Episode 54
Show Notes:
Live with Matt Rad - Episode 54
May 18, 2021
w/ Jon Castelli - Week 48
Show notes by: Bradley Will
Staying In and Expanding Your Comfort Zone:
Jon:
Just because you see your peers living a high-intensity lifestyle doesn’t mean it’s for you.
I don’t need to do 18 hr days 5 days a week to get where I’m trying to go.
I did this when I was young, and now I no longer need to.
Who came up with the saying “Get out of your comfort zone?”
It’s healthy to do this in some instances.
When I’m in my comfort zone I can do two mixes a day, with minimal notes and make clients happy.
In my comfort zone, I do that the best. So who’s to say I shouldn’t be in my comfort zone all of the time?
Matt:
Usually when people say to “get out of your comfort zone” it’s because they are impeded in their creative progression by staying in the same place.
You need an environment where you’re very confident so that you can make informed decisions without second-guessing yourself.
Jon:
There’s a fine line between getting yourself outside of your comfort zone because you’re stagnant, but why shouldn’t you push the envelope within those parameters where you’re working great?
As WavyMaine says in the chat: “Make your comfort zone cover more area.”
Expand your comfort zone.
You have to know when to stay in your comfort zone. Challenge that convention.
Q: How do you get consistency with your mixes?
Matt:
If you do a thing, you’ve got a double and triple-down on it. Do it over and over with a great room and a good monitoring setup.
You’ve got to get your reps in. And without fear.
Jon:
Referencing a recent Huberman Lab episode in which an experiment was done to measure performance:
The subjects who were given a job and did it incorrectly and then told to do it again vs those who did the job incorrectly and told to do it again but they “lost 5 points” every time they had failed to do the job correctly.
People who were given negative feedback in this way showed a significant drop performance.
Focus on how it feels when it feels right.
It’s okay to lose. Don’t degrade because someone doesn’t like it. Learn from the failure and keep doing it.
I wouldn’t mix a song in a different studio everyday. You should have consistency in your working environment that you can trust.
Matt:
You just have to do it a lot and enjoy the process of what you’re doing without receiving any positive feedback.
That’s a reality in any creative field. You’ve got to love it.
Getting good requires an incredible amount of time. You have to enjoy it for it’s own sake or your won’t succeed.
The vast majority of things I write never see the light of day. And I’m fine with that.
It’s a joy when things come out, but I did it for 17 years before there was big feedback from the industry or any kind of success.
As an artist you need to write or mix hundreds or thousands of songs before you can succeed.
The only way to do it is to put in the time.
Jon:
I did thousands of mixes before I could consistently get mixes to sound great.
Q: Do we have to pay engineers if the result is bad?
Jon:
Yes you do. It’s a work-for-hire and you’re paying to get something.
Matt:
There is an unfortunate reality that sometimes people don’t want to pay for things that they agreed to pay for.
I will do everything I can to fight back against that practice.
The idea of people not paying you because they don’t like the results is bullshit.
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Jon’s Recent Hit Record:
Jon:
As of this week I’ve had my first Top 10 Hit since ‘Talk’
I feel pumped about this. I want to admit how psyched I am about that.
The validation of a successful record is very helpful. I’ve wanted this my entire life so that my mother understands what I do.
I needed this.
To know that I’m on the right trajectory
To stay relevant in order to get access to the potential for more hit songs.
Matt:
One hit is great, but as soon as you have two hits you have a career.
It gives you a credibility that is different by being associated with two different hits.
When you have a song that hits the Top 10 with an artist you were involved with that’s a big deal.
It’s meant a lot to me and it should mean a lot to you.
Jon:
I’m not doing it for myself. I’m doing it for the ears (the people listening).
Matt:
The idea of making art for it’s own sake is a broad idea about self motivation.
Music is unique in that it is a communal thing. It is a cultural dialogue. It’s a communication between people.
For me it’s about always trying to access that part of me that is 12 years and from that place. To get myself excited.
Jon:
I think I’m at my best when the pressure is on. When there’s a lot at stake. That’s why I want more opportunities like this.
Numerically speaking, after having a hit the number of mixes I’ve been offered has gone up, but the hit potential of the material hasn’t yet shifted.
Matt:
Opportunity follows quality work but consistency of work gets rewarded much more than quality.
The people in charge (paying the bills) want to know that they can spend the budget and rely on someone do a great job.
It’s a smarter business decision to go with the person with the proven track record.
At the end of the day it’s still a business and the executive producers are not likely to take the risk of going with someone who’s not consistent. They’re going to be more conservative about these decisions because they’re on the business side.
You can make great things, but the money is going to follow much later.
Matt:
I spend a lot of time finishing productions after an artist/producer can’t meet the label’s expectations.
I end up being the guy who getting the project after it’s been taken from the control of the artist or original producer.
It’s a very sensitive area because the original producer has had it taken from them and is likely feeling upset about it.
He touches base and tells them how excited he is to work with them and tries to build that trust so that they can then move forward and do a good job.
You’ve got to be great at what you do. You’ve got to be ready to take on the opportunities when they come to you and if they pass you by it’s because you weren’t ready for them.
Q: What was the process of making the Macklemore ‘Gemini’ record?
Ben is very hands on and can produce himself. I love working with artists who can produce.
We rented a Cadillac El Dorado to test mixes. We also went to a Mercedes dealership to test a Maybach so we could test our mixes in the car.
When you’re mixing an entire album, by default you’re far more invested in the project.
Ben loves his vocals bright and loud.
Q: Have you used the Ruby VT-5 Emulation Plugin?
Jon:
It doesn’t sound like the hardware at all, but it’s a good sounding EQ.
The high end is close, but there’s nothing that sounds like the low end on the actual hardware.
Q: How do I gain perspective when mixing and producing the same record?
Jon:
Give yourself time between each step.
I would bounce stems/stripes like I was going to mix it. Then I take a week off to forget about it and will be forced to pick up where I left off.
————
Jon:
I won’t mix a song if there’s no rough mix.
I always make stems before I mix. My assistant Josh does that
I don’t want to touch the settings on someone’s plugins. I want to start from where they left off.
If I mix from stems it’s 100% approval rate. But if I mix from a session it’s more of a 92-95% approval rate.
If you’re getting more than 2 dB of gain reduction on your limiter then you’re doing the wrong thing. Just turn the element up.
