Stu Watts chats with Hayden Lauersen, who is a mix engineer and record producer based in Melbourne, Australia. With a background in songwriting and production of original works, he offers a premium service tailored to the artist experience, highlighting emotional expression with compelling sonics. Studio credits include Kate Ceberano, Clare Bowditch, Haiku Hands, Tentendo, ISHAN, Kee’ahn, Sophiya, Woodes, RARIA, Blush’ko, AKOSIA and Shannen James, along with Future Classic, Universal Music, Island Records, Spinning Top Music, Ivy League Records, Sidekick Music and many more. His work has been hand picked by Zane Lowe, played on BBC Radio 1, KCRW, Triple J, Fox FM and Nova, accumulating over 60 million Spotify streams.

Chapters:

Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:08 About Hayden Lauersen 00:07:20 Early experiences with music 00:13:16 How Powderfinger and Silverchair changed Hayden's life 00:20:10 High school and beyond 00:25:38 First experience in a studio with Dylan Nash 00:29:35 Getting into mixing 00:31:15 Beginning to charge clients 00:34:14 Touring with Woodes 00:36:38 Being surrounded by other successful artists 00:39:16 Working in a commercial studio 00:46:28 Hayden's mixing process 00:50:16 Benchmark to aim for in a mix/referencing other mixes 00:53:33 Sample replacement when mixing 00:56:15 Focus on user experience when delivering mixes 01:02:28 What Hayden is excited about for this year 01:06:16 Best bits of advice for producers/engineers and artists 01:13:25 Conclusion/Outro

How you can support the podcast:

⁠⁠SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE⁠⁠

⁠⁠BUY SOME MERCH⁠⁠

⁠⁠DONATE⁠⁠

Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hayden Lauersen: ⁠⁠⁠@haydenlauersen

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hayden Lauersen website⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠Listen to Hayden's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠

Enquiries and suggestions: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stu Watts chats with Stefan Du Randt, who is one of the select few engineers who work exclusively from Studios 301 and has capitalised on that by building a reputation as a prolific producer, mixing and recording engineer. His credits are highlighted by his work on Mac Millers‘ posthumous album “Circles“, and include many exciting Australian and international artists such as Coldplay, Zedd, Katy Perry, Thelma Plum, Guy Sebastian, Elton John, Vera Blue, Asap Ferg, YG, The Script, Delta Goodrem, Wolfmother, Peking Duk, Daniel Johns and many more. Stefan’s road to joining the Studios 301 team in 2015 included relocating from South Africa where he worked as principal engineer for Grammy-winning producer Darryl Torr (Soweto Gospel Choir). To add to his engineering and production work, Stefan is one of the lead facilitators and practical mentors for the 301 Academy where he takes up-coming engineers through the process of making a record, all the way from the demo stage through to the finished product. Stefan also holds a degree in music production from Berklee College of Music.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro 00:02:08 About Stefan Du Randt 00:03:08 Early experiences with music 00:06:57 Falling in love with technology 00:08:18 Beginning formal education and opening a studio 00:18:45 Obtaining better opportunities 00:21:22 How Stefan's time is divided 00:22:24 The rest of Stefan's journey 00:25:25 What made Stefan level up 00:27:45 Commonalities between professional artists 00:29:36 Collaboration 00:34:21 How to get in a creative mode 00:37:46 Working with high profile artists 00:41:39 Feeling out of your depth 00:43:07 Working in Dolby Atmos 00:46:12 Stefan's mixing process 00:49:13 Utilising the rough mix 00:51:34 Challenges of being a mixer 00:55:48 What's coming up in 2025 00:56:26 Best bits of advice for producers/engineers and artists 01:01:04 Conclusion/Outro

How you can support the podcast:

⁠SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE⁠

⁠BUY SOME MERCH⁠

⁠DONATE⁠

Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stefan Du Randt: ⁠⁠@mixedbystef

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stefan Du Randt website⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Listen to Stefan's work on Spotify⁠⁠

Enquiries and suggestions: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stu Watts chats Lewis Mitchell, who is a Sydney-based music producer and engineer known for his exceptional craftsmanship and versatility across multiple genres and roles. With over a decade of experience, he’s built a reputation for helping artists reach new creative heights while fostering strong, lasting relationships. Over the course of his career, Lewis has worked in-house at Sony Music and Universal Music and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, including Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, The Kid LAROI, Gang of Youths, d4vd, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, The Weeknd, Egoism, Jerome Farah, JOY., Stan Walker, Mitch James, 6lack, Col3trane, A.B. Original, The Veronicas, and Ziggy Ramo to name a few. His recent work on Ziggy Ramo’s album HUMAN? has been met with critical reception, including #1 on the Australian Independent Records charts, #4 on the ARIA Australian Hip Hop charts and #20 on the ARIA Australian Album charts. Lewis was also behind Ziggy’s Sugar Coated Lies album, which won Record of the Year at the 2023 FBI SMAC Awards. Lewis received nominations for Producer of the Year, Recording Engineer of the Year, and Mix Engineer of the Year at the 2024 MPEG Awards. Lewis is dedicated to his craft, consistently delivering high-quality work at every stage of the music production process.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro 00:02:03 About Lewis Mitchell 00:04:23 Early experiences with music 00:10:12 Education and being mentored 00:12:50 Comparing early sessions to now 00:14:46 What do you focus on in a production? 00:17:51 What do you look for when referencing? 00:20:05 Remote productions 00:24:34 Working with high profile artists 00:29:22 Favourite software and hardware 00:35:09 Any turning point moments? 00:38:05 What are the hardest things about your job? 00:40:08 Tips to eliminate difficult conversations 00:49:12 What continues to excite you? 00:51:25 What's coming up next year? 00:53:12 Best bits of advice for producers/engineers and artists 00:55:10 Conclusion/Outro

How you can support the podcast:

SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE

BUY SOME MERCH

DONATE

Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Lewis Mitchell: ⁠@lew_mitchell_

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Lewis Mitchell website⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Listen to Lewis' work on Spotify⁠

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

Stu Watts chats with Stephen Mowat, who is an ARIA award winning, multi disciplinary, multi genre loving music person. He has worked as a DJ, producer, recording engineer and songwriter all over the world for around 15 years. Extended stints in NYC, Nashville, as well as his hometown of Melbourne, have informed his love of all forms of music. From hip hop to soul to rock and beyond. Mowat is currently based out of The Aviary Studios in Abbotsford, Melbourne. Some of his recent work includes tracks with Jessica Mauboy, Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird, Budjerah, WILSN, Kaitlin Keegan and more.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro 00:02:52 About Stephen Mowat 00:03:22 What Stephen grew up listening to 00:04:40 Listening for production elements 00:05:41 Learning music and production 00:07:55 Did you have any mentors? 00:08:36 Memories of early sessions 00:11:18 How sessions look these days, working with new clients 00:17:12 Expectations of the music industry, finances 00:19:26 Client acquisition, networking and fee structures 00:26:26 NYC and Nashville scenes compared to Australia 00:31:25 Donate to the podcast! 00:31:49 Key takeaways from working overseas 00:33:50 Finding the identity of each song 00:38:35 Knowing when you're on the right path in a production or mix 00:41:35 Managing your finances and scheduling ahead 00:43:37 Approach to marketing 00:45:31 Landing a publishing deal 00:46:59 How to maintain relationships in the music industry 00:49:11 What's coming in the near future 00:51:41 Stephen's best pieces of advice 00:58:36 Conclusion/Outro

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

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stephen Mowat: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stephen_mowat_⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stephen Mowat website⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Listen to Stephen's work on Spotify

⁠⁠⁠Donate to the Podcast!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

Stu Watts chats with Joe Carra, who is the chief mastering engineer and owner of Crystal Mastering. With over 3 decades of experience, Joe has mastered for cassette, vinyl, CD, and in recent times, embraced the immersive audio of Dolby Atmos. In 2020 Joe received a Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album, for the Teskey Brothers ‘Run Home Slow’ album.

Joe has mastered various ARIA award winning albums and in 2023, was recognised with a nomination in the MPEG Awards for 'Mastering Engineer of the Year’.

Having mastered successful releases on the ARIA & American Billboard charts, Joe’s clients include Pond, The Slingers, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Courtney Barnett, Amyl & The Sniffers, Genesis Owusu, The Murlocs, San Cisco, Babe Rainbow, Bliss N Eso, The Waifs and many more.

In addition to his regular mastering duties, Joe shares his knowledge as a guest lecturer at colleges such as SAE, JMC, RMIT, and Box Hill Institute. Through these engagements, he imparts his deep understanding of the intricacies of mastering to aspiring students.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro 00:02:34 About Joe Carra 00:03:34 Attending university 00:04:56 Learning instruments 00:07:25 What music Joe grew up listening to 00:08:30 What university was like and learning synthesis 00:15:07 Searching for a job 00:18:01 First job at Dex Audio 00:22:41 Tape Op & Assistant work at Newmarket Studios 00:25:55 The early years of CD Mastering 00:30:21 Joe's early Mastering experience & why loudness was so important 00:39:24 Learning In-The-Box Mastering during COVID 00:44:36 Donate to the podcast! 00:45:00 The beginning of Crystal Mastering 00:51:43 Moving Crystal Mastering to Thornbury 00:56:03 High-calibre engineers & artists vs. Amateur engineers 01:00:02 The creative aspect of being a mastering engineer 01:04:41 The importance of great relationships & collaboration 01:07:54 Misinformation on Instagram Reels and TikTok 01:09:15 Continuing with in-person consulting & collaboration 01:14:45 Joe's best pieces of advice 01:23:27 Conclusion/Outro

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

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Crystal Mastering: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@crystal_mastering

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Crystal Mastering website

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Joe's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠Donate to the Podcast!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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

Stu Watts chats with Chelsea Warner who is a Sydney based producer, songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who creates forward-thinking Pop, R&B, & Hip-Hop. As a true multi-hyphenate, she thrives in all facets of the song creation process, from beat making to vocal arranging to songwriting and more. She has worked with a long list of artists, and has cuts with acts like Kid Cudi, Lil Durk, TIA RAY, and Guy Sebastian. With a background as a singer and having studied jazz & music theory, Chelsea is also a prolific loop & sample maker. She has attended songwriting camps across the world, including the Bali Songwriting Invitational, K-Pop camps in Seoul, UMPG in Hong Kong, and has written in London, Nashville, New Zealand and across Australia. She is the first recipient of Milk & Honey's female producer mentorship, being mentored by Oak Felder (Demi Lovato, Kehlani, Ariana Grande) in LA. Chelsea entered the music industry as an artist, and signed a global publishing deal in her first year of music school. Now, with a multitude of skills, love for storytelling and an unmatched creative versatility, she is building a lane of her own.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro 00:02:34 About Chelsea Warner 00:03:05 Chelsea's younger years 00:05:21 Learning about production 00:06:36 Songwriting alone and with friends 00:07:49 How school was a formative time 00:11:05 Being in writing rooms 00:14:53 What sessions look like these days 00:16:15 Having an "all or nothing" approach 00:19:37 The differences and similarities between producing and songwriting 00:21:26 Harnessing creativity 00:22:56 Capturing ideas 00:25:47 Donate to the podcast! 00:26:10 Difference between writing for pitching and working with artists 00:27:57 Being flexible in a songwriting session 00:29:45 Favourite things to work on 00:31:48 Forcing yourself to finish an idea 00:34:36 What good and bad sessions look like 00:38:03 Relationships are the key to having a career 00:40:40 Prioritising time 00:43:29 Would you have done anything differently? 00:46:13 How confidence plays into how well you perform 00:49:08 What the next few months look like 00:50:35 Chelsea's best pieces of advice 00:53:26 Conclusion/Outro

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

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Chelsea Warner: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chelseawarnermusic

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Chelsea's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Donate to the Podcast!⁠⁠⁠⁠

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