Episode 80 - Jon Castelli
Show Notes
Live with Matt Rad - Episode 80
Jan 25, 2022
w/ Jon Castelli - Week 67
Show notes by: Bradley Will
Jon:
I’m excited to try a new clipper: The Boz Digital Big Clipper
I ended up looking for a hard clipper preset and then dialing it back to something softer.
I don’t want my clipper to be limiting, so I will disable the limiter.
It sounds more exciting and dynamic than the T-Racks clipper.
Keep in mind that although I’m going to try this on everything in the next few mixes, it may not turn out that it’s always the correct tool to use in every instance.
Q: Tips for making routine when creativity is always on a whim?
Matt:
While it’s often true that a lot of the big important moments can happen unexpectedly, it is a big misconception that inspiration strikes and then you being to work. Most often you are already working and then inspiration will strike. So the key is to put yourself into the position of creating and then you will be ready to go when inspiration strikes.
A lot of the great creative people who’ve written about their process say that you simply have to be consistent and put yourself in the position and make things. You have a routine and be consistent.
Recommended book: The War of Art
The best thing you can do is to get up and starting making stuff every day.
Getting your brain in the space of making things will benefit people more than trying to analyze and optimize their creativity.
Jon:
There’s so much to support the idea that a routine is an important part of a day.
If you’re a writer, start your day by being creative if that’s when inspiration comes to you.
Whatever time of day is best for you to work, do your routine everyday at that same time for an extended period of time.
Q: Have you ever encountered somebody who discouraged your intense work ethic?
Matt:
Yeah, totally.
Most people simply do not understand the will to work this hard on making music. And that’s okay. It’s an insane thing to dedicate yourself to.
It takes years of your life to commit yourself to this path for years and make no money. It’s not everyone. Having this work ethic is not something you can will yourself into
Jon:
I’ve never had anyone to discourage me. I’ve always been supported by the people in my life.
I’m glad that I’ve never had anyone to tell me that I could be whatever I wanted to be, because I believe that not everyone has that potential to be what they set out to be. Many people are often unaware of their own shortcomings that will limit their ability to achieve this.
Sometimes you need to be open to the fact that you’re not capable of succeeding enough to stay afloat in a city like LA or NYC.
Matt:
As Eric Valentine once told me “I’m trying to make the best record ever, every time”.
It’s important to have insane, delusional, goals as long as you understand that you’re very unlikely to hit them. You need to be working towards perfection, but be prepared to continually not achieve it.
This is the counterpoint to a lot of peoples’ goals that needs to be acknowledged.
As long as you enjoy the process of making the records it will help you to get through the longer periods of not achieving your goals and the benchmarks that society at large may impose upon you.
Jon:
When you’re in your twenties and heading into your thirties that’s a mindset that can still be good, but if you find yourself alienated from your creative communities and you’re continually getting push back from the people that you trust (like your partners) you may need to make an assessment about the path that you’re on.
Perhaps the right move is to relinquish the goal of being an artist (if that’s your path), and pivot to being a producer or a songwriter, or other facet that you’re talented at.
Matt:
Even if you’ve yet to have a breakthrough or succeed in a material way, if you’re getting validations from other accomplished people who are saying that the work you’re doing is good and heading in the right direction, then that’s a sign that you’re on the right path.
You need the people in your life to level with you and tell you when what you’re doing is good or not good.
You really have to find your people and your creative community.
You are going to survive and sustain yourself in this game by making records that you love with people that you love.
Making records with people that I don’t like is never worth it.
Opinion: The best producer’s have a great ear for the right texture instead of over-EQ’ing
Matt:
The mixers who mix Timbaland acknowledge that he picks the best sounds before they start the mix, and that’s the key to their success a lot of the time.
Sound selection: picking the right drums and instruments goes a long way in the sonics and feel of the record.
Jon:
Agreed. These are all arrangement choices.
Placing the sounds/instruments in the right place sonically so that everything is complimentary is the best move and far better than relying on EQ.
My favorite producers who do this really well are Ojivolta and D-Mile and the Bruno Mars crew. They know how to bring in sounds to the arrangement to give it excitement.
EQ is only a tool. The best thing to do is have the right sound come in at the right time.
As a mixer, if you’ve corrected a sound so much with EQ that it no longer sounds like the thing that excited the room, then that’s too far.
That is the only way that you can use too much EQ.
Q: Mixing the Verité record
Jon:
The separation on that record was already there in the production phase.
Kelsey and I really like “black space” on the record in which there is almost no frequency content going on in certain ranges
Both Yeezus and 808s and Heartbreak by Kanye have this sense of space. They have very minimal arrangements that leave that sense of “black space”.
Q: What creative thing would you do if it wasn’t music?
Jon:
Although I love cooking, I wouldn’t ever want to do it for a living.
I really like photography. I’m just not that good at it.
I dabble in poetry, but I would like to do that too.
Matt:
My close friends who aren’t musicians are clothing designers, visual artists, or writers. I like all of these art forms equally. I just happen to have picked music.
Q: What do you do when stems don’t match the production?
Jon:
I don’t start.
If something is missing my team and I wait until they send all of the final stems before we begin.
If I receive a session that doesn’t match the arrangement that everyone has been listening to I won’t even touch it.
This saves me from a massive headache that I would’ve gotten by sending back a mix of the wrong arrangement. You could even lose the gig by doing that.
