Production Expert Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Voice Cloning Software: A Powerful But Potentially Dangerous AI Tool. Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s edition Julian and Ashea joined by Anna Bulakh of Respeecher, where they discuss the importance of ethics in AI and how to proceed with caution.

Talking Points:

What are some of the current threats AI poses in society/the audio and music industry today?
Synthetic media, voice cloning software and other tools are still in their early stages but are incredibly powerful tools that can all be really useful if used wisely, however there needs to be ethical principles in place.
The dangers of Deepfakes
Provenance.
Please tell us about Respeecher, what this tool offers and how you are putting ethical practices and policies at the forefront of your company.

Damian’s article On Respeecher

Finds of the week:
Julian: Now TV has ads
Ashea: Notion App
Anna: Brief History Of AI - Michael Aldridge, Chip War Michael Phillips

Who Are The New Industry Gatekeepers? Mar 13, 2024

Show notes

In this week's edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Steve DeMott, where they discuss the music industry Gatekeepers of today, who are they and are they worse?

Talking Points:

Social Media age and the “democratization” of the industry.
Labels vs the new A.I/Digital gatekeepers
Youtube, Google and artist revenue

Finds of the week:
Julian: High Strung/Nashville Strings
Ashea: MCenter
Steve: Pulsar 1178

Is AI Finally Coming For Our Jobs? Feb 28, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Reid Caulfield, where they discuss a recent article from the LA Times and ask ‘Is AI coming for our jobs, and should we be worried?’

Talking Points:

LA Times Article:
https://www.latimes.com/.../ai-artificial-intelligence...

From the article:

"In the music and sound-recording industry, the tasks most likely to be affected by AI are voice generation and cloning, music generation and recording and lyrics composition, followed by mastering, mixing and tools programming, according to the study.

More than 50% of survey participants anticipated that AI would displace sound designers in the next three years, while more than 40% saw AI coming for music editors, audio technicians and sound engineers. Roughly a third of respondents predicted a similar fate for songwriters, composers and studio engineers."

Our thoughts on the survey

Bearing this in mind how should audio professional go about keeping themselves valuable (better than A.I)?

How can we use A.I to our advantage?

Finds of the week:
Julian: PSI Audio A17-M
Ashea: Landscape With Invisible Hand
Reid: Altiverb 8, Arrival

The Truth About Making A Living In The Audio Industry Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

On request of our listeners. In this week's episode Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes and Paul Maunder where they give tried and tested advice on how to make a living in today's audio industry.
Talking Points:

What was your first pro gig and how did that come about?
Getting work in a traditional studio setting
Freelancing
Types of clients and how to deal with them
Balancing a day job
When/how to transition into full time

Finds of the week:

Ashea: All You Need To Know About The Music Business
Russ: Criminal Record Show , i73 Pro
Paul: Deity Theos digital radio mics

The Secret Sauce Behind The Legendary PMC Speakers Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s edition Julian & Ashea are joined by Oliver Thomas and Maurice Patist from PMC.

Talking Points:

PMC & its history - background of company

Relationship with UGM/Dolby

PMC and suitability for Immersive - any particular features which you think make them particularly suitable?

How does an ATL differ from a ported or band pass cabinet in performance?

PMC and DSP, Network Control

What, if anything, can you share about future developments at PMC?

Finds of the week:
Julian: Focusrite Vocaster Two
Ashea: Crumple Pop Plosive Remover
Maurice: Voyage Audio Spatial Mic, Julia Holter Something In The Room She Moves
Oliver: Audient Oria

The UK Government Women In Music Report: Can We Agree On How To Tackle These Issues? Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

Talking Points:

In this episode Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes & Lexie Morgan of HHB London and formerly iZotope, to give three different perspectives on the recent UK government report about the obstacles women are met with while pursuing a career in the music industry.
Summary of the UK Government report:

The Report:

Production Expert Article:

Let’s briefly discuss how we feel about this report and how our experiences correspond with the data from the report.

Sexual Harassment & Safety Issues:
What safety & other measures do studios and workplaces need to put into place? What desperately needs changing?

Dismantling The Bias:
Change needs to take place from within. As well as the wonderful work that women (and men) are already doing to improve things, we also need to get more help from our male colleagues, bosses, fellow artists etc. What can men do to be better ‘allies’?

Mentioned In This Podcast:
https://www.production-expert.com/home-page/2017/7/31/pro-tools-expert-podcast-episode-280

Finds of the week:
Ashea: Quickbooks App
Russ: Billy Joel - Turn The Lights Back On
Lexie: Poor Things Movie

NAMM 2024 Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s edition Julian & Ashea are joined by Eli Krantzberg where they discuss some of the stand out gear and plugins from NAMM 2024.

Talking Points:
Wolff Audio Console
Heritage Audio i73
SSL 360
Blue Cat Audio
Yamaha- Seq track
Raven MTi2
Beyerdynamic -DT-770-pro
ACE Studio - AI vocal synthesizer

Finds Of The Week:
Julian: Kii SEVEN
Ashea: Solodome
Eli: The red plastic water flask my wife got me for NAMM

Is Audio Education Evolving To Meet Industry Demands? Jan 24, 2024

Show notes

In this week's edition Julian & Ashea are joined by audio engineer and current student James Watts, where they discuss whether music education is adapting to meet the evolving needs of students and the industry.

Talking Points:

How much emphasis is placed on the following?

Hands on experience, using hardware, navigating a mixing desk and traditional studio setups.
A.I and one knob plugins: How granular are you taught to get with plugins?:
Career Goals & Prospects: Training for commercial studio vs freelancer.
The role of entrepreneurship, how the industry,networking and career advancement is changing.

Finds of the week:
Julian: Avid NAMM Tech Preview
Ashea: VEA
James: Pythogorean Tuning

The Power Of No Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

In this week’s edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Steve DeMott where they discuss the importance and power of saying 'no' in a music production environment.

Talking Points:
‘The Power of No’ in music production, recording & mixing.
Expanding on William Wittmans article:

Finds of the week:
Julian: PMC 6-2
Ashea: Sketch Casette 2
Steve: Zoom H6 field recorder

Dealing With Mental Health In The Audio Industry Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

In the final edition of 2023, Ashea is joined by Russ Hughes & Reid Caulfield. Where they discuss the important topic of managing mental health, particularly in the audio industry.

Talking Points:

Dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues that plague freelancers and audio professionals.
The stigma attached to mental health issues.
The role of social media and how it can affect our mental health.
Coping and good practices to reduce stress etc.

Finds of the week:

Russ: A Therapeutic Journey Book
Ashea: Contact- Movie
Reid: The Demon- Haunted World , Blink, McDSP SA3

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