Hanging Out With Chops

Send us Fan Mail You finished the album. Months… maybe years of work… and now it’s finally done. And this is where most artists get it wrong. They treat the release like the finish line…  when in reality… this is where the real work begins. This episode kicks off a 3-part series on how to take a single album and turn it into 2 years of real momentum, growth, and opportunity. But before we get into...

Send us Fan Mail Most people think becoming a music producer is about gear, plugins, or making beats. That’s not what this is about. In this episode, I break down why my goal for you isn’t just to make music…  it’s to learn how to produce it — because that’s how you take control of everything. Control over:  your sound   your sessions   your time   your money   and ultimately, your future as an ar...

Send us Fan Mail I remember the first time I figured out MIDI… I thought I had it all solved. Not long after that, I walked into a producer’s room and saw 15–20 keyboards lined up against the wall… and nobody playing them. Every sound was being triggered. That moment stuck with me. In this episode, I’m thinking out loud about how we got from playing music… to controlling it… to building it piece b...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Hanging Out With Chops , we’re talking about something that shapes all of us—whether we realize it or not: mentorship . The mentors you recognize…  the ones you don’t…  the ones who help you…  and even the ones who push you the wrong way. Chops shares real stories from his life in and out of the studio—from learning hard lessons early on, to being guided by peop...

Send us Fan Mail After you finish a record, it feels like the job is done… but that’s actually where most bands lose everything. In this episode, I break down the biggest mistakes I’ve seen bands make right after releasing a record—mistakes that quietly kill momentum, waste great music, and leave projects dead before they ever had a chance. From disappearing after release, to having no rollout pla...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 5 of the So You Wanna Make a Record? series, we step outside the studio and into the real world of what happens after the album is finished. Because making the record is only part of the journey. In this episode, we break down everything that surrounds a release—from choosing the album name and building a visual identity, to designing a tour, creating merch, and preparing...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 4 of the So You Wanna Make a Record? series, we move into the stage where a collection of tracks finally becomes a finished record: mixing and mastering . This episode walks through the real-world process of building a mix from the ground up — starting with session organization and routing, shaping the relationship between kick and bass, and creating space for instruments...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 3 of this series on how records actually get made, we dive into one of the most misunderstood stages of the recording process: editing . Once tracking is finished, what you really have is raw material — multiple takes, alternate performances, and a lot of decisions to make. Editing is where those performances get shaped into the version of the record the listener will even...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of this series on how records actually get made, we move from preparation into the studio itself. This episode focuses on production , the stage where the microphones are up, the band is playing, and the red light finally turns on. We talk about how sessions actually unfold in the real world—starting with tracking the band live, capturing the groove between drums, bass,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we start a new series about how records actually get made, beginning with pre-production — everything that happens before the red light ever turns on. Think of this like two musicians talking after a show, on a plane ride or a long drive to the next gig. Just real-world conversation about what it actually takes to prepare for a recording session. We talk about prep...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m talking honestly about how I’m actually using AI in a real recording studio. Not to write songs.  Not to replace musicians.  Not to chase trends. But to handle the small, time-eating tasks that slow sessions down and pull me out of the room. From turning handwritten charts into readable charts, to changing keys on the fly, organizing lyrics, documenting sessio...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we step back into the early days of modern music therapy — where the healing power of sound was rediscovered not in a laboratory, but on the battlefields of World War II.  Through real stories of wounded veterans, the science behind trauma response, and the pioneering work of musicians who stepped into military hospitals, we uncover how music became a lifeline for...

Send us Fan Mail Buckle up — this is the funniest science lesson you’ll hear all year.  In this episode, we explore every major region of the frequency spectrum, from the bone-shaking rumbles below human hearing all the way to the WiFi signals fighting your microwave. You’ll hear stories, jokes, weird history, surprising science, and original insights that turn the invisible world of vibration int...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, choppie chops takes listeners on a wild, funny, and mind-blowing journey through the longest-running musical groups in history — from rock bands that survived five decades of drama to legendary choirs and orchestras that have been performing for hundreds of years. Yes… hundreds . Starting with 50-year rock veterans like AC/DC and Aerosmith, the episode climbs deca...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive headfirst into the fascinating world of live-coded music — a growing creative movement where musicians don’t just play instruments, they write the music as lines of code in real time . Instead of a DJ booth full of gear, you’ll see a laptop, a projection screen full of scrolling commands, and an artist literally typing the beat into existence. We’ll explore...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re tackling the 20 biggest mistakes new engineers make — from setting levels too hot to “fixing it in the mix.” Whether you’re recording your first band, producing from home, or working in a full studio, these are the habits that can make or break your sound. I’ve seen it all — from forgotten tuners to over-compressed vocals, bad mic choices, and mystery hums t...

Send us Fan Mail After winning one of the biggest awards in music, I expected to feel complete. Instead, I found myself in a strange, quiet kind of depression — the kind that sneaks in after you’ve achieved everything you thought would make you happy. In this episode, I open up about what happens when the applause fades and the success doesn’t fill the emptiness you thought it would. It’s a conver...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive headfirst into one of the most talked-about topics in music — the 440 vs 432 Hz tuning debate. Is there really something magical about 432? Does it actually sound warmer, more natural, more “in tune” with the universe? Or is it just another internet myth that refuses to die? Join me as we explore the history of tuning standards — from ancient instruments a...

Send us Fan Mail Every space tells a story — even before the music starts. In this episode, I talk about one of the most overlooked skills in audio: knowing your room . From the precision of a tuned control room to the unpredictability of live halls and auditoriums, the way a room shapes sound can make or break your mix. I share real-world examples from sessions with choirs, orchestras, and rock b...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder what it’s really like inside the studio? In this special Q&A episode, I answer some of the most common (and a few not-so-common) questions I get asked — everything from how I know when a mix is finally done, to have you ever fallen asleep in a session. It’s a little personal, a little technical, and a whole lot of real talk. I open up about what keeps me motivated,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Chops sits down at the piano to break down music theory in a way that actually makes sense — and matters in the real world. From major scales to the Nashville number system, he shows how understanding these simple patterns can completely change the way you play, produce, and record. No fancy jargon. No textbooks. Just the real language of music — explained through...

Send us Fan Mail Every studio has “that guy.” The drummer who insists one take is enough. The bassist who still hasn’t learned the notes on the fretboard. Or the last-minute string changer who halts the whole session. In this episode of Hanging Out with Chops , I dig into the biggest session killers, from endless percussion overdubs to bad hygiene, and why they derail more than just a recording sc...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder how we got from Edison’s wax cylinders to plugins that can run on your laptop? In this episode of Hanging Out With Chops , we take a wild ride through the history of recording studios—from the first captured sounds, to vinyl, tape, and ADATs, all the way to Pro Tools and the rise of AI in music production. We’ll dig into how classic effects like reverb, delay, flanger,...

Send us Fan Mail What do microphones and world history have in common? Way more than you think. In this episode of Hanging Out With Chops , I take you through the fascinating backstories of legendary mic makers like Shure, Neumann, Sennheiser, AKG, and Electro-Voice. From World War II contracts to recording iconic voices and music that defined generations, these microphones weren’t just gear—they...

Send us Fan Mail Every studio has its fair share of myths — ideas that get passed around like gospel but don’t always hold up. In this episode of Hanging Out with Chops , I break down 12 of the most common studio myths that musicians, engineers, and producers run into. From the obsession with expensive microphones to the belief that “fix it in the mix” is a real strategy, I dig into where these my...