Music Production Talks

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Music producers Chris Jacobie and JP Ruggieri delve into the art of crafting interesting and compelling recordings. You’re in the right place if you’re tired of shallow content with click bait titles like “3 Steps To Make Banging Beats!”

Chris Jacobie & JP Ruggeri


    • May 23, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 45m AVG DURATION
    • 33 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Music Production Talks

    Interview with Ben Alleman and Parker McAnnaly

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 47:52


    This week we sit down with Ben Alleman and Parker McAnnaly to discuss Ben's beautiful instrumental album "A Study In Unknowing." Parker produced, engineered and mixed the album.

    Interview With Collins McLaughlin of Chester

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 52:35


    This week JP and I sit down and chat with Collins McLaughlin about his band's new album, songwriting, and more.

    Interview With Ken Perkerwicz of Tennessee Rhythm Company

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2025 54:48


    Today we interview Ken Perkerwicz of Tennessee Rhythm Company. JP played and mixed on Ken's record and so we get into all the nitty gritty of how it was made.

    Interview With Oliver Wood

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2024 70:17


    This week we got to sit down and chat with Oliver Wood about his new record and creative process. Enjoy! https://www.oliverwoodmusic.com/

    Interview With Chris Kasper

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2024 46:53


    We chat with artist, Chris Kasper, about the recording of his 2024 release Sunlight In An Empty Room.

    Creating Motion and Emotion In A Mix

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2024 37:33


    This week we discuss automation and other methods for creating movement, motion, and emotion in a mix.

    Motown Drum Tones!!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2024 19:53


    In this episode, our good friend, John Wood comes over to help us recreate some 60s drum tones a la Motown. John is a tasteful drummer with a studio that features a great selection of drums and gear. Hit him up for remote drum recording! johnwoodmusic@gmail.com

    Interview with Mitch Webb aka mihtmo

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2024 70:35


    JP and Chris sit down to chat with Chris's longtime collaborator, Mitch Webb, who just dropped a solo album called "Touch Grass" under the artist name, mihtmo. We discuss writing, arranging, recording, and mixing of the album and Mitch's interesting "Streetcar Technique" for making EQ choices. Links (May Contain Affiliate Links) Streetcar example Train Your Ears

    jp eq mitch webb
    Miking Singer-Songwriters

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2024 39:02


    In this episode, Chris and JP discuss how to mic a singer-songwriter that is playing acoustic guitar and singing at the same time. JP provides some listening examples. Links (May Contain Affiliate Links) Train Your Ears Perception AB Level Matching Plugin

    Music Production Process Approaches

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2024 50:18


    JP and Chris discuss possible approaches to the production process. Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) ⁠⁠Train Your Ears: Ear Training For Musicians

    Joel Arnow Interview - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2024 48:02


    Welcome back, Joel! This is part 2 of our interview with Joel Arnow. Joel Arnow comes to making records from the perspective of a musician first and foremost.  His training, at the New England Conservatory of Music, has given him the musical skills to write, arrange, and perform all types of music.  After touring for over a decade, he began to switch his focus to music production, recording, and mixing.  Making records is what he loves to do and it has allowed him to work and collaborate with some truly incredible musicians.   Joel is a New York-based musician with extensive experience performing, recording, and producing. After graduating from New England Conservatory of Music with a BA in Jazz Performance in 2005, he started his career as a drummer. He has performed with an array of artists in New York, throughout the country, and abroad. He have supported singer-songwriters, played in instrumental groups and recorded with a diverse range of artists. Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) Joel's Website Funny KRK Sub Review Train Your Ears 2

    Joel Arnow Interview - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2024 27:35


    Joel Arnow comes to making records from the perspective of a musician first and foremost.  His training, at the New England Conservatory of Music, has given him the musical skills to write, arrange, and perform all types of music.  After touring for over a decade, he began to switch his focus to music production, recording, and mixing.  Making records is what he loves to do and it has allowed him to work and collaborate with some truly incredible musicians.   Joel is a New York-based musician with extensive experience performing, recording, and producing. After graduating from New England Conservatory of Music with a BA in Jazz Performance in 2005, he started his career as a drummer. He has performed with an array of artists in New York, throughout the country, and abroad. He have supported singer-songwriters, played in instrumental groups and recorded with a diverse range of artists. Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) ⁠Joel's Website⁠ ⁠Train Your Ears 2⁠

