RSR511 - Chris Shaw - From Analog to Pro Tools: Public Enemy, Weezer, and Dylan!

Recording Studio Rockstars

Lij Shaw

Music

4.8 • 543 Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2025

⏱️ 128 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Rockstars, in this episode, I'm hanging with four-time Grammy-winning producer, engineer, and mixer Chris Shaw for a deep dive into the craft of recording and mixing. We talk about his journey in the industry, his unique mixing setup, and the balance between analog and digital workflows. Chris shares insights on managing plugins, keeping a solid recording system, and the nuances of working with tape—covering everything from compression and dynamic range to how MIDI triggers fit into a mix. We also dig into the challenges of mixing live recordings, working on Bob Dylan's archival material, and the evolution of recording technology. Chris breaks down workflow efficiency, the importance of pre-production, and how tools like iZotope RX help clean up tracks. Plus, we touch on the role of machine learning in music production and the art of capturing a performance's true feel in the final mix. Chris shares stories from working with legends like Ice Cube and Public Enemy, techniques for dialing in signature guitar tones, and how looping has changed over the years. Whether you're in a pro studio or working from home, this episode is packed with tips and insights to level up your mixes!

Get access to FREE mixing mini-course: https://MixMasterBundle.com

My guest today is Chris Shaw, a four-time Grammy-winning producer, engineer, mixer, and musician. Starting at Greene Street Recording, he quickly rose from an NYU intern to staff engineer, working with hip-hop legends like Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Run-DMC, and LL Cool J. In 1991, he played bass with LL Cool J on MTV Unplugged. Going independent, he's since worked with artists like Weezer, Wilco, Bob Dylan, Jeff Buckley, Sheryl Crow, Death Cab for Cutie, and more. His work appears on six of Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time." Originally from New York, Chris relocated to Austin in 2014.

Chris Shaw has been a guest on the podcast in RSR246 episode.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

http://UltimateMixingMasterclass.com

https://usa.sae.edu/

https://www.izotope.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off!

https://www.native-instruments.com Use code ROCK10 to get 10% off!

https://www.adam-audio.com/

https://www.phantomfocus.com/category-s/149.htm

https://www.makebelievestudio.com/mbsi Get your MBSI plugin here!

https://RecordingStudioRockstars.com/Academy

https://www.thetoyboxstudio.com/

Listen to the podcast theme song "Skadoosh!" https://solo.to/lijshawmusic

Listen to this guest's discography on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ngTJOUT3IqRLJVm3FWKKQ?si=f6cb25639e3b4199

If you love the podcast, then please leave a review: https://RSRockstars.com/Review

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE SHOW NOTES AT: https://RSRockstars.com/511

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This episode of Recording Studio Rockstars is brought to you by Isotope, Native Instruments,
0:06.5	Adam Audio, and S-A-E Institute, Nashville.
0:10.4	You're hearing my voice right now mixed through Isotope, R-X, Ozone, and Neutron on atom-audio monitors and headphones.
0:19.7	Please check out our awesome sponsors using the links in the show
0:23.1	notes below and like and subscribe to our YouTube channel and leave us a comment. It's a great way
0:28.7	for you to help support this show. Now get ready to rock. How do we get a drum sound like the Weasor
0:34.1	Blue album? You get Pat Wilson and you put him in Electric Lady Studio A.
0:38.8	That's how you get that drum sound.
0:40.2	It's very, I think it was a very simple setup.
0:43.8	A lot of people get into this thing where they, like, they build a house around the kick drum
0:48.2	and they do all this things.
0:49.5	I used to do that very early on my career and I discovered that the benefits far outweigh the,
0:55.6	what you will call it, the effort it takes to do something like that.
1:00.0	Yeah, it's just like, it takes forever.
1:02.0	You want to move a mic, you got to take the whole tent apart and move it and then bite it back
1:05.6	together again.
1:06.6	So like really simple, you know, like the kick jump would be like a 421 on the inside a 547 on the out
1:12.9	the snare would be a 57 on top
1:14.9	a 441 on the bottom
1:16.3	the overheads are probably a pair of 87s
1:19.3	high hat
1:20.3	who cares I don't have no idea what I did in the high hat
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Lij Shaw, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Lij Shaw and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.