MixMasters (MixMasters Podcast)

Listen in as Shelby Eisenberg, FOH engineer for Wage War, talks to Steve Litscher about getting started in music, early tours with Wage War and a Midas Pro 1 console, tips/tricks for quick set-up/tear down, and more. The guys trade stories from their most recent tours as well.

Follow Shelby on Instagram!

Hey, remember us?! What a crazy busy year it's been... In this episode, Steve Litscher sits down with Ross Landis, the FOH engineer for the band Nothing More, and they chat about how Ross got his start in music, his experiences with Nothing More, and their most recent tour together, featuring Nothing More, Asking Alexandria, Atreyu, and Eva Under Fire.

This episode was recorded in July of 2022, but wasn't released until December 2022 as both Steve and Ross have been on the road for most of the year. Enjoy this holiday season treat - it's a fun one, for sure!

Check out Ross on Instagram: @ross_landis

Happy New Year, and good riddance to 2020! Bid farewell to this "challenging" year by listening to the final episode of MixMasters, Season 2.

The episode features FOH masters (and former guests) Drew Thornton, Erik Rogers, and Josh Sobeck.

The guys join Steve for a round of beverages and a deep-dive conversation about all of the adjustments, changes, tips, and tricks they've had to learn and employ to deliver killer mixes for streaming and digital environments.

This is a FUN conversation - lots of laughter and good times. Maybe booze makes the podcasts go better? ;-)

Enjoy, and thanks for listening!

Erik Rogers: https://www.instagram.com/erikmrogers

Josh Sobeck: https://www.instagram.com/joshsobeck

Drew Thornton: https://www.instagram.com/drewmthornton

Steve Litscher:

https://www.instagram.com/thegeekysteve

Bryan Campbell is the incredibly talented FOH engineer who currently tours with Breaking Benjamin. BB most recently served as direct support for Korn, and we dig deep into Bryan's FOH rig, his mixing philosophies, tour experiences, and more. Don't miss this incredibly detailed episode - it's chock full of engineering goodness!

Danny Harvey joins Steve Litscher to talk about his experiences as the FOH engineer for Beartooth. In addition to mixing Beartooth, Danny has worked with numerous touring acts, including Silverstein and Hawthorne Heights.

Danny is a "dLive guy" so Steve and Danny geek out over the platform and run through Danny's configuration and set-up.

Danny also works with Sonic Workshops, an online mentoring program targeted at people who are working in (or are interested in) live sound production. Check them out online at: www.sonicworkshops.co.uk

Welcome to Episode 38 - the first in Season 3 of MixMasters with your host, Steve Litscher.

Steve is joined today by Drew Sullivan, the multi-talented engineer for bands that include We Came As Romans and Crown The Empire. Drew has experience with mixing in studios (including a recent acoustic album), system engineering, corporate engagements, and more.

In this episode, Drew and Steve talk about mixing heavy bands, the benefits of profiling amplifiers, the new Behringer Wing, microphones, and so much more.

Stay tuned for future episodes? We're not sure what 2021 will hold, so keep an ear open for new episodes...

Mike McAree joins this episode of MixMasters podcast to talk about his experiences as a FOH engineer for some of the world's most iconic performers. Mike has mixed for the likes of: Sum 41, Sevendust, In This Moment, Hoobastank, Bishop Briggs, and more.

These days, he's the Touring FOH engineer for Kidz Bop, which features young performers singing popular contemporary and pop hits. With more than 2.2-million YouTube channel subscribers, you can only imagine the level of production required for live shows.

Mike's not much of a social media guy, so we don't have any links to share, but do everyone a favor and share this episode with your friends and colleagues. Mike has a ton of information that he shares, including details about a fully redundant FOH console system that he uses while on tour...

In this episode, Steve Litscher (FOH for Stitched Up Heart) sits down with Ashton Parsons (Monitors for Disturbed & so many others), Bryan Campbell (FOH for Breaking Benjamin), Drew Thornton (FOH for Billie Eilish) and Travis Wade (FOH for Dance Gavin Dance) to talk in-depth about latency and its impact on the mix.

From dealing with signals arriving to microphones at different points on the stage, to FOH timing, to manual delay compensation and Waves processing, the group shares their experiences, tips, tricks, and theories about all things latency.

Dig-in and listen to Jon Klucharits (Monitor engineer for bands that include: Pierce the Veil, Black Veil Brides, Andy Black, Interruptors and Set It Off) chat with Steve about all things monitor engineering. From his early days with Vans Warped Tour to his current gig with Pierce the Veil, the guys dive-in deep and geek out while running through console choices, mic packages, philosophies, RF challenges, tour experiences and more.

