Secret Sonics 179 - Luke Fiadino - Heavy Approaches to Composition

Luke Fiadino is a music producer, mixing engineer, and composer based out of Philadelphia, PA, USA! In our conversation Luke and I go deep on the following:

Getting work in metal
Writing with artists
Composing guitar parts
Lessons from Alan Shacklock
Programming Drums
Producing vocals
Templates and routing
Avoiding the solo button
How metal is moving online
Writing regularly and putting in the reps
Writing things that make you laugh
Getting management

And so much more!

You can learn more about Luke at https://www.statesidemgmt.com/luke-fiadino

You can follow Luke on Social Media

IG - https://www.instagram.com/lukefiadinosound/

***Thanks to our sponsors!***

Carl Bahner's resources for studio professionals - https://www.carlbahner.com/resources

Progressions with Travis Ference - https://www.progressionspodcast.com/listen

***Join the Secret Sonics Discord community here(!) - discord.gg/UP97b72W6t

***BRAND NEW!*** SECRET SONICS PATREON - patreon.com/benwallickmusic

References:

Carl Bahner - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/10/10/secret-sonics-116-carl-bahner-serving-and-nurturing-artists
Alan Shacklock - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Shacklock
Getgood Drums - https://www.getgooddrums.com/
Cape Kong - https://www.instagram.com/capekong_official/
Sam Pura - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/10/30/secret-sonics-164-sam-pura-launching-bands-with-impactful-records
Alex Crescioni - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/8/14/secret-sonics-156-alex-crescioni-bringing-heavy-records-to-life

Consider rating and reviewing our show on Apple Podcasts and sharing this or any of your favorite episodes with a friend or two.

Thank you to Zvi Rodan, Mendy Portnoy, and Yakir Hyman for contributing to the podcast theme music!

Thanks to Gavi Kutliroff for helping edit this episode!

You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co

 
Have a great week, stay safe, and dig in!

-Ben

Secret Sonics 147 - Kallie Marie - For the Sake of the Record

Kallie Marie is a recording engineer, record producer, composer, and author based out of NY, NY, USA! In our conversation, Kallie tells her story - getting her audio degree in the UK, working out of studios in NYC, and writing a forthcoming book on women in music production. She goes deep on her approach to producing bands, getting into the weeds with pre-production, and hiring the best studios and engineers the band can afford. We talk about content vs. art, synths, sound design, and writing for film. We also discuss the definition of a music producer, or lack thereof, and why it's so important to be able to explain to people what you actually do! Check it out!

You can learn more about Kallie at https://kalliemarie.com/home

You can follow Kallie on Social Media

IG - https://www.instagram.com/DoomGolly/

***Thanks to our sponsors!***

Save 20% off your first year of Filepass at - https://filepass.com/secretsonics

Save 50% off your first 3 months of Easy Funnels at - https://easyfunnels.io/secret-sonics

Click here to listen to "Thanks for Thinking" - https://www.carlbahner.com/thanks-for-thinking 

You can listen to the song we discussed in the "Sauce" segment here -
"Eclipse" by Mary and the Ram: https://maryandtheram.bandcamp.com/track/eclipse

***Join the Secret Sonics Discord community here(!) - discord.gg/UP97b72W6t

References:

Rookes - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/4/10/secret-sonics-140-rookes-breaking-new-ground-in-music
Her book "Conversations with Women in Music Production" - https://amzn.to/3PSfjZF
Roy Hendrickson - https://www.instagram.com/royhend/
Tracktion MOK - https://www.tracktion.com/products/waverazor
Tracktion Biotek - https://www.tracktion.com/products/biotek
Anthony J. Resta - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/3/20/secret-sonics-137-anthony-j-resta-the-tao-of-music-production
Damian Taylor - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/11/28/secret-sonics-123-damian-taylor-music-productions-deep-thinker

Consider rating and reviewing our show on Apple Podcasts and sharing this or any of your favorite episodes with a friend or two.

Thank you to Zvi Rodan, Mendy Portnoy, and Yakir Hyman for contributing to the podcast theme music!

