What's That Sound‪?‬ Stu Watts

Stu Watts chats with George Carpenter, who is a record producer, songwriter, arranger, recording engineer and mixer. An avid music nerd since a young age, he was classically trained in drums, percussion, piano and composition/arrangement at school before going on to complete a Bachelor of Popular Music at the Queensland Conservatorium in 2009.
Having previously been a member of several notable groups such as The Delta Riggs, Mourning Tide and Jimmy the Saint & the Sinners, George then went on to open a recording studio called ‘Little Pink’ on the Gold Coast in 2012 which he operated until relocating to Melbourne in 2014.
Working freelance from Sing Sing South, Woodstock and Sound Park he then managed to secure his own production suite at the iconic Aviary Studios in Abbotsford where he predominately worked between 2016 and 2021 producing for many artists and bands including APRA, QMA and Darebin Song Contest winners Ash Grunwald, Karl S. Williams and Paige Barnard.
Since returning to the SE QLD in 2021 George has continued to work with a diverse group of artists such as Emily Grace Taylor, Heavy Wax, Mr Rascal, Eils & the Drip, Willie J & The Bad Books, Okmattcollins, Eimhin and Alexander William from his private studio in the Gold Coast hinterland.
As a drummer and keyboard player, George currently tours with Karl S. Williams and Little Georgia. He is proudly endorsed by Ludwig Drums and Los Cabos Drumsticks.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:06 About George Carpenter
00:03:51 The early days of his life
00:08:56 Playing in bands
00:14:24 Learning about engineering and production
00:18:48 Being a mentee
00:23:17 Professional development
00:25:20 The effect of COVID and social media
00:30:36 Donate to the podcast!
00:31:01 What George's process looks like
00:35:20 Working from scratch or from a demo?
00:36:57 Being a guide rather than telling the artist what to do
00:42:45 The business side of being a producer
00:44:31 Helping the music community
00:49:33 Opportunities
00:53:43 Challenges of being a producer/engineer
00:56:04 Working on things divergent from your direct passion
00:58:47 What's coming up in the near future
01:02:05 George's best bits of advice
01:06:21 Conclusion/Outro

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Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
George Carpenter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bambamgeorge

George Carpenter website⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Shout us a coffee!⁠⁠

Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for any enquiries.

Stu Watts chats with Hugh Lake, who is a 28-year-old songwriter, producer and DJ who has already made a mark on the Australian music scene with an diverse mix of creative projects to his name.
Lake’s unorthodox journey to success follows his start as HFNR, notorious club DJ in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia; he is known for his eclectic RnB and Afrobeat influenced sets appearing alongside Sophiegrophy, Lil Spacely, Genesis Owusu, Manu Crooks, Kwame and 360. He soon moved into production, first in his bedroom and then in makeshift studio “The Cabin” built in the backyard of close collaborator and friend Kwasi, with whom he signed to urban label WVS/Onelove in early 2017 as “Kwasi x HFNR”. The HFNR era saw a slew of new wave hip hop projects that were pivotal in shaping the Australian sound.
In 2020 he dropped the HFNR moniker, broadening his scope as a genre-bending songwriter and producer that infuses Hip Hop, RnB, Electronic and Pop like no one else. He would show off his tastemaking, writing and production skills on R&B artist Ceeko’s debut EP ‘Where Do We Begin’, and in that same year he co-wrote and produced Platinum hit “Bigger” with Stan Walker and close collaborator and fellow producer HAMLEY. They would collaborate again to mix and produce a re-imagining of the Split Enz classic “Poor Boy'' to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their seminal album “True Colours”.
He then cemented his genre-hopping presence after a move to Sydney, collaborating with Phi11a, BOY SODA, Nardean and Zia Jade. He continues to expand his repertoire as Executive Producer on Lara Andallo’s debut EP ‘Diamonds and Deja Vu’, as well as Music Direction and Tour Management for her support of the Blxst Australian Tour and the Diamonds and Deja Vu Tour.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:10 About Hugh Lake, the early years
00:06:17 DJing and making mashups
00:07:10 Education
00:09:13 The Soundcloud era, how social media has changed
00:11:34 The early sessions
00:14:57 The learning curve, getting a co-sign from One Love
00:17:29 The problem with feedback, honest communication in the studio
00:21:09 How sessions look now compared to back then
00:24:07 Relationship building
00:27:41 How to get in the creative zone
00:32:40 Donate to the podcast!
00:33:04 Working with Lara Andallo
00:38:26 Saying "yes" to opportunities
00:40:56 Approaches when things go wrong
00:44:12 Why disagreements are important
00:46:39 Approach to sonics
00:50:35 Taking a break to gain perspective
00:51:37 The positives of collaborating
00:54:40 Working with different artists
01:02:08 What's coming up in the near future
01:04:35 Hugh's best bits of advice
01:07:52 Conclusion/Outro

Make sure to subscribe or follow this channel and share it on your socials!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
Hugh Lake: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hughlake.wav

Hugh Lake website

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Hugh's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Shout us a coffee!⁠

Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for any enquiries.