Follow Jon on Instagram: @eaglescoutjon

Jon is a world-class FOH engineer who has spent a significant portion of his career working at the world-famous Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan. He has also toured with Taproot as their FOH engineer.

We talk about his experience in the live sound industry, including taking an in-depth look into the Machine Shop and how he manages to make that room sound so darned good.

Jon is an absolute genius when it comes to mixing (and other things) – don’t miss this episode!

Meet Joe Ellis from JEM Productions, a regional live sound production company from central Wisconsin. Joe's company works with national touring acts and Joe has mixed countless performances in a variety of challenging environments. Learn about Joe's fascinating history and how he transitioned from being a commercial airline pilot to one of the best FOH engineers around.

JEM Productions website: https://www.facebook.com/jemliveevents/

Live (sort of) from Warsaw, Poland (partially) - it's Matt Dierkes! Matt Dierkes is the man behind the controls of one of the hottest bands on the planet today: Bad Omens. He joins Steve to chat about consoles, mic packages, techniques, touring, and a whole lot more.

The intro was recorded from the back of a tour bus in Warsaw, Poland, so please forgive the excessive background noise and poor audio quality. But listen in for a special surprise guest!

Follow Matt on Instagram: @mattxdierkes

Sam Abernathy is the FOH engineer for Fozzy but has also worked with Stuck Mojo, and Like A Storm as well as several popular Atlanta-based clubs (The Masquerade, etc).

Listen in as Sam talks about his earlier days - playing guitar and mixing on a Presonus board before finding his way into the Fozzy camp. We talk in-depth about the M32 and try to learn how he achieves such an amazing sound from a prosumer desk.

Sam is one of the industry's best FOH engineers - he creates a powerful and dynamic mix without beating-up the listener. As Sam puts it, he like's to "mix like it's a big 'ole hug." Thanks Sam!

Shawn McLoughlin is a local fixture in the midwest's live audio and video industry. He's mixed countless festivals, fairs, corporate events, and more. He's also a manufacturer's representative for brands that include Allen and Heath, Blizzard, Link, QSC, Shure and others. Join us as Shawn talks about how he got started in the industry, his experience mixing various festivals, and his responsibilities as a representative.

Join Steve as he welcomes Drew Thornton, FOH engineer for Billie Eilish. They talk about Drew's history in the sound business and his transition into mixing arena shows for Billie. Drew talks about his mix philosophies, designing and prepping an arena system, tuning the system and working with his system engineer, his matrix outputs and more.

Drew's Website: https://www.11audioproductions.com

Drew's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewmthornton

Drew's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drewmthornton

Chris Pollock, FOH engineer for August Burns Red, sits down to talk with Steve Litscher about his mixing approach, techniques, and philosophies. Chris is known for having an exceptionally clean and dynamic front of house mix so be sure to pay attention as he shares a number of tips and tricks in this episode!

Let the good times roll! This episode of MixMasters features three amazing sound engineers who share a common connection: Jon Tanner and The Machine Shop in Flint, MI.

Join Steve Litscher as he talks with Bryan Campbell, Brian Hardaswick, and Jon Tanner about how they all met one another, how they've toured together, the importance of working closely with house/venue engineers, their best and worst touring experiences, and more.

This is a fun episode as the guys decided to enjoy some cocktails while recording. If you're someone who enjoys hearing about fun and "interesting" experiences while at venues or touring, you'll want to listen.

Links:

The Machine Shop - www.themachineshop.info

Brian Hardaswick - www.instagram.com/brianhardaswick/

Bryan Campbell -

www.instagram.com/bryancampbell

Jon Tanner -

www.instagram.com/oneaudioguy

Steve Litscher -

www.instagram.com/thegeekysteve

The gang from Stitched Up Heart joins Steve for an in-depth discussion about their music careers, favorite tour stories, and their new album, Darkness.

Join Steve as he talks with Mixi, Merritt, Randy, and Decker in this captivating bonus episode of MixMasters. It is not to be missed!

Website: Stitched Up Heart

Travis Wade joins MixMasters Podcast to talk about his experiences as a FOH engineer for bands that include: Dance Gavin Dance, Suicidal Tendencies, CKY, and more. He also talks in-depth about the Allen & Heath dLive console, Telefunken microphones, tour management, and being a tour logistics manager.

We trade stories from the road, including an experience that involved seeing a bus without a roof, stopping at Pilot stations, timeliness, and so much more. This one was a blast to record - the time flew by and Travis has a wealth of information and awesome experiences.

