Master Your Mix Podcast

Barrett Jones is a veteran producer, engineer, Musician and studio owner whose work helped shape the sound of modern alternative rock. A native of Arlington, Virginia, Jones founded Laundry Room Studio in 1984 — originally built in the laundry room of his childhood home — and established the studio as a creative hub for D.C. punk and indie acts before relocating to Seattle in the early 1990s. Jones recorded early sessions with a young Dave Grohl and went on to produce three Nirvana tracks and to produce and engineer the Foo Fighters’ self-titled debut, an LP recorded over an intense five-day run in...

Monte Vallier is a San Francisco–based producer, mixer, and audio engineer known for his adventurous approach to sound and his ability to bring out the character and identity of the artists he works with. His career began as a bassist in the early post-punk/indie scene, first touring with his band Half Church before joining the acclaimed 1990s group Swell. After years of recording and performing internationally, Vallier shifted his focus behind the console, developing a reputation for creative recording techniques, unconventional mic placements, and a deep commitment to capturing emotion and uniqueness in every project.To...

Brian Rajaratnam is an American audio engineer best known for his Grammy-winning work on Flowers by Miley Cyrus. He won a Grammy Award at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for his contributions to the global hit, collaborating alongside Kid Harpoon, Tyler Johnson, Michael Pollack, Spike Stent, and Joe LaPorta. The song became one of the most commercially successful releases of 2023, surpassing one billion streams on Spotify and earning six Grammy nominations. Rajaratnam received two nominations connected to the project and was ultimately recognized in the Best Engineer/Mixer category for his role in shaping the record’s polished, radio-dominant so...

Nathan Yarborough is a Grammy-nominated recording engineer based in Nashville, TN. His credits include albums from Deftones, Korn, Code Orange, Mastodon, Alice In Chains, and Halestorm. Nathan began his career as a musician who eventually realized he loved the craft of recording more than playing and performing. After attending recording school in North Carolina, he moved to Nashville to look for work in a recording studio. An internship at Blackbird Studio opened the door to a 20-year career and allowed him to learn from some of the best engineers and producers in the industry.IN THIS EPISODE...

Jason Livermore received his first snare drum at the age of three. Years later, Jason took up bass and guitar, but returned to drums because he liked them better. In junior high, Jason discovered punk rock. His first vinyl purchase was the infamous “Milo Goes to College”. He played in various bands throughout high school and college, recording some of these himself. After college, he decided that recording was probably going to be cooler than selling beer for Miller, his job at the time. Upon hearing that ALL was opening the Blasting Room in 1994, he moved to Fort...

Ryan Ellery is a recording and mixing engineer based in Oakland, California, known for her work in the emo, punk, indie, and hardcore scenes. With over a decade of experience and credits on well over 100 releases, Ryan has worked with artists such as Mom Jeans, Self Defense Family, Graduating Life, Snooze, and many others. She operates primarily out of Sharkbite Studios, where she combines classic analog tools—like a Daking MKII Console—with modern digital workflows to capture performances that feel energetic, honest, and emotionally direct.Ryan’s approach centers on collaboration and communication, adapting her recording and mi...

Dan Malsch is a highly respected mixer and audio engineer with over two decades of experience helping artists bring their creative vision to life. Known for his meticulous attention to detail and deep musical sensibility, he has worked with everyone from emerging indie bands to internationally recognized acts.With a strong foundation in both the technical and artistic sides of audio production, Malsch has built a reputation for clean, powerful mixes that preserve the emotion and authenticity of the performance, particularly in rock and metal. His work spans mixing, mastering, sound design, and immersive audio, where he...

Ryan Ordway is a multifaceted artist, songwriter, producer, and audio engineer with over two decades of experience in recording, mixing, music licensing, session playing, and commercial studio management. Having recorded and produced nearly 1,000 songs across various genres, he has worked with internationally recognized artists and designed, built, and operated multiple recording studios. In 2020, he partnered with The Studio Portland in Portland, ME, overseeing an ambitious remodel completed in 2024. Under his direction, The Studio became home to 98.9 WCLZ’s Studio Z series, hosting artists such as Noah Kahan, Grace Potter, Lake Street Dive, Joy Oladokun, and Gregory Alan Isakov....

Duncan Ferguson is a Nashville-based mastering engineer and educator, best known as the founder of The Voltage Exchange, a mastering studio specializing in high-quality masters for digital, CD, and vinyl releases. With a Master’s degree in Sound Recording from McGill University, Duncan combines deep technical knowledge with refined critical listening, helping artists translate their mixes into competitive, release-ready records without sacrificing musical intent. His work spans a wide range of genres, and he’s known for a thoughtful, communicative approach that helps mixers and producers understand why their music sounds the way it does at the final stage.<p...

Pete Lyman is a GRAMMY-nominated mastering engineer, and owner of Infrasonic. Pete’s digital and vinyl mastering career spans thousands of titles over the last two decades. He has mastered Grammy-award winning and Grammy-nominated albums for Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Halsey, Sturgill Simpson, John Prine, Weezer, Panic! At the Disco and more.In 2005 Lyman opened Infrasonic West, a custom-built mastering facility in Echo Park, CA. Pete, and his 1956 Neumann AM32B Cutting Lathe, moved to Nashville, TN in 2018 and opened Infrasonic East. In 2022, Infrasonic West found its new home in Highland Park, CA. Since then, Pe...

