RSR459 - Greg Norman - Recording Rock Bands in Chicago (Steve Albini, Electrical Audio)

"I don't go ham, bologna, turkey, on tuning vocals..." Greg talked about building studios, the importance of trying hard in music, adobe brick walls, double bass and drum bands, making mic pres, and how to record killer drums, bass, and guitars. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Greg Norman, a recording producer/engineer and studio technician based out of Chicago, IL. In 1996, he started working at Electrical Audio, initially aiding in the design and construction of the two-studio complex in the north side of Chicago. A few years later, he built his own studio to keep up with the demands of recording projects outside of Electrical.  Over the years, he has recorded over a hundred records as a staff member of Electrical Audio and traveled abroad as a freelance producer/engineer. Greg has also designed, consulted, and installed several studios in Chicago, throughout the states, and Canada. He has unique expertise in analog tape machine and console design and maintenance, which has become a dying art. He also designs, and manufactures custom recording studio equipment. Greg has been a guest on the podcast before for episode RSR014 so please check that out and listen to his discography with the link below. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html Save up to 60% on pro audio tools! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3sxOa8Esz1M06kQcm6aTZt?si=9dc3efb9af344f82 If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/459

Will Ai ever understand emotion in music? Bobby talked about writing the Musician's Ai Handbook on how to write lyrics, chords, melodies, and beats, generate vocal tracks, mixing and master, create lyric videos, and market your music easily using Ai. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Bobby Owsinski a Producer/engineer and one of the best-selling authors in the music industry with 24 books that are now staples in audio recording, music, and music business programs in colleges around the world, including The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, Social Media Promotion For Musicians, and now The Musician’s Ai Handbook.  He’s also a contributor to Forbes as a category expert on the new music business, his long-running production and music industry blogs have won numerous industry awards, and he’s appeared on CNN and ABC News as a music branding and audio expert. Bobby’s highly-rated Inner Circle podcast is now in its 10th year, with more than 500 episodes that feature mover and shaker guests from all parts of the music industry.  He’s also recently produced and mixed albums that appeared at #2 on the Billboard Blues Chart and #5 on the Apple Music Rock Chart. Bobby has been a guest on the podcast on episode RSR010 and RSR395 and is back today to share how Ai can help us create, complete, publish, and promote our music from all the cool stuff he learned writing The Musician’s Ai Handbook. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html iZotope RX 11 is here! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/35qyOhVhDyTtol0MGSyCjf?si=c36b293c0e6e4582 If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/458

The best ad for mixing was "Leave the door open!" Glenn talked about mixing at the Power Station and Sigma Sound, recording Madonna, Springsteen, U2, Talking Heads, Ziggy Marley, the birth of remixing, and renewing Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Glenn Rosenstein a Multi Grammy-winning producer, engineer, and mixer who began his music career at the legendary Power Station Recording Studio in NYC, assisting alongside some of the best producers, engineers as well as at New York’s historic Sigma Sound Studios where Glenn became a mixer and remix engineer, creating work for such artists as U2, Madonna, Talking Heads, The Ramones, Ziggy Marley, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, James Brown, Miles Davis and many others. Glenn’s music production & mixes continue to be highly visible & diverse, from Whitney Woerz, Carly Simon and Earl “Chinna” Smith to James Taylor, Black Uhuru, Wes Sheffield and Bif Naked. He produced Benedictines Of Mary project for Decca/Universal which was Billboard Magazine’s #1 Classical release for the 2012 to 2013 holiday season. As a producer, mixer, & engineer, Glenn’s projects have won 3 Grammy Awards, 5 Grammy nominations, an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award. His work is responsible for record sales well in excess of 300 million units. His music production & mixing credits for film & television include The Sopranos, Celebrity Circus, The Last Emperor, Blown Away, Married To The Mob, Charmed, Beverly Hills 90210, All My Children and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. As both songwriter & producer, Glenn’s work with reggae artist Snow led to a chart-topping single in Canada. In addition, Glenn has overseen production of a landmark multi-DVD project for Saturday Night Live‘s 25th Anniversary, producing the surround remixes and audio for 60 unique music performances, as well as 60 musical comedic sketches. This project features the live performances of Mariah Carey, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Metallica, Nirvana, Paul McCartney, Snoop Doggy Dog, Paul Simon, Alanis Morissette, James Brown and Bruce Springsteen, to name just a few. Glenn has also partnered in the renovation and restoration of the historic Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals AL, where he maintains a residence and studio and where we join you today.  And last but not least I consider Glenn a longtime friend and mentor here in Nashville. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html iZotope RX 11 is here! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7hJRXvS4M6FURuZurWyWth?si=3bd7089aa93e4e1b If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/457

Was Elvis the real phantom of the Opry? Bill talked about songwriting with artists over Zoom, writing for Mojo, the Brill Building in 1961, confederate ghosts, Crowded House, Jill Sobule, Tin Pan Alley, and finding inspiration in artwork & cartoons. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Bill DeMain, a successful author, songwriter, journalist, tour guide, and musical historian who has been on the podcast previously for episode RSR200. As one half of the pop duo Swan Dive, he has released ten acclaimed albums with his singing partner Molly Felder, enjoying several Top 5 singles and tours of Japan, Thailand and Korea. He’s also written songs for and with many other artists, including Curtis Stigers, Marshall Crenshaw, Teddy Thompson & Kelly Jones,  David Mead, Bleu, Kim Richey, Jill Sobule and Boo Hewerdine. His songs have appeared on TV shows like Sons of Anarchy, Private Practice, Felicity and The L Word, and in commercials for Laneige Cosmetics, Unicef and Sky Mobile. Bill is also a much-published music journalist, who's written for MOJO, Uncut, Entertainment Weekly and Classic Rock. He has written five books, including 2017's Amazon best-seller Sgt. Pepper At 50, and two of collections of interviews with noted songwriters such as David Bowie, Stevie Nicks, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, Barry Gibb, Kate Bush and Smokey Robinson.  In addition, he is the owner of the music history walking tour Walkin' Nashville, a radio correspondent for BBC Glasgow and a cartoonist whose work has been published by Reader's Digest and Funny Times. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html iZotope RX 11 is here! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7bB32vult4uY4TTaLa6X08?si=6fafbae7c9834d61 If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/456

Learn to mix first! Mike talked about setting up a home studio, recording remotely, how to record drums, bass, and guitars, where to stand for a vocal mic, how to sing with speakers, contact mics, and why 60-70Hz is causing so many problems for you! Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Mike Senior, a professional recording, mixing engineer, teacher and writer for years at Sound On Sound magazine. He is also the author of the popular books 'Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio', and its sequel 'Recording Secrets For The Small Studio', which has recently come out with the updated second edition. Mike has also been on the podcast for episodes RSR124 and RSR253 which you can hear in the attached playlist. Today we are going to focus on the new version of his popular book and see what tips we can learn for making great recordings in your home studio. Especially if you are starting out in recording you will love to content covered in this book but even if you have been recording for a while it can be fun to discover new techniques and ways of recording. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html iZotope RX 11 is here! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify and Cambridge Music Technology web site: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2bdazycFzK3o2b4IX4pkSu?si=c7bab9a7e3fb4674 https://cambridge-mt.com/misc/rsr-3-resources/ If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/455

Uboats will float your Atomic Instruments! Joe talked about his new mastering studio Garage Masters, how to get loudness right for streaming, set up your mastering session in Presonus Studio One, do song spacing, and choose limiters, eq, and plugins. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Joe Hutchinson, a mastering engineer at Garage Masters in Nashville, TN where Joe has been providing mastering services for over 10 years.  Joe works in a well-designed room built in 2022 and uses a combination of analog and digital tools to give each song or project what it needs. Every project is different, and what happens in mastering can vary from heavy-handed processing to being almost transparent. Often mastering will catch little things missed in the production/mixing process since a mastering engineer offers a fresh set of ears, and in that sense acts as the quality control at the end of the recording process. Joe was my mastering engineer at the Hay Bale Studio at Bonnaroo for many years and has been a guest on the podcast for episode RSR013 where you can hear his backstory. Today we will talk about what's new in mastering and see what we can learn for our own studios as well. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html iZotope RX 11 is here! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/350G63oGE5wvg0nj8372lB?si=070311db68c440ce If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/454

This is a quick update to let you know that iZotope RX11 is here, featuring enhanced modules such as Dialogue Isolate, Spectral Editor ARA (for Logic Pro), Loudness Optimize, Streaming Preview, Music Rebalance, Repair Assistant, Dialogue Contour, Audio Device Handling, and Mid-Side display mode. Don't miss out on a special 10% discount on this or any iZotope product with our coupon code: ROCK10." https://www.izotope.com/en/lp/rockstars.html Adam Audio proudly presents the limited-edition Arctic White series of the A4V and A7V speakers. Not only will they sound incredible in your studio, but they'll also add a touch of style with their sleek, cool design. https://www.adam-audio.com/en/news/industry/a4v-and-a7v-limited-edition-white-studio-monitors/ LEWITT brings you the RAY microphone with advanced Aura technology on board to create autofocus for your voice! You no longer have to worry about levels or boominess for voice and instruments -the RAY automatically adjusts your levels for perfect sound every time. https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray

Rack-mount your own real transformers! Todd talked about recording with dynamic mics, mixing with real transformers as plugins, setting up Atmos, automating Pro Tools with Soundflow, how to 3-mic drums, building a studio, and mastering your own mix. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Todd Burke who has been recording and mixing records and underscores in Los Angeles for over 25 years. His album credits include Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, The Kooks, Belle and Sebastian, M83, and Fitz and the Tantrums. More recently, he has been enjoying mixing Atmos versions of records by Albert Hammond Jr, Christina Perri, and Jeff Goldblum and working as a Score Mixer. A few notable films include The Big Sick, Daddy's Home 1 & 2, Second Act, I Feel Pretty, The Lovebirds, Stargirl, The King of Staten Island, Yes Day, and The Bubble. He also dabbles a bit in Album Mastering with recent projects for The Lickerish Quartet, Motochrist, and Greyboy Allstars. As a teacher he’s a main contributor on the recordBetter project and is passionate about handing the art of record making on to young creators. And he is a Brand Ambassador and Artist Representative for Antelope Audio. He’s available for engineering bookings in Los Angeles and abroad. Favorite tracking rooms include Sunset Sound and Capitol Studios. His own studio, affectionately coined Listening Room LA, is in the foothills east of LA and outfitted with an Aurora Audio 10 channel sidecar, a 24 channel Aurora Audio GTM Mixer, the most modern generation of digital conversion from Antelope Audio and Chord Electronics, ATMOS monitoring on an array by Wilson Audio, as well as mastering-grade stereo monitoring on a custom Tannoy system by Chris Pelonis. Thank you to Ken Sluiter for the introduction! THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html iZotope RX 11 is here! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0v9xRXdPy0KdTbD1x55IMC?si=78a133f941304aaf If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/453

Lower that cheese flag dude! Mark talked about writing music for sync that is fun and relatable without being too obvious, building a hotel studio in Mexico, placing music in feature films, using the iPhone mic, horn arrangments, and Shruti boxes. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Mark Rudin, an accomplished artist, producer, and songwriter with a masterful command of multiple instruments - particularly horns. His song "Miracle" was a winner on season 2 of the NBC show Songland, and his work has been featured in major ad campaigns for brands such as Grey Goose and Simple Mills, as well as trailers for the Tom and Jerry Movie and the movie, Easter Sunday. Mark newest release "That Looks Good On Me" ft. KONG is out now and we have a playlist of his music and discography in the show notes. Thank you to Rodger Alan Nichols for the introduction! THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html iZotope RX 11 is here! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eYoDa0YmDmSfQpEiqvdyb?si=3dd3f7b784a9415f If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/452

Send Santa's sleighbells to the chimney object of course! Brad talked about recording awesome drums, creating your own snare and kick samples, how to get a great kick drum sound, how to capture a guitar DI without the buzz, and mixing 9.1.4 in Atmos. Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com My guest today is Brad Wood, a producer originally from Chicago where he had Idful Music Corporation - a small but mighty recording studio in Wicker Park. There he recorded albums by bands like Seam, Tar, Shrimp Boat and Eleventh Dream Day. In 1993 he produced Exile In Guyville for Liz Phair which became the catalyst for what became a very long and prosperous career as a producer and mixer. Brad wrapped up the 90’s with many debut albums under his belt, including Sunny Day Real Estate‘s Diary, Veruca Salt‘s American Thighs, Placebo’s self-titled LP, Placebo, and Ben Lee‘s Grandpaw Would. He also notably produced the Original Broadway Cast Recording for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Throughout the iconic decade, Brad also worked with bands such as Far, that dog., Menthol, Pete Yorn, and The Smashing Pumpkins’ Adore (which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts). Later Brad relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he built Seagrass Studio where he’s tracked and mixed for Say Anything, mewithoutyou, The Bangles, Sherwood, Touché Amoré, and many other artists. I am excited to have Brad back on the podcast again. You can catch his earlier episode RSR095 when he talked about his work in Chicago and moving to LA. Today we will catch up with Brad to see what’s new at Seagrass Studio and talk about producing and mixing in Atmos among other things. THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS! http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com https://www.adam-audio.com https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off! https://www.izotope.com/en/deals.html iZotope RX 11 is here! https://www.lewitt-audio.com/ray https://gracedesign.com/ https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy  https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/ Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify and Apple Music: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3We6XxggtXJnXLbshGlXy4?si=3b400d4983f84fc7 https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/brad-wood-atmos-mixes/pl.u-8aAVVjjszJ8P8 If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/451