Episode 68
Show Notes:
Live with Matt Rad - Episode 68
October 05, 2021
w/ Jon Castelli - Week 59
Show notes by: Bradley Will
Habitual Instagram Usage and Distraction
Jon:
I just took a week long break from looking at Instagram, just to see what I could learn by not being on it.
I was noticeably more focused.
I noticed a minimization of distraction by not switching back and forth on Instagram.
For reference, my average time spent on Instagram was 38-42 min a day.
Now that I’ve taken a week off, I will do another week without it.
Otherwise I’ll check in on Fridays to see what the new song releases are for the week.
I’ll probably check in twice a week from now on.
I would recommend the book ‘The Molecule of More’ by Daniel Lieberman and Michael Long to dive deeper into how your neurochemistry influences your mind.
Matt:
Multitasking is bullshit. You suffer a penalty in focus by switching between multiple tasks constantly.
Computer Backups
Matt:
Make. Sure. That. You’ve. Backed. Everything. Up.
Jon:
I have Time Machine all of the time plus a hardware backup
I also keep archive drives with a backup of those.
Every 500-700GB my assistant Josh backs up everything to an 8TB drive.
I have just about everything I’ve ever worked on backed up all the way to 2005.
I don’t have a cloud backup.
I don’t like Dropbox backing up in real time because it creates glitches on my computer.
Matt:
I use Backblaze as my cloud backup.
Our Computer Specs
Matt:
Macbook Pro w/ i9 processor.
Catalina OS
8 core Intel i9
64gb of RAM
2 TB internal SSD
I record everything to externals and bypass the internal drive because TB3 is more than fast enough for what I do
Samsung T5 or T7 backup drives.
Jon:
iMac Pro
10-12 core
w/ a ton of RAM
2TB SSD drive.
My computer has been working well for five years. I keep it very clean and operating smoothly.
Samsung T5 or T7 as my backup drives.
The Waves Game
Matt:
I like the Multi-tap plugin to do spreading.
I like the ‘Millenium Verb’ preset on TrueVerb.
I like the X-Noise noise reduction plugins.
Jon:
Use the Doubler on the bass and take all of the bass out of the center. That’s the secret.
Q: How do deal with talented artists with substance abuse problems?
Matt:
This is a very common problem among artists.
For those I know who’ve been through a sobriety program, they tend to confront others more assertively when they see substance issues happening.
Jon:
By not being in the writing room as often or doing more attended sessions it has tended to exclude me from encountering this problem.
It’s hard to put your foot down and ban usage because if someone has a substance issue they will find a way to do it without you.
This is a hard question to answer.
I don’t feel qualified giving advice on how to handle people with substance issues.
You should be as kind to these people as possible, because you don’t know what their struggle is.
If they’re encroaching upon my personal boundaries then you should probably bring in outside help, whether it’s your therapist, their management, or someone else. Reach out and ask them for advice on how we can approach and handle the situation.
When I make someone feel really comfortable they tend to open up and share more.
Q: What should a mixer contract look like and when should you introduce it into your career?
Matt:
Ask a music attorney. That’s the only way to have a contract that means anything.
Most attorneys will work for 5%, though there are also hourly for-hire attorneys.
Get things in writing. Email works. Neither forms are legally binding, but they help to consolidate and recall things you may have discussed in person or on the phone.
Everybody remembers things differently. Usually in their favor, so if you have an email of you agreeing to the terms it helps a lot to settle on the final compensation.
This is not legal advice.
Q: How do I help an artist become unattached to a demo mix?
Matt:
If an artist is emotionally attached to something, as a professional, figure out what they’re attached to and then make the best version of that.
It’s their record and they’ll have to live with it for the rest of their career.
On some level, the ideal thing as a producer is to fully get into the artist’s head and give them what they want.
Usually after they ask me for a revision, the changes I end up making push the record into an even better place than it was.
Jon:
I’m very uninterested in attempting to convince someone of something verbally. I want to convince them by giving them an option that they can connect to even more than the original. If it doesn’t do that then either I’m not doing my job or we’re the wrong fit for each other.