Thanks to Gavi Kutliroff for helping edit this episode!

You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co

Have a great week, stay safe, and dig in!

-Ben

Secret Sonics 139 - Brian Bender - Leaning Into Authenticity

Brian Bender is a music producer, mixer, composer, and sound designer based out of LA, CA, USA! In our conversation, Brian shares his journey; coming up in NYC and working with the likes of Philip Glass and Russ Elevado, going freelance, and eventually making his way to LA. He goes deep on his mindsets when capturing bass, mixing, and working with artists and composers. He talks about working with Nate Smith, Dave Holland, and Kris Bowers. We also chat about the importance of timing (in performance, programming, and compression), fostering relationships, psychoacoustic, leaning into your own creative voice, and so much more! Check it out!

You can learn more about Brian at https://www.rainbowblonderecords.com/collective/brian

You can follow Brian on Social Media

IG - https://www.instagram.com/bdbender/

***Thanks to our sponsors!***

Save 20% off your first year of Filepass at - https://filepass.com/secretsonics

Click here to listen to "Thanks for Thinking" - https://www.carlbahner.com/thanks-for-thinking

You can listen to the song we discussed in the "Sauce" segment here -
"I Am a Man (Intro)" by Ben Williams - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZoLijWq3rs&ab_channel=BenWilliams-Topic

***Join the Secret Sonics Discord community here(!) - discord.gg/UP97b72W6t

References

Strong Songs interview - https://strongsongspodcast.com/episode/the-producers-philosophy-with-brian-bender

David Baker - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Baker_(composer)

Russ Elevado - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Elevado
Rainbow Blonde Records - https://www.rainbowblonderecords.com/
Vance Powell - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/4/11/secret-sonics-092-vance-powell-capturing-the-magic
Dave Holland - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Holland
Nate Smith - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nate_Smith_(musician)

Brian's Desk - https://umproject.com/The-Motherbrain-1
Nicholas Di Lorenzo - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/10/17/secret-sonics-117-nicholas-di-lorenzo-pushing-boundaries-beyond-mastering
CC Custom Drums - https://www.candcdrumsusa.com/

Consider rating and reviewing our show on Apple Podcasts and sharing this or any of your favorite episodes with a friend or two.

Thank you to Zvi Rodan, Mendy Portnoy, and Yakir Hyman for contributing to the podcast theme music!
Thanks to Gavi Kutliroff for helping edit this episode!
You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co
Have a great week, stay safe, and dig in!

-Ben

Secret Sonics 082 - Rohan Ramanna - Letting Music Guide the Journey

Rohan Ramanna is a music producer, audio engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and film composer based out of Mumbai, India! In this episode, check out Rohan's unique journey; why getting shipped off to boarding school was a major blessing for him, a look inside India's industrious music and film scenes, how he's been able to lift himself up from the bottom on multiple occasions, what allows him to mix on headphones, what it's like composing and mixing feature films and so much more! Check it out!

You can find out more about Rohan at https://www.salvageaudiocollective.com/team

You can find Rohan on Social Media

IG: https://www.instagram.com/theprodro/?hl=en

You can listen to the track that we discussed in the "Sauce" segment in its entirety here:
"Moon Child" by The F16s - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2WGTqDxosQ&ab_channel=TheF16s

As I mentioned in a previous episode, I've started a Whatsapp group community. If you're interested in joining, please email me at Secretsonics@gmail.com Please include your phone # and tell me a bit about what you do production-wise.

If you'd like to help support Secret Sonics, you can do so by visiting https://www.buymeacoffee.com/benwallick

References

Arnob Bal - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/11/15/secret-sonics-072-arnob-bal-nomadic-journeys-of-a-record-producer
Michael Jackson “Bad” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_(album)
Christy Smith bass - https://www.christysmithmusic.com/
Hans Zimmer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Zimmer
Remote Control Studios - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Control_Productions_(American_company)
Something relevant band - https://twitter.com/smthngrelevant?lang=en
Sohrab Nicholson - https://nicholson.bandcamp.com/album/for-what-ep
IRKO - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/12/20/secret-sonics-076-irko-being-true-to-himself-and-the-music
Island City Studios - https://www.instagram.com/studioislandcity/?hl=en
Bonobo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo_(musician)
Dolby Atmos - https://www.dolby.com/technologies/dolby-atmos/
Audeze LCD X - https://amzn.to/3pzW7Cl
Quested 212 - https://quested.com/monitors/50-q212d1-1024x696/
Didier Weiss - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_N7gs633Eo&ab_channel=SudeepAudio
Stratus 3d - https://www.izotope.com/en/shop/exponential-audio-stratus-3d.html
Gully Boy - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2395469/
Parasite - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6751668/
Christian Wright - https://www.abbeyroad.com/engineer/christian-wright
Studer tape (UA) - https://www.uaudio.com/uad-plugins/special-processing/studer-a800-tape-recorder.html

Thanks for listening to this episode of Secret Sonics! I hope you enjoyed this episode :) Look out for new episodes weekly. Consider rating and reviewing our show on Apple Podcasts and sharing this or any of your favorite episodes with a friend or two.

Thank you to Zvi Rodan, Mendy Portnoy, and Yakir Hyman for contributing to the new podcast theme music!

You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co

***If you want the show to continue to improve, feel free to fill out a listener survey here: https://forms.gle/BWKmS4YmESYid5rh8 ***

Follow along via social media here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SecretSonicsPod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/secretsonics/


Feel free to email me at secretsonics@gmail.com with any questions and feedback you might have. I'm open to learning about what topics you'd like to hear about and which people you'd like to hear from. In pursuit of making this podcast truly helpful to anybody looking to improve at music production, all suggestions are truly welcome!

Have a great week, stay safe, and dig in!

-Ben

Secret Sonics 044 - Gray Bashew

Gray Bashew is a music producer, composer, songwriter, and filmmaker traveling the globe in pursuit of his next project and adventure!

You can learn more about Gray here: https://graybashew.com/

You can follow Gray on Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gray_bashew/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUu6Qo-mrA0rh71QOC7iRUA

References

Comedy Central Drunk History - http://www.cc.com/shows/drunk-history

Ian Dotson - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/4/21/secret-sonics-034-ian-dotson

Gray's Music Video from 2018 that helped him grow his career - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLm8VJVwEhc

Universal Audio Arrow - https://amzn.to/2VXqCpx

Spitfire Labs (Virtual Instruments) - https://www.spitfireaudio.com/labs/

Lydgate Farms (Hawaii Chocolate) - https://lydgatefarms.com/

Thanks for listening to this episode of Secret Sonics! I hope you enjoyed this episode :) Look out for new episodes weekly. Consider rating and reviewing our show on Apple Podcasts and sharing this or any of your favorite episodes with a friend or two.

You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co

Follow along via social media here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SecretSonicsPod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/secretsonics/


Feel free to email me at secretsonics@gmail.com with any questions and feedback you might have. I'm open to learning about what topics you'd like to hear about and which people you'd like to hear from. In pursuit of making this podcast truly helpful to anybody looking to improve at music production, all suggestions are truly welcome!
 
Have a great week, stay safe, and dig in!

-Ben

Secret Sonics 020 - Ben Didelot

Thanks for listening to this episode of Secret Sonics! I hope you enjoyed this episode :) Look out for new episodes weekly.

Ben Didelot is a bass-guitarist, music producer, songwriter and mixing engineer based out of Atlanta, Georgia. 

You can find Ben on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bendidelot/

Some of Ben's work:
James Droll track mentioned on the podcast (Ben produced and co-wrote) - https://open.spotify.com/album/2WMufeR3NGBjcM5mjL78ZF?highlight=spotify:track:4mzW2eidycpBbO6p6mdhIN
Mixed and Mastered - https://open.spotify.com/album/6PM5N1bAppTxOJo8fb2nRO?si=qfX9xPGSSMGSWCZMMjPWvw
Mastering - https://open.spotify.com/album/7wmZSu3dGtP3zaHBGXvx16

Some of Ben's influences:
Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, specifically "Money" (which is actually in 7/4) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0kcet4aPpQ

You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co

Follow along via social media here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SecretSonicsPod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/secretsonics/

Feel free to email me at secretsonics@gmail.com with any questions and feedback you might have. I'm open to learning about what topics you'd like to hear about and which people you'd like to hear from. In pursuit of making this podcast truly helpful to anybody looking to improve at music production, all suggestions are truly welcome!

Have a great week and dig in!

-Ben

Secret Sonics 012 - Dan Mufson

Thanks for listening to this episode of Secret Sonics! I hope you enjoyed this episode :) Look out for new episodes weekly.

You can find out more about Dan Mufson here - https://www.danmufson.com/
Dan's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/danmufson/
Scavenger Hunt - https://open.spotify.com/artist/2CJw5Z0VmlBMrS1J1dtG9Z?autoplay=true&v=A
Scavenger Hunt Splice pack - https://splice.com/sounds/splice/scavenger-hunt-sample-pack
Joe LaPorta Sterling Mastering - https://sterling-sound.com/engineer/joe-laporta/
Select Scavenger Hunt tracks mentioned in this episode:
"Lost" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyodifrnl3I
"Dreamers" (from dropped shampoo commercial) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmmUTkwTBtE
Slate VMS demo featuring Scavenger Hunt performing "Sweet Talk" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1vT-QfWCXY

You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co
Follow along via social media here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SecretSonicsPod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/secretsonics/

Feel free to email me at secretsonics@gmail.com with any questions and feedback you might have. I'm open to learning about what topics you'd like to hear about and which people you'd like to hear from. In pursuit of making this podcast truly helpful to anybody looking to improve at music production, all suggestions are truly welcome!

Have a great week and dig in!
-Ben

Secret Sonics 011 - Freddie Fabian

Thanks for listening to this episode of Secret Sonics! I hope you enjoyed this episode :) Look out for new episodes weekly.

You can find out more about Freddie Fabian here: https://soundbetter.com/profiles/133460-freddie-fabian
Freddie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ephjaymusic/?hl=en
Freddie’s Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ephjay
Ejay Music Sequencer he mentioned (from the cereal box): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ltk5zzXXYxc
Example of contemporary classical music he creates: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B1gkw2Elx8C/?igshid=1hxveuvm2rc8o

You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co
Follow along via social media here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SecretSonicsPod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/secretsonics/

Feel free to email me at secretsonics@gmail.com with any questions and feedback you might have. I'm open to learning about what topics you'd like to hear about and which people you'd like to hear from. In pursuit of making this podcast truly helpful to anybody looking to improve at music production, all suggestions are truly welcome!

Have a great week and dig in!
-Ben

Secret Sonics 008 - Howard Feibusch

Thanks for listening to this episode of Secret Sonics! I hope you enjoyed this episode :) Look out for new episodes weekly.

You can find out more about Howard Feibusch here: https://howardfeibusch.com/
Howard the band’s website: https://www.listentohoward.com/bio
Howard’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listentohoward/
Some of the influential music Howard mentioned:
Other Lives Tamer Animals (Album): https://open.spotify.com/album/7JYPHNpefA6mNOiGK360Mf?autoplay=true&v=L
Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space: https://open.spotify.com/album/6OZQfQj94Lidi1EMpXydbh?autoplay=true&v=L
Bandmate and mixing engineer Alex Chakour: http://www.alexchakour.com/
Howard’s wife, Sonya Kitchell’s music: http://www.sonyakitchell.com/


You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co
Follow along via social media here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SecretSonicsPod
Instagram: www.instagram.com/secretsonics/

Feel free to email me at secretsonics@gmail.com with any questions and feedback you might have. I'm open to learning about what topics you'd like to hear about and which people you'd like to hear from. In pursuit of making this podcast truly helpful to anybody looking to improve at music production, all suggestions are truly welcome!

Have a great week and dig in!
-Ben