Stu Watts chats with Ish Quan, also known as "Mixedbyish" has been in the industry now for over half a decade, and has had the privilege of working on hundreds of released records in Australia and many more outside of Australia. Many records by Ish have been placed on Spotify editorials, played on major radio, and performed in stadiums. Ish has developed his audio skills through his bachelor's degree in Sound Production, and working outside his course, building his building his network along the way. He has developed great relationships and worked with some of the most well known talents in Australia's current hip-hop/rap scene. Working with Warner Music Australia was a pivoting moment for Ish's career and fast-forwarding 4 years down the track, he has seen much success in working with a tonne of signed & independent artists.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:48 About Ish Quan
00:03:12 Ish's younger years
00:05:53 How he started getting into production
00:08:30 What the early sessions were like
00:11:00 How sessions differ now
00:12:43 Difference between artists
00:14:03 Pushing an artist past their comfort levels
00:17:25 How Ish splits his time
00:18:37 Landing his first placement
00:20:07 Allowing the artist to be fluid in a session
00:23:16 Donate to the podcast!
00:23:40 How to level up
00:26:26 Networking & offering your services
00:30:16 The difference between collaboration and working on your own music
00:33:09 Focus on music over content creation at the beginning
00:39:30 Staying consistent and making a lot of music
00:40:32 Referencing and knowing what is a good standard
00:42:41 Setting deadlines and moving quickly
00:44:28 Ish's focuses on the next 6 months
00:46:25 What's coming up in the near future
00:47:14 Going live on TikTok
00:50:29 Best bits of advice
00:53:34 Conclusion/Outro

Make sure to subscribe or follow this channel and share it on your socials!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
Ish Quan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@mixedbyish

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Ish's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Shout us a coffee!

Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for any enquiries.

Stu Watts chats with Keelan Sanders, who is a producer, mix engineer, songwriter and musician based in Naarm (Melbourne), who's worked with artists including Children Collide, Beddy Rays, Screamfeeder and more.
Starting out in Meanjin (Brisbane), he began working as a producer in 2017 at The Shed with help and guidance from producers Darek Mudge and Bryce Moorhead.
For the next couple of years Keelan lived and worked at Bedlam Records, a recording studio & sharehouse, whilst also freelance engineering at studios including Airlock and The Plutonium, eventually launching his own recording space, Blue Green Studios.
His engineering credits include William Barton & Veronique Serret's ARIA nominated world music album "Heartland", Jaguar Jonze's debut art-pop album "Bunny Mode", original music for the ABC short film "Viv's Silly Mango", plus work with Full Flower Moon Band, SGO and more.
Since relocating to VIC at the end of 2023, he's been engineering with producer Paul "Woody" Annison at Red Door Sounds in Collingwood, playing drums for local band Jazz Cigarettes and producing his debut solo album under the name Worry Weather.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:04 About Keelan Sanders, childhood years
00:04:15 Learning guitar and musical influences
00:05:22 Listening to production elements
00:06:10 Learning more about production
00:09:03 Early days of recording
00:12:20 Becoming an engineer
00:14:49 How Keelan's process has changed
00:18:12 Keelan's current recording process
00:21:32 Production process
00:23:04 Workflow improvements
00:26:37 The approach to working with different artists
00:28:40 Confidence in decision making
00:31:58 Paypal spiel
00:32:22 The importance of microphone choice
00:38:11 Artists getting attached to demos/"polished" recordings
00:44:03 Having honest conversations and saying "no"
00:48:50 Why does every band do a music video with a white backdrop?
00:51:06 Expectation vs reality of being an engineer
00:54:45 Creating something that sounds different
00:57:09 Best pieces of advice for engineers & artists
01:01:31 "What's on in the near future?"
01:02:35 Conclusion/Outro

Make sure to subscribe or follow this channel and share it on your socials!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Keelan Sanders: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@keelansanders

Keelan Sanders website⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Keelan's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SUPPORT THE PODCAST WITH A DONATION⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for any enquiries.

