Progressions: Success in the Music Industry
Conversations exploring creativity, productivity, and career growth in the music industry. Join in each week as Travis sits down with some of the industry’s best and brightest to discuss the mindsets and strategies that they use in their careers every day.
Episodes
Michael J. Morgan is a career coach for mix engineers who has guided numerous Grammy-winning and nominated professionals, including Jon Castelli, Eric Dubowski, and Rauiri O'Flaherty.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- Why talented engineers stay stuck (hint: it's not about talent)
- The internal narratives sabotaging your career without you knowing
- The role of a coach for a mixer and producer
- The unsexy systems that separate pros f...
Ari Herstand is a Los Angeles–based musician, author of the best‑selling "How to Make It in the New Music Business", and host of the Webby‑award winning podcast "The New Music Business," where he empowers artists to build successful DIY careers in the modern music industry. Recognized by Forbes as “the poster child of DIY music,” he also founded the artist‑advocacy education platform Ari’s Take.In this episode, you'll learn about:-...
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Howard Benson is a Grammy winning rock producer who has made records with My Chemical Romance, Three Days Grace, Daughtry, All American Rejects, POD, and Hoobastank.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- Why having hits is a "numbers game"
- How producer royalties have changed over the past three decades
- How DAWs are hurting artists
- Disguising pop music as rock music
- The Howard Benson vocal chain
- How to find harmony parts, even if you d...
Mat Leffler-Schulman is a mastering engineer who's worked with artists such as Jon Batiste, Blondie, Mary J Blige, Beach House, and many more.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- The Value of Working with a Human Mastering Engineer
- The Ethics of Using Stem Splitting to Alter a Mix in Mastering
- The Various Roles AI Could Play for Music Production Pros
- How to Address "Width" in a Master
- The Business Side of a Mastering Studio
- An Analog...
Travis shares how mixing and recording knowledge is shared today versus when he started and explains why the abundance of information can be both empowering and limiting.
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Andrew Scheps is a Grammy winning engineer and mixer who has worked with Adele, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, and many more. We chat about the future of audio recording, the implications of AI, the mindsets you need to succeed, and the skills every engineer must have.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- How AI Will Integrate into Mixing and Recording
- What Engineering and Mixing Will Look Like in 5 Years
- Atmos Lovers v...
Following the announcement of Spike AI, Travis discusses his thoughts on the inevitability of the us of AI in mixing and how it might affect the careers of future generations of engineers and mixers.
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Brendan Dekora is an engineer and mixer with credits with artists such as Trent Reznor, Foo Fighters, Steven Wilson, and Muse.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- What You Need to Know as a Freelance Engineer to Align with your Clients
- Why “Vibe” is More Important than Skills
- How Authentic Content can be One of Your Best Tools
- Tips for Remote Mixing and Collaboration
- How to Navigate Moving into the Co-Production Role
- Drum Tuning and ...
Sam Fischmann is a cofounder of the audio plugin company Musik Hack. As a software developer and musician he is passionate about demystifying the mastering process and making it accessible to everybody by creating tools that enable musicians to focus more on the creative and less on the technical.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- The Truth Behind Loudness Standards
- Where the -14LUFS Target Came From
- Developing and Trusting Your...
Travis discusses the myths that people believe about big credits and how you should actually think of them.
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Nick Broste is Chicago based audio engineer and musician who specializes in recording bands in ensembles in both studio and live settings. The spirit of removing the obstacles of artistic expression for artists is the driving force for Nick’s approach to recording and always puts the music first.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- How the Role of the Engineer Changes When There is No Producer
- The Best Way to Record a Vocalist t...
Travis talks about the year he spent NOT buying plug-ins and how the recording studio culture fuels the audio tech industry into trying to sell engineers everything.
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Marc Matthews is a music producer, mastering engineer and the host of the Inside the Mix Podcast.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- How Social Media and Content Can Be Networking
- The Value of Having a Strong Core Group of “Music Friends”
- Making What You Are Passionate About
- Is the Cost of Higher Education Worth it for Music?
- How Releasing Something Helps You Relate to Artists
- The Importance of Being a Life Long Learner
- Whether AI Ma...
Travis discusses why he quit every staff engineering gig he had and how to know that you're ready to go freelance as a recording engineer, mixer, or producer.
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📺 WATCH THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE 📺
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Connect with Me:
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📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/progressionspod
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- Is Our Musical Taste Nature or Nurture
- Practicing Minimalism in Process
- How to Discover Your Sonic Preferences
- Is Our Musical Tastes Nature or Nurture
- How to Discover Your Sonic Preferences
- Why A-B Tests are a Sales Psy-Op
- How We Are Too Concerned with the Process of Making Records vs The Outcome
- How to Find Your Sound in the World of Internet Opinions
- What’s Worth Worrying About
Connect wit...
In this episode Travis breaks down the five productivity tips that help him find work life balance and still deliver on a high level for his clients.
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
- The Importance of Planning
- How to Beat Task Overwhelm
- The Secret to Operating at Your Highest Level
- Why Your Calendar Is Your Super Power
- Deep Work
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https://www.travisference.com/2025plan
📺 WATCH THE SHOW ON Y...
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- Soundflow
- Keyboard Maestro
- How to Use Automation to Speed up Workflow
- Why Consistent File Naming So Important
- Automating Complete Session Delivery and Stem Printing
- The Power of Pro Tools Track Presets
- Coding and Automation is a Skill just like playing an instrument
- How Making Music for Sync Differs from Making Records
- How to Hit All the Cuts when Composing for Ads
Connect with Raphael
📸 Ins...
From making coffee and sweeping floors to credits with Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons, and Ariana Grande... Travis breaks down the mindsets that have helped his career so far.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- The Engineering Philosophies that Get You Hired
- How to ACTUALLY Network
- The Importance of Business
- Avoiding Perfectionism
- Defining Success
- What He Wishes He Knew Before Starting in Studios
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Steve Genewick is a recording engineer and mixer with over 30 years of experience working in some of the biggest studios in the world. In addition to being one of the top call engineers for big band, jazz, and orchestra sessions, Steve was also one of the first music mixers to work in Dolby Atmos. Many of the techniques he pioneered have shaped the people mix in the format today.
In this episode, you'll learn about:
- How Atmos C...
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