Behind the Space Bar

From Studio to Stage

Learn how to become a World-Class Playback Engineer. Hosted by Ableton Live Certified Trainer Will Doggett. New Episodes every Monday @ 10AM ET.

  1. 1d ago

    How One Gig Became a Music Direction Company | Nate Day & Mat Landry

    Nate Day and Mat Landry got hired on the same artist in 2021. Neither was a playback engineer. One of them had to become one — and that accident became Eights Creative, a Toronto company now doing music direction and playback systems for artists around the world. We talk about the path a lot of you are already on: you play an instrument, somebody asks if you can "do playback," and suddenly you're the one who keeps getting called. Nate and Mat break down what music direction actually is — taking an artist's album and deciding what it becomes on a stage — and why playback engineers so often make good MDs. Then it goes somewhere I didn't plan. I asked how highly skilled, hardworking people avoid getting bitter when the thank-yous go to everyone but the tech. Their answer reframed the job for me: you're not there to serve the artist so much as the person who bought the ticket, paid for parking, and found a babysitter. And the real deliverable isn't a working rig — it's a client who feels confident. We finish practical: how they run arrangements and approvals, why they'll tell an artist to rent instead of buy, and how one sub drummer and an afternoon of stem exports led them to Bands. Eights Creative: eightscreative.com · @eightscreative Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:56 Meet Nate and Mat from Eights Creative 06:09 The ELIO gig and the birth of Eights Creative 11:28 Playback is the skill that gets you the gig 16:17 What music direction actually is 22:13 The playback + MD combo role 25:47 How involved is the artist, really? 28:26 Staying un-jaded when nobody thanks the tech 31:50 "We're not curing cancer" — serving the audience 35:04 Campfires, RTP ports, and why live performance matters 43:43 Inside Eights: creative clients vs. systems clients 48:36 Why we tell artists to rent instead of buy 51:47 How we prep a band before rehearsal 53:54 The Isaiah story — hours of exports, solved 1:00:57 Thanks and wrap Listeners get a 14-day free trial of Pliris, which we don't offer anywhere else: https://fromstudiotostage.com/pliris/friend Join as an annual All Access member and I'll personally help you migrate your entire catalog — first 50 only. More about Pliris: fromstudiotostage.com/pliris Docs: fromstudiotostage.com/docs The Bands app: bands.fromstudiotostage.com Questions? support@fromstudiotostage.com or @fromstudiotostageig on Instagram. Mentioned: ELIO · The Beaches · Metric · Toronto Metropolitan University · Ableton Live · iConnectivity PlayAUDIO · DirectOut PRODIGY · Roland SPD · RTP-MIDI ★ Support this podcast ★

  2. Jul 20

    Where I've Been for 327 Days

    After 327 days away, I'm back with a lot to share. In January 2025 I took a full-time road gig as TobyMac's playback engineer. In the same stretch I got rid of my office and the three people who helped me run this business, all left. Meanwhile, AI was changing how everyone learns, I was struggling with what being a creator on social media means, and re-focusing on my mission to make complex things simple. So I started building a vibe-coded app to keep my own band organized became Pliris: upload your stems, get back song sections, key and tempo, LTC, lyrics, chords, and a downloadable Ableton set. Overnight, it compressed five weeks of Playback Method curriculum into a single upload. Here's my path forward, and what I'm working towards till the end of the year. Chapters 00:00 Back after 327 days 02:21 How the TobyMac gig found me 04:09 "Prepare to be amazed" 07:27 What a road gig did to a solo business 11:15 The ChatGPT answer that was half wrong 13:46 The mission: making complex things simple 16:12 The Ableton app I never shipped 17:44 Vibe coding the Bands app 20:11 Becoming Pliris 23:07 The top secret master plan 26:08 Five weeks of curriculum in one upload 36:34 Why I went quiet: the influencer problem 42:44 1,000 members by the end of 2026 48:27 Sneak peek: the Files app Listeners get a 14-day free trial of Pliris, which we don't offer anywhere else: https://fromstudiotostage.com/pliris/friend Join as an annual All Access member and I'll personally help you migrate your entire catalog — first 50 only. Grab the free tracks template: fromstudiotostage.com/template Read the master plan: fromstudiotostage.com/blog/the-from-studio-to-stage-secret-master-plan More about Pliris: fromstudiotostage.com/pliris Docs: fromstudiotostage.com/docs The Bands app: bands.fromstudiotostage.com Questions? support@fromstudiotostage.com or @fromstudiotostageig on Instagram. Next week: Nate Day and Mat Landry of Eights Creative. ★ Support this podcast ★

