The Urchin Studios Podcast

Can drummers wear shorts?

Matt and Dan discuss attention grabbing music, Coachella and perform excerpts from the Lord of Rings soundtrack (apologies in advance)

Artists mentioned:

Grimes
CeeLo Green
Lump
Blur
Oasis
Laura Marling
Nigel Olsen (Elton John’s Drummer)
Lizzy McAlpine
Brian Eno
Hanz Zimmer
Ludwig Göransson

Producer/engineers mentioned:

Bob Clearmountain
Stock Aitken Waterman

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

Mastering engineers in red trousers

Matt and Dan discuss the language of audio engineering, Software instrument strings and the power of bad ideas

Artists mentioned:

Nine Inch Nails
Atticus Ross
Yehudi Menuhin
Soundgarden
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds “Wild God”

Mixers mentioned:

David Fridmann
Bob Clearmountain
Spike Stent
Ben Baptie
David Wrench

Plugins mentioned:

Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover
Felt Instruments Blisko Timeless Textural Strings
UAD Soundcity, Ocean Way

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

Listening as a listener

This week Matt and Dan discuss the parallels between audio, writing and painting, as well as listening from the audience’s perspective and how we as engineers interact with a mix (see, we can do sensible descriptions sometimes!). Also everyone turns up early for their sessions.

Hardware mentioned:

Moog Sub37
Steven Slate Raven series
Digidesign Command 8
SSL Nucleus 2
Avid Control (iPad app)

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

Robots pretending to be robots

This week Dan and Matt discuss what Glyn Johns said on Instagram, What James Blake said on the social media site formally known as twitter, and a synthetic Taylor Swift

Glynn Johns clip

https://www.instagram.com/p/C37_Vw_RMrd/#

James Blake Tweets

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4C5NxSuIiv/?img_index=1#
https://twitter.com/jamesblake/status/1764200702837191119

Artists mentioned:

Caroline Polachek
The 1975
Big Thief
James Blake
Bruno Major

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

Things that are aggressively stereo

This week Matt and Dan dig in deep on microphone polar patterns (NERD ALERT) , how many people make a choir and when is Matt going to drop. £15k on a vintage Neumann U67?

Microphones mentioned:

Neumann U47, U67, U87, TL103
Electrovoice RE20
Shure SM7b, ksm141
Audio Technica AT4033a
AKG C414
Aston Spirit

Artists Mentioned:

Radiohead - In Rainbows From the Basement (https://youtu.be/DWuAn6C8Mfc?si=HwwxquuGt2RbwY5Z)
Tom Odell
Lianne La Havas
The Kenneths

Plugins mentioned:

XLN Audio - RC-20 Retro Color
Massey De-esser
Ceremony Melodyne

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

The greatest night in pop

This week Dan and Matt chat pitch correction, Quincy’s mic collection and John Deacon’s erection

Matt’s drum Sample Pack “Drums for Songs” is out now and available exclusively from his website here:
https://www.mattingram.co.uk/product-page/drums-for-song-sample-pack

Songs mentioned:

We Are The World - U.S.A For Africa
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen, Live At Wembley 86
Laura Marling - I Feel Your Love
Joy Division - She’s Lost Control

Software mentioned:

RipX by Hit’n’Mix
Bounce Butler

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

The centre is also a position

This week Matt and Dan chat ASMR, LCR and Mayonnaise 

 

Artist mentioned:

Lianne La Havas

Haim - Forever

Korn - Follow The Leader

The Beatles - Taxman

Flyte - Amy

Jordan MacKampa

Rie Fu - Places

Plugins mentioned:

Avid Pro Subharmonic, Waves MaxxBass, PSP Mixbass 2, UA Little Labs Voice of God, Brainworx bx_subsynth

 

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

Colon are here!