Welcome to season 2 of MixMasters Podcast! In this episode, Steve Litscher (FOH for Stitched Up Heart) sits down with Alex Markides (FOH for Killswitch Engage & Periphery), Ashton Parsons (Monitors for Disturbed & so many others), Bryan Campbell (FOH for Breaking Benjamin) and Travis Wade (FOH for Dance Gavin Dance) to talk in-depth about microphones.

From vocals to drums to instruments and more, the gang shares their experiences with mic selection, placement, processing, incorporating effects, and more. This episode is packed with invaluable information and candid discussion about all things microphone.

On this episode of MixMasters Podcast, Steve Litscher is joined by Sean Dailey, a tour manager with 15+ years of production experience. Sean has worked with bands and performers that include the likes of Chai, Steel Panther, Fitz and the Tantrums, and countless others.

In addition to tour management skills, Sean is experienced in stage management, production management, large scale festival events, and just about anything else related to making the gig happen. If you've ever had interest in what goes on from the production management side of the house, give this episode a listen!

Nick joins us for a fascinating look behind Steel Panther's live productions. He takes us through their early days as "Metal Shop" and their residency gigs at The Key Club in Los Angeles, all the way through their most recent European headlining tour. Nick shares an unprecedented amount of information about how he manages all aspects of their live production - from drum tuning to his board macros. Whether you're a fan of Steel Panther or not, this episode is jam-packed full of fascinating information.

Nick's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elmabeez/

Charlie Bybee joins Steve Litscher to talk about his experiences and methodologies for mixing monitors for iconic bands that include: 5 Seconds of Summer, Rise Against, Trivium and others.

In addition to being a talented monitor engineer, Charlie Tour Manages and shares his thoughts and perspectives about the job.

Ashton Parsons joins MixMasters Podcast to talk everything live sound, FOH, monitors and more. We go deep into talking about Disturbed, Black Label Society, mixing consoles, drum microphones, and so much more. It's an unbelievably great episode - Ashton is a legend and this podcast should not be missed!

Alex Markides drops-in for this episode to talk about his experiences with mixing sound for heavy metal bands like Killswitch Engage, Periphery and Suicidal Tendencies, as well as mixing monitors for Steel Panther and other bands. Nearly every other guest from the podcast requested Alex join the show - Alex is one of the most talented and capable FOH engineers on tour today.

Alex's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkides

Brian currently serves as the FOH engineer and Production Manager for In This Moment. He talks in-depth about his experiences with the band, as well as how he became involved in the sound industry. Brian has worked with Pop Evil and Avatar and his story is truly fascinating.

Nate Northway is an uber-talented FOH engineer with 10+ years of live sound mixing experience, and nearly 20 years of total mixing experience.

He joins MixMasters to share his experiences with working with bands like: Rise Against, A Day To Remember, Seether, Animals As Leaders, and more.

From having to rewire subpar club PAs just before a gig to working some of the biggest festivals and venues in the world, Nate's done it all. Listen in as he shares some of the stories from his incredible FOH career.

Follow Nate on Instagram at: natenorthway

Follow Nate on Twitter at: natenorthway

It's been a while since we've published an episode, but that's because we've been busy TOURING! Who would've thought we'd be out making things loud in 2021?? In this episode, Steve Litscher is joined by Alex Markides, Brian Hardaswick, Bryan Campbell, and Erik Rogers to talk all things touring (during a pandemic). The guys talk about different protocols for their respective artists, venue and festival differences, and the change in "vibe" from audiences during this challenging time.

Follow Alex on Instagram: @darkides

Follow Brian on Instagram:@brianhardaswick

Follow Bryan on Instagram:@bryancampbell

Follow Erik on Instagram:@erikmrogers

Follow Steve on Instagram:@thegeekysteve

Bruce Reiter is a self-taught FOH engineer that has worked with an impressive array of bands including: Five Finger Death Punch, Static-X, Limp Bizkit, Powerman 5000, Stabbing Westward, Rancid and more. He's achieved hall-of-fame status and his mixes are second to none.

Bruce sits down to talk with MixMasters about how he got started in the industry, his mixing approach, how he tunes a PA, his microphone choices, and so much more. Bruce's mix philosophy is so elegantly straightforward; it's no wonder other MixMaster guests refer to him as the Zen Master of Mixing.

Ben Turkovic is a recording engineer who resides in the Kansas City area. He has worked with countless artists and has an abundance of studio experience. We talk about his early days, his work in the studio, and the time that he spent touring as a lighting director for Steel Panther.

Bryan Macdonald is a live sound engineer with residency at numerous venues in Salt Lake City. He's toured with artists including Jeremy Zucker. His attention to detail and ear for quality sound make for an outstanding FOH engineer. Tune-in to learn about Bryan's history and his approach toward mixing a variety of live acts around the Salt Lake City area.

