Production Expert Podcast

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1. Running a Commercial Recording Studio: Vocal Production, Mic Techniques & Client Relationships.

   28 september 2026 · 38 min

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   In this edition, Host & audio engineer Ashea is joined by platinum-selling engineer, producer and Moorcroft Studios owner Tom Fox to talk about the day-to-day reality of running a commercial recording studio. Tom has spent around 25 years behind the desk, and he shares the workflow, psychology and practical tricks he has developed while running his Yorkshire based studio. Lees meer

   The conversation covers how to prepare artists before they arrive, how to put nervous first-timers at ease, and how to judge a great take. They also discuss tuning with Melodyne, comping in Cubase, and why a good vocal engineer is part producer, part coach and part therapist. This episode is essential listening for any engineer, producer or studio owner who wants to get the best performance out of every artist.

   In This Episode:

   Tom Fox's Journey: From Metal Bands to Rap and Bassline: How a bedroom recording setup and a degree in sound technology led to Moorcroft Studios in West Yorkshire

   Specialising in Vocal Production: Why focusing on vocals rather than doing a bit of everything sharpened Tom's skills and reputation

   A Week in the Life of a Commercial Studio: Working half days, juggling multiple artists and moving between acoustic sessions and heavy drill

   The Bassline Scene: The West Yorkshire genre, its mainstream moment and the studio as a social meeting hub

   Remote Mixing vs. Start-to-Finish Projects: Why Tom prefers creative involvement from the first take to the final mix

   Pre-Session Preparation: Asking artists for voice notes or rough guides to fix wording, phrasing and breathing before the session

   Warming Up Artists and Recording Guide Takes: Using early takes when artists don't feel like they're being recorded, especially with first-timers

   Putting Artists at Ease: Reading the room, building trust and being part producer, part agony aunt

   What Makes a Good Take: Emotional conviction, believability and tuning, and the fine line between polishing and overworking a performance

   Tunin…

2. Why Every Audio Professional Should Care About the EU AI Act: Inside Look at Compliance Requirements, Platform Accountability & Industry Standards

   13 september 2026 · 32 min

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   In this edition, Host & audio engineer Ashea is joined by Production Expert Founders Mike Thornton and Russ Hughes & post-production audio engineer Paul Maunder, to address one of the most significant regulatory changes affecting the audio and music production industry: the new EU AI Act. With implementation now in force, this episode cuts through the hype and confusion to explain exactly what the law requires, how it applies to audio professionals, and what both individuals and platforms must do to comply. Lees meer

   The conversation covers the practical implications for anyone using AI voice generation (like 11 Labs), AI-assisted editing tools, or working with platforms like Spotify and YouTube. The team breaks down machine-readable marking requirements, disclosure obligations, audio watermarking technology, platform accountability, and what the experience with GDPR implementation can teach us about enforcement. This episode is essential for every audio professional seeking clarity on regulatory compliance and industry integrity in the AI era.

   In This Episode:

   EU AI Act Overview: GDPR for AI — How the EU AI Act functions as 'GDPR for artificial intelligence,' applying to any content played in the European Union regardless of where it was created

   Deepfakes Defined: Beyond Celebrity Videos — The law's broad definition of 'deepfakes' as anything that could be misconceived as human-made but is AI-generated, including voice synthesis, video, and images

   Machine-Readable Marking Requirements — How AI system providers must embed technical metadata into AI-generated content so it can be automatically detected by machines and platforms

   Disclosure Requirements for Deployers — Content creators and distributors must explicitly disclose to audiences when content contains AI-generated or manipulated audio/video

   The Disclosure Chain: Creators to Audience — How disclosure cascades through the value chain: if you use 11 Labs for voiceover, you tell your client, who tells their audienc…

3. The Watercooler Podcast: Grammy-Winning Producers Dom Morley, Matt Lawrence & Adrian Hall on Peer Support, Industry Rates & Why Audio Professionals Need Community to Survive

   12 augustus 2026 · 1 uur 19 min

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   In this special "Watercooler Podcast" edition, host Ashea is joined by producers and mixers Dom Morley, Matt Lawrence, and Adrian Hall—for a candid conversation about the isolation of solo audio professionals and the critical importance of peer support and collaboration. Lees meer

   Dom, Matt, and Adrian have maintained a monthly "water cooler chat" since working together at Metropolis Studios. This episode explores how this simple monthly ritual became essential to their careers and mental health, discussing rates, client management, creative practice, and why building trusted peer groups creates space for radical honesty impossible in larger organizations.

   In This Episode:

   The Isolation Paradox — How modern technology enables solo work while creating profound isolation and mental health challenges

   The Water Cooler Concept — Forced community structure for distributed solo entrepreneurs; monthly peer gatherings inspired by business literature

   30 Years Experience: Age & Creativity — How experience builds confidence while youth brings innovation; the myth that creativity declines with age

   Trust & Peer Equality — Why working with peers at similar levels enables radical honesty impossible in hierarchies

   Knowing Each Other Deeply — How decades of shared history allow direct feedback without offense or ego

   Business Conversations — Discussing rates, pricing strategies, client negotiations, margin protection in trusted circles

   Artist Management Challenges — Navigating changing expectations, revision limits, sign-off procedures, scope creep

   Protecting Industry Standards — Responsibility to maintain rates and distinguish between discounts and day rates

   Abundance Mindset vs. Competition — Approaching work from 'enough for everyone' perspective; collaborative vs. protective attitudes

   Sharing Knowledge Across Specializations — Cross-disciplinary learning: live broadcast, Atmos, mastering, specialized tools

   Social Media & Curated Reality — Everyone posts only best work; false i…

4. Rock and Roll Scientists: Flow Studio,Pre-Production Planning, Modern Music Production, AI & Education. (Part 2)

   27 juli 2026 · 31 min

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   In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Todd Urban, General Manager at Softube, educator at Passaic County Community College, and creator of the Urban Sound Studio YouTube channel. With over 30 years of experience in audio production, Todd discusses Softube's philosophy of being "rock and roll scientists," the evolution from Console One to the groundbreaking Flow Studio hardware, and how creative workflow and intentional pre-production can transform recording and mixing practices. Lees meer

   Todd shares insights into Flow Studio's design philosophy of facilitating "flow state" rather than perfectionism, the importance of committing to decisions in tracking, the balance between hardware and software in hybrid workflows, and how understanding mixing principles makes tracking engineers more effective.

   In This Episode:

   Pre-Production Planning and Intention — Establishing emotional objectives and sonic goals before tracking

   Tracking Conservative, Mixing Creative — Capturing intentional raw material for successful mixing

   Teaching Audio Production: Learning from Students — Educators staying current with trends while maintaining principles

   The Role of Recording Engineers in Modern Production — Why understanding mixing makes tracking engineers more effective

   About Our Guest:

   Todd Urban:

   Todd Urban is the General Manager at Softube with 10+ years at the company across product education, development, management, and marketing. With over 30 years of professional audio experience, Todd holds degrees in orchestral arranging, music education, jazz performance, music management, and a production master's from UC Berkeley. He is the creator of the Urban Sound Studio YouTube channel and teaches at Passaic County Community College in New Jersey.

   Stream Todd Urban's Music Here:

   https://open.spotify.com/album/3JWFSrFxOdt4KdVKfd3AXp?si=ZvcmY6u2QiS_hzC_S-PSlA

   About Our Host:

   Ashea is a platinum-selling songwriter, music producer, and audio engineer from the UK. With credits spanning…

5. Krotos CEO Orfeas Boteas Addresses Community Backlash: Why Video to Sound Released for Adobe, Not DAWs, Misleading Marketing, Social Media Backlash & How the Company Plans to Support Audio Professionals in 2026

   22 juli 2026 · 20 min

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   In this Production Expert Podcast Special Edition, Mike Thornton, co-founder of Production Expert invites Orfeas Boteas, founder and CEO of Krotos, and Matthew Collins, head of product, to address significant community concerns following the release of Video to Sound integration for Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Lees meer

   This candid conversation tackles difficult questions about the company's strategic direction, the role of AI in sound design, misleading social media practices, and Krotos' commitment to the professional audio community. Orfeas and Matthew respond directly to concerns from industry professionals and clarify misconceptions about generative AI, product positioning, and future roadmap.

   In This Episode:

   Why Video to Sound Released for Adobe Premiere Before DAWs — Technical constraints preventing DAW video track access, with integrations coming later in 2024

   Addressing 'Abandonment' Concerns from Audio Professionals — Krotos is expanding markets, not abandoning professionals

   The Core Mission: Making Sound Important Earlier — Bringing sound into creative workflows as an equal partner rather than afterthought

   AI is Not Generative: The Truth About Krotos Technology — All sounds are professionally recorded; AI is assistive, not generative

   AI as Automation, Not Replacement — Automating tedious tasks like auditioning thousands of sounds, not replacing human creativity

   Evolution from Specialised Tools to Krotos Studio Platform — Journey from Dehumanizer, Reformer, Weaponizer to unified Krotos Studio

   Misconceptions About Social Media Posts and Credits — Addressing posts implying Krotos involvement in Jurassic World, House of the Dragon, and Nolan films

   Sound Redesign vs. Official Production Credits — Distinguishing creative sound redesign exercises from official product involvement claims

   Social Media Clarity and Labelling Issues — Acknowledging unclear messaging in fast-scrolling social feeds, committing to better labelling

   Industry-Wide Social Me…

6. Rock and Roll Scientists: Softube's Todd Urban on Pre-Production Intention, Philosophy & Facilitated Creative Momentum for Tracking and Mixing (Part 1).

   19 juli 2026 · 30 min

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   In this podcast episode Ashea is joined by Todd Urban, General Manager at Softube, educator at Passaic County Community College, and creator of the Urban Sound Studio YouTube channel. With over 30 years of experience in audio production, Todd discusses Softube's philosophy of being "rock and roll scientists," the evolution from Console One to the groundbreaking Flow Studio hardware, and how creative workflow and intentional pre-production can transform recording and mixing practices. Lees meer

   Todd shares insights into Flow Studio's design philosophy of facilitating "flow state" rather than perfectionism, the importance of committing to decisions in tracking, the balance between hardware and software in hybrid workflows, and how understanding mixing principles makes tracking engineers more effective.

   In This Episode:

   30+ Years in Audio: From DIY to Industry Leadership — Journey from musician with minimal resources through education to industry leadership

   The 'Rock and Roll Scientists' Philosophy — Combining musical edge with scientific rigor for innovation and challenge

   Console One: Redefining Mixing in the Box — 2014 breakthrough introducing hardware control for digital channel strips

   Flow Studio: From Zero to 80% Mixes — Facilitating flow state and creative momentum through intelligent design

   Flows and Presets as Creative Tools — Pre-configured signal chains enabling quick professional-sounding starting points

   The Omni Knob: Macro Control Design — Five knobs with main macro control addressing real workflow needs

   Hybrid Workflow Philosophy — Balancing hardware summing and analogue gear with in-the-box mixing

   Decision Fatigue vs. Creative Exploration — When to commit during tracking versus maintaining flexibility during mixing

   Pre-Production Planning and Intention — Establishing emotional objectives and sonic goals before tracking

   Tracking Conservative, Mixing Creative — Capturing intentional raw material for successful mixing

   Teaching Audio Production: Learning…

7. From Tomorrowland to Broadcast: Pieter Doms & Mark Gittins on Building the AREAL SR1 Headphones, Upmix Algorithms & Why Binaural HRTFs Are Limiting

   8 juli 2026 · 37 min

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   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 Pieter Doms, co-founder of AREAL Technologies from Belgium. Together they discuss the invention and development of immersive audio monitoring technology, the AREAL SR1 headphones, and how spatial audio is transforming professional audio production. Lees meer

   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 using the headphones for remote mixing during high-pressure broadcast work, and both explore the challenges and opportunities in immersive audio adoption.

   In This Episode:

   The Origin of AREAL Technologies — How Pieter Doms and his team created an upmix algorithm during the pandemic

   The SR1 Headphones Development — The creative journey from a joke about building a studio in a headphone to a functioning solution

   Non-Binaural Immersive Monitoring — How the SR1 achieves 3D soundscape representation without relying purely on HRTFs

   Remote Mixing for Broadcast — Mark's experience using the headphones while working on tournament broadcasts

   Challenges in Getting Started with Immersive Audio — Infrastructure requirements, learning curve, and barriers for engineers

   Binaural Monitoring Limitations — Why traditional binaural platforms struggle with height representation

   Room Simulation & Personalization — Head width parameter optimization, EQ customization, and virtual room simulation

   The Chicken-and-Egg Problem of Adoption — Why immersive audio adoption is slow and the role of content availability

   Immersive Audio in Mainstream Media — Dolby Atmos prevalence in streaming, TV, and film

   The Future of Spatial Audio — Wearable and augmented reality applications

   About Our Guests:

   Mark Gittins:

   Immersive aud…

8. QUIZ TIME: How Well Do You Know Your World Cup Music?

   5 juli 2026 · 7 min

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   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. Lees meer

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

9. How AI is Ruining Dialogue Production: Award-Winning Producers on Descript, Pacing Loss & Preserving Audio Craft

   21 juni 2026 · 27 min

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   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. Lees meer

   This conversation tackles the uncomfortable truth about AI tools in professional audio production: while tools like Descript and Adobe Enhance can be lifesavers in certain situations, their overuse is removing the nuance, emotion, and natural rhythm that makes dialogue compelling. For audio engineers, music producers, podcast creators, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and craft, this episode provides critical perspective on maintaining quality and authenticity in an increasingly automated creative landscape.

   In This Episode:

   Descript and AI Transcription Tools - How Descript revolutionized transcription and some aspects of production workflow, but also introduced new challenges by allowing producers to work with text instead of raw audio

   The Loss of Natural Pacing in Audio - Why younger producers and sound designers lack the ability to recognize and preserve natural human pacing, leading to robotic, emotionless dialogue that immediately signals AI involvement

   Working with Words vs. Raw Audio - The fundamental difference between editing based on text transcripts versus listening to and editing raw audio, and why working with raw audio teaches critical production skills

   Descript's Limitations - What Descript cannot do: it cannot pace dialogue naturally, it removes meaningful silences and hesitations that convey emotion and authenticity, and it simplifies complex storytelling nuances

   AI Audio Enhancemen…

10. Radio Drama Production & Sound Design: Award-Winning Producers Eloise Whitmore & Tony Churnside on Location Recording, BBC Dramas & The Skewer

    14 juni 2026 · 34 min

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    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. Lees meer

    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, and the contrasting workflows between long-form drama and fast-turnaround satire productions. Whether you're interested in audio drama, sound design, radio production, podcasting, or understanding how award-winning audio content is created, this conversation provides insider insights into professional audio production, creative collaboration, and the technical approaches that define modern radio and audio storytelling.

    In This Episode:

    Radio Drama Production Techniques and Evolution - How radio drama production has changed over 20 years, the shift from traditional studio recording to innovative location-based approaches, and the impact of lockdown on production methods

    Location Recording for Authentic Sound - Documentary-style recording techniques that capture real actor movement and ambient sound, using handheld microphones to follow action like a camera, and achieving authenticity through immersive recording

    Sound Design and Storytelling - The philosophy of "painting sound worlds" and "telling stories with sound," creating immersive audio experiences, and the importance of sound design in radio drama

    Naked Productions: From Concept to Broadcast - Overview of award-winning projects including BBC dramas like Putin and Lockerbie, sound installations, and the diverse range of audio content the company produces

    The Skewer: …

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