Secret Sonics

01/03/2024

We finally passed 75k downloads! Thanks everyone for listening and for being a part of the community!

11/01/2024

Tune in Monday 👀

04/01/2024

Had a wonderful chat with on the podcast this week! Matt Huber is a mix engineer based out of LA, CA, USA! In our conversation Matt and I go deep on the following:

His journey from Arkansas to LA (via Nashville)
Delegation & scaling
Niching down
Atmos
His approach to mixing
Getting bright (but not harsh) vocals
Mixing into a limiter
Why he buys every single plugin
The quality of high vs. low track-count
Advice for those getting started

And so much more! Hit the link in bio!

This episode marks the end of this format of Secret Sonics, so stay tuned for new episodes in a whole new light. Thanks as always for listening!

~Ben

27/09/2022

🎙Our head Producer/Engineer/Studio Manager Justin LaPointe is featured on the latest episode of podcast!

🎙Thank you so much for having me!

🎙We talk about starting a destination studio, recording live off the floor, microphones and my story.

🎙 We go over a song as well!

🎙Search “Secret Sonics” wherever you get your podcasts today!

12/09/2022

Had a great chat with on the podcast this week! Shachar "Shak" Boussani is a mixing and recording engineer based out of LA, CA, USA! In our chat, Shachar shares his journey; being inspired to move to a big music city on a trip to London, moving to Los Angeles, working in post production, eventually opening a recording studio, and most recently working for big-time mixer, . He goes deep on his approach to recording and mixing including separating the elements of a mix, using his competitive drive, focusing on the low end, and getting great drum tones. We also chat about lessons learned from Bob Horn, the importance of finding a mentor, making music for fun, bouncing stems, going all in on what you love, and so much more! Check it out! Link in bio...

16/08/2022

Had a great chat with Alex Crescioni on the podcast this week! is a music producer, mixer, and the owner of based out of LA, CA, USA! In our chat, Alex shares his journey - from musician to engineer focused on heavy genres. He goes deep on his approach to producing and mixing heavy music, mixing and mastering in the same session, adding creative elements in the mix, embracing his own artistic style, producer's roles, and blurred lines in the industry. We also chat about word-of-mouth business, the woes of self-marketing, being upfront about goals with artists, artist red flags, keeping at it, and so much more! Check it out! Link in bio...

10/08/2022

When you're mastering big records, you barely have time to listen! You need to fall back on your experience.

John Greenham (Billie Eilish, Finneas, Bo Burnham, Lady Gaga) shares so much wisdom on this week's episode of Secret Sonics! Check it out!

08/08/2022

It was such a privilege to chat with John Greenham for the podcast this week! is a mastering engineer based out of LA, CA, USA, and he's worked on some of my favorite records! In our chat, John shares his journey - from musician to mastering engineer. He talks about his philosophy when it comes to mastering; approaching it from a musician's mindset, working fast, shaping a song with EQ to maximize energy, and focusing on the vocals. We chat about why being in LA is so important, working with and , loudness, Atmos, working with your friends and so much more! Check it out! Link in bio...

01/08/2022

Had a great chat with on the podcast this week! Stephen Kerrison is a mastering engineer based out of Liverpool, England, UK! In our chat, Stephen shares his journey from a touring musician to studio as a mastering engineer. He talks about the mastering collective, instilling confidence in the artists he works with, working in the box, tools of the trade, and using his instincts to master. We also chat about Seth Godin marketing tactics, vinyl, loudness, feeling grateful, and so much more! Check it out! Link in bio...

25/07/2022

Had a great chat with Josh Bonanno on the podcast this week! Josh Bonanno is a mixing engineer based out of Nashville, TN, USA! In our second conversation on the podcast, Josh catches us up to date and we talk about so much, including how he tries to spread knowledge and build community on the internet, the weird state of the social media platforms, and the real life community in Nashville. We chat about having patience, quantity leading to quality, trusting your room and speakers, using the rough mix as a bible, and how deliverables are changing the way people mix. We also go deep on his minimalist approach to mixing, surprising his clients with some artistic touches, getting over a hustle mindset and taking the time to rest, and so much more! Check it out!

Josh Bonanno is a mixing engineer based out of Nashville, TN, USA! In our second conversation on the podcast, Josh catches us up to date and we talk about so much, including how he tries to spread knowledge and build community on the internet, the weird state of the social media platforms,

18/07/2022

Had a great chat with on the podcast this week! Ra**ra Abraham is a vocal producer and sound engineer based out of London, England, UK! In our conversation, Ra**ra tells her story - studying at the Abbey Road Institute, building relationships, and hitting the ground running as a vocal producer. She goes deep on her approach to working with artists - using emotional intelligence in a session, extensive session prep, microphone preferences, choosing a space for a vocal to live in, and Melodyning. We also get into client acquisition, branding, mixing with her gut, having confidence, and so much more! Check it out! Link in bio...