Kevin Antreassian is an American musician, producer, engineer, and studio owner based in New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Audio Engineering from William Paterson University and is the founder and operator of Backroom Studios, a multifaceted recording and rehearsal facility established in 2007. Over his career, Antreassian has worked with a wide range of artists across rock and metal genres, providing production, recording, mixing/mastering, and technical services for both emerging and established acts.As a guitarist, he is best known for his tenure with the influential mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, performing with...

Shane Slack is an Emmy-nominated mastering and post-production engineer, and the owner of Mono Theory, Inc., a Florida-based studio specializing in mastering, sound design, and Foley for music, television, and film. With credits spanning Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+, CBS, and Showtime, Shane has helped shape the sound of high-profile projects including Ted Lasso, The Umbrella Academy, NCIS: LA, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. A graduate of Valencia College’s Sound & Music Technology program, he’s also a member of the Recording Academy and the Audio Engineering Society, where he’s active in mastering education and diversity initiatives.Draw...

Aaron Rubin is a mix engineer, producer, writer, manager and musician who has worked with some big names in the industry including Ilan Rubin, Angels & Airwaves, Frank Turner and Blink-182.Aaron has worn many hats in the industry and got his start working with his brother Ilan playing in bands and later managing his music career. He has always been interested in the production side of music, which has led to his work with Tom Delonge and his various projects.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:Broadening your networkProving your valueWorking with Tom Delong an...

Kris Crummett is a record producer and mastering engineer known for his amazing work in the metalcore, post-hardcore, and rock scenes. He has worked with artists such as Dance Gavin Dance, Sleeping With Sirens, Issues, and many more. He also owns Interlace Audio, which is a fantastic studio located in Portland, Oregon. His productions are well known for having massive tones while sounding polished and energetic.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:His secret weapon for getting toms to cut through a mix without sounding too boomy/muddyHis step-by-step checklist for using automation to create energy in...

Jeff Kolhede is a producer, audio engineer, and artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Having participated in multiple Grammy-nominated records, he operates primarily out of 25th Street Recording, the SF Bay Area’s premier recording facility, where he helps emerging and established artists.Jeff’s composing work for film and advertisements has been featured for leading brands, including the trailer music for the Academy Award-winning film, Moonlight. This led him to co-found Gooroo Music, a bay area music house, where he directs a team of award-winning composers, mix engineers, and sound designers for film and adve...

Angel Marcloid is a fearless, genre-melting musician, producer, and mixing/mastering engineer based outside Chicago, IL. She creates under a broad constellation of aliases, with Fire-Toolz as her flagship solo project and No Joy as her most recent collaborative venture. Angel Hair Audio is her full-service audio production studio for artists whose work already leans leftfield or quietly wants to. She draws from a lifetime of listening, learning, and restless experimentation, carrying a huge musical vocabulary that reaches from her formative years immersed in AOR, prog, jazz fusion, and metal to the noise, industrial, grind, post-punk, krautrock, a...

Kurt Ballou is an American musician, producer, and recording engineer best known as the guitarist and founding member of the influential hardcore band Converge. Based in Salem, Massachusetts, he is also the owner and chief engineer of GodCity Studio, a world-renowned recording facility that has become a cornerstone of modern heavy music production. With a background in both engineering and performance, Ballou bridges the gap between raw creative energy and meticulous technical precision, helping define the sound of countless bands across the hardcore, punk, and metal scenes. His production work is celebrated for its intensity, clarity, and attention to...

Mark Lewis is a Nashville-based record producer, engineer, and mixer best known for shaping the sound of modern heavy metal and hard rock. He cut his teeth under producer Jason Suecof at Audiohammer Studios in Orlando. Over the years, he’s become a go-to name in the metal scene, working with genre-defining bands such as Trivium, The Black Dahlia Murder, DevilDriver, Whitechapel, and many others. His credits span production, mixing, engineering, and mastering, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the full recording process.What sets Lewis apart is his meticulous approach to guitar tone, re-amping, and sonic de...

Jack Emblem is a GRAMMY-nominated mix engineer known for his versatility and ability to elevate every project he touches. Working seamlessly across all genres, Jack has established himself as a go-to mixer in today’s market.In 2024, Jack received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.His clients include Snoh Aaelgra, Lauren Spencer Smith, Charlotte Day Wilson, DEAN, Wild Rivers, Katie Tupper, Aaron Paris, Jesse Gold and many more.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:Learning from different areas of the industryUnderstanding client expectations of your mixesSending clients file submission guidesMaking sure...

Scott Wiley is a music producer, engineer, musician, and owner of June Audio Recording Studio with over 2.1 billion streams. Scott studied music recording at USC and got to learn from some of the best producers and engineers in the industry during his years working in great Los Angeles studios like Sound Factory, Sunset Sound, Cello, and Conway Recording Studios. As an engineer and/or producer for the last 30 years, Scott has worked with The Killers, Neon Trees, Bonnie Raitt, Kaskade, David Archuleta, Tracy Chapman, The National Parks, and The Moth & The Flame, among many others. Scott has also taught...