This week Matt and Dan chat getting a great vocal performance, 'The Grid' (as in, not chopping everything onto it) and the perils of hype

Artists mentioned:

Viva Brother

NME Magazine 8th January 2011 - https://www.nme.com/news/music/brother-10-1293782

The Fast Show “indie club” - https://youtu.be/ClcwKgxu2wk?si=gOqpKc1y7w_gWttT

Yngwie Malmsteen

Yussef Dayes

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

One sample pack to rule them all

One sample pack to rule them all

This Week Matt and Dan discuss making your own drum sample pack, focussing your ideas and Stevie Ray Vaughan

Recording/Mix engineers mentioned:

Tchad Blake, Leslie Brathwaite, Amanda Merdzan, Alan Moulder, Michael Brauer, Spike Stent, Tom Elmhirst

 

Plugins mentioned:

Avid Black Op Distortion

Adptr Audio - Metric A/B

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

Songs to make you go bleughhh

Matt and Dan talk dirty drum recording techniques, icky production sounds and what the hell does “stems” mean these days?

Moses Schneider about "the Wurst" - the alternative workbook
https://youtu.be/__Bh3D_Pvt8?si=gcXvUkvJXaCXna7V

Tracks mentioned:

Tom Waits - Bone Machine (album)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for The Deaf (album)
Paul Simon - Graceland
Peter Gabriel - So

Plugins mentioned:

Avid Black Op Distortion
UAD Raw
Massey THC

 

Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

Getting all Gandalf on the transients

Matt and Dan chat compression (how much is too much?), taking creative decisions with confidence and Dr Who

 

Artists/Music mentioned:

Doctor Who Themes (1963-2023)
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/722HbGvR8b4Hf1J5nFMGtD?si=71a3fc149d3a404e

Suzie Stapleton - We Are The Plague (album)
Radiohead - The National Anthem
The Beatles - Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence
Herbie Hancock - Chapeleon
Tom waits - Bone Machine
The Deep Blue

Plugins mentioned:

UAD Gallien-Krueger 800RB Bass Amp (UAD exclusive unfortunately!)

 

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Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

 

What’s that film with all the blue people?

In this first episode of 2024 Matt and Dan chat Dolby Atmos, silly effects on piano and the power of amazing harmonies

 

Plugins Mentioned:
Rode NT-SF1 Ambisonics Microphone + 'SoundField by RØDE'  Ambisonic Audio Processor
Avid roto speaker
UAD Sound City Studios
UAD Ocean Way Studios

 

Artists Mentioned:

Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler
The Deep Blue
Lianne La Havas

Something to say to us? E-mail podcast@urchinstudios.co.uk

Visit www.urchinstudios.co.uk to learn more about our London recording studios

Brian May’s home made guitar

In the final show of 2023 Matt and Dan reflect on a fantastic year of music making, as well as the pros and cons of software instruments, the benefits of mastering and Brian May's guitar tone.

(Jez Ashurst is the producer that Dan is talking about at the start, although he erroneously refers to him as "Jez Hurst")

Tracks mentioned:
Sparky Bosque
Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
Queen - Brighton Rock
Josie Man,Jason Kwan, iamkyami, Tascha Jerawan, Vishal Chpra, Lucy Tun _ I LUV MY LIFE

Vocoders have feelings too

In this week's episode Matt and Dan cover the reinterpretation of lyrics, popular microphones and how being a 'music professional' can change your relationship with music.

Tracks Mentioned:
Laurie Anderson - O Superman
Sting - Every Breath You Take
Jordan Mackampa - Teardrops in a Hurricane
Wham! - Last Christmas
Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours of The Morning

Michael Jackon’s real voice

This week Matt and Dan chat Loudness, the secrets of the DFA button and Matt hits us with his trademark beatboxing skills

 

Plugins mentioned:
Waves (in general)
Wavesfactory - SnareBuzz
Valhalla - Room, Supermassive
Soundtoys - Superplate, Devil-loc
Safari Pedals - Rhino Reverb

Tracks mentioned:
Jay Z - 99 problems 
Fall Out Boy - Thnks fr th Mmrs
Metallica - Death Magnetic, Broken Beaten and Scarred, Blackened
Michael Jackson - Dangerous, Bad, Thriller, Off The Wall, Who is it
Queen - Sheer Heart Attack