Happy release day to
@stuck.chi “Optimizer” out now on
@explodinginsound records. Produced, recorded, and mixed by me, mastered by their own
@guy_pidgeotto at
@chicagomasteringservice , incredible artwork and layout by their own
@timgreen.co . Additional woodwinds were added by
@sarahclausenmusic , and they make for some of my favorite moments on the record.
I’ve worked with Greg on a ton of records over the years now and to say that it was an honor (and also a lot of pressure haha) to be chosen to record your go-to mastering engineer’s band is an understatement!
As long as I’ve been recording bands, it’s been a dream of mine to be able to work at
@electricalaudio . Steve’s influence on me as a music producer and music listener is immeasurable, and I think same goes for everyone else involved.
I can’t thank the incredible staff and interns at EA enough for making us feel so comfortable and at home
@laurenf.mac @normaphone . I’ve made records at a couple of fancy pants studios. I’ve made a lot more at scrappy DIY studios. Without a doubt, I’ve never worked anywhere that is both so world-class and so humble and approachable at the same time. I’ve always hoped that I would be able to meet Steve in person someday, and while I sadly could not, if the welcoming kindness, respect, work ethic, and quality of the institution he started is a measure of the man, he must have been an indelible force.
Wherever it made sense to, I tried imitating the mic combinations that I used to spend hours researching on the old EA forums. It taught me a lot about how these choices become an ecosystem and how well tuned the multiple mic combinations were to the space. Pushing up the faders was a sonic revelation and felt like coming home.
Going into it, we knew that we wanted it to be something more than a pure reflection of the band live so we set up a lot up different stations of gear we can try out, that way experimentation could happen quickly and organically. Greg and I spoke a lot about trying a different vocal approach on this record to reflect the more personal lyrical content. He really pushed himself and I'm super proud of the results.
