Secret Sonics 170 - Charlie Deakin-Davies - Full Speed Ahead

Charlie Deakin-Davies is a record producer, songwriter, musical director, and multi-instrumentalist based out of London, England, UK! In our conversation Charlie and I go deep on the following:

Getting their start and charting from a young age
Being naive and productive vs. experienced with imposter syndrome
Working with Gary Barlow
MDing and touring
Pop songwriting sessions
Major labels signing TikTokkers
Green lights, fast workflow, and virtuous creative cycles
Approach to guitars and bass
Compression vs. Automation
Quantity leads to quality and inevitable successes
Be friendly

And so much more!

You can learn more about Charlie at https://www.charliedeakindavies.com/

You can follow Charlie on Social Media

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

***Thanks to our sponsors!***

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

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

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

You can listen to the "Sauce" segment in its entirety here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4cc3hwpzEs&ab_channel=GaryBarlow-Topic

References:

Rookes - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/4/10/secret-sonics-140-rookes-breaking-new-ground-in-music
Martin Lumsden - https://martintheproducer.com/
Gary Barlow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Barlow
Fraser T. Smith - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_T._Smith
Mannon Grandjean - https://www.progressionspodcast.com/episode/manon-grandjean
Fred Again - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Again
Devil-Loc - https://www.soundtoys.com/product/devil-loc/
Arcade by Output - https://output.com/products/arcade
TCC (the Trans Creative Collective) - https://linktr.ee/TransCreativeCollective

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 144 - Sam Sherbin - Betting on Himself

Sam Sherbin is a mixing engineer based out of LA, CA, USA! In our second conversation on the podcast, Sam brings us up to date; betting on himself and moving to LA, being a great hang, sticking around the studio, and working hard. He goes deep on leaning into fear, having a beginner's mindset, and always striving for growth. We also chat about working with long-term clients, gratitude to do what we do, what to listen for in an already great-sounding producer's mix, and so much more! Check it out!

You can learn more about Sam at https://www.samsherbin.com/

You can follow Sam on Social Media

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

***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

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

You can listen to the song we discussed in the "Sauce" segment here -
"CAVIAR" by CL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzoWpiP1bVU&ab_channel=Jendukie

References:

Sam's first episode - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/1/17/secret-sonics-080-sam-sherbin-the-feel-of-a-record

Andy Reed - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/2/27/secret-sonics-134-andy-reed-making-a-song-in-a-day
Dee Kei Waddell - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/4/17/secret-sonics-141-dee-kei-waddell-the-way-of-the-mixer
Manny Marroquin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manny_MarroquinIrko - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/12/20/secret-sonics-076-irko-being-true-to-himself-and-the-music
Tchad Blake - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tchad_Blake
Al Schmitt - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Schmitt
Willie Green - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/1/9/secret-sonics-127-willie-green-being-true-to-artistic-intent
John Greenham - http://www.johngreenham.com/
Nicholas Di Lorenzo - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/10/17/secret-sonics-117-nicholas-di-lorenzo-pushing-boundaries-beyond-mastering
Jesse Ray Ernster - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/8/29/secret-sonics-110-jesse-ray-ernster-going-all-in-on-his-dreams
Neenah - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/4/24/secret-sonics-142-neenah-exploring-the-mix

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 120 - John McLucas - Unorthodox Pop Production

John McLucas is a pop producer, mixer, and mentor, based out of the USA! In our chat, John shares his journey; from rock/metal drummer to pop producer. We talk about reverse engineering a lifestyle that works for him, lessons learned about personal branding from Gary Vee, and living a digital nomad lifestyle. John also shares his approach to community building and outreach, mixing on headphones, having patience and so much more! Check it out!

You can learn more about John at https://www.johnmclucas.com/

You can follow John on Social Media
IG - https://www.instagram.com/john_mclucas/


You can listen to the song we discussed in the "Sauce" segment in its entirety here: "Phone a Friend" by Lia Farrington & John McLucas & Bryce Ancil - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C2BI0KzL9M&ab_channel=VariousArtists-Topic

Join the Secret Sonics Discord community here(!) - https://discord.gg/7menEBGeYk

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

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

References

Austin Hull - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/5/16/secret-sonics-097-austin-hull-a-fresh-approach-to-pop-music
Build a Story Brand - https://amzn.to/3mR8MC7
Carl Bahner - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/10/10/secret-sonics-116-carl-bahner-serving-and-nurturing-artists
Enoch Yang - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/10/31/secret-sonics-119-enoch-yang-forging-an-authentic-path-in-music
VSX - https://stevenslateaudio.com/vsx
Audeze - https://www.audeze.com/
Chris Graham - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/5/2/secret-sonics-095-chris-graham-helping-audio-people-in-his-own-unique-way
Warren Huart - https://www.instagram.com/warrenhuart/
Drum Monkey Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq4cRVnBSkc&ab_channel=JohnMcLucas
Pro Mix Academy - https://promixacademy.com/
75 Hard - https://andyfrisella.com/pages/75hard-info

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 097 - Austin Hull - A Fresh Approach to Pop Music

Austin Hull is a music producer, mixing engineer, and artist based out of Orlando, FL, USA! Austin is the founder and owner of Make Pop Music. In this episode, Austin shared his story - how he transitioned from playing in metal bands to producing pop music, how he started the Make Pop Music Facebook group and built a career in production. We go deep on his approach to producing and mixing, how he stays creative and inspired in the studio, communicating with artists and so much more! Check it out!

You can find out more about Austin at https://www.austinhull.com/

You can find out more about Make Pop Music at https://www.makepopmusic.com/

You can find Austin on Social Media

IG - https://www.instagram.com/austinhull23/

You can find Make Pop Music on Social Media

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

FB - https://www.facebook.com/groups/makepopmusic

You can listen to the song we discussed in the "Sauce" segment in its entirety here: "Gone in the Morning" by Liam Ferrari - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfEgpdtc6-s&ab_channel=LiamFerrari

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

Six-Figure Home Studio podcast episode with Austin - https://www.thesixfigurehomestudio.com/how-to-build-an-audio-career-100-online-from-anywhere-in-the-world-with-austin-hull/
House of Balloons The Weeknd - https://open.spotify.com/album/7zCODUHkfuRxsUjtuzNqbd?autoplay=true
Max Martin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Martin
Blackbear’s Sex EP mixtape - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJkYpyer3so&ab_channel=MindsAblaze2
Ariana Grande tutorial video - https://youtu.be/A_9zYei1Rvo
Two-Sided Mind - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNw4vHKctzE&ab_channel=AustinHull
How to make a pop song in 10 steps - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4YixkCxZk8&ab_channel=MakePopMusic
Verbsuite Classics - https://slatedigital.com/verbsuite-classics/
Fabfilter Pro R - https://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-r-reverb-plug-in
Valhalla Vintage Verb - https://valhalladsp.com/shop/reverb/valhalla-vintage-verb/
R-Vox - https://www.waves.com/plugins/renaissance-vox
Slate 2a - https://slatedigital.com/fg-2a/
Slate VBC - https://slatedigital.com/virtual-buss-compressors/
Lin MB Waves - https://www.waves.com/plugins/linear-phase-multiband-compressor
Fabfilter Saturn - https://www.fabfilter.com/products/saturn-2-multiband-distortion-saturation-plug-in

Plugin Alliance Black Box - https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/black_box_analog_design_hg-2.html
Pro-L 2 - https://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-l-2-limiter-plug-in
Virtual Tape Machine - https://slatedigital.com/virtual-tape-machines/
How to make a Lauv style track MPM - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpLUoDzuAJM&ab_channel=MakePopMusic
Daniel Grimmett - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2021/3/21/secret-sonics-089-daniel-grimmett-helping-music-producers-succeed
Focal Shape 65 - https://www.focal.com/en/pro-audio/monitoring-speakers/shape/monitoring-speakers/shape-65

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 064 - Benjamin Kogan

Benjamin Kogan is a music producer and mixing engineer based out of Haifa, Israel! 

