Music Production
How Hip-Hop Stars Are Recording During the Pandemic
Roddy Ricch, YBN Cordae and Young Thug are recording hip-hop at home during COVID-19 times as studios cautiously start to reopen.
Engineer
Music, Etc
Music Etc. – Huey Lewis and the News Deliver ‘Weather’ Report
Steve Harvey talks with Johnny Colla, founding member and longtime producer of Huey Lewis & the News, about their latest album, Weather; mixing with Bob Clearmountain; and how highpoint “One of the Boys” came together.
Recording
Recording All-Stars Welcome Niko Bolas to METAlliance
Chuck Ainlay, Frank Filipetti, George Massenburg, Elliot Scheiner and Al Schmitt have named producer/engineer Niko Bolas as a new member of the METAlliance.
HOW Sound
Expanding Church Adds Audio Updates
Gateway Church has centered the audio systems at its seven satellite locations and broadcast center around DiGiCo consoles.
Music Production
Funk Studios Opens New Studio A
Salt Lake City’s new Funk Studios has opened with three rooms, including its Studio A, centered around an SSL Duality desk.
Music Production
Asher Postman’s New Monitors Deliver
Viral remix artist Asher Postman’s ADAM Audio monitors survived the Nashville tornado and are in use throughout quarantine.
Tour Sound
Danny Leake, Legendary Studio/Live Engineer, Dead at 69
In addition to working as Stevie Wonder’s FOH engineer for three decades, Danny Leake also recorded dozens of top artists in the studio, leading to six Grammy nominations for his efforts.
News
Live on KEXP Podcast Blurs the Lines Between Live and Studio Recording
When engineer Kevin Suggs records a live session for Seattle’s KEXP, that becomes the raw materials for podcasts, radio broadcasts, streaming and other formats.
Music Production
Sam Clayton Jr, Producer-Engineer / Jamaican Bobsled Team Member, Dead at 58
The producer/engineer, who worked with acts like Steel Pulse and Toots and the Maytals, was also a founding member of the storied Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Recording
Producer/Engineer Knox Phillips, Dead at 74
The son of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips, Knox Phillips made his own way, recording the likes of Willie Nelson, John Prine and Jerry Lee Lewis before becoming an emissary of Memphis’ music scene.
Music Production
Eddie Kramer to be Focus of New Rock Documentary
Legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer will be the focus of an upcoming documentary, From the Other Side of the Glass.
Music, Etc
Music, Etc. – Rob Graves – Creating an Atmospheric Solstice
Dove Award-winner Rob Graves talks about producing hard rockers Red, recording his own new album and why coronavirus might become a positive experience.
Live
Live Sound Pro Recovering from COVID-19
Freelance audio pro Joe McGrath is recovering from a near-death experience after contracting COVID-19 on the job.
Product Reviews
Book Review: Get Tusked – The Inside Story of Fleetwood Mac’s Most Anticipated Album
Grammy-winning co-producer Ken Caillat and assistant engineer Hernan Rojas spent a year recording Fleetwood Mac’s epic double-album, Tusk. Now they share what went wrong: Everything.
Music Production
Legendary Producer Keith Olsen Dead
Keith Olsen, the Grammy-winning producer/engineer who arguably defined the sound of hard rock in the late Seventies and Eighties, has died.
Recording
Finneas on Producing Billie Eilish’s Hit Album in his Bedroom
Finneas O’Connell—Billie Eilish's co-writer, producer, older brother and an artist in his own right—discusses recording her sonically adventurous debut at their family home.
Music Production
Recording Engineer Nick Blagona, Dead at 74
Canadian engineer Nick Blagona designed Le Studio and recorded classic tracks by The Police, Bee Gees, King Crimson, Deep Purple, Alexisonfire, April Wine, Chicago, Rainbow and others.
Music Production
Tim Boyle, Hollywood Score Mixer, Dead at 71
A first-call score mixer for decades, Boyle had more than 300 film and television credits across his career.
Product Reviews
Gear of the Year
Top audio pros look back at 2019 and share what new equipment caught their eye, what was added to their audio arsenal, what old standbys took their projects to the next level and more.
Music Production
Sure Sure Brings It All Back Home
Something akin to a mashup of Steely Dan and Talking Heads, Sure Sure have been living together since 2014, mixing, engineering and producing all their own music in their home studio.
Blogs
Music’s Unluckiest Night
Producer/engineer Morten Lindberg has a career total of 28 Grammy nominations and 0 wins—the unluckiest streak in Grammy history. Will he finally win in 2020?
Product Reviews
Real-World Review: Making Sound — Creative Music Production Tips and Philosophies
Producer/engineer Russ Long pages through Making Sound and declares, "I don’t think there an engineer alive who won’t receive some benefit from reading it."
New Products
Sterling Audio S400 and S450 Headphones Ship
Sterling Audio S400 and S450 Headphones are aimed at recording engineers for monitoring use.
Business
2020 Production Grammy Nominations Announced
2020 Grammy Nominations have been announced, including the production, engineering, mixing, remixing and mastering categories.
Post and Broadcast
Periscope Appoints Polanco as Chief Engineer
Polanco will oversee the ongoing build-out of Periscope's new L.A. facility.
Recording
Everybody Wants to Record the World
By Steve Harvey. Simon & Greg Record the World is an online reality series following a pair of engineer/producers from Montreal who travel to remote locations around the globe to set up temporary studios and record local musicians.
Business
Recording Academy Launches ‘Behind the Record’
The social media initiative aims to spotlight producers, engineers and others who contribute to the music recording process.
Recording
Recording Legend Ed Cherney, Dead at 69
By Clive Young. Grammy, Emmy and TEC Award-winning producer/engineer Ed Cherney died Monday, October 21.
Business
Spotify Acquires SoundBetter Audio Pro Marketplace
Music/audio production personnel site added to Spotify’s services for creators.
Recording
Jimmy Johnson, Engineer, Producer and Swamper, Dead at 76
By Steve Harvey. Producer, engineer and guitarist Jimmy Johnson had a hand in some of the Sixties and Seventies’ most indelible hits, working with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Lynyrd Skynyrd to The Rolling Stones.
Recording
Grammy Pros Share How to Overcome Recording Obstacles
Top pros weighed in on topics ranging from “demoitis” to the role of the producer.
Recording
Jack Renner, Grammy-Winning Engineer/Label Founder, Dead at 84
By Clive Young. Music teacher-turned-Grammy winning engineer Jack Renner co-founded Telarc in 1977.
Recording
Alan Parsons Readies Trio of Classes in New Studio
The three themed events will be held at his new facility in Santa Barbara, CA.
Recording
$70,000 of Gear Stolen from Producer Tucker Martine
By Clive Young. Thieves stole vintage mics, amps and guitars from Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Tucker Martine's nearly completed studio. Now efforts are underway to help Martine, who's worked with R.E.M., Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists and others, recover.
Recording
Hugh Padgham Fêted for Storied Career
Producer/engineer behind the sound of the Eighties reminisces.
Blogs
Book Review: Al Schmitt On the Record—The Magic Behind the Music
Arguably the most successful engineer ever, Al Schmitt has worked with everyone from Duke Ellington to Dr. Dre—and now he's written an autobiography to tell the tale and share what he's learned along the way.
Recording
MWTM to Host Brathwaite Mixing Seminar
Mixer for Cardi B, Beyoncé, Pharrell to hold in-person seminar in April.
Blogs
The METAlliance Report: Where We Are
By Ed Cherney. Legendary producer/engineer and METAlliance member Ed Cherney (Iggy Pop, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) explores the struggle to bring album credits back into the limelight in the age of streaming—and how that effort...
Blogs
Who Is the METAlliance?
METAlliance members have made the music you know by heart; find out who they are and why they're sharing their engineering knowledge.
Recording
Production Grammy Award Winners Announced
By Steve Harvey. Winners reflected the increasingly diverse artists and genres driving the music business.
Recording
Engineers and Producers Promote Hi-Res Audio
Producers and engineers extol HRA’s virtues in new mini-documentary series.
Recording
Recording Academy Unveils Inclusion Initiative
Initiative aims to increase the number of female producers and engineers across the industry.