sound or Workflow - What Matters Most?

Talking points

Russ, in your article you talk about the importance of workflow, what inspired that article?In his recent article on plugins which he uses on every mix Julian found that none of the plugins he listed were there exclusively because of their sound, it came down to familiarity, ubiquity because they were stock plugins or workflow because they were available as AAX DSP plugins, Does this illustrate this point?Examples of gear/plugins and have significantly helped speed up or simplify your workflow?A.I and how that will help us as producers and engineers.

Find Of The Week

Russ - Acon Digital Dialog Extract
Reid - Soundflow
Ashea -  Waves Superapp Performer

In this week's Podcast Julian and Ashea are joined by Russ Hughes to discuss the new products released in April 2023.

Toontrack EZkeys 2 AnnouncedNeumann MT 48 Audio Interface AnnouncedSound Radix Auto-Align 2 ReleasedAntares Auto-Tune EFX+ 10.0 and Auto-Key 2 ReleasedSpeed Up Collaborative Mixes With Nugen Jotter

Finds Of The Week

Julian - Sonnox Envolution
Ashea - Grimes AI 50% Royalties
Russ - Freakonomics Podcast - Swearing

In this week's episode Julian is joined by Ashea and NAMM stalwart James Ivey to discuss the show and the products which were being shown!

Julian

Sound Radix Auto Align 2Yamaha DM3Sound Particles Skydust 3DYamaha CK88

James

Vangard Audio Labs - Stereo Tube/Valve Condenser MicNektar CS12 Channel Strip Controller.Antelope Audio Atlas i8 Active SpeakersFender Rhodes Mk8

Ashea

Dreamtonics VStudioEclipsed Sounds

In this week's Podcast Julian is joined by Stian Aagedal of Acon Digital. They discuss Plugins, computers, processing and AI.

Finds Of The Week

Stian - MusicLM from Google Research
Julian  - Benidub Audio Electronics Digital Echo

In this weeks edition Julian is joined by Russ and Platinum selling songwriter and producer Ashea. They discuss developments and releases in March, including a discussion of the Waves subscription announcement and subsequent retraction.

Waves?Audient iD24 1st lookFabfilter Twin 3 Synth Virtual Instrument - Expert ReviewPro Tools 2023.3Cranborne Audio Carnaby 500 Harmonic EQ Announced

Finds of the Week

Ashea - Musikhack Master Plan
Russ - Cranbourne Audio Camden EC1 Preamp
Julian - The Lazarus Heist

In this week's Podcast Julian is joined by Matt Lange and Greg Chin of Avid. We discuss Avid?s new monthly content program Sonic Drop.

Finds Of The Week

Julian - Kimchi Grilled CheeseMatt - Cello bow on Jackson 8 stringGreg - Aikido Pioneers - Prewar Era by Stanley Pranin

On this week's Podcast Julian is joined by Roland Stenz of Eve audio and Tonmeister Sebastian Breiter. They discuss designing and testing studio monitors and the philosophy behind Eve Audio.

Finds Of The Week

Julian - Rediscoverng a clear desk
Roland - Reading real books
Sebastian - Streaming masters to a smartphone using Sonobus