Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

Eric Guenther (The Contortionist, From Exile) sits in on this episode to shed some light on songwriting, collaboration, and being an effective keyboardist in rock/metal genres. It seems like more rock and metal bands than ever are incorporating some sort of keys or synth in their music. Of course, that also means that there’s a lot of bands doing it without really having any idea how to not make a...

Joel Wanasek has the answers you need to make sure you stay #nosmalltime. Want Joel to answer your questions? Send them to Joel@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Joel.” The more detailed the better! “Small time is when you have really big dreams, but you don’t have the balls to go out and go after them.” - Joel Wanasek ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - The importance of setting yourself...

We’re happy to have producer and engineer Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Dream Theater, Rush) on the show to impart wisdom that he’s gained working at the industry’s top tier. Richard’s discography reads like a who’s who of all time amazing musicians. There’s so much information to mine from this discussion it’s crazy. From the process behind getting amazing guitar tones from guitar gods to how to com...

Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder joins us to discuss his undying love for metal, what it takes to keep a band running at peak performance, and learning lessons about what to do (and what not to do) from the bands around you. Trevor is undeniably one of the great metal frontmen, and anyone looking to be successful in an extreme metal band stands to learn a lot from what he shares in this ep...

Finn Mckenty has the life and career answers you crave. Want Finn to answer your questions? Send them to Finn@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Finn.” The more detailed the better! “Is it really true that bands make decisions based on whether somebody has nice gear or not? I’m not sure that it is. What I’m very certain of is that, if they are making that decision, they have no fucking idea w...

Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Paradise Lost, Sunn O))) shares his perspective on natural drum production, what you can buy today that will level up your productions immediately, and when enough compression is enough. Modern tools like samples, plugins, and amp sims definitely have a place in many productions. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise. However, it’s always intriguing to chat...

Joel Wanasek has the answers you need to make sure you stay #nosmalltime. Want Joel to answer your questions? Send them to Joel@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Joel.” The more detailed the better! “I’m going to tell you something about clipping plugins… if you can’t hear it, and it sounds good, who cares?” - Joel Wanasek ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Staying healthy - Reinvigorati...

Jeff Dunne follows up the Emmure Nail the Mix by joining us to dive into how he’s gotten to this point and how he continues to knock out killer mixes. Being a successful audio professional involves a lot more than just knowing how to mix. Not only is Jeff an amazing producer, but he balances that with another career, and his approach to managing all of it is something that we could all learn from....

Nick Pilotta (URM Academy, The Wade Studio) is on the show to make sure you don’t end up the subject of just another intern horror story. Whether we’re talking the audio industry or not, there are opportunities out there being left on the table by people that aren’t willing or capable of grabbing them. If you know your shit and you’re not a punisher, then having a willingness to put in the time ca...

Beau Burchell has Phil Sgrosso (As I Lay Dying, Wovenwar, Poison Headache) in the hot seat this time, for a wide ranging discussion about his career and the amazing productions he’s been a part of. Phil has built a career for himself that’s allowed him to have the opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in metal production. He hasn’t just been sitting on his laurels as an amazing guitar...

Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records joins the show to talk about his past, present, and future, and we discuss his new book, For The Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records. Brian and Metal Blade have been a pivotal part of the metal genre for decades. From the early days of Metallica and Slayer to the institution that Metal Blade is today, this man has seen it all. It’s an honor to...

Kurt Ballou is here to answer your questions and chew bubble gum, and he’s all out of bubble gum. Want Kurt to answer your questions? Send them to eyal@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Kurt.” The more detailed the better! “Whenever people ask me about what gear they should get when they’re putting together a studio, I tell them they really should not skip on their monitors and monitoring en...

Kris Crummett is in the driver’s seat today to answer your production questions. Want Kris to answer your questions? Send them to eyal@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Kris.” The more detailed the better! “I think it’s really important as a producer to assess songs, and assess a situation one by one, and not really have a mindset going into things that you’re going to do this or that to son...

The Beau Burchell train keeps on rolling for this discussion with producer Rick King about faking it till you make it, breaking out of genre boxes, and essential gear. We all know that the grind can be rough. It’s important to figure out what your goals are, steps you can take to make them a reality, and to feel confident in your ability to do so. Rick and Beau both impart a lot of knowledge in th...

Finn Mckenty has the life and career answers you crave. Want Finn to answer your questions? Send them to eyal@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Finn.” The more detailed the better! “What is the challenge? Why is it a challenge? How do I overcome the challenge?” - Finn Mckenty ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - Making music a full time career - Marketing yourself - The value of helping ot...

Beau Burchell takes the reins for a discussion with producer/mixer/engineer Jeremy SH Griffith about strategies for becoming a well rounded audio professional. Jeremy has purposefully developed his career so that he’s involved in a wide variety of types of music, from worship music to heavy bands such as Norma Jean. In this episode, he and Beau discuss how his career progressed to get there, what...

On this edition, we’re doubling your podcast value with a round table discussion with Nolly Getgood and Ermin Hamidovic. Nolly and Ermin have both been amazing contributors for URM, and it felt like a great time to have both of them back. This time out we’re really digging into the mixing/mastering relationship, learning to maximize focus, mental health and maintaining your well being, and answers...

Joey Sturgis provides the answers to your most pressing questions. Want Joey to answer your questions? Send them to joey@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Joey.” The more detailed the better! “What we do as producers and engineers is not just pressing buttons and stuff; it’s being able to put together content and material in an artistic way. - Joey Sturgis ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT...

Mick Gordon, the composer and mastermind behind the soundtracks for Doom, Prey, Wolfenstein and a slew of other video games joins us to delve into his creative process. Efficiency, vigorous work ethic, and the ability to craft music that connects on an emotional level are elements that exist very rarely in one artist. Mick has achieved the level of success he has because he encompasses all these t...

Kristian "Kohle" Kohlmannslehner joins us for a long awaited discussion about how to keep things fresh in extreme genres. It’s difficult to stand out from the crowd in extreme metal productions. Conventions often take precedence over experimentation. Kohle is certainly a producer that manages to bring originality to every production he touches. His perspectives on how to keep work fresh and avoid...

Grammy nominated engineer and Pro Audio Files contributor Matthew Weiss joins the podcast for some genre bending discussion. Successful producers and engineers understand that there is a massive benefit to being well versed in multiple genres. Even if you’re working primarily in one genre, at least being aware of production techniques and career strategies that are more prevalent in other genres w...

Beau Burchell (Saosin) is taking over for this episode to provide all the answers to your audio questions. Want Beau to answer your questions? Send them to eyal@urm.academy with the subject line “Dear Beau.” The more detailed the better! “Sometimes the key to a great guitar sound is actually a cool drum sound that supports it. Or sometimes the key to making a muddy guitar sound great is maybe lett...

Juan “Punchy” Gonzalez has tons of amazing insight from his time as a live audio engineer, tour manager, and overall renaissance man, and we’re stoked to have him on board to share some of it. There are some guys in various parts of the audio industry that just exude expertise. Punchy is one of those guys. From keeping your band safe, to sounding great on stage, to maintaining a reputation as some...

Periphery drum god and entrepreneur, Matt Halpern, joins us for this episode to talk about successfully navigating the precariously shifting music industry. Matt’s approach to entrepreneurship is inspiring. A lot of people are paralyzed out of attempting new things due to fear of failure, but Matt’s problem solving approach to things means failure is just another opportunity to learn. We talk abou...

On this special edition of the podcast Eyal and Joel dig into URM Academy’s first standalone course, Speed Mixing. https://unstoppablerecordingmachine.clickfunnels.com/get-speed-mixing-of “The entire thing is designed for you to get better and get better fast.” - Joel Wanasek ON THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: - What you get with the Speed Mixing course - Why being able to mix quickly matters mo...