Author Archives: jon

Show 308 – A strategy to get better at mixing (or anything)

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Whenever you’re trying to get better at something, to ‘level up’, you need to first figure out what your current skill level is. So many people skip this first step and don’t realize the actual things they need to work on. They also might overestimate how good they actually are at a skill.

In this episode Jon lays out a plan to get better at mixing in 30 days. This plan can work for any creative or technical skill you want to improve.

Download Episode 308

What is my current level?
Testing
Investing money (education, mentors, tools)
Investing time
Getting feedback
Strategy to get better in 30 days
Testing again
What can I measure (speed, satisfaction)
What can I automate (presets & templates )
What can I do daily for growth in this skill

Spotify Link https://open.spotify.com/show/6ffP9OPt8SjMwXCman1ckV

Inspiration for this episode
6 Levels of Freelancing Part 1: 6 Figure Creative Podcast

Support the show and get your name at the end of the video

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hrspodcast

This episode is supported by:
Brian Olsen, Doug Darrell, Stephan Gaugh, musicforgeeks, someone, John Stranovsky, Jonathan R, and Michael Sedelmaier.

Show 307 – The Myk Robinson Interview

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In this episode we chat with Myk Robinson (Let’s Talk About REAPER on YouTube) about home recording, DAWs, beginner struggles and more

Download Episode 307

00:00 - Intro
00:26 - Meet Myk Robinson
01:38 - Find Myk online
02:02 - Myk's Musical background
08:45 - Musical tastes
10:27 - Music skills and training
12:22 - How Myk met Jon
13:34 - DAW talk
19:12 - home recording beginner struggles
20:55 - Enjoy the process
25:24 - remote collaboration
26:57 - advice for newcomers
28:29 - you just have to start
33:46 - go to work from home lunch
34:29 - pickles
35:21 - peanut butter and __ sandwich
37:29 - Support the show

You can find Myk’s YouTube channel at http://www.letstalkaboutreaper.com

Support the show and get your name at the end of the video
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hrspodcast

This episode is supported by:
Brian Olsen, Doug Darrell, Stephan Gaugh, musicforgeeks, someone, John Stranovsky, Jonathan R, and Michael Sedelmaier.

Show 306 – 11 Optional Gear Upgrades Worth Doing

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Jon and Ryan talk about some of the optional gear upgrades that are totally worth doing. Those things that are worth paying a bit extra for more versatility or quality of life in the studio. We also talk about accessories we can borrow from other industries we can borrow for the home studio.

Download Episode 306

Spotify Link https://open.spotify.com/show/6ffP9OPt8SjMwXCman1ckV

00:00 - Intro
00:27 - how you can support the show
01:21 - a tangent already??
02:31 - what are we doing today?
04:08 - ball-joint mic mounts
05:57 - C-Stands
06:42 - A really good mic stand
08:05 - grip head
09:05 - furniture / moving blankets
12:26 - better than average mic cables
14:29 - Soldering Helper
17:15 - accessories for better lav mics
20:49 - gaffer tape
22:48 - Super Clamps
27:54 - tablet mount

This list with affiliate links to support the show
https://kit.co/reaperblog/optional-gear-upgrades-worth-doing

Support the show and get your name at the end of the video
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hrspodcast

This episode is supported by:
Brian Olsen, Doug Darrell, Stephan Gaugh, musicforgeeks, someone, John Stranovsky, Jonathan R, and Michael Sedelmaier.

Show 305 – Production Sound Mixer talks on set safety

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Ryan Canestro takes us through some of the ways film and TV productions keep the talent and crew safe on set.
As a full time production sound mixer, Ryan is put into a lot of demanding and potentially dangerous situations. While accidents do happen on set, the protocols and systems are an integral part of the production process and keep the show running smoothly.

Download Episode 305



Spotify Link https://open.spotify.com/show/6ffP9OPt8SjMwXCman1ckV

00:00 - Intro
01:35 - The COVID Situation
07:02 - Union requires safety training yearly
09:06 - got it. affirmative.
11:36 - keeping yourself healthy during long shoot days
12:33 - be prepared
14:20 - exercise
18:13 - drugs on set
19:53 - gun safety
23:57 - the scariest things happen on the lower budgets
26:55 - even in the studio things happen

Support the show and get your name at the end of the video

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hrspodcast

This episode is supported by:
Brian Olsen, Doug Darrell, Stephan Gaugh, musicforgeeks, someone, John Stranovsky, Jonathan R, and Michael Sedelmaier.

Show 304 – Painfully revisiting our old episodes

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Jon and Ryan go all the way back in the archives and listen to segments of our earliest episodes. Its amazing how much we’ve changed over the years.
We laugh, we learn, we cringe, and we hopefully never have to do this again.

Download Episode 304


Spotify Link https://open.spotify.com/show/6ffP9OPt8SjMwXCman1ckV

00:00 - what are we doing today?
01:20 - Ep 001
09:19 - Ep 005
13:46 - EP 030
19:54 - EP 100
23:31 - EP 107

Buy gear and support the show with our Amazon affiliate link

Support the show and get your name at the end of the video
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hrspodcast

This episode is supported by Brian Olsen, Doug Darrell, Stephan Gaugh, musicforgeeks, someone, and John Stranovsky.

Show 303 – What you need for a home studio

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In today’s episode Jon and Ryan talk about the main equipment you actually need to get a home studio started, and at a level good enough to get paid work with it. As usual we go off on tangents here and there about how hard it was when we were getting started.
The setup we recommend is a modular approach so there’s the possibility to upgrade and expand to fit your needs over time.

Download Episode 303


Spotify Link https://open.spotify.com/show/6ffP9OPt8SjMwXCman1ckV

00:00 - Welcome to the show
03:06 - Today's Topic: What do you actually need for a home studio
04:17 - You need a computer, we both use Macs
05:14 - for software, REAPER obviously
06:28 - Video is important too
07:07 - [tangent] acknowledging the Open Source OBS software
09:17 - You definitely need an audio interface
11:00 - you probably don't need a mixer
12:24 - You probably don't need a separate mic preamp
14:22 - hard drives
15:32 - Don't record to your desktop
16:49 - Let's talk monitoring, headphones
19:59 - studio monitors
23:31 - mics
26:01 - our first condenser mics
27:21 - budget for accessories
27:45 - mics for drums
30:34 - Optional - MIDI Controller
33:17 - what about USB Mics
34:53 - what about field recorders
35:48 - What about smart phones
36:54 - outro

Buy gear and support the show with our Amazon affiliate link

Support the show and get your name at the end of the video https://www.buymeacoffee.com/hrspodcast

This episode is supported by Brian Olsen, Doug Darrell, Stephan Gaugh, and musicforgeeks.