Bryan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coolguy_bry

Emily Pearce sits down to talk about her live sound experiences at legendary venues such as the Whisky A Go Go, and working with a wide variety of musical acts.

Mike Bangs (or "Bangs" as everyone knows him) is a legendary monitor engineer. He's worked with massive acts from around the world including: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Aerosmith, George Strait, and more. When he's not on tour, he serves as Allen & Heath's Live Sound and Touring Manager. In this episode we talk at length with Bangs about how he got started in the music industry, tour experiences, his engineering philosophies, his monitor mixing techniques, and the incredible Allen & Heath dLive system. This is an engineer's episode - you do not want to miss a minute of it.

Brian joins us for a follow-up discussion about non-sound-related topics, including how to maintain your sanity when not touring, as well as how to take care of your physical, mental, and financial well-being. This is an inspirational discussion that will benefit you whether you're touring or not.

Josh Sobeck and Josh Mahan are the tag team that mix FOH and monitors for the uber-popular band, I Prevail. This podcast offers and exclusive, inside look into how the two of them work together to produce some of the best sounding live audio you'll ever hear.

Steve Litscher talks in-depth with Josh and Josh about their consoles, Waves use, microphone choices, stage gear, and more. This is a master class in live audio, so don't miss out!

Josh Sobeck also owns and operates Phoenix Productions - give him a shout for any of your live audio production needs.

Kyle Gerhart is the owner of InPhase Productions LLC, as well as an accomplished FOH engineer. He's worked with artists and groups that include the likes of: Alien Ant Farm, Drowning Pool, Fuel, Miss May I, Scott Stapp, Sebastian Bach, and most recently, Kurt Deimer.

Learn about how Kyle got started in the industry, his relationships with other A-list engineers, his approach toward system tuning, thoughts on consoles and more.

Kyle can be found online at:

Facebook = https://www.facebook.com/kyle.gerhart.507

Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/kyle_gehrart

Paddi Krause joins MixMasters by way of Hamburg, Germany and spends time sharing his story about getting into the live sound touring business.

Paddi has worked with some of the most prolific bands of our time, including In Flames, Trivium, Alter Bridge, Korn, Toto, and more.

We dive-in and talk about the importance of being prepared, how a little "OCD" can be a good thing, gear (including Shure wireless and Avid S6L console), and more. There's even some COVID speculation, so don't miss out on this amazing episode with one of the industry's best.

Join Steve as he hosts a roundtable discussion with four of the world's greatest sound engineers as they chat about festival experiences and how those types of shows differ from a traditional headlining gig. Hear about how they prepare for those shows, the gear they use, how they sound check, the crew they work with, and more. This is an ultra-exclusive look into the world of live sound and festivals!

Featured in this episode are: Alex Markides (Killswitch Engage, Suicidal Tendencies, Periphery), Drew Thornton (Billie Eilish, A Great Big World), Erik Rogers (Godsmack, Saint Asonia), and Nick Rucker (Steel Panther).

In this debut episode of MixMasters, we meet Erik Rogers, Front of House engineer for Saint Asonia, Godsmack, Dustin Lynch, and other superstar acts. Erik has a wealth of experience as a FOH engineer, system engineer and tour manager and shares his musical history, stories from the road, along with details about how he approaches his live sound mixes.

Erik's Website: https://www.erikrogersaudio.com

Erik's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikmrogers

Erik's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikmrogers

Johnny Keirle is the "man behind the scenes" who makes all of the system magic happen for artists that include Pink, Billie Eilish, Adele, Foo Fighters, and countless others.

Johnny sat down to talk in-depth with Steve Litscher about all things system and touring. From conceptual design to practical application, Johnny shares incredible details about his experiences working in festivals, arenas, and stadiums.

In this episode we chat with Chris Tsanjoures from Rational Acoustics, creators of Smaart software. We dig deep into his history as a musician, his transition into the live sound industry, his experiences as a system engineer for several Comedy Central and Netflix specials, and his philosophies toward system tuning and mixing live.

Chris's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chris.tsanjoures

Rational Acoustics: https://www.rationalacoustics.com

Simeon Panov joins Steve to chat about his experiences with mixing live sound for Infected Rain. They talk about how Simeon got his start in the music industry, how he got connected with Infected Rain, touring in the United States, and more.

Simeon also shares some of his infamous advice and lessons for improving the podcast, so stay tuned until the very end to catch his pointers. :-)

Simeon resides in Bulgaria and is looking to work and tour with US bands; if you or a band that you know of are looking for a top-notch FOH engineer with a great sense of humor and fantastic work ethic, give Simeon a shout!

