Secret Sonics 182 - Scott Hull - Mastering Stellar Records

Scott Hull is a 40-year veteran Grammy award-winning mastering engineer and the owner of Masterdisk based in Peekskill, NY, USA. In our conversation Scott and I go deep on the following:

Landing a Masterdisk internship and working with Bob Ludwig
Leading an interdisciplinary life
Striving for excellence
The role of the engineer
His approach to mastering
Avoiding overprocessing and doing more with less
Becoming familiar with your monitoring
Human hearing and perception are malleable
Mastering is a perspective
Analog vs. Digital mastering
Mastering and cutting for vinyl
Amazing Steely Dan and John Mayer stories
Rolling with the chaos
Decision-making and having a successful mindset

And so much more!

You can learn more about Scott at https://www.masterdisk.com/scott-hull

You can follow Scott on Social Media

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

***Thanks to our sponsors!***

Safari Pedals (Promo Code secretsonics20 at checkout) - https://safaripedals.com/collections/all

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:

Bob Ludwig - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ludwig

Masterdisk - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterdisk

Bobby Owsinski - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/7/5/secret-sonics-151-bobby-owsinski-birds-eye-view-of-the-audio-industry

Sam Moses - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/1/30/secret-sonics-130-sam-moses-finishing-records

Two Against Nature - https://open.spotify.com/album/2MJc2N3eFVT0ZabBN4zc32?si=oTCQgW0nQtGNwdqdxI3J2g

Room for Squares - https://open.spotify.com/album/3yHOaiXecTJVUdn7mApZ48?si=_CJKTf92RGyXDvM2oJE2wg

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 editing 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 109 - Maor Appelbaum - Emotive Mastering

Maor Appelbaum is a mastering engineer based out of LA, CA, USA. In this episode, Maor shares his journey; moving to the States from Israel, working with Sylvia Massy, and transitioning into full-time mastering. He talks about his approach to mastering, getting emotion out of a record, an inside look at some of his gear, being a part of the audio community, getting on the phone with clients, and so much more! Check it out!

You can learn more about Maor at https://maorappelbaum.com/

You can follow Maor on Social Media

FB - https://www.facebook.com/maorappelbaummastering
IG - https://www.instagram.com/maorappelbaummastering/

Subscribe to the podcast and get my free guidebook "Music Production Essentials" here - https://mpe-ebook.benwallick.com/free-download

Join the Secret Sonics Facebook community here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/secretsonics

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

References

Sylvia Massy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Massy
G3 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G3_(tour)
The Oven - https://hendyamps.com/the-oven
Magic Death Eye Compressor - http://magicdeatheye.com/
Maselec - http://www.maselec.com/
Lynx Hilo - https://www.lynxstudio.com/products/hilo/
Electronauts m97 - http://electronaut.info/m97/
Waves abbey road mastering chain - https://www.waves.com/plugins/abbey-road-tg-mastering-chain#abbey-road-tg-mastering-chain-demo
Pete Lyman - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/7/11/secret-sonics-103-pete-lyman-how-to-cut-a-record
PMC ib1s passive - https://pmc-speakers.com/products/professional/passive/ib1s#:~:text=The%20IB1S%20is%20an%20extremely,and%20SB100%20sub%20bass%20system.
Creative Mastering with Maor Appelbaum - https://proaudiomasterclasses.com/classes/creative-mastering-with-maor-appelbaum

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 070 - Noam Levinberg

Noam Levinberg is a mixing and mastering engineer based out of Tel Aviv, Israel, and currently working as the head of audio at Artlist.io!

You can find out more about Noam at https://www.noamlevinberg.com/

You can find Noam on Social Media

IG: https://www.instagram.com/noamlevinberg/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/noam.levinberg

Spotify (where you can find more of his work): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5B4FZQKa9wDjgmOuoJmcs5?si=LPVJX0NzSr6w1DZQ6kgt3w

You can learn more about Artlist.io here: https://artlist.io/

You can listen to (and watch!) the track that we discussed in the "Sauce" segment in its entirety here:

"Woodhouse 12" by Dan Mayo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rMpuQ3UddE&ab_channel=DanMayo

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.

References

Tatran: https://www.tatranmusic.com/
Udi Koomran: https://www.facebook.com/udi.koomran
Pluto Studios: https://www.plutostudios.com/english/
Earthsync label in India: https://www.earthsync.com/
Neve VR console: https://vintageking.com/neve-vr72-20009-k-used
Tatran Desert Session: https://youtu.be/0_o7ZPmMCLc
Midas XR-18: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XR18--behringer-by-air-xr18-tablet-controlled-digital-mixer
Splice: https://splice.com/
Billy Decker (interview): https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-167-with-billy-decker/
Manley Nu-Mu: https://www.manley.com/pro/mnumu
Zulu: https://www.handsomeaudio.com/
4-track Ampex: https://reverb.com/item/1345183-ampex-ag440-4-track-1-2-analog-reel-to-reel-recorder
Proac monitors: http://www.proac-loudspeakers.com/html_files/Speakers.php?Range=Studio&Speaker=Studio100
Focal Shape 40: https://www.focal.com/en/pro-audio/monitoring-speakers/shape/monitoring-speakers/shape-40
Dan Mayo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Mayo
Yehezkal Raz: https://yehezkelraz.com/
Vulf Compressor: https://goodhertz.co/vulf-comp/
Vulfpeck LAX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzxW8nxgENA&ab_channel=Vulf
Tube Screamer: https://amzn.to/2GfSMXN
AD-9: https://amzn.to/34Lzgft
The long tail of the internet: https://seths.blog/2008/07/the-long-tail-t/

Yossi Fine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yossi_Fine

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 069 - Kristian Montano

Kristian Montano is a mastering engineer and the owner of Montano Mastering, based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada! 

You can find out more about Kristian at https://www.montanomastering.com/

You can find Kristian on Social Media

IG: https://www.instagram.com/MontanoMastering/

Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/kristianmontano/

You can email Kristian at kristian@montanomastering.com

You can listen to the two songs that we discussed in the "Sauce" segment in their entirety via the following links: 

"Stereotypes" by Your Hunni: https://lefuturewave.com/2020/10/20/introducing-your-hunni-stereotypes/

"Flowers" by Burs: https://bursmusic.bandcamp.com/track/flowers

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.

References

Matt Snell: https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/8/23/secret-sonics-060-matt-snell
Michael Starita: https://www.instagram.com/staritamusic/
Noah Mintz: http://www.lacquerchannel.com/noah-mintz/
Joao Carvalho: https://www.joaocarvalhomastering.com/
Audeze LCD X: https://amzn.to/31ADAvS
Neumann KH 310s: https://amzn.to/3dY4h2K
Airpods: https://amzn.to/37BRNwj
Dylan Seals' episode of the Attack and Release show: https://attackandreleaseshow.fireside.fm/68
Aurotanes: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/5CAmpA230BK--auratone-5c-super-sound-cubes-4.5-inch-passive-reference-monitors-with-a2-30-power-amp-black
Tidal: https://tidal.com/
Ted Jenson of Sterling Sound: https://sterling-sound.com/engineer/ted-jensen/
Carl Bahner: https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/8/9/secret-sonics-058-carl-bahner
Manley Vari-Mu: https://www.manley.com/pro/mslchp
Manley Massive Passive: https://www.manley.com/pro/msmp
HCL EQ: https://www.handcraftedlabs.pl/products/thermos-dual-mono-program-eq
DMG Plugins: https://dmgaudio.com/
Bob Katz: https://amzn.to/34s2T58
Division 88: https://www.instagram.com/division.88/
Leapwing root one: https://www.leapwingaudio.com/rootone/
Big Thief band: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Thief
Joe LaPorta: https://sterling-sound.com/engineer/joe-laporta/
Nebraska Cover Album Collab: https://torontocoversproject.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-end-of-every-hard-earned-day-people-find-some-reason-to-believe
Bobby Owsinski’s book: https://amzn.to/3meGtdy
Bon Iver's first record: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bon_Iver#2006%E2%80%932010:_For_Emma,_Forever_Ago

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 052 - Nicholas Di Lorenzo

Nicholas Di Lorenzo is a mixing and mastering engineer and the owner of Panorama Mixing and Mastering based out of Melbourne, Australia!

You can learn more about Nicholas and Panorama here: https://www.panoramamastering.com.au/

You can follow Nicholas on Social Media

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_bfJFyuxow&autoplay=1&mute=0

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0EJWudTWIgf0TwbHmNPWkh?si=5OTILxllQBqZXfzBiHabDQ

References

High Voltage EQ6S: https://www.highvoltageaudio.net/eqs.html#main

Phil Barnes Episode (Wet Stems for Mixing): https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/4/26/secret-sonics-043-phil-barnes

Hubspot: https://www.hubspot.com/

Gary Vee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Vaynerchuk

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

***Please fill out this listener survey for a chance to win a 1-hour production coaching call with me: 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