Secret Sonics

Secret Sonics

Join mix engineers Ben Wallick and Carl Bahner as they team up to discuss the real-world trials and triumphs of music production. Tactical advice on skill development, mixing mindsets, personal branding, and achieving work-life rhythm in an evolving industry. The motivation and strategic insights you need to build your dream creative career in music and audio. Fresh episodes every week.

Episodes

#256 - The Subtle Art of Layering Percussion

August 5, 2025 • 26 mins
Ben and Carl share some of the techniques they use to add percussive depth without cluttering your mix. Learn why texture beats rhythm, how to stretch samples for supernatural groove, and the specific workflow for making percussion serve your song instead of competing with it.



Discover:
  • Why Carl’s orchestral training taught him to add texture instead of rhythm to modern pop mixes
  • How time-stretching a sample creates unique transie...
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#255 - Energy Vampires Are Killing Your Career

July 22, 2025 • 28 mins
What happens when a successful music producer realizes he’s been working with the wrong people for years? Carl reveals the moment everything changed after his first child was born, and why he now prioritizes client personalities over everything else. The conversation gets deep about energy vampires, family priorities, and a surprising truth about word-of-mouth referrals.



Discover:
  • Why Carl went from doing 150 shows a year to bein...
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#254 - The Shelf-Life of Major Credits

July 8, 2025 • 43 mins
Learn the three essential principles that turn your biggest credits into sustainable income, why Grammy winners still struggle to find work, and how to position yourself so clients see your rate as a steal instead of an expense. Carl shares real strategies from working with 15+ Grammy-winning students who came to him for business help.



Discover:
  • The uncomfortable reality that major awards have expiration dates for client attracti...
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#253 - Dave Stagl: Leaving Artists Speechless with Dolby Atmos

June 24, 2025 • 56 mins
Learn why one of the most experienced immersive audio engineers believes most people are approaching Dolby Atmos completely wrong, and discover the emotional framework that’s helping artists create deeper connections with their fans. Plus, find out what producers should actually look for when hiring an Atmos engineer and why checking mixes in multiple formats could transform your workflow.


Discover:
  • The exact moment in a House of...
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#252 - The NEW Business of Mixing

June 17, 2025 • 38 mins
What happens when a mixing engineer accidentally builds clients in 30 countries while living in Pennsylvania? Carl discovered that global currency differences and economic crashes might be the secret weapon most audio professionals are completely ignoring.


Discover:
  • Why COVID permanently shifted the industry away from big city studios
  • How global economic instability can actually stabilize a mixing engineer’s income
  • How mixing engin...
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#251 - Context Context Context (Vocals Pt2)

June 10, 2025 • 43 mins
What makes a vocal feel perfectly placed… or totally disconnected?

This week, we’re getting way past plugin chains and diving into the real work of vocal mixing: context. We’re talking about how to make vocals live in a mix, not just sit on top of it. Because getting a vocal to shine isn’t just about EQ moves - it’s about storytelling, space, and knowing who gets the spotlight in each moment.

We explore how we mix vocals completely d...
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Quick Announcement: Taking a Week Off to Celebrate 6 Years and 250 Episodes

June 3, 2025 • 52 secs
Quick Announcement: Taking a Week Off to Celebrate 6 Years and 250 Episodes - because we deserve it! 
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#250 - Are We Making Vocals Too Perfect? (Pt1)

May 27, 2025 • 24 mins
Two cranky engineers accidentally reveal why your technically perfect vocals sound emotionally dead

In this episode, Ben and Carl dive into why the "mistakes" you're fixing might be the only thing keeping your vocals human. From pre-production psychology to multi-de-esser philosophy, they challenge everything you think you know about processing vocals.


Discover:
  • How over-rehearsed bands sabotage their own records (and why pop arti...
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#249 - Are We Hearing the Bass, or Just Feeling It? (Pt2)

May 20, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode, Ben & Carl get into the gritty business of making bass actually work in a mix. Not just technically — but emotionally, musically, and physically. We challenge each other’s instincts, admit when we’re wrong, and debate who should own the sub: the bass or the kick?

Spoiler: it depends — but we each have our go-to moves and a few spicy disagreements.


Discover:
  • Whether bass should be felt, heard… or both
  • The kick v...
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#248 - Our Wildly Different Bass Philosophies (Pt1)

May 13, 2025 • 25 mins
We didn’t mean to go this deep—but here we are.

This week, we cracked open the bass rabbit hole and just kept falling. What started as a casual chat about tracking techniques quickly turned into a full-on audio archaeology dig. Fingerstyle vs. pick. Flatwounds vs. roundwounds. Phase issues. Amp sims. DI regrets. When to tune your bass like it’s a vocal. And why the right bass might be a $300 violin-shaped Epiphone that makes your P-...
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#247 - The Drummer's Divide: Two Wildly Different Approaches to Drum Production

May 6, 2025 • 45 mins
Think there's only one "right way" to record and mix drums? Think again. In this revealing episode, Ben and Carl dive deep into their completely opposite approaches to drum production. Despite working from opposite ends of the spectrum, they discover they're ultimately chasing the same emotional result. This conversation might just give you permission to try that "crazy" technique you've been hesitant to experiment with.


Discover:
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#246 - Template Updates: The Unsung Hero of Efficient Mixing

April 29, 2025 • 27 mins
In this "nerdy episode," Carl and Ben dive into a topic that affects many producers but rarely gets attention: updating your mixing templates. They explore how these living documents should evolve alongside your workflow, highlighting how small adjustments can lead to significant time savings and creative benefits.


Discover:
  • Why templates should evolve rather than remain static for years
  • How to recognize when you're repeatedly mak...
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#245 - Why You’re Afraid to Charge More (And What To Do About It)

April 22, 2025 • 15 mins
Raising your rates sounds simple… until you actually try to do it. In this special episode,
Carl breaks down the real reasons studio pros avoid increasing their prices - and why most of those reasons are based on fear, not facts.

Carl pulls from 20+ years of experience helping producers and engineers build sustainable careers outside the traditional music industry hubs. With practical examples and thoughtful analogies, this episode w...
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#244 - You Don't Need Permission: Why Creatives Hold Back & How to Move Forward

April 15, 2025 • 25 mins
In this episode, Ben and Carl dive deep into the psychology of permission-seeking that stops so many creative professionals from taking the next step in their careers. Through the story of an artist hesitant to perform her first solo show, they explore why we often wait for external validation before pursuing our goals – whether that's raising our rates, reaching out to dream clients, or sharing our creative work.


Discover:
  • Why w...
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#243 - Creating Unforgettable Client Experiences

April 8, 2025 • 56 mins
How do you create such an amazing client experience that artists wouldn't dream of working with anyone else? Carl unpacks key insights from Will Guidara's "Unreasonable Hospitality" and explores how to apply these principles to studio businesses. Discover practical ways to transform client interactions from transactional to unforgettable, whether you're working remotely or in-person.


Discover:
  • How thoughtful, personalized touches...
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#242 - Limitations > Creativity

April 1, 2025 • 34 mins
Why do children create fearlessly while professional producers get stuck staring at blank DAW sessions? In this insightful conversation, Ben and Carl explore the counterintuitive truth that creative freedom comes from embracing constraints, not avoiding them. From Sufjan Stevens' state-themed albums to the natural evolution of decision-making throughout the production timeline, they reveal how limitations spark inspiration rather t...
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#241 - Inspiration: Where to Find It, How to Nurture It, and Why It Matters

March 25, 2025 • 33 mins
Ben and Carl tackle the all-too-familiar challenge of creative burnout and share surprisingly effective ways to reignite that creative spark. When you're creatively stuck, listening to new music might be more valuable than trying to create. This episode is all about how rediscovering the joy of being a music fan first can lead to fresh inspiration, and they share their personal strategies for breaking out of creative ruts.


Discover:
...
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    #240 - Forging New Directions: Chasing What Feels Right in Music & Creativity

    March 18, 2025 • 37 mins
    What happens when you finally get an ADHD diagnosis at 39 and start noticing real changes in how you work? Or when you realize you’re craving more human energy in a music world that’s feeling increasingly robotic? In this episode, Carl and Ben unpack the creative shifts they’re making—from Carl’s deep dive into remixing in unexpected ways to Ben’s push for more live, unpolished recordings.


    Discover:
    • Carl’s approach to remixing
    • Why...
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    #239 - Reference Mixes: When They Should (and Shouldn’t) Guide Us

    March 11, 2025 • 24 mins
    In this episode, Ben and Carl dive into that tricky moment we all face: deciding when to follow a reference mix and when to trust your own instincts. Sparked by Carl's current remix project, they get real about the messy balancing act of honoring artist expectations while still trusting your gut.


    Discover:
    • The challenging balancing act when artists love both their rough mix and reference tracks that sound nothing alike
    • How to have...
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    #238 - Time Management: Why Productivity Advice Fails Music Pros

    March 4, 2025 • 32 mins
    In this candid episode, Ben and Carl tackle the unique time management challenges faced by music professionals - especially ones with ADHD and kids. They explore why many popular productivity techniques fall flat in the real world of constant interruptions, creative flow states, and the unpredictable chaos of family life.

    Discover:
    • Why the "two-minute rule" can backfire, turning into hours of small tasks while important work gets...
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