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Master Your Mix Podcast · October 28 · 1 hr 2 min

Ed Donnelly: Capturing Authenticity

Ed Donnelly is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer, record producer, and activist from Pioneertown, CA. He has worked with Willie Nelson, Matchbox Twenty, The Cult, Gladys Knight, Willie Nelson, Smashing Pumpkins, Del McCoury, Nathan Jacques, OK Go, Exodus, Tom Morello, O.A.R., Madness, The Crystal Method, Deadmau5, Cole Gallagher, Zac Brown, Crowded House, Marc Cohn, CrysP Tyger, Bighead Todd and the Monsters, Jake Shimabukuro, Barenaked Ladies, Tsar, Killola and more. Donnelly regularly performs with Little Silver Hearts and records with GhostsDream. Little known fact: He previously held Top Secret Security Clearance with the Department of State and Q Clearance from the Department of Energy. He currently runs The Barber’s Basement Recording Studio in Highland Park and the Electric Desperado Studio in Pioneertown, CA. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: The live-show habit that made him a calmer, more confident studio engineer How Ed decides which mix decisions are worth agonizing over and which ones aren't Why pre-production is the most important part of the production process How thorough pre-production creates more room for spontaneous moments, not less Why mistakes often make a record sound better The volume trick he uses to tell whether a mix is actually balanced Why he tells keyboard players to stop playing with their left hand Why younger artists are asking for rougher, less polished production these days To learn more about Ed Donnelly, visit: https://www.barbersbasement.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/ Get the latest plugins from Carve Audio: Smashburger Compressor: https://carveaudio.com/smashburger/ Busboy: https://carveaudio.com/busboy/ Slapshot Delay: https://carveaudio.com/slapshot/ Gas Can Amp: https://carveaudio.com/gas-can-amp/ ALL PODCAST LISTENERS GET 25% OFF. USE PROMO CODE: PODCAST25 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 Please leave a rating and review: https://masteryourmix.com/review/ Thanks for listening!

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Ed Donnelly is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer, record producer, and activist from Pioneertown, CA. He has worked with Willie Nelson, Matchbox Twenty, The Cult, Gladys Knight, Willie Nelson, Smashing Pumpkins, Del McCoury, Nathan Jacques, OK Go, Exodus, Tom Morello, O.A.R., Madness, The Crystal Method, Deadmau5, Cole Gallagher, Zac Brown, Crowded House, Marc Cohn, CrysP Tyger, Bighead Todd and the Monsters, Jake Shimabukuro, Barenaked Ladies, Tsar, Killola and more. Donnelly regularly performs with Little Silver Hearts and records with GhostsDream. Little known fact: He previously held Top Secret Security Clearance with the Department of State and Q Clearance from the Department of Energy.

He currently runs The Barber’s Basement Recording Studio in Highland Park and the Electric Desperado Studio in Pioneertown, CA.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:

  • The live-show habit that made him a calmer, more confident studio engineer
  • How Ed decides which mix decisions are worth agonizing over and which ones aren't
  • Why pre-production is the most important part of the production process
  • How thorough pre-production creates more room for spontaneous moments, not less
  • Why mistakes often make a record sound better
  • The volume trick he uses to tell whether a mix is actually balanced
  • Why he tells keyboard players to stop playing with their left hand
  • Why younger artists are asking for rougher, less polished production these days

To learn more about Ed Donnelly, visit: https://www.barbersbasement.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:


Get the latest plugins from Carve Audio:


ALL PODCAST LISTENERS GET 25% OFF. USE PROMO CODE: PODCAST25

Subscribe to the show:


Have questions you’d like answered on the show?

Send them to questions@masteryourmix.com

Please leave a rating and review:

https://masteryourmix.com/review/

Thanks for listening!

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