Stu Watts chats with Tahlia-Rose Coleman, who stands out as an exceptional audio engineer, boasting over a decade of experience in both analog and digital mastering techniques. Recently nominated for Mastering Engineer of The Year at the MPEG Music Awards, she has swiftly become an indispensable asset to the Australian Music Industry.
Starting out at Studios 301, Tahlia not only made her mark but flourished within the mastering team, working closely with the esteemed chief engineer and mentor, Steve Smart.
Among her extensive list of collaborations, Tahlia has lent her expertise to renowned artists such as Electric Fields, The Buoys, Good Pash, We Lost The Sea, and many more.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:20 About Tahlia-Rose Coleman
00:04:34 Learning audio at university
00:05:20 Tahlia's influences
00:06:30 Going deeper at university
00:10:06 Interning at 301 Studios
00:13:27 Being mentored by Steve Smart
00:15:12 Key learns from 301 Studios
00:18:21 Tahlia's current process
00:22:43 What sped up her process
00:27:05 What is a great sounding mix?
00:29:34 PayPal schpiel
00:29:58 Being creative when mastering
00:32:23 How general music discourse influences your work
00:36:50 Challenges in not being a "technical" engineer
00:39:50 The challenge of learning a new room
00:42:26 The challenges of freelancing
00:44:10 The power of word of mouth networking
00:47:31 The importance of proper crediting
00:49:03 The lack of knowledge around engineers
00:51:49 Tahlia's favourite pieces of gear
00:58:00 "Would you change anything from your past?"
01:00:32 Best pieces of advice for engineers & artists
01:03:41 "What's on in the near future?"
01:04:30 Conclusion/Outro

Make sure to subscribe or follow this channel and share it on your socials!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Tahlia-Rose Coleman: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@rosierosierosie__

Tahlia-Rose Coleman website⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Tahlia's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SUPPORT THE PODCAST WITH A DONATION⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for any enquiries.

Stu Watts chats with Emily Hopley, who is an engineer/producer and artist with her band Upsetter.
Her passion for music and production started at an early age, she started interning at a local Gold Coast studio when she was 15, which lit a fire in her to get into audio and the music industry.
Over the years, Emily has worked in studios around Gold Coast & Brisbane, assisting fantastic awards winning engineer/producers such as Anna Laverty, Michael Stavrou, ARIA-award winning Cody McWaters & Steve Kempnich, Yanto Browning, Virginia Read and more.
In June 2021 she started managing at Airlock Records in Meanjin/Bris as well as being an in-house engineer. Emily has also worked (assist & lead) on numerous projects at Airlock including Up In The Airlock (season 2), Boss Moxi, Suicide Country Hour, Mt.Nadir, Blussh, and her own project (Airlock Studios Immersive Program) which was a 3-day audio engineering workshop for 10 womxn/GNC participants, funded by Queensland Arts Showcase program, with Anna Laverty as guest engineer/educator and sponsorship from Fender Australia and PreSonus Australia.
After 2-years, Emily has now departed as manager from Airlock to pursue Engineering and Production full time. Still working as an in-house engineer at Airlock, Emily has additionally started a residency at Matthew Gray's Mastering facilities in the mix/production suite upstairs in between lecturing Music Production at JMC for 2 days a week.
Emily has a strong passion for equality, equity and diversity and will continue to strive for this in the music industry from the ground up!

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro
00:03:02 About Emily Hopley
00:05:00 Emily's history with music
00:07:37 Listening to production elements
00:08:18 Understanding different genres
00:10:08 Learning different skills in the beginning
00:12:19 Different personality types
00:14:51 Experience as a mentee
00:18:56 Personal and mental roadblocks
00:22:22 Emily's band Upsetter, and lecturing at JMC and SAE
00:24:30 Emily's current projects
00:25:53 Emily's recording process
00:30:43 PayPal schpiel
00:31:08 Being efficient when recording
00:39:37 Focusing on emotion and storytelling
00:41:29 Committing when using plugins and samples
00:45:56 Work hours, health and wellness
00:54:45 The barriers for women in audio
01:00:54 Emily's focuses for the coming year
01:03:24 Best advice for producers/engineers and artists
01:04:30 Conclusion/Outro

Make sure to subscribe or follow this channel and share it on your socials!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Emily Hopley: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@groovequeen

Emily Hopley website⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Emily's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SUPPORT THE PODCAST WITH A DONATION⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for any enquiries.