RSR514 - David Bottrill - Grammy Winning Atmos Mixing with Tool, Daniel Lanois, and World Music
Release Date: 07/11/2025
RSR543 - Travis Harrison - Recording Guided By Voices, Built To Spill, The Men, and Tons of Garage and Punk Rock in Brooklyn, NY
Recording Studio Rockstars
What actually happens when you stop isolating everything and just let a band play together in the room? Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: My guest today is Travis Harrison, founder of Serious Business Music, a Brooklyn-based studio known for capturing raw, honest performances from real bands. Travis joined me to talk about how his studio and workflow evolved over time - from early audio-only recordings to embracing video, hybrid setups, and modern tools - while still staying rooted in classic recording approaches. We talked about recording bands live in the room, why Travis...
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RSR542 - Ryan Prewett - The Sound of Retro Funk Beats in The Heart of Country: Music City
Recording Studio Rockstars
How do you turn your studio skills into a thriving artist career? Ryan Prewett shares how funk, collaboration, and sync licensing helped him shift from producer-for-hire to full-time artist - and why building assets is the new record deal. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: My guest today is Ryan Prewett, a Nashville-based artist, producer, and mix engineer known for blending classic funk and soul with modern pop and groove-driven production. Ryan’s work spans producing records, mixing, and building sample packs, and he’s quickly carving out a name for...
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RSR541 - Bill Cheney - How Missile Tech Created the Sound of Classic Rock at Spectra1964
Recording Studio Rockstars
How Did Michael Jackson’s $98,000 Console Inspire the Ultimate Studio Compressor? What happens when missile-grade engineering meets music? Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: Bill Cheney of Spectra 1964 joins me to reveal how a company born from aerospace tech became the secret sauce behind Stax, Ardent, and The Record Plant - and how that same precision lives on in Spectra’s modern C610, STX mic pres, and new designs shaping today’s studios. Bill shares the incredible story of the $98,000 Spectra console built for Michael Jackson, how John Lennon, Elton John, ZZ Top,...
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RSR540 – Jimmy Douglass – METAlliance, Atlantic Records, Foreigner, Television, Gang of Four, Timbaland & Snoop Dogg
Recording Studio Rockstars
What happens when you sit down with an engineer who helped define multiple eras of music - from Foreigner to Timbaland - and he tells you the secret is still just listening for what feels good? Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: My guest today is Jimmy Douglass, legendary producer, mixer, and engineer whose career spans more than five decades. Jimmy began as a teenager at Atlantic Records in New York, making tape copies and quietly slipping into the back of sessions, where he learned by watching giants like Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin, and Jerry Wexler. He grew up in the era when you...
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RSR539 - Phil Wagner - Advancing Sound Quality From Soundworks to Solid State Logic
Recording Studio Rockstars
What does it take to lead two of the biggest names in pro audio? Phil Wagner shares how he went from NYC engineer to running SSL and Apogee - and why the best technology still starts with listening. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: My guest today is Phil Wagner, a longtime pro-audio industry leader who’s helped shape some of the most respected recording technologies in the world. Phil began his career in New York City at Soundworks Studios, working hands-on as a recording engineer before moving into product development and leadership roles. Over the years he’s served as...
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RSR538 - Toby Lloyd - From Punk to Producer - Tiny Triumphs over Mindset, Workflow & Vibe
Recording Studio Rockstars
What does a rooftop studio, a cold plunge, and a punk rock heart have in common? Producer Toby Lloyd shares how surrender, discipline, and creative flow helped him build Tiny Triumph Recordings and rediscover joy in making music. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: Howdy Rockstars, my guest today is Toby Lloyd, a music producer, studio engineer, and mixing engineer who runs Tiny Triumph Recordings, a boutique rooftop recording studio in Wellington, New Zealand. Toby has worked with artists like Shapeshifter, Hollie Smith, Stan Walker, and Nightmares on Wax, and he’s...
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RSR537 - Rich Bernett - The sound of machines: Contact Mics, The Cassettone, Guitar Pedal Feedback Loops, Oh My!
Recording Studio Rockstars
Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: Howdy Rockstars, my guest today is Rich Bernett, aka Sound of Machines, a Richmond, Virginia - based sound artist, builder, and experimental musician. Rich designs and performs with his own DIY instruments like the CassetteTone 2 and Rotary Drone, blending circuit bending, contact mics, and field recordings to create wild, organic, and otherworldly soundscapes. With a growing following on YouTube, Patreon, and Instagram, Rich shares his creative process and connects with a community of makers and musicians exploring new sonic frontiers. ...
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RSR536 - Ian Fitchuk - Grammy Winner Writer and Producer for Kacey Musgraves, Beyoncé, Chris Stapleton, and Maggie Rogers
Recording Studio Rockstars
Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: My guest today is Ian Fitchuk, a two-time Grammy Award–winning musician, songwriter, and producer based in Nashville. You’ve heard his work on Golden Hour with Kacey Musgraves - a landmark record that helped redefine the sound of modern country and pop. Ian has also collaborated with artists like Maggie Rogers, Joy Oladokun, Chris Stapleton, and Beyoncé, bringing his versatile musicianship and deep sense of songcraft to every project he touches. In this conversation, Ian shares his journey from growing up in a musical family to finding his...
info_outline![RSR535 - Ryan Nasci - Mixing Mastery with Ryan Nasci [Harry Styles, Portugal The Man, Young the Giant] show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/196231565?height=50&width=50)
RSR535 - Ryan Nasci - Mixing Mastery with Ryan Nasci [Harry Styles, Portugal The Man, Young the Giant]
Recording Studio Rockstars
Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: What does it take to go from Ohio to LA and start mixing records at the highest level? In this episode, I sat down with mixer and engineer Ryan Nasci to trace his journey from the Midwest to Los Angeles, where he worked alongside the legendary Tony Maserati and began mixing artists like Kingfish, Celeste, and more. Ryan breaks down how he built a hybrid workflow that blends analog gear, plugins, and Atmos into mixes that stay musical, open, and emotionally focused. We dig into Ryan’s approach to gain staging, managing headroom, using trim...
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RSR534 - Derek Bargaehr - The Nerdy Mic Episode You Didn’t Know You Needed!
Recording Studio Rockstars
Learn why polar patterns matter more than EQ as Derek Bargaehr of Vanguard Audio Labs breaks down capsules, circuits, self-noise, phase tricks, stereo techniques, and practical mic placement you can use on your next session. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: My guest today is Derek Bargaehr. A lifelong tinkerer, he started out burning himself with a soldering iron and modding guitar pedals at 15, eventually working as Director of Operations for a successful microphone company. A freelancing engineer, producer, gear tech, and bassist, Derek earned a BA in Commercial Music – Audio...
info_outline- The evolution of his ambient and world music influences
- Building a custom studio for Atmos mixing
- Embracing imperfection in music
- Band dynamics, remote collaboration, and pre-production tips
- His hands-on carpentry work and how it shapes his approach to sound
Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com
My guest today is David Bottrill, a three time Grammy Award winning Producer/Engineer/Mixer and has had over 15 million copies of his work sold worldwide. He has worked with a diverse spectrum of prolific artists, such as Peter Gabriel, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Muse, Silverchair, King Crimson, Godsmack. and Rush. David has also worked with some of the most influential world musicians, noteably Youssou N’dour and Baaba Maal of Senegal, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan.
David spent 20 years living in the UK, followed by a term in New York, but has settled back in Canada, where he has a mixing studio. Even still, David still spends much of his time working in the US and abroad.
Thanks to Brian Murphree at SoundPorter Mastering for making this happen!
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