Kevin Antreassian is an American musician, producer, engineer, and studio owner based in New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Audio Engineering from William Paterson University and is the founder and operator of Backroom Studios, a multifaceted recording and rehearsal facility established in 2007. Over his career, Antreassian has worked with a wide range of artists across rock and metal genres, providing production, recording, mixing/mastering, and technical services for both emerging and established acts.

As a guitarist, he is best known for his tenure with the influential mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan, performing with the group through their later period and contributing to their final shows and recordings, as well as other groups like The Sawtooth Grin and Knife the Glitter. In addition to his work in the studio and on stage, Antreassian has served as a touring guitar technician for notable acts, and he teaches music production and guitar tech at William Paterson University.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

1. Choosing between touring, corporate audio, and running a studio
2. Why multiple income streams matter if you want long-term stability
3. The not-so-glamorous truth about life on the road
4. Avoiding burnout when you’re obsessed with making records
5. How starting with minimal gear actually sharpens your skills
6. Why he keeps outboard gear set to fixed settings
7. How he uses templates for speed and consistency rather than tone
8. Tuning out the marketing noise around gear so you can stay focused
9. Creating clarity and focus in chaotic music
10. How editing impacts the energy and feel of a performance
11. When live-off-the-floor beats isolated tracking
12. Why automation is the biggest separator between amateur and pro mixes

To learn more about Kevin Antreassian, visit: https://backroom.studio/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?

Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:

https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Want additional help with your music productions?

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/

Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/

Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:

1. The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com

Shane Slack is an Emmy-nominated mastering and post-production engineer, and the owner of Mono Theory, Inc., a Florida-based studio specializing in mastering, sound design, and Foley for music, television, and film. With credits spanning Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+, CBS, and Showtime, Shane has helped shape the sound of high-profile projects including Ted Lasso, The Umbrella Academy, NCIS: LA, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. A graduate of Valencia College’s Sound & Music Technology program, he’s also a member of the Recording Academy and the Audio Engineering Society, where he’s active in mastering education and diversity initiatives.

Drawing from early influences like Motown, reggae, and classic video game soundtracks, Shane’s work combines deep technical expertise with an ear for emotional storytelling. Whether mastering indie releases or handling sound for major media productions, he’s passionate about translating creative intent into mixes that connect across every playback system. Through Mono Theory, he continues to bridge the gap between art and acoustics—helping artists, producers, and filmmakers bring their sonic visions to life.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

1. Why learning about mastering first is a smart decision
2. Production and mixing mistakes that often need to be fixed by a mastering engineer
3. Understanding psychoacoustics
4. How to double-track instruments for better translation and phase
5. Why phase correction is so crucial for proper mix translation
6. Checking mixes in mono
7. Using mid-side EQ
8. How to make mixing easier, simply by being careful with instrument voicing
9. Why it’s better to use multiple compressors, rather than only one
10. Developing your audio skills faster by taking your time
11. Asking yourself “why” when you’re making the moves you’re making

To learn more about Shane Slack, visit: https://www.instagram.com/slackshane/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?

Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:

https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Want additional help with your music productions?

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/

Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/

Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:

1. The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com

Aaron Rubin is a mix engineer, producer, writer, manager and musician who has worked with some big names in the industry including Ilan Rubin, Angels & Airwaves, Frank Turner and Blink-182.

Aaron has worn many hats in the industry and got his start working with his brother Ilan playing in bands and later managing his music career. He has always been interested in the production side of music, which has led to his work with Tom Delonge and his various projects.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

1. Broadening your network
2. Proving your value
3. Working with Tom Delong and Blink-182
4. Disagreeing with artists
5. Recording the new Blink-182 record with an Axe FX
6. How to get the Tom Delonge guitar tone
7. Blending amp sounds
8. The challenges of working on a record being made in multiple studios
9. Session organization
10. Updating mixes after an album has been released
11. How AI is going to change the game for mixing
12. The art of committing to sounds

Notable gear mentioned in this episode:

Stereo Manley Pultec: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/darLBk

To learn more about Aaron Rubin, visit: http://www.thisiscommand.com/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?

Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:

https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Want additional help with your music productions?

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/

Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/

Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:

1. The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com
2. The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

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Kris Crummett is a record producer and mastering engineer known for his amazing work in the metalcore, post-hardcore, and rock scenes. He has worked with artists such as Dance Gavin Dance, Sleeping With Sirens, Issues, and many more. He also owns Interlace Audio, which is a fantastic studio located in Portland, Oregon. His productions are well known for having massive tones while sounding polished and energetic.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

1. His secret weapon for getting toms to cut through a mix without sounding too boomy/muddy
2. His step-by-step checklist for using automation to create energy in his mixes
3. How he treats vocals to get them to sound super clear and up-front
4. How to use track presets efficiently
5. Balancing live drums vs samples
6. His STL Tones ToneHub presets and the art behind making great amp sims
7. Mastering your own tracks

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?

Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:

https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Want additional help with your music productions?

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/

Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/

Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:

1. The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com
2. The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Check out our Sponsors:

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2. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJej
3. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMix

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Send them to

Jeff Kolhede is a producer, audio engineer, and artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Having participated in multiple Grammy-nominated records, he operates primarily out of 25th Street Recording, the SF Bay Area’s premier recording facility, where he helps emerging and established artists.

Jeff’s composing work for film and advertisements has been featured for leading brands, including the trailer music for the Academy Award-winning film, Moonlight. This led him to co-found Gooroo Music, a bay area music house, where he directs a team of award-winning composers, mix engineers, and sound designers for film and advertisements. Recent work includes Billie Eilish, Youtube, Faherty, and Adobe campaigns.

Alongside his producing and engineering work is Jeff Kolhede’s artist project. His self-recorded Dismantle LP was released on November 24, 2023. The SF Chronicle noted that “The gorgeous ‘Wonder Why’ calls to mind Nick Drake, with Kolhede’s vocals shining atop a layered string arrangement…there’s both retro-minded and contemporary folk moments within Kolhede’s notable first effort.” This same single wonder why was featured on the Spotify official Fresh Finds folk playlist. bandcamp included the full album on their new and notable feature. His influences range from rock, singer-songwriter, indie, soul, and jazz with genres being defied by melodies, introspective lyricism, and his primary instruments; the sax and voice.

Jeff Kolhede remains committed to making a positive, creative, and inclusive impact by way of music and kindness.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• Separating processes vs. doing them all at once
• Gainstaging as if you're mixing
• Making mixes that are “perfectly imperfect”
• Allowing yourself to be objective
• Making time for experimentation/skill development
• Keeping things organic
• Chasing gear
• Capturing clean, dry, tight drum sounds
• Using a “crotch mic”
• Techniques for muffling drums
• Achieving in your face, smooth vocals
• Picking mics for a desired sound
• Using clip gain vs. compression

To learn more about Jeff Kolhede, visit: https://www.jeffkolhede.com/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?

Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:

https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Want additional help with your music productions?

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/

Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/

Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:

• The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com
• The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Check out our Sponsors:

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Angel Marcloid is a fearless, genre-melting musician, producer, and mixing/mastering engineer based outside Chicago, IL. She creates under a broad constellation of aliases, with Fire-Toolz as her flagship solo project and No Joy as her most recent collaborative venture.

Angel Hair Audio is her full-service audio production studio for artists whose work already leans leftfield or quietly wants to. She draws from a lifetime of listening, learning, and restless experimentation, carrying a huge musical vocabulary that reaches from her formative years immersed in AOR, prog, jazz fusion, and metal to the noise, industrial, grind, post-punk, krautrock, ambient, hardcore, and early-wave emo that shaped her adolescence.

Angel’s approach blends traditional technique informed by legendary engineers with contemporary and boundary-pushing production practices. She finds the emotional pressure points of a piece, then uncovers or amplifies what makes it distinctive, and sculpts it to be a worthy vehicle for an impassioned voice that deserves to be heard and felt.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• Connecting with your community
• Respecting the vibe of a song
• Translation issues with mixes
• Creating focus in a mix
• Rules meant to be followed and broken
• Why simplicity isn’t always a good thing
• Creating width without stereo wideners
• Focusing on individual instruments vs as a whole
• Creating a hierarchy within your mixes

To learn more about Angel Marcloid, visit: https://angelhairaudio.com/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?

Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:

https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Want additional help with your music productions?

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/

Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/

Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:

• The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com
• The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Check out our Sponsors:

Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2K

Subscribe to the show:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJej
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMix

Have questions you’d like answered on the show?

Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

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Kurt Ballou is an American musician, producer, and recording engineer best known as the guitarist and founding member of the influential hardcore band Converge. Based in Salem, Massachusetts, he is also the owner and chief engineer of GodCity Studio, a world-renowned recording facility that has become a cornerstone of modern heavy music production. With a background in both engineering and performance, Ballou bridges the gap between raw creative energy and meticulous technical precision, helping define the sound of countless bands across the hardcore, punk, and metal scenes. His production work is celebrated for its intensity, clarity, and attention to sonic texture — hallmarks that have shaped genre-defining records for artists such as Have Heart, High on Fire, Trap Them, and Nails.

Beyond his engineering prowess, Ballou is recognized for his deep understanding of instrument tone and studio design. At GodCity, he merges analog warmth with modern fidelity, crafting recordings that feel both visceral and articulate. His dedication to DIY ethics and craft has made him a respected figure not only among musicians but also within the broader audio engineering community. Through his work, Ballou continues to inspire a generation of producers and home-studio creators to pursue authenticity, precision, and emotional truth in every mix.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• Learning through revisiting old recordings
• Why you can’t trust all you read on forums
• Cheap vs. expensive gear: What really matters?
• Mic vs. placement vs. preamps: Which is most important?
• Mike and Kurt’s feelings on Atmos
• The secret to Kurt’s great guitar tones
• A simple trick for checking phase with multi-mic setups on guitar amps
• Simplifying your approach to production
• How to treat a 2-guitar band vs a 1-guitar band
• Getting guitars and bass to feel balanced
• Sidechaining guitars to vocals
• Mixing his own records with Converge
• Charging per song or by hour
• Recording entire albums in one session

To learn more about Kurt Ballou, visit: https://kurtballou.com/

https://godcitystudio.com/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?

Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:

https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Want additional help with your music productions?

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/

Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/

Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:

• The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com
• The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Check out our Sponsors:

Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2K

Subscribe to the show:

• Apple Podcasts:

Mark Lewis is a Nashville-based record producer, engineer, and mixer best known for shaping the sound of modern heavy metal and hard rock. After studying music performance and graduating from Full Sail University, he cut his teeth under producer Jason Suecof at Audiohammer Studios in Orlando. Over the years, he’s become a go-to name in the metal scene, working with genre-defining bands such as Trivium, The Black Dahlia Murder, DevilDriver, Whitechapel, and many others. His credits span production, mixing, engineering, and mastering, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the full recording process.

What sets Lewis apart is his meticulous approach to guitar tone, re-amping, and sonic detail, always striving to match technical precision with the raw energy of the bands he works with. Now operating out of his own Nashville studio, he continues to push the boundaries of heavy music, blending clarity and aggression in mixes that capture both the intensity and the musicality of metal. His work has helped countless bands refine their sound and stand out in an increasingly competitive genre, cementing his reputation as one of the most respected producers in heavy music today.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

• Recognizing your strengths
• Working with Jason Suecof
• How getting fired led to his career taking off
• Why knowing the “rules” doesn’t mean you should always follow them
• The secret to great guitar tone
• How your speakers make a massive difference
• Dispelling the Jim Lill tone tests
• Keeping objectivity when chasing tone
• When to reamp
• How to get away from always sounding the same
• Spending money to make money
• Putting in the work to see success
• A technique you may be doing that is killing the uniqueness of a band

To learn more about Mark Lewis, visit: https://marklewis.audio/

Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?

Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:

https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/

Want additional help with your music productions?

For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/

Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/

Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books:

• The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com
• The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/

Check out our Sponsors:

Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2K

Subscribe to the show:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJej
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMix...