FULL STACK

PRODUCER
How to make competitive records today

JORDAN VALERIOTE
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part 1
Climbing the Production Ladder 03
Part 2
Myths, Secrets and Breakthroughs 11
Part 3
The Gold Standard 18
 PART 1: Climbing the
Production Ladder
Why are some engineers and producers able to rapidly go from total beginners to achieving competitive
mixes…while others spend years at the “top audio colleges” and can’t seem to go beyond a basement
quality demo?

Why is it that some people seem to attract clients automatically and build a viable lifestyle as a producer…
while most others are watching the same videos, buying the same gear, but for them, making records is still
just an expensive, often frustrating hobby?

This book is going to take everything you THINK you know about making records and turn it completely on
its head.

So, if you think you already know everything and you’re not open to a new approach, then this book is not
for you.

If you’re the type of person who always finds a reason why it can’t work for them, or thinks that anyone
succeeding is just gifted or lucky, you’re in the wrong place.

But if you’re serious about making records professionally, whether it’s for clients or your own band, you have
a choice to make right now.

You can either keep doing what you’ve been doing, jumping from one mixing tip to the next and getting
more confused…or you can read this book and finally discover what ACTUALLY goes into a pro record, one
that stands up against the big label releases done by your favourite mixers.

If you want to finally uncover those missing pieces to make records at a high level, read on.

“I’m now making a living doing what I love, all thanks to HCMS. I’m doing better
work, less time, making more money, and my clients are happy.”
Ryan I.

“I’m not wasting time… I went from total novice to working professional.”
Joseph F.

“A few months ago I could do this on the side… now I could actually make this a
career.”
Kieran K.

“Right now I’m forced to go to a part-time day job instead of full-time because
audio work keeps coming in and it’s a dream come true.”
Roelof K.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 3

About Me
I’m Jordan Valeriote, producer/mixer and founder Hardcore Music Studio. I’ve spent a decade making
records for some of the foremost labels in the rock and metal scene. Now I’m known for turning aspiring
engineers like you into real paid professionals.

The reason I’ve been so effective at this is because I take people behind the scenes of real world, big label
projects so they can finally understand what creates the clarity, punch and size they hear on major records
and quickly start getting the same sounds themselves.

If you have a dream to make records professionally, you’re about to learn the recording, editing and mixing
strategies that will make that dream a reality.

By the time you finish this book, you’ll know exactly why your mixes are falling short and how to quickly
change that to become a bonafide producer who can crank out top quality recordings no matter who
you’re working with, or the environment and gear you have.

Find your Focus

It’s not news to you that there is no shortage of information out there. There are literally tens of thousands
of videos claiming to teach you how to get better drum, bass, guitar or vocal sounds.

Yet, despite the abundance of training at our fingertips, the vast majority of producers struggle to get
anything that sounds remotely pro - even when they’ve been trying for years.

And we all know that it’s not the gear anymore. Even top mixers are ditching the fancy studios and consoles
for simple ITB setups.

So, if the same gear and the same content is available to everyone, then why is there such a gap between
the best engineers and everyone else?

The truth is, most struggling engineers are simply focusing on the wrong things. And if you haven’t hit the
level of quality you want, and you can’t get the sound in your head to come out of the speakers, you might
be making the same mistakes.

Guys like Craig, Nick, John, Pablo, Shawn, Mathias and dozens more have leveraged the strategies I’ve been
teaching for years in my courses - some of which I’ll share with you here - to get so good that they quit their
day jobs to go full time in the studio.

So, how did they do it? First, I’ll let you in on how I got there myself.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 4

My Breakthrough Moment
I know all too well what it feels like to work hard on a mix, late into the night, only to realize the next day that
it sounds like trash.

When I started out, I didn’t even know what a plugin was or what EQ was for. Like most amateurs, I believed
I could teach myself. Yet after 3 years of surfing online message boards, tutorials, books and recording
magazines, my recordings still sounded like basement demos, which meant I had to keep working day jobs
at gas stations and print shops with only a little bit of time left over to focus on music.

Everything changed when I had the opportunity to get in the room with a real producer, working on a
real platinum record. I remember how he made it seem so simple. He worked fast and decisively. He knew
which mic to grab and where to put it to get the sound he needed. I quickly realized how I had been
making things way too complex and that there was a big difference between what I was seeing online, and
what I saw in that studio.

It was like I finally broke through the mountain of misinformation and got down to the core of what makes
a good recording and mix.

That experience upgraded my skills so much, that a few months later I was able to quit my job and go full
time in the studio. And despite working out of a tiny converted garage, with no-name local bands, and
without a college degree or decades of experience, I achieved my dream of being a full-time producer and
eventually ended up working with bands like Silverstein, Neck Deep, Intervals, Counterparts and many
others.

Over the course of this book, I’m going to give you the same breakthroughs that elevated my skills and
streamlined my studio approach. You’re going to pick up new ways of recording and mixing that you can
implement in your work and hear the difference immediately.

Look, I could just share a dozen really cool mix techniques with you, but we both know that’s not going to
make the difference.

Do you know what sets apart all the struggling audio engineers out there from the ones who are improving
leaps and bounds every day? It’s that they’ve invested the time and resources to become Full Stack
Producers.

Full Stack in the Studio - the Ultimate Goal

A Full Stack Producer is a master of each discipline: recording, editing and mixing. They have real, hard skills
under the hood to deliver a competitive, pro-sounding result regardless of how good or bad their client is.

They work with speed and confidence. They can do more with less, because the process has become simple
for them. Most importantly, they know the sound they want, and they know how to get it.

The good news is that anyone who dedicates themselves to the craft can become a Full Stack Producer.
It’s never been easier for anyone, anywhere, to record music than it is today. But it might also be the most
confusing time ever to learn.

I’m sure you know what I mean. Maybe you’ve spent hundreds of hours watching YouTube tutorials, but you
still can’t get your tracks to sound like commercial releases.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 5

Your mixes either sound muddy and dull, or thin and harsh. You second guess every move, starting over
again and again and are left with more questions than answers. Maybe you’ve even reached the point
where you’ve considered selling everything and giving up completely.

Sure, the internet is amazing for learning things. But what good is all of this information if it’s not creating
real producers who are actually masters of the craft?

In the old days, you would learn by finding a real pro to mentor you, and get in the room to watch them
work on projects from start to finish.

But these days, no one is getting the full picture. They’re learning hacks and tricks, things that work here
but not there, one genre but not another. It’s like playing an instrument and memorizing the chords for a
song, but when someone asks you to change the key, or improvise, you can’t do it.

If you were hired to produce a country band, where everything has to be recorded live and you couldn’t
sample replace or re-amp later....could you pull it off?

Or if you have to do a technical metal band that needs tight, precise takes and the musicians are struggling
to nail their parts…could you still deliver?

What about if you didn’t have your computer, your mics, your plugins and presets…could you still get to
work?

Being Full Stack is about relying on truths, not tricks. Operating by tricks is trying to tune a bass part after
it’s tracked. Operating by truth is just getting it right in the first place.

How much would your studio experience change if you could operate like that - not just knowing in your
mind that you should get it right at the source, but actually being able to make that happen?

Moving Beyond Mixing

You may be thinking, “Well, I just love mixing. I don’t want to record.”

I get it. Mixing is fun, it’s independent, and most of us would say mixing is our favourite part of studio work.

But it’s incredibly difficult to build a career from scratch by focusing on mixing alone. For one thing, how are
you going to land mix projects where you’re actually getting sent high quality, well-tracked material? How
many of your potential clients are passing you by already because they’re simply not at the stage where
they’d even consider hiring a separate mixer, not to mention how slow your progress will be.

The reason Full Stack Producers improve so rapidly is because of the flywheel effect, which is when one
action feeds the next, and it keeps getting better.

As you get better at mixing, you’re training your ears for mix-ready tones, which means you’ll get better at
capturing those sounds during tracking. And as you edit drums and tune vocals, you’re training your ear for
timing and pitch, which again will help you capture better performances. And you already know that better
source tones and better performances always equals a better mix.

So, what’s holding you back?

You may be saying to yourself, “I don’t have an actual studio to record in!”

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 6

Neither did Roelof, but he decided that wasn’t going to stop him from chasing his dreams. He simply made
his rig mobile and travels to rehearsal spots and houses, or rents another studio to get the job done…and
he’s landing multi-4-figure projects.

Roelof

After reading this book, you might be amazed at how far your recordings and mixes have come. And you’ll
begin to see a future where you’re landing your first paying clients, or your biggest clients, or finally getting
your own music noticed.

It’s not a matter of how experienced or knowledgeable you are right

“This week marks the first now. You don’t need a degree, credentials, expensive gear or a fancy
week EVER that I earned room.
more from my studio than It’s simply a matter of how committed you are to becoming a Full
I did from my day job. It’s a Stack Producer. I don’t want you to spend years, isolated at your
huge milestone!” mixing desk, going through the trial and error process, frustrated,
Ben B. discouraged, and progressing at a snail’s pace. No matter how
“Thanks for your teachings. many free videos you’ve watched or courses you’ve already bought,
Because of it, today one of all it takes is one new idea to radically change everything.
my mixes went viral with With this book in hand, you’re already one step closer to removing
over a million views.” all the second guessing and doubt, and finally have things “click.”
Javier The fact that you’re still reading this sets you apart from most
aspiring engineers - because you’re willing to invest the time to find
out what you don’t know yet. As you’ll see, that extra effort is what
makes successful producers successful.

So, let’s move forward together.

I just covered how becoming Full Stack is essential to achieving your studio goals.

And that to build a successful, lasting career in this industry takes real skills and commitment - not hacking
together a bunch of random mixing tips gathered from all corners of the internet.

Next, I’ll reveal the 5 stages of growth that every engineer has to go through, so that you’ll know what your
specific next step is.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 7

Stop wasting your time
Most struggling engineers believe that there’s just ONE MORE tip or technique they haven’t seen yet that
will finally fix their low end problems or fill that missing piece in their mixes. Or they think if they only had
that new pair of monitors, or a better room, they’d finally get their mixes to translate. So naturally, they
watch every tutorial they can, try every new plugin that comes on the market, and obsess over whether or
not to buy this or that piece of gear.

The truth is, these engineers are actually avoiding the very thing that will make them better. It’s kinda like
thinking you can get fit by sitting on the couch watching workout videos.

Successful Full Stack Producers know that every hour spent on those things is an hour they could have
spent improving their craft. They know the #1 difference is what’s in their heads, so they ignore the endless
flood of tutorials, avoid buying the newest toy, and commit their time to actually working on music. When
they hit a roadblock, they look to one or two carefully chosen mentors to find the solution - rather than
diving down the online rabbit hole.

The Production Ladder

So, how exactly do you take the next step and make progress in the studio? First, we need to identify which
level of the Production Ladder you’ve reached, so that we can figure out how to move you up.

There are 5 levels of the production ladder that every serious engineer must grow through:

The first level is The Dabbler. The Dabbler has no commitment. They just think it would be cool to make
music for a living and hang out with artists every day. They quickly realize that making good records is
actually hard...so they quit. Thankfully, you know you’re not a dabbler, because if this was you, you wouldn’t
be reading this!

The next level is The Passionate Beginner. This person has commitment and enthusiasm. They really
believe they can do it, but they’re completely lacking any real knowledge and skill. This was me starting out,
when I thought I had the golden ear, and that if I could just be the one behind the board moving the faders,
everything would sound great. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

From there, the beginner who persists usually becomes The Obsessed Over-doer. They start discovering
all the tools, the layers, the possibilities… and they go deep. They watch every tutorial, read every article and
comb through every discussion. The heart they had as a passionate beginner is replaced by their brain,
trying to work by numbers and graphs, looking for the magic plugin, preset or technique. Everything gets
more complicated in this stage. You DO improve a lot here, but you also get more confused and frustrated
because despite all the info you’re consuming, there’s still something missing, and you probably have
trouble finishing projects. Your work is beginning to sound OK, maybe even good, but it’s not quite there
yet, and usually lacks the powerful midrange, solid low end, and clarity of pro mixes.

Next is The Grinder. You’re beginning to sift through it all, and the finish line is beginning to seem real,
but you still lack confidence and haven’t quite hit that label-quality bar yet. This keeps you undercharging
and staying in your comfort zone, and you’re still swapping gear a lot and chasing the missing piece. Some
projects come out pretty good, but others fall short because of bad musicians or lack of time.

Many people get stuck here and they end up grinding on the side or full time for years, but can’t quite break

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 8

through to that next level where projects are flowing to them and the quality is consistent. If you stay here
too long, your personal and family life will begin to suffer as a result of burnout.

If this sounds like you and you’re excited about the possibility of escaping the grind and finally having fun in
the studio again, you’re in the right place. Because that’s what happens when you move up to level 5.

The Full Stack Producer has elevated themselves above the obsessive over-doing and over-complicating
- above the gear and the grind. They approach each project the same way, and get the same top-quality
results every time, even if their client has crappy gear or can’t play their parts. They pay no attention to
the hottest new plugin or hardware. In fact they simplify their studio and have no desire to interrupt their
proven workflow.

They are in complete, confident control of every project. Clients work on THEIR terms and they line up to do
so. Because of their proven track record, this producer is the first name on the minds of bands, labels and
managers. At this level, your stuff ALWAYS sounds top-notch, competitive and label-ready - no exceptions!

Leveling up
The descriptions of the first four levels sound all too familiar to me because I WAS each one of these at one
point in time, and in fact, I stayed in each of them for too long.

It’s because I continued to hold on to that amateur belief that I could figure it all out on my own. If you have
that belief, you’ll get stuck at level 3 or 4, overwhelmed with complexity and eventually hitting burnout.

If you’re not at level 5 yet, part of the reason is probably because what happens at level 5 has been hidden
from you. That’s what is missing today in audio schools, Youtube tutorials and most paid courses online and
yet, it’s what unlocks everything.

That’s why I never just teach theory like “here’s how a compressor works.” I’ve always made my courses by
taking you inside real projects happening at Level 5, in real time.

Again and again I’ve had people tell me they learned more in a few hours of my training than from years of
obscenely expensive education at the so-called best audio schools in the world.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 9

Many have told me they wished they would have found this sooner, feeling like they’ve wasted as much as
15 years doing things the wrong way.

If you’re like most at this point, you’re motivated to make a change, but you might be thinking, “I’m just
getting started,” or “I’ve struggled with this for so long. How could I actually make that change so quickly
now?”

Let me ask you some important questions: Why would you decide to stay in any of these stages longer
than you need to? And why would you keep trying to grow by going back to the same ways and the same
information that has got you there in the first place? Isn’t that the definition of insanity?

The good news is that no matter where you are on this ladder, it only takes a couple of simple shifts and
breakthroughs to move you up, like lightbulbs that just need to be turned on. And I know how to turn on
those lightbulbs and get you to level 5 quickly.

Lessons from the studio

In the next chapter, I’ll tell you what I saw during that platinum record project which shattered everything I
thought I knew about recording and mixing.

I’ll also share the tracking, editing and mixing mistakes that kept me stuck for so long, so that you can
simply step over them and move up the ladder as quickly as possible.

I hope you’re as excited as I am, because I know there are people out there reading this book that will end
up making records that get heard around the world. And there’s no reason it can’t be you.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 10

 PART 2: Myths, secrets and
breakthroughs
In 2007, I got to be in the room while John Fields produced and engineered the second Jonas Brothers
record. The record ended up being mixed by Chris Lord Alge, and I was excited to hear all the crazy magic
that he did, and see how much of a difference there was between the raw tracks and final mix.

So I drove to the mall to buy the album the day it came out. I remember putting that CD [“A Little Bit
Longer” by Jonas Brothers] in my car stereo… and I was blown away by what I heard, but not for the reason
you’d think. The mix itself didn’t blow me away, even though it was classic CLA.

What shocked me was how CLOSE it sounded to the raw tracks.

The drums sounded pretty much the same as I heard them a few months earlier. It didn’t even sound like
samples were added. The bass and guitar tones - unchanged. In fact, it sounded like I was right back in
the control room hearing those songs during the tracking stage, just with some added impact, punch and
sparkle.

This was during the time where I spent hours each day reading threads on Gearslutz, where people would
complain about mixers like CLA being an assembly line factory, where every record was mangled and
squeezed to fit his mold. In an instant, I realized that was a complete myth.

Like most amateur engineers, especially in the rock world, I was used to doing ALL the heavy lifting in the
mix. Completely replacing kick, snare and tom sounds, reshaping guitar tones, and trying to make my
tracks sound like someone else’s mix.

The “fix it in the mix” problem has gotten even worse today. Anyone in their bedroom can do it and there’s
been an explosion of mix tutorials online. Since 90% of the content out there is mixing related, most people
are focusing 90% of their efforts on the mix.

You know what I mean. Mixing headaches and mixing questions dominate the discussion, but the thing is,
most aspiring engineers don’t actually have mixing problems.

Get it right at the source

Over the years I’ve reviewed a LOT of mixes for my premium course members and 9 times out of 10, the
mix is actually pretty good. My feedback ends up being about things like guitar tuning, sloppy drum
performances, pitchy vocals and obvious mistakes. In these cases, simply plugging better performances into
the exact same mix would instantly sound 10x better.

Look, I get it. Tracking sessions can seem hit or miss at the best of times, and a lot of people simply try to
rush through tracking so that the band can finally go home and they can tweak everything and try to “fix it
in the mix.”

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 11

Think about all the questions going through an engineer’s mind just during guitar tracking:

• Which amp and cab are right for the song, and what’s the right mic and placement?

• How do you know when you’ve dialled in a tone that you can commit to, one that will actually work in
the final mix?

• What should it sound like before mixing?!

And then if you actually get a tone you think is good, getting the “My raw tracks now sound
right take is a whole other ball game. What if the player is sloppy better most of the time than
and noisy? What if they can’t even play their parts? my completed mixes did be-
fore. This course is an abso-
It’s understandable that most engineers cling to the comforting
lute no brainer.”
thought that it’s easier to fix or change things later than it is to
Thomas G.
commit during recording.

But the day I heard that CLA mix, the truth was clear: The best “My recordings have gone
mixes sounded great before they were mixed at all. quicker, smoother, and
sound 100x better than they
Many of my Hardcore Tracking students have committed to used to.”
getting it right at the source, with game-changing results. Ryan M.

Tracking Roadblocks...
I bet you probably agree with me that getting the best source tracks possible is one of the keys to a great
mix. So, what’s stopping people from getting great tones and great takes?

The answer is, a whole lot of BS that engineers THINK they need.

Whether it’s complicated multi-mic techniques, stacking layer after layer of guitars, or getting the musician
to do 6 takes of everything so that you can comp it later, the same deadly equation is at play: a lack of
skill and knowledge leads to a lack of confidence, which leads to a lack of commitment and delaying all
decisions until “later”.

No wonder people get frustrated and depressed with their mixes and can’t seem to finish projects!

But what if it didn’t have to be like that? What if it was simple?

Imagine knowing exactly which mic to use and where to put it. Then quickly dialing in a tone that you know
will work in the final mix. Even with drums - arguably the hardest instrument to mic up - what if you had a
go-to strategy that simply sounded great for every drummer on every project?

Remember, we’re here to make good music, not nerd out over gear!

So if you want to start getting raw tracks that sound better than your current final mixes, there are 4 key
ingredients.

...and how to fix them

First, master the fundamentals of the instruments themselves. That means being able to choose the
right drum sizes, cymbals, guitars, strings and amps to fit the vision for the record.

If the band wants a fat Paramore snare sound, don’t let the drummer use his 13x3 Piccolo - no matter how
much he loves it! And if they tune down to drop B, those extra light slinky strings are not an option.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 12

The unfortunate truth is that many musicians you work with won’t know how to tune the drums or intonate
their guitars. This is why it’s essential that you can step in and help. You can learn the basics of tuning a
drum, and learn how to properly string and set up a guitar.

It all starts at the source - and even though you might’ve thought your job was just to plug in mics and
move faders, mastering these instrument fundamentals will make a massive difference in your source
tracks.

Next, you need fast, go-to miking strategies that work every time. Why reinvent the wheel, trying
different mic combos and overhead configurations every time? Do you really need 3 mics on a metal kick
drum? Do you need to run a shootout every single time?

This isn’t rocket science. Focusing on simple mic techniques until you can nail it every time with little or no
tweaking is essential to making good records fast.

Third, you need to commit to sounds, and that means not settling. If it doesn’t sound 80% like a finished
record right there during tracking, then it’s not good enough yet. Keep going until you get the right tone.

Fourth, and probably most important, is the ability to solve performance problems. You can do
everything else right, but if you’ve got sketchy tuning and sloppy playing, it will never, EVER sound pro. And
again, this is not something you can put off and try to fix later.

Pro engineers will do whatever it takes to get the tightest performance possible, because we know that
size, power and impact doesn’t come from stacking a bunch of layers or using the fanciest gear. It comes
from everything being tight, in tune, and hitting at the same time.

That’s why inside my Hardcore Tracking program, I show you every step and teach you all of these skills…

• from replacing drum heads and tuning

• to string choices and intonation for guitar and bass

• to go-to mics and positions for every instrument

• to the workflow and workAROUNDS to get great sounding takes out of drummers and guitarists - even
when they struggle to play what they wrote.

And having a small room is no excuse. I made all my important records in a 300 square foot live room.
Hardcore Tracking reveals exactly how to get a tightly controlled drum sound AND a useable room sound
even in a small space.

Start off right

This might seem daunting, and I’ll be honest, it DOES take longer to track with the bar set this high. On the
other hand, it saves hours of editing and DAYS of mixing.

Even better, your clients will love it! You can actually have their songs sounding like a real record the whole
time they’re tracking it. That means far fewer mix notes and clients who become your biggest fans.

And before you start thinking good source tracks depend on expensive gear...let me tell you, I wasted
thousands of dollars buying and selling boutique mics and preamps through the years. When I finally
understood what really makes good records, I sold most of it off and just kept what worked, with most of my
mics costing just a few hundred bucks or less.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 13

So, by now you see that a professional sounding record all starts, well, at the start. And if you haven’t been
approaching your tracking sessions with this level of detail, you now know where the biggest opportunity
for improvement in your mixes actually lies.

How editing changed my life

Now, even if you do everything right at the tracking stage, sometimes even the best musicians need a little
help from editing, especially if you want your drums and vocals to live up to modern standards. Luckily,
editing doesn’t have to be as boring, painful or tedious as you might think.

So let’s shift gears and talk about editing.

This might seem like a dramatic thing to say. but editing changed my life.

In 2009, I was busy in the studio with local bands and two projects came in that would end up propelling
my career forward in a big way.

The first band had great songs, but I quickly found out that the drummer rushed every fill and couldn’t play
half of the double kick parts that he wrote. It was a struggle. I remember having to try and figure out what it
was supposed to be, and manually place in these complex kick patterns hit by hit during the editing phase.

The second project was a similar story, except this time the drums were great. Instead, the guitar parts and
performances were a mess. The vocalist also struggled a lot with rhythm and couldn’t scream more than
a few words at a time. Again, I rolled up my sleeves, and spent LONG days tracking those guitars piece by
piece and putting the vocals together word by word.

Some of those days were gruelling! But little did I know that both of these bands would blow up in the
following year because of these albums. They got picked up by labels and pro management, touring the
world and making a lasting impact on thousands of fans.

These two records became key pieces of my discography that ended up attracting more artists - and bigger
artists - to work with me.

As crazy as it sounds, I can say that without the tracking philosophy I just shared, paired with the ability to
tastefully edit those drums and vocals, those records would’ve been barely listenable and certainly wouldn’t
have been taken seriously in the industry.

And i’m not alone - David said the Hardcore Editing course, where I share my editing approach - is the
reason he has a studio career!

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 14

Now let me be clear - it wasn’t my editing that made those records take off. I don’t take credit. It was the
songs themselves. But editing was a crucial part of what made it possible for fans to hear those songs in the
best possible light.

No shame: It’s time to embrace editing

It makes you think - how many great songs have never seen the light of day because the engineer couldn’t,
or wasn’t willing, to utilize all the tools at their disposal?

Like it or not, there are certain standards in modern music. In most genres, you can’t get away with drum
tracks that aren’t locked to the grid. You certainly can’t have out-of-tune or out-of-time guitars, and a pitchy
vocalist is guaranteed to instantly turn off any listener.

Unfortunately, many aspiring engineers share the misguided belief that editing is just part of the problem
with music today.

Well, here’s some food for thought. Does that mean movies aren’t worth watching, even though most of
them have massive amounts of visual effects, replace tons of the dialog in post-production, and add pretty
much all the sound effects after the fact?

At some point, you too will run into a drummer or singer that needs a large dose of editing.

You can take the moral high ground if you want, but skillful music editing - when used properly - has
gigantic potential to enhance the project at hand and take you to a new level in your studio career.

Now, if this all just seems like too much

hassle, too slow and monotonous, I get it.
Editing is never going to be the fun part of
the process, but the sooner you commit to
mastering these editing tools and learning
how to do it better and faster, the quicker
your career will grow.

If you’re thinking “So, you’re just telling me I

need to cut and snap everything to the grid
and problem solved?”

NO! The goal is not to make robot music. I hate that stuff as much as anyone else. The goal, and your job,
is to make the best, most impactful version of the song possible. Sometimes that DOES mean keeping it
natural, but sometimes that means a heavy dose of cutting, moving, quantizing and tuning - without any
guilt or shame.

Actually, