Production Expert Podcast

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Mark Gittins, immersive audio engineer and owner of SenSound studios, currently working on broadcast for a major international football tournament, and Peter Doms, co-founder of AREAL Technologies from Belgium. Together they discuss the invention and development of immersive audio monitoring technology, the Aerial SR1 headphones, and how spatial audio is transforming professional audio production.

Pieter shares the fascinating origin story of how AREAL Technologies was born during the pandemic, starting as a Tomorrowland festival request to convert stereo music to immersive audio in real time. Mark discusses his experience...

Quiz Time! In this podcast episode, immersive audio engineer Mark Gittins joins Ashea from Kansas City to go head-to-head with AREAL co-founder and audio engineer Pieter Doms for our World Cup Music Quiz.

England vs Belgium just took on a new, immersive meaning!

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Eloise Whitmore and Tony Churnside, award-winning sound designers and co-founders of Naked Productions, for a frank discussion on how AI tools like Descript are fundamentally changing audio production—and not always for the better. Eloise and Tony address the critical issue of how AI-assisted editing is eroding the art of natural dialogue pacing, how younger generations of producers are losing foundational skills, and what audio professionals must do to preserve the human artistry in sound design.

This conversation tackles the uncomfortable truth about AI tools in pr...

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Eloise Whitmore and Tony Chernside, co-founders of Naked Productions, an award-winning sound design and audio production company specializing in BBC radio dramas and acclaimed audio content. Eloise won the Radio Sound Designer and Producer of the Year award in 2013, and Tony is a multi-award-winning sound designer and technical producer behind the acclaimed satirical BBC Radio 4 comedy series The Skewer.

Together, Eloise and Tony discuss the evolution of radio drama production in 2026, innovative location recording techniques for achieving authentic sound, the craft of sound design and storytelling...

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Matt Lawrence, a Grammy Award-winning mixer, producer, and engineer who has worked on some of the most influential records of the past 20 years. In this first part of a two-part conversation, Matt discusses his journey into the audio industry, his perspective on the current state of the music industry in 2026, and how the landscape has changed for studios, artists, and record labels over his career.

Matt brings invaluable insights from two decades of working at the highest levels of music production, having mixed and produced records that...

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Matt Lawrence, a Grammy Award-winning mixer, producer, and engineer who has worked on some of the most influential records of the past 20 years. In this first part of a two-part conversation, Matt discusses his journey into the audio industry, his perspective on the current state of the music industry in 2026, and how the landscape has changed for studios, artists, and record labels over his career.

Matt brings invaluable insights from two decades of working at the highest levels of music production, having mixed and produced records that...

"Behind some of the world's greatest hits lies a great question: does constraint breed genius? In this Podcast Edition, Drummer Steven Gilchrist (Graham Coxon, The Damned, and Boney M) and Grammy winning engineer Liam Nolan (Rihanna, Stormzy, the Black Eyed Peas) sit down with our Host Ashea to reveal the behind-the-scenes of Adele's 'Hello,' the meticulous process behind the legendary Drumopolis project with Tony Visconti, and what it really takes to engineer records that resonate globally.

In This Episode:

The number of women working as audio engineers and music producers is falling, not rising. Ashea is joined by British-Ghanaian producer, rapper and author Nana Ayebi-Kwakye to discuss why the gap is widening, where the signs of hope are, and the thinking behind her children's book Delasi On A Mission, written to show young girls that the studio is a place they belong.

Women In Audio: Why The Numbers Are Falling, With Nana Ayebi-Kwakye

The proportion of women working as professional audio engineers and music producers has been moving in the wrong direction...

Description

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Arnd Kaiser, Product Designer Strategist at Fender Musical Instruments, and Tony Carridi, Global Revenue and Go-To-Market Executive at Fender PreSonus. Together they discuss the strategic rebrand of Fender Studio, exploring what this evolution means for music producers, audio engineers, and musicians using Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software.

This conversation goes beyond the surface-level rebrand to explore the vision driving Fender's entry into the DAW market, the future of music production software, and what producers should expect from Fender Studio...

In this episode Ashea is joined by Arnd Kaiser and Tony Cariddi of Presonus/Fender for a tense guitar and synth quiz designed to really test your abilities. If you fail it's worth thinking long and hard about your career choice because you're likely an impostor ;) Enjoy!

Description

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Stephen Gallagher, an Emmy Award-winning composer and music editor with credits on major film and television productions, and Tilman Sillescu, creative director, co-founder, and principal composer at Sonuscore. This is Part 2 of the Lord Of The Strings, continuing their in-depth exploration of professional film and television scoring.

In this episode, Stephen and Tilman delve deeper into the collaborative process between composers and directors, discussing the balance between creative independence and serving the director's vision. They explore the importance of...

Description

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Stephen Gallagher, an Emmy Award-winning composer and music editor with credits on major film and television productions, and Tilman Sillescu, creative director, co-founder, and principal composer at Sonuscore. Together they explore the craft of composing for film and television, diving deep into orchestration techniques, string articulation, music production tools, and the creative workflows that define professional film scoring.

Whether you're an aspiring composer, music producer, or audio engineer looking to understand how professional film and TV scores are created, this two-part episode...

Description

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Richard Hilton, an award-winning producer and engineer who has worked extensively with Nile Rodgers and Chic, and Steve DeMott, Grammy-nominated producer and engineer from the acclaimed Tribe Collective. Together they dive deep into compression techniques, mixing workflows, and the art of working backwards in music production.

The proportion of modern music production relies heavily on understanding the nuances of audio engineering, and in this conversation, Ashea sits down with two industry veterans to talk honestly about what separates professional-quality mixes from the rest...

Today on the Production Expert Podcast, Ashea puts Richard Hilton and Steve De -Mott's compression trivia knowledge to the test.

So how did you do you? Let us know.

About Our Guests:

Steve DeMott: Producer, engineer, songwriter, and musician who has worked with the Grammy nominated Tribe collective 

Richard Hilton: Musician and producer well known for his work with Nile Rodgers and Chic

Description

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Andrew Scheps, a three-time Grammy Award-winning mixer and producer, for Part 2 of their in-depth conversation about professional mixing in the era of immersive audio. Building on the discussions from Part 1, Andrew delves deeper into practical techniques for mixing in Atmos and spatial audio formats, with particular focus on the unique challenges of mixing for headphone playback, binaural rendering, and maintaining mix translation across different monitoring environments.

In this episode, Andrew answers listener questions while providing concrete, actionable advice on EQ and...

Description

In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Andrew Scheps, a three-time Grammy Award-winning mixer and producer renowned for his work with iconic artists and his expertise in both stereo and immersive audio mixing. In this candid conversation, Andrew discusses his career journey, his approach to mixing in Atmos, his creative workflow, dealing with difficult clients, navigating impostor syndrome despite significant achievements, and his perspective on the future of mixing and music production.

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation that covers everything from technical mixing strategies to the...

In this week’s episode, Ashea is joined by Hyunkook Lee (Professor of Psychoacoustics and APL founder), Emre Ramazanoglu and Mark Gittins, for part two of The Science Of Listening, where they discuss Psychoacoustics, HRTF, multidimensional audio, virtual reality, the future of immersive in the music and audio industry and what’s in store for VIRTUOSO. 

About Our Guests:

Hyunkook Lee: Professor of audio and psychoacoustic engineering, Founder/director of the APL, & recording/mixing engineer

Emre Ramazanoglu: Immersive audio engineer, mixer/producer/drummer

Mark Gittins: Immersive engineer/mixer/produ...

For 25 years, Professor Hyunkook Lee has been researching surround sound and immersive audio. Since 2010, his focus has been on height perception—specifically, how we perceive and localize sounds coming from above. His discoveries have fundamentally changed how we approach immersive mixing. One critical finding: time differences don't work in the vertical domain the way they do in stereo. Instead, height perception relies almost entirely on spectral cues and the pitch-height effect, where higher frequencies are perceived as more elevated, regardless of speaker placement.

Emre Ramazanola brings 25 years of stereo mixing and engineering experience and has completed over 3,000 At...

Windmill Lane Recording Studios has hosted some of the most significant recordings in music history. But what is it about this legendary Dublin facility that keeps world-class artists and producers returning? In this episode, Tony Perry takes us on a journey through three distinct studios, each with its own character and sonic signature. Studio One—designed by Andy Munro—features a 144-input Neve console and was built to work beautifully with orchestras. Studio Two, housed in what was once an art deco electricity supply hub, features a 40-channel SSL G Series and has become the go-to room for rock and...

In this edition Ashea is joined by Mat Pataki and Andreas Pohl from remote collaboration platform Sync DNA. Where they discuss how, Sync DNA is helping  audio professionals and artists get in the zone without being in the room together aka the 'Now' moment.

About Our Guests:

https://www.syncdna.com/ 

Mat: Chief Architect
 Mat Pataki is Chief Architect at SyncDNA™. He's built cloud platforms that serve millions of users at companies like Uken Games and Jam City. But he's also spent years in Toronto 

m...

In this podcast episode Russ Hughes talks film scoring with Stephen Gallagher & Mark Willsher (Lord Of The Rings).

Learn More About Stephen Gallagher Here:

https://bio.site/StephenGallagher

Learn More About Mark Willsher Here:

https://bio.site/pin3hot

Finds Of The Week:

Mark:

Apple & Blackberry Bakewell Tart 

Stephen:

 A Sunny Place For Shady People by Mariana Enriquez

Russ:

 The Genius Myth by Helen Lewis

In this episode Ashea is joined by Shane Lavin, founder of Sonic Summit, where they discuss the power that paradise can have on our creative abilities.

Learn more about Sonic Summits here:

https://linktr.ee/sonic_summit

In this 2 part interview, Ashea chats with Producer, Musician & Immersive Mix Engineer Justin Grey about his new fully immersive album Immersed.

Experience the album and learn more about Justin here:

https://justingraysound.com/immersed/

In this two part interview, Ashea chats with Producer, Musician & Immersive Mix Engineer Justin Gray about his new fully immersive album Immersed.

Experience the album and learn more about Justin here:

https://justingraysound.com/immersed/

Talking Points:

James Richmond and the Production Expert team discuss building a hybrid analogue summing using cascading SSL X Rack chassis and used modules, plus Luke Goddard on the PreSonus StudioLive Series III SE. The conversation moves through Yuzu custom Pro Tools keycaps, experimental tape-and-percussion music finds, and a practical discussion of studio chairs, sit-stand desks, and the cost of poor posture. Useful listening for anyone weighing the cost and benefit of bringing analogue summing back into an in-the-box workflow.

Building A Hybrid Console With SSL X Rack Summing, Plus Yuzu Keycaps And Studio Chairs

...

In this podcast short, Ashea narrates an article by Luke Goddard about the importance of getting a second opinion, even when ‘solo mastering’.

Read The Article Here:

https://www.production-expert.com/production-expert-1/self-mastering-doesnt-have-to-mean-solo-mastering

In this edition Ashea and Julian are joined by James Richmond (former SSL) & Production Experts Luke Goddard where they walk through Julians checklist from his blog article: Is Your Studio Resilient ?

About Our Guests:

James Richmons is a producer/engineer based in Oxfordshire, UK.

Production Expert’s very own Luke Goddard. Yes that one!

In this podcast short, Ashea narrates an article by Russ Hughes about the dangers of saying yes to everything. 

Read Along With The Article:

https://www.production-expert.com/production-expert-1/drowning-in-ideas-how-audio-pros-can-learn-to-say-no

In this edition, Julian & Ashea are joined by Will Shanks and James Santiago of Universal Audio, where they discuss UA’s impact on bringing hardware magic to the digital age.

About Our Guests:

Will Shanks: Senior Product Designer / Professional Plugins

James Santiago: Senior Product Designer / Guitar Products

Talking Points:

In this edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Christian Luther of Playfair Audio, where they discuss tips, tricks and gear to assist mix engineers and producers with their creativity.

About Our Guest: Christian Luther:
Christian is the founder of Playfair Audio and a seasoned audio software developer from Hannover, Germany. With a background in electrical engineering and years of experience at companies like Kemper Amps and Sennheiser, he’s spent his career building tools that make audio production more intuitive. Through Playfair Audio, he focuses on solving the technical challenges so...

In this edition Ashea chats to Alex West (music manager, radio presenter for BBC, KM FM and Reprezents Radio in London) about the pros and cons of being Neurodivergent (ADHD and Autistic) while working in the music industry. 

In this episode Ashea and Julian are joined by Auribus CEO Juan Elias and CFO Neal Gustafson where they discuss how AI software is changing the industry, possibly like we've never encountered before. Is it time to embrace change in an ethical way?

Talking Points:

Finds of the week:
Ju...

In this podcast short we bring you an informal yet very informative casual chat between Nathaniel Reichman and Mark Donahue of sound mirror on the mysteries of Direct Stream Digital.

In this edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Thomas Lund from Genelec and Stephen Wheatley from HearAngel where they discuss the importance of safe listening levels and how to protect our most valuable asset that we have as audio and music professionals... Our Ears.

About our guests:

Thomas is convenor of the EU working group to prevent hearing loss in music listening and gaming; and researcher at Finnish monitoring company, Genelec. Out of a medical background, Thomas has worked in Danish healthcare, and contributed to international standardisation on sound.

Stephen: Stephen’s co...

In this podcast episode, Ashea has a candid chat with  Artist, Producer, Singer/Rapper, youth mentor and Big Brother UK 2024 runner up Marcello Spooks, about tough beginnings inspiring creativity, being under immense public scrutiny and whether, being 'delulu' the 'solulu' to making your best  work. 

Listen To Marcellos New Music Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y7BLmHCX9A

Keep Up With Marcello's Delusion:
https://www.instagram.com/marcellospooks?igsh=MTducHRocGY2Z2QwcQ==

In this edition Ashea and Julian are joined by Source Elements technical co-founder and CEO Rebekah Wilson and principal inventor and co-founder, Robert Marshall, where they deep dive into the beginnings, the middle and the future of Source Elements, and why it's at the forefront of seamless, stress free remote recording.

About Our Guests:

Robert Marshall: Principal inventor and co-founder, overseas product development concepts and sales & support teams. He is the recording /mixing engineer for SUM1 in Chicago and works daily with our remote tools around the world in that capacity. He...

In this edition, Julian and Ashea are joined by Grammy winning producer/engineer and extremely tired touring musician William Wittman and  engineer/producer & indie label owner Steve DeMott, where they discuss the latest things they love and perhaps don't love so much in audio right now.

In this podcast short Ashea narrates an article by Russ Hughes discussing the genius creative work behind the Netflix show Adolescence.

Click here to follow along with the article:

In this podcast short Ashea narrates an article by Russ Hughes, discussing the disastrous predictions about the audio and music tech industry that have yet to come true. 

Read The Article Here:
https://www.production-expert.com/production-expert-1/three-music-technology-predictions-that-never-came-true

In this edition Julian and Ashea are joined by Korey Pereira, Mike Thorne and Reid Caulfield, where the guests unpack what they believe helped them develop such successful careers so far, along with sharing some no-nonsense advice about what they would do differently if they were to build an audio business from scratch in 2025. 

About Our Guests:

Korey Pereira is a Dialogue Editor and Sound Supervisor for film and television< >

Mike Thorne is a studio owner in Kent- Rimshot productions: https://www.rimshotstudio.co.uk/

Reid Caulfield is an L...