Unstoppable Recording Machine Podcast

Former member of Issues now turned producer, Ty Acord, gives a look into the world of his productions, songwriting and keeping things fresh. Production has evolved and continues to evolve in every genre of music. Staying on the cutting edge and keeping fresh is at the utmost importance in an overcrowded market. Surrounding yourself with people that match their strengths to your weaknesses is more...

We talk with Zack Ohren (Machine Head, All Shall Perish, Fallujah) about gaining trust, messy clients, and making Nintendo 64 soundtracks. We all have our audio origin stories, but Zack’s might actually take the cake. Our discussion takes us from him creating video game soundtracks professionally in his teens to producing some killer extreme metal. And, if you’re looking for a “how to” of dealing...

We’ve got Trey Xavier of Gear Gods here to talk building a YouTube empire, shred guitar, and, of course, gear. Okay, so we let our guitar nerd flags fly a bit on this one. Nothing wrong with that as long as you keep a sense of humor about things. And who better to join us for that than Trey? There’s also a ton here for anyone interested in learning how to market themselves and stand out from the c...

We talk to the amazing Kevin Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, Shania Twain, In This Moment) about everything from his gear favorites, philosophy on work ethic, his rise to acclaim and working under legends like Mutt Lange. This episode jumps right into the nitty gritty of what specific struggles Churko had to go through before finally landing the gig that broke him through, as well as which skill...

Mastering engineer Brad Blackwood (Korn, Lamb of God, Maroon 5) sits in with us to talk everything from how he sets up his mental space at the beginning of the day, to the one tool he wouldn’t be able to work without, and his lone wolf approach. Still have questions about mastering? Yeah, you do. Everybody does! Mastering might as well be ancient black magic for a lot of us. Luckily, on this episo...

On this episode, with Adam Ayan (Paul McCartney, Katy Perry): demystifying the final sonic footprint of recorded music that is mastering. This discussion is jammed full of so much amazing information about mastering. Whether you’re looking to get into mastering yourself, an engineer, mixer, or producer that wants to be informed about what a mastering engineer is going to be doing with their part o...

On this episode of the podcast, Mike Kalajian (Saosin, Against the Current, Moving Mountains) joins the show to cast some light on the subject of mastering. Ever been confused about mastering? You’re not alone. It’s a process that a lot of audio professionals just take an, “It’s just weird magic or something” approach to. Well, no longer! Mike is here to demystify the process a bit and, by the end...

Producer Jay Maas (Defeater) joins us for a discussion about outboard gear, client psychology, and the pros and cons of traveling. We’re always excited to have Jay on board. This time we get into the gear talk and sort through how he makes use of hardware without causing his workflow to come to a grinding halt. We were also shocked to finally come across someone that actually wants the artist arou...

On this episode, Johnny Franck joins the show to discuss his recent collaboration with Jarrod Alonge and his process for mixing and using Skype to facilitate his projects. Inspiration can come from any number of places. Having Johnny Franck on board gave us a unique opportunity to discuss inspiration in a unique way. Whether it’s crafting a parody album, which required experimenting to find distin...

Nick Sampson joins us to give you some tips and tricks to ensure that you don’t end up in the studio with a janky guitar that sounds like trash. Whether you’re a guitarist trying to make the most out of a lower end guitar or a producer tired of dealing with guitarists that don’t seem to care about making the most out of that lower end guitar this discussion is full of info that can help. In additi...

We had Ryan “Fluff” Bruce on the show, and it led to a ton of valuable discussion about building a career in the audio industry. It’s incredibly rare for lives to actually go according to plan. We think we’re heading in one direction, and we end up being presented with an undeniable opportunity or faced with hardships that can necessitate a complete about face. Ryan’s story is a perfect example of...

Drum mastermind, Matt Brown, wants you to craft stellar drum recordings, and on this episode we’re dropping some knowledge to get you started on that path. The drums on your productions need to sound killer. There are few things that will kill a song’s feeling faster than lame drums. And there are few people that are more qualified to impart wisdom about how to make sure you don’t end up with lame...

#party, people! Listen in on the 1 year anniversary of the URM Podcast. We’ve got Josh Newell on board to help us celebrate. Josh isn’t JUST here to celebrate with us. We also load the discussion with tons of info, as usual. The festivities include discussion about how to persevere through the difficult early days of your career, not getting caught up in specific gear or software, and how to not b...

Kevin Antreassian (Dillinger Escape Plan, Backroom Studios) joins us for a conversation about the benefits of networking and staying open to opportunities at every stage of your career. In addition to being a killer guitarist and engineer, Kevin exemplifies what can happen if you keep your networking game on point. We also get into what it takes to jump in and learn technical songs, why getting on...

On this episode, we’re going over some tips and tricks to make sure that you end up with gear that’s actually worth your hard earned money. Audio gear can get expensive, and it never feels good to be saddled with a piece of gear or software that you don’t end up using. We’re going to help you make smart decisions about what you drop your cash on, so that you don’t spend more time staring and cursi...

On this episode, we’ve got Sterling Winfield on board for a great talk about his extraordinary career, which has included time working with Pantera, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, and Hellyeah. There’s so much to learn from engineers and producers like Sterling, who have been in the industry long enough and have worked with enough legendary professionals to have acquired more recording knowledge tha...

Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Atrium Audio (August Burns Red, Black Crown Initiate, Live, Candlebox) joined us to discuss the route they’ve taken to build their studio to the production powerhouse it is today. The Atrium Audio story is fascinating. They have one foot firmly planted in productions relationships they’ve built with established 90s acts and the other foot seriously kicking ass...

You’ve got to get vocals right, and on this episode we’re walking you through the process, so you can make sure you’re getting the best results possible. Nine times out of ten, a vocal is going to make or break a song. Are you recording to maximize your results? How about layering choices? Do you know what you’re doing there? And you’re making sure not to edit all the life out of the vocals, right...

Welcome to #Mixcritmonday, the show where we critique YOUR mixes. On this edition, we’ve got a pop punk song and an extreme metal track on the table. So, we’re throwing them in a blender and pouring a refreshing crit smoothie into your ears. “It really should be in your fucking face, and the song explodes through your speakers, and is upbeat and energetic and, ‘Fuck yeah! I wanna eat pizza and mak...

Grammy winning and multi-platinum selling producer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, Mutemath) brings an abundance of incredible insight to this episode. Want your productions to go multi-platinum? Want to put out Grammy level results? What does that level even look like in today’s music industry? That’s certainly a complicated topic, but it’s one you’re going to want to be informed about,...

Zakk Cervini and Matt Pauling (Blink-182, Black Veil Brides, Sleeping with Sirens) have planted their flags at the top of the audio production hill, and they’re here to discuss how they’ve done it. It takes a lot to compete at a level that would lead to someone becoming the right hand man of John Feldman. On this episode we’ve got not one, but two guys that have done just that. Zakk and Matt bring...

Zakk Cervini and Matt Pauling (Blink-182, Good Charlotte, Sleeping with Sirens) are here with tips to ensure that you don’t release songs with crappy guitar and bass, because they don’t want to have to listen to that. Every engineer and producer wants to be able to say that they put out badass guitar tracks. Are your guitar tones there yet? If you’re still trying to get your tracks sounding impres...

Chris Sernel works with some of the biggest pop acts in the world, and no matter your genre, he’s got songwriting advice that’s going to help you level up your songs. Writing and producing songs that compete at the top of the charts is not an easy feat. Regardless of the genre, no one wants to release songs that go unnoticed. Are the songs you’re working on going to connect? Would you like to know...

Matt Brown is the guy you want to listen to if you want great sounding drums, so, we brought him in to give you some tips and tricks to do just that. If you want amazing end results in your drum recordings then you need to start at the beginning of the process. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 until you’ve figured out how to set that drum kit up. Yes, really digging into the setup of drum kits...

Fred Archambault (Avenged Sevenfold, Last Call With Carson Daly, Alice Cooper) has a wealth of knowledge about getting into and being successful in the audio production industry. From producing the biggest metal bands on earth, to mixing live recordings for hit TV shows, there’s very little that Fred Archambault hasn't done. And you’re in for a treat, because he doesn’t hold anything back in this...