  3. 08/25/2025

    Apple Silicon vs Intel Macs for Playback

    This week we're talking Apple products. Specifically, the differences between Apple silicon and intel processors, and which one you should consider for playback. Take your first step towards becoming a world-class Playback Engineer, download our free Playback Template!Download for Freehttps://fromstudiotostage.com/template Send us a question on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/fromstudiotostageig/ Links & Resources Mentioned in this Videohttps://pages.fromstudiotostage.com/backline ★ Support this podcast ★

    Apple Silicon vs Intel Macs for Playback

  4. 08/18/2025

    Ableton & Lightkey

    This week we discuss how to use Ableton with Lightkey. Specifically, using Ableton and MIDI to preprogram your lights for easy recall. https://lightkeyapp.com/en Take your first step towards becoming a world-class Playback Engineer, download our free Playback Template!Download for Freehttps://fromstudiotostage.com/template Send us a question on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/fromstudiotostageig/ Links & Resources Mentioned in this Videohttps://pages.fromstudiotostage.com/backline ★ Support this podcast ★

    Ableton & Lightkey

  5. 08/11/2025

    Crash Into MIDI | Solutions For Making MIDI More Stable

    This week we discuss how to solve issues related to crashing MIDI in our Ableton sessions. Is it cables, adapters, USB hubs? We get into how to diagnose the problem and potential work arounds. Take your first step towards becoming a world-class Playback Engineer, download our free Playback Template!Download for Freehttps://fromstudiotostage.com/template Send us a question on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/fromstudiotostageig/ Links & Resources Mentioned in this Videohttps://pages.fromstudiotostage.com/backline ★ Support this podcast ★

    Crash Into MIDI | Solutions For Making MIDI More Stable

  6. 08/04/2025

    Redundancy and the iConnectivity AUDIO4c

    On this week's episode, we revisit our favorite topic (redundancy) through the filter of the iConnectivity AUDIO4c, as well as other iConnectivity gear. Take your first step towards becoming a world-class Playback Engineer, download our free Playback Template!Download for Freehttps://fromstudiotostage.com/template Send us a question on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/fromstudiotostageig/ Links & Resources Mentioned in this Videohttps://pages.fromstudiotostage.com/backline PlayAUDIO1U iConnectivity AUDIO4c ★ Support this podcast ★

    Redundancy and the iConnectivity AUDIO4c

  7. 07/28/2025

    Division of Labor vs Redundancy

    This week we discuss redundancy (one of our favorites) and a very closely related topic, division of labor.What are they?Which is more important?Is one more expensive than the other? Take your first step towards becoming a world-class Playback Engineer, download our free Playback Template!Download for Freehttps://fromstudiotostage.com/template Send us a question on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/fromstudiotostageig/ Links & Resources Mentioned in this Videohttps://pages.fromstudiotostage.com/backline PlayAUDIO1U ★ Support this podcast ★

    Division of Labor vs Redundancy

  8. 07/21/2025

    How to get the gig, and keep it!

    We're back with a 2nd episode with our friend, Tyler Prange. Tyler shares some wisdom about getting gigs, meeting people in the industry, and some advice for people trying to get started in the world of playback. Take your first step towards becoming a world-class Playback Engineer, download our free Playback Template!Download for Freehttps://fromstudiotostage.com/template Send us a question on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/fromstudiotostageig/ Links & Resources Mentioned in this Videohttps://pages.fromstudiotostage.com/backline ★ Support this podcast ★

    How to get the gig, and keep it!
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About

Learn how to become a World-Class Playback Engineer. Hosted by Ableton Live Certified Trainer Will Doggett. New Episodes every Monday @ 10AM ET.

Information

  • Creator
    From Studio to Stage
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    97
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © From Studio to Stage, LLC
  • Show Website
    Behind the Space Bar

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