Matt Ross-Spang: Leaning Into Simplicity

Over the past decade, Matt Ross-Spang has emerged as one of the premiere record producers and engineers working today across country, folk, rock and roll, and R&B. Known for a philosophy of putting artists first and for a skillset that’s enabled him to capture a vintage warmth and energy without ever sounding stuffy or dated, Ross-Spang has a discography that encompasses production, engineering and mixing for legends, perennial critical favorites and some of his own generation’s most exciting musicmakers: Elvis Presely, Lou Reed, Al Green, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Mountain Goats, Cut Worms, Drive-By Truckers, Margo Price, Lucero, Iron & Wine, St. Paul and the Broken Bones. He has won two Grammy Awards, for engineering Isbell’s 2015 album Something More than Free and again for its follow-up, 2017’s The Nashville Sound.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:
Working at Sun Studios
Recording a full band with less than 9 mics
Vintage recording styles vs. modern approaches
Recording drums that have character
Recording in mono
Using minimal processing
EQing and compression on busses, instead of individual tracks
Gain staging your mix
Embracing bleed in your recordings
Using far mics for overdubs
Creating roomy recordings in small environments
Finding unique places to stick microphones
Using digital technology in an analog environment
Making samples sound organic
Building his studio, Southern Grooves

To learn more about Matt Ross-Spang, visit: http://www.southerngrooves.com/
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