Episode 32
Show Notes
Live with Matt Rad #32
Dec 15, 2020
w/ Jon Castelli - Week 29
Show notes by: Bradley Will
Jon is getting up at 7am. Then a 30 min bike ride and then starts mixing by 8a.
Jon mixed an entire EP this week. Everything was raw and mono so he had to do a ton of work to clip gain everything, do the Unfairchild processing, and everything from scratch.
It took Jon hours to do a single vocal.
It’s not something that you can do quickly.
There are no shortcuts. You have to do the hard work to get it up to the level. That’s what it takes to make your stuff great. Especially compared to the people who take the shortcuts.
So many things in life are simple yet difficult. The answer is usually to simply spend the time doing the work.
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Jon does as many mix revisions as are necessary to satisfy a client.
The dirty secret of revisions is even when you think you’ve nailed it, the majority of notes will make your mix better.
If you’re resistant to mix or production revisions then this isn’t the gig for you.
If the vocalist wants to recut the whole vocal or part, then Jon will ask them for more money because it’s a whole re-mix.
Put yourself in the position of the artist. You want to be the person that the artist wants to re-hire.
Jon believes that a good mix reveals flaws in production.
We’re being hired to translate their intentions into reality.
Track Versions:
In a sense you are being hired in your confidence to say, this is what it should sound like.
When Don Draper shows up to pitch there’s no backup idea. There’s only one vision.
Jon adheres to this ethos. He doesn’t like options.
The later you get in the process the more you are being hired by others to help decide when it is done.
Computers:
Jon wants one that plays back without playback stops.
12 core iMac Pro with lots of RAM.
Matt uses a 2016 MacBook Pro maxed out with an external monitor to keep it from heating up.
Ways to Keep A Stressful Session Happy and Productive:
No Sugar. Jon does a keto diet.
No insulin spikes/peaks up and down.
Any glucose will spike your insulin. Fruits included.
Jon doesn’t eat fruit.
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One of the secrets to what they do is to be good at the things that are outside of their work.
Mental health, physical health, good sleep, good diet.
Sleep schedule
Jon goes to bed from 10-11p and wakes up at 7a. He’s a 9 hr sleeper
For Matt, consistency of when you go to bed and wake up is huge.
Waking up without an alarm is huge. You’ll wake up in a lighter state.
Jon. The bedroom is for sleeping. That’s it.
Matt no longer has screens in his bedroom which is huge.
Jon has two mediation chairs in his space. He will never sit there with his phone. That is a place to sit and relax.
Q: How do I reach out and add value when I don’t have connections?
It’s time. They spent over a decade without success before they made any substantial money.
Lots of people won’t give you feedback. That’s part of the process.
Build your own network of people and do amazing work.
Find collaborators. Do great work. Eventually it will all catch up with you.
You’ve got to build long-term collaborative relationships. That’s the only way to do it.
Do a million DMs.
You’ve got to take a lot of shots and be ready for rejection.
Jon doesn’t usually respond. He’s resistant to over-usage of social media at this point in his life.
He will always cook for free and out of love because he needs something pro-bono that he can do for others. Music is not that outlet for him right now.
Most people won’t have mentors. This kind of mentorship will have to sustain other people.
He’s not checking his DM’s everyday.
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Listen. You’ve got to listen to inner-play and understand how different parts sound against one another.
Seek out people who get you more excited about the process.
Chase the goosebumps.
Jon doesn’t use reverb to make things sound like they’re in the same space.
Sometimes what Jon does is to make it sound like a record by obscuring the clarity between parts.
A record feels complete. A rough mix is when you can feel every part clearly.
Jon wants to be good at making records.
The glue shouldn’t make it feel like 80 tracks anymore.