    The Maiden Voyage of Chris's New Studio

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2024 34:00


    JP and Chris discuss the first session at Chris's new space in Nashville. Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) ⁠Train Your Ears: Ear Training For Musicians

    Interview With Brook Sutton

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2023 68:23


    This week we interviewed the great bass player and engineer, Brook Sutton. We talk about Brooks' approach to recording drums with SM57s, his work as an engineer with The Wood Brothers on their last three records, and his recent work on Chris Kasper's upcoming album. This episode was recorded at The Studio Nashville. Train Your Ears: Ear Training For Musicians* *Contains our affiliate link

    Madison Cunningham Track Analysis - "Hospital"

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2023 33:42


    The One About That Nigel Godrich Interview

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2022 45:32


    Check out the interview here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0017rhn Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links): Train Your Ears: Ear Training For Audio Engineers

    Freaking Out About Hardware EQs!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2022 45:03


    This week Chris freaks out about his new hardware EQs, shares some tips for EQ'ing and for getting your head even further around EQ. Hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed chatting. Resources: API Audio Kush Audio Analog Little Labs VOG Blackhole Virtual Audio Driver Train Your Ears: Ear Training For Musicians

    How To Groove With Drummer Jordan Rose

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2022 50:48


    Resources Mentioned In This Episode (May Contain Affiliate Links) Jordan on Instagram Train Your Ears: Ear Training For Musicians Duke Ellington's Album Money Jungle Inside Track: Alabama Shake's Sound & Color

    Production Analysis: Wilco's "Pot Kettle Black"

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2022 42:49


    After two weeks off, here's a new episode of the show! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, we're doing a production analysis of “Pot Kettle Black.” We had a great time listening deeply to this song and then chatting about it. Thanks for listening! Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) Train Your Ears: Ear Training For Engineers

    Live Gig Prep aka How To Not Sound Like Crap Live

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2022 49:14


    JP is on a gig in London and hasn't had a chance to set up his recording equipment. We had to record this one on Zoom. Apologies for the sad sound quality. We get into how to prep for a gig both musically and sonically. We also discuss soloing and musical minimalism. Enjoy!

    Music Production Process Overview

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2022 67:30


    Instead of focusing on just one aspect of recordings, such as recording or mixing, we're taking a look at the whole process. This episode was inspired by a question that one of our listeners, Felix Picolet, asked us. Thanks, Felix! If you want to have your question answered on the show, hit us up on Instagram. Resources: Train Your Ears - Ear Training For Musicians 1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die

    Drum Recording Approaches

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2022 41:16


    Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) James Gadson's Facial Expression Snare Drum Mic Placement Examples Train Your Ears: Ear Training For Engineers

    approaches drum recording
    Production Analysis: Daniel Lanois "As Tears Go By"

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2022 44:27


    Proper Audio Recording Levels a.k.a. How To Not Overcook Your Audio

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2022 40:22


    This week Chris is going solo (JP is couldn't make the show this week) and getting nerdy, dry, and detailed. This topic is what separates the pros from the noobs. Take notes, apply to your recordings and you'll be cooking your audio at a nice medium rare and making better-sounding music. We get into... Gain-staging throughout the entire recording chain. Why DAWS and peak meters will lead you astray. Peak vs. RMS levels What the "sweet spot" is and how to hit it Digital reference levels The difference between 16, 24, and 32-bit. How to set levels when recording. How to gain-stage your mix Calibrating buss compression And calibrating your monitors -- Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) FREE Microphone Reference Sheet. Ear Training for Sound Engineers

    Active Listening Exercises

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2022 23:05


    Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron 750 Words Chase Bliss Understanding and Crafting The Mix: The Art Of Recording - William Moylan BX_solo Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior FREE Microphone Reference Sheet Ear Training for Sound Engineers

    EQ Shootouts With Examples (API, Neve, and SSL-style)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2022 27:52


    This week we go a little deeper into the topic of EQ. We do a shootout of Neve, SSL, and API-style EQs and discuss what we like and don't like about them. We give examples of what certain EQ moves sound like so you can start to get your ear around different frequencies. And we even get into why having massive brain surgery makes you tired AF ...who knew?!? As always, thanks for listening! -- Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) Download the EQ shootout files here. FREE Microphone Reference Sheet. Ear Training for Sound Engineers

    EQ 101

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2022 52:12


    This week we're talking about EQ. If you're new to EQ and wanting to get an understanding of the basics, this is a great episode for you. We get into terminology, the differences between some common classic EQ's, and some examples of why in some cases common EQ moves are great and why in others they will completely kill the vibe of your recording. -- Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) FREE Microphone Reference Sheet. Ear Training for Sound Engineers

    Music Production Talks Trailer

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2022 0:49


    Hello and Welcome! Each week on Music Production Talks join Chris Jacobie and me, JP Ruggieri, as we skip over teaching you how to make PHAT beats and record screaming electric guitars …not that there's anything wrong with that. And instead, we're going to jump straight into having nuanced conversations about producing music that actually says something. If you're a musician that wants to discover how to actually record your songs in a way that you want them to sound, or you're a producer that's looking to hone your skills. Or maybe you just want to hear interesting stories from the other side of the glass, so to speak you are in the right place. -- Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) FREE Microphone Reference Sheet. Ear Training for Sound Engineers

    Production Analysis: Feist "The Bad In Each Other"

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2022 45:13


    This week we take a break from talking about recording engineering and instead get more into music production. We analyze the production of Feist's The Bad In Each Other and take a look at the songwriting, instrumentation, arrangement, recording, and mixing in this song. Listen To The Song YouTube Spotify YouTube Music Pandora Apple Music Tidal Resources Mentioned In This Episode (May Contain Affiliate Links) Pro Studio Masters - Premium Download Music Service The Words and Music Of Paul Simon by James Bennighof Understanding and Crafting The Mix by William Moylan Brainworx bx_solo - Plugin For Monitoring M/S & Adding Stereo Width Making Of Metals Metals EPK Videos Other Cool Stuff (May Contain Affiliate Links) FREE Microphone Reference Sheet Ear Training for Sound Engineers Follow Us On Instagram @ChrisJacobie @JPRuggieri

    Microphones Part 2: Multi-Miking Strategies

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022 45:31


    Don your white lab coats and your pen protector. We're getting even geekier this week. What is phase and what is polarity? If you don't understand these two audio concepts, you're in for a painful recording experience as soon as you add in a 2nd mic or more. Have no fear though. This week we'll walk you through all the things you need to think about to make multi-mic recordings that sound great! And we'll show you a few audio examples to help tune your ears to potential polarity and phase issues you could run into. If you haven't listened to last week's episode, start there. -- Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) FREE Microphone Reference Sheet. Ear Training for Sound Engineers

    Microphones Part 1: Microphone Basics

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2022 71:53


    This week we're talking about microphone basics! We get into terminology and specs, microphone types and their applications. We also shootout 4 different microphones so you can hear the sound. Lastly, we answer listener questions and make mic recommendations. -- Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) FREE Microphone Reference Sheet. Ear Training for Sound Engineers

    The Wet & Wild World Of Reverb

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2022 64:12


    Splish, splash, taking a bath ...in reverb! This week we dive into the history or reverb and JP demonstrates various different reverb types from UAD. -- Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) FREE Microphone Reference Sheet. Ear Training for Sound Engineers

    Compression 101

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2022 32:27


    Welcome to episode 1 of Music Production Talks with Chris Jacobie and JP Ruggieri. This episode we introduce ourselves and the show and then dive into the art and science of compression. -- Resources (May Contain Affiliate Links) FREE Microphone Reference Sheet. Ear Training for Sound Engineers

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