Follow Simeon on Instagram: @x3m.foh

Follow Steve on Instagram: @thegeekysteve

In this episode, Steve sits down with Elmo Arteaga (FOH for Ice Nine Kills) and Logan Beaver (FOH for Motionless in White) to chat about their recent time together on the Trinity of Terror Tour. In addition to tour talk, they dive into their respective histories and discuss how they got involved with touring full-time. The guys also talk about the challenges with broadcast mixes and the pros and cons of using social media videos to evaluate mixes.

Follow Elmo on Instagram: @elmoarteaga

Follow Logan on Instagram: @lbeavr

This episode of MixMasters Podcast features Dave Peterson of SoundEFX. Dave joins your host Steve Litscher to talk about preparing for and managing a festival stage, mixing techniques, working with the Allen & Heath dLive, and many other topics.

Dave has worked with a number of bands (in a house capacity), including: Bring Me The Horizon, Disturbed, Ice Cube, Coheed and Cambria, and Fit For A King. He's a notable FOH engineer, Systems engineer, Sound Designer, Lighting Designer, Drum Tech, Guitar Tech, and Guitarist. He's based in the Lansing, MI area.

Look for Dave later this year at Nellie's Lil Bit of Music Series, where he'll be touring as the FOH engineer for one of the acts!

Follow Dave on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paviddeterson

Visit SoundEFX website: http://soundefx.net

The amazing Dave Peterson is back again to catch-up and chat about all that's been happening for him over the past 18-months or so. Dave has served as the FOH tech for artists like Nelly and the star-studded Mt Westmore tour, FOH for numerous artists and festivals including Bill Murray and Upheaval, and monitor engineer for Steel Panther. There are a *ton* of fun stories from Dave and Steve; they worked together quite a bit this year.

Follow Dave on Instagram: Sound_Dave

Dave Gordon wears many hats - FOH and Monitor engineer, tour manager, production manager, bandwagon driver, drum tech, backline tech and more...whew!!

He's worked with bands that include: Stryper, Ross The Boss, Metal Allegiance, Let Us Prey, and Kaleido. In this episode, Dave talks about his musical history, the importance of being friendly, working with house consoles, and so much more.

Steve has toured with Dave, so be prepared for some entertaining stories and plenty of friendly banter!

If you've attended any major concert or festival over the past twenty years, chances are you've heard Pooch at work. He's mixed some of the biggest bands in the world, from Alanis Morissette to KISS to Justin Bieber to Iron Maiden. Ken shares info about preparing for massive arena tours, working with his system engineer, what he's listening to during a mix, and his four fundamentals for building a solid mix. Do not miss this episode!

Pooch's Master Class: https://www.hotmart.com/product/ken-pooch-van-druten-masterclass/K23274837I

Pooch's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foh_engineer_pooch/

Pooch's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjx5xSFzwXd43XL4cZDeCag

Welcome to Episode 50 of MixMasters!! Thank you to every single person who has downloaded, listened, subscribed, and commented on this series - I truly appreciate it!

This episode is unusual as it features not one, but two separate guests. In part one, Dave Peterson (FOH, TM, Monitors) joins to provide an update from Upheaval Festival and to share details about SoundEFX's newest gear additions (including one very large piece of gear).

Part two features Steve Litscher (FOH, TM, Monitors). What?! Yep, that's right. I sit down with Dave to tell some of my story. I've received a bunch of e-mail, messages and comments asking about my history, as well as a number of other questions, so I figured it was time to answer some of them on the podcast. I give a number of shoutouts to friends and colleagues; sorry if I missed anyone along the way - I'm not used to chatting so much.

I hope you enjoy this milestone episode; it's longer than usual and it probably sounds quite different as we used some different gear (including a new mastering suite in Logic, which truth be told, I'm not thrilled about)... and we've been away from our mics for a few months. I also didn't edit this episode as heavily as I normally would, so you'll hear more pauses, more "ums" and "ahhs" but the conversation felt so natural that I didn't want to cause any disruption by editing.

Thanks again for your continued support, kind words, and time. I'm absolutely floored that people listen to this podcast, and I'm grateful for every one of you.

Follow me on Instagram: @thegeekysteve

Follow Dave Peterson on Instagram: @sound_dave

Jerry Depew (or "Dr J" as friends call him) has been mixing bands for over a decade and has worked with a wide variety of 80s metal bands, including: Autograph, White Lion, Kip Winger and more. He's a systems guru as well and has authored a book, "How to Make Your Bar PA Kick Butt."

Join us as Jerry shares experiences and stories from his career, and shares insights from his informative new book.