Interview

Maria Elisa Ayerbe is a Miami-based recording, mixing and post-production audio engineer who has worked with GRAMMY and Latin Grammy-nominated artists such as Mary J Blige, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, JLo and more. Maria was also recognized by the Latin Recording Academy with the Leading Ladies of Entertainment honor in 2019, for her outstanding performance as a professional and socially conscious woman within the arts and entertainment fields. We recently sat down with Maria for our Five Sounds With... series. Read on to learn about her approach to working with up-and-coming songwriters, her favorite technique for recording acoustic guitar, and how she recorded 120 drum tracks in one recording session. . Continue reading →

In our new series, Five Sounds With..., we talk with world-renowned engineers and producers about how they got five sounds from your favorite records. Johnny K is a Grammy Award-nominated producer and mixing engineer based out of Chicago, Illinois. Best known for his work in the hard rock and heavy metal scene, Johnny K has a long list of impressive credits under his belt, including Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, Staind, Finger 11, Plain White T’s, Sevendust, Megadeth and more. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Johnny K for our Five Sounds With... series. Read on to learn more about how he crafted some of the heaviest guitar tones, made one of his favorite records in a barn, and gets DIY making his own gobos. Continue reading →

For over 20 years, Justin Meldal-Johnsen has been performing as a bassist for artists like Beck, Air, and Nine Inch Nails both on the road and in the studio. But around 2005, Justin began to assume the role of producer. Since then, Justin has produced highly-acclaimed albums from a wide range of artists such as M83, Wolf Alice, Paramore, Young the Giant, Metric and more. When we recently caught up with Justin for our Five Sounds With... series, we continued chatting afterward and ended up with a 20 Questions interview on our hands. Read on to learn more about Justin’s go-to vocal chain, his love of pedals during all stages of recording, and his advice for aspiring producers and engineers. Continue reading →

Driving through Nashville on the way to visit Jordan Brooke Hamlin, a few things quickly become apparent. Nashville is a city going through changes. There are more and more by the day. Cranes dot the skyline with further signs of progress, as new high-rise condos go up to house the masses flocking to Music City. It's no wonder that Jordan, the ever-evolving musician, producer, and tinkerer, has put her workplace outside the hubbub of the honky-tonks on Broadway. Situated on 20 acres of serene land, MOXE is an incredible recording studio that allows space for Jordan's creativity to flourish. A handbuilt cloud diffuser here, a custom-designed microphone selector tool there... Anything the studio needs, she builds. Continue reading →

Earlier today, our friends over at Reverb shared a video that highlights Vintage King Audio via a trip through the Vintage King Tech Shop. Vintage King Audio co-founder Mike Nehra acts as your tour guide telling stories from the company's past and showing off some prized vintage gear currently in the shop. If you haven't had a chance to check out Reverb's video, you can watch it below. Afterward, continue reading to learn more about the gear featured in the video, including classic pieces from Neumann, Neve, Telefunken/TAB, Universal Audio, and API Audio. Continue reading →

In our new series, Five Sound With..., we talk with world-renowned engineers and producers about how they got five sounds from your favorite records Justin Meldal-Johnsen got his start as a bassist playing for artists like Beck, Nine Inch Nails, and more. Since he started his producing career around 2005, Justin has assembled an astounding catalog of visceral, immersive records, including a number of critically acclaimed and career-defining albums with artists like M83, Neon Trees, Metric, Young The Giant, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, Tegan and Sara, Ken Andrews and more. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Justin for our Five Sounds With... series. Check out our conversation below to learn more about how he created a signature sound for M83’s Junk, orchestrated an epic live performance piece with Jimmy Eat World, and recorded the loudest sound he’s ever heard with Paramore. Continue reading →

Nick Breton is a world-class recording engineer, mixer, and producer who also happens to own Truth Studios. For over decade, Nick has been busy building his studio space and racking up credits with chart-topping artists such as SZA, Joey Bada$$, Dom Kennedy, Noname and many more. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Nick for our ongoing 20 Questions series. Read on to learn about his go-to vocal chain, his most prized pieces of studio gear, and how he has cultivated a hip-hop scene out of his Los Angeles studio. Continue reading →

Elton “L10MixedIt” Chueng is a Grammy® Award-winning mixing engineer, best known for his work with Chance the Rapper, Smino, Saba, and Noname. Chueng got his start as an intern at Classick Studios in Chicago, where he now works full time. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Chueng for our ongoing 20 Questions series. Read on to learn about Chueng’s passion for changing lives through music, tips on how to make your 808s slap, and where to get the best chicken wings in Chicago. Continue reading →

Pete Lyman is a world-renowned mastering engineer who has worked on records for Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Weezer, and Fall Out Boy, just to name a few. More recently, Lyman mastered Brandi Carlile's 2018 album, By The Way, I Forgive You, which received Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Album of the Year. The importance of converters to the workflow of a mastering engineer like Lyman cannot be emphasized enough. So when his friends at Rupert Neve Designs sent over the RMP-D8, Lyman immediately began working the eight-channel Dante mic preamp and mastering-grade 24-bit 192 kHz converters into his chain. Continue reading →

Jennifer Decilveo is a Grammy Award-nominated and Brit-nominated songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles. Best known for her work with Anne-Marie, Melanie Martinez, and Andra Day, Decilveo brings soulful sounds and vintage textures to every production. We recently sat down for an interview with Jennifer for our ongoing 20 Questions series. Read on to learn more about her approach to songwriting and producing, her love for the LA-2A, and how her favorite plug-in is based on a garden hose in a box. Continue reading →