You can find out more about Benjamin at https://benvelmusic.com/

You can find Benjamin on Social Media

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iambenjaminkogan

You can listen to the song "Always Tomorrow" by Rik Rivera that we discussed in its entirety here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_c5TAk2t0E&ab_channel=RikRivera-Topic

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

Nicholas Di Lorenzo: https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/6/28/secret-sonics-052-nicholas-di-lorenzo
Jordi (Israeli producer) example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94BIxqTYJzU&ab_channel=StaticandBenEl-%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%98%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%91%D7%9F%D7%90%D7%9C
Coursera course about songwriting with Pat Pattison: https://www.coursera.org/learn/songwriting-lyrics
Arcade by Output: https://output.com/arcade
Echo Sound Works: https://www.echosoundworks.com/
Makepopmusic: https://www.makepopmusic.com/samples
Source Connect: https://source-elements.com/products/source-connect
Justin Long: https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/8/16/secret-sonics-059-justin-long
Cubase: https://new.steinberg.net/cubase/
The Six Figure Home Studio Podcast: https://www.thesixfigurehomestudio.com/podcast/

Benjamin's Book Recommendations

Clive Davis - "The Soundtrack of My Life" - https://amzn.to/35TU5WY

Lou Pearlman - "Bands Brands and Billions" - https://amzn.to/2RK23cP

John Seabrook - "The Song Machine Inside the Hit Factory" - https://amzn.to/3cfgcIz

Spencer Johnson, MD - "Who Moved my Cheese" - https://amzn.to/366Tj9h

Jason Blume - "Inside Songwriting" - https://amzn.to/3hQi5N0

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 043 - Phil Barnes

Phil Barnes is a multi-genre record producer, songwriter and recording artist based out of Nashville, TN, USA!

You can learn more about Phil here: https://www.philbarnesmusic.com/

You can follow Phil on Social Media

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

Phil's Email: phil@plbandco.com

Phil's Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0y2YPgYVyhrSwDDWmTX5Zr?si=-DmZCdraTbCWOC5sJdBWxw

References

Evan Gibb - https://soundbetter.com/profiles/43665-evan-gibb
Matthew Perryman Jones - https://www.mpjmusic.com/
Eduard Kort - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/4/20/secret-sonics-005-eduard-kort
Ableton Live - https://www.ableton.com/en/
Tom Lord Alge - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Lord-Alge
Greg Wells - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Wells
Michael Brauer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Brauer
Sam Moses - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2020/4/21/secret-sonics-035-sam-moses

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 022 - Dissecting "Revolver" by the Beatles with Jacob Gorensteyn

Thanks for listening to this episode of Secret Sonics! Unlike most episodes of the podcast, in this episode, Jacob and I sat down in my living room, listened to a revolutionary record (on vinyl!) and had a conversation about how it was made and how it influenced our industry and culture. I hope you enjoyed this deep dive on the record "Revolver." As always, look out for new episodes weekly.

Jacob Gorensteyn is a musician, audio engineer and vinyl addict based out of Bet Shemesh, Israel.

You can find Jacob on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jayzhead
You can find Jacob on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacob.gorensteyn

You can learn more about "Revolver" here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(Beatles_album)

Ken Townshend invented "Automatic Double Tracking" - https://www.waves.com/behind-abbey-road-adt-effect
Bernard Herrmann composed scores for Alfred Hitchcock (and inspired the string arrangement that George Martin composed on Eleanor Rigby) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Herrmann

Some of the songs we mentioned in the episode:
"Tomorrow Never Knows" by the Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNbHn3i9S4
"Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gluNoLVKiQ
"Taxman" by the Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0zaebtU-CA
"Rain" by the Beatles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK5G8fPmWeA

Books we mentioned in the episode:
Geoff Emerick's "Here, There and Everywhere:" https://amzn.to/2Y2aXVr
Mark Lewinson's "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions:"  https://amzn.to/2DtAMEm
By Brian Kehew & Kevin Ryan's "Recording the Beatles" (incorrectly credited to Mark Lewinson who wrote the book above this): https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/book-review-recording-beatles , https://amzn.to/33BbvD1


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 015 - Decco

Decco is the brainchild of the prolific producers and songwriters Joacim Persson and Sebastian Arman.

You can find out more about Decco here: https://www.deccoofficial.com/
Decco's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deccomusic/
Decco's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OFFICIALDECCO/
The track mentioned that Ben recorded featuring Alex Clare - "Crazy to Love You": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THNmzcOrQBU

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 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