10/07/2022

Episode 151 with Bobby Owsinski! For the few of you who don't know, Bobby Owsinski is a music producer, mixer, author, and podcaster based out of LA, CA, USA! In our conversation, Bobby tells his story - from the stage to the studio and eventually writing books and hosting his podcast. He talks about meeting former Beatles, and lessons from two of their engineers - Ken Scott and Geoff Emerick. He goes deep on keeping his hand on the pulse of the industry, tracking killer brass players, and thoughts on saturation in mixing, Atmos, and NFTs. We also talk about the latest edition of his book, "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook," and so much more! Check it out!

https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2022/7/5/secret-sonics-151-bobby-owsinski-birds-eye-view-of-the-audio-industry

Bobby Owsinski is a music producer, mixer, author, and podcaster based out of LA, CA, USA! In our conversation, Bobby tells his story - from the stage to the studio and eventually writing books and hosting his podcast. He talks about meeting former Beatles, and lessons from two of

04/07/2022

It looks really impressive when you lay out a photo of each and every one of the amazing guests I've been privileged to speak with on this journey of podcasting. The best part about podcasting has been building relationships with my peers in this industry and for that alone, it's been worth it. That's a wrap on the first 150 episodes and we're going strong with some fantastic interviews already in the bag. Stick around!

Special thanks to my wife for gifting me the inspiration for this poster and encouraging me on this journey.

19/06/2022

Had a great chat with on this week's 150th episode of Secret Sonics! Nacho (Ignacio) Molino is a 3x Grammy-winning and 5x Latin Grammy-winning mixing engineer based outside of Rochester, NY, USA! In our conversation, Nacho tells his story - moving from Panama to the USA after nearly 2 decades in the business, sleeping in the studio, and making things work. He talks about how getting good at recording informs the mixing process and vice versa, the difference between the mixing mindset and the mastering mindset, and how working on so many genres has helped him in all areas of mixing. He goes deep on his approach to mixing - how he creates space in a mix, and how he sets the tone (not dynamics) from the stereo bus. He also emphasizes leaning into what you do well, having patience, and so much more! Check it out! Link in bio...

16/06/2022

"No, YOU listen!" - What record labels really want from mixers

Kevin McCloskey dishes on this week's episode of Secret Sonics

13/06/2022

Has a great chat with Kevin McCloskey on the podcast this week! In our conversation, Kevin tells his story - from playing drumline in marching band to studying audio, persevering and eventually opening a recording studio and working with the likes of He talks about getting efficient in the studio, what major labels really want from mixers, and how he's able to mix on headphones. He goes deep on his approach to mixing, taking care of himself, having goals outside of music, and so much more! Check it out! Link in bio...

09/06/2022

Building the canvas and getting more emotion based on where you place different elements in the mix... From Secret Sonics 148 with Mark Abrams

06/06/2022

Had a great chat with Mark Abrams on the podcast this week! Mark is a record producer, mixing engineer, and the content manager for pureMix! He is based out of Columbus, OH, USA! In our conversation, Mark tells his story - studying audio and getting an internship only to find his way back to his parents' basement. He talks about how a masterclass with Vance Powell changed the game for him and enabled him to make more intentional decisions as a producer. That class introduced him to the world of learning from the best engineers in the business, and eventually doing all the work he does with pureMix. He goes deep on his approach to producing with intent, setting the soundstage in a mix, and how he implements systems and automation to cut his workload in half! Check it out!

Mark Abrams is a record producer, mixing engineer, and the content manager for pureMix! Mark is based out of Columbus, OH, USA! In our conversation, Mark tells his story - studying audio and getting an internship only to find his way back to his parents' basement. He talks about how a masterclass wi

02/06/2022

Make the best record you can afford to make!

30/05/2022

Had a great chat with Kallie Marie on the podcast this week! is a recording engineer, record producer, composer, and author based out of NY, NY, USA! In our conversation, Kallie tells her story - getting her audio degree in the UK, working out of studios in NYC, and writing a forthcoming book on women in music production. She goes deep on her approach to producing bands, getting into the weeds with pre-production, and hiring the best studios and engineers the band can afford. We talk about content vs. art, synths, sound design, and writing for film. We also discuss the definition of a music producer, or lack thereof, and why it's so important to be able to explain to people what you actually do! Check it out! Link in bio...

26/05/2022

Don't over-process your mix

From Secret Sonics 146 with Brent Hendrich

24/05/2022

Had a great chat with Brent Hendrich this week on the podcast! Brent is a music producer and mixing engineer based out of Nashville, TN, USA! In our conversation, Brent tells his story - skipping school and getting his first audio gigs from his job at Starbucks. He goes deep on his approach to production, mixing, communication with mastering engineers, mixing templates, and getting more minimalistic in his approach with experience. We talk about embracing content creation, setting goals, holding himself accountable, working on what really matters, and so much more! Check it out!

Brent Hendrich is a music producer and mixing engineer based out of Nashville, TN, USA! In our conversation, Brent tells his story - skipping school and getting his first audio gigs from his job at Starbucks. He goes deep on his approach to production, mixing, communication with ma

23/05/2022

Had a great chat with on the podcast this week! Brent is a music producer and mixing engineer based out of Nashville, TN, USA! In our conversation, Brent tells his story - skipping school and getting his first audio gigs from his job at Starbucks. He goes deep on his approach to production, mixing, communication with mastering engineers, mixing templates, and getting more minimalistic in his approach with experience. We talk about embracing content creation, setting goals, holding himself accountable, working on what really matters, and so much more! Check it out!

19/05/2022

Jack Hartley goes the extra mile recording drummers in the studio