Chris Stapleton

This article was originally published in Playback Issue 002. Subscribe to Playback for free to stay up to date with our latest articles, interviews, product reviews and more. Magic is unpredictable. Once upon a time, it happened in Nashville. We know when, actually: right in the middle of the 1950s. A record label did something unthinkable: they bought a new artist’s recording contract from another label for the whopping sum of $35,000. The gamble paid off: RCA went on to sell ten million Elvis singles in 1956 alone. Continue reading →

In our new series, Five Sound With…, we talk with world-renowned engineers and producers about how they got some of the sounds on your favorite records. Vance Powell is a six-time Grammy Award-winning record producer, engineer, and mixer, whose impressive list of credits include everyone from rockers like Jack White to country crooners like Chris Stapleton to pop icons like Alicia Keys. Known for his creative and experimentative approach to engineering and producing, Vance currently works out of Sputnik Sound studio in Nashville. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Vance about five records that he's worked on during his illustrious career. Check out our conversation below to learn more about his approach to tracking the first Dead Weather record, moonlighting for Radiohead while tracking Sturgill Simpson, and what it was like recording Chris Stapleton on the front lawn of the studio. Continue reading →

What's essential to making a great record in the mind of Dave Cobb? "Ordering food, drinks and jokes, all three of those are important to me," the Grammy-winning producer says. "I like enjoying the making of a record. I don't ever want it to be a project. When it starts to become a project, when you start pulling out boards and checklists, I'm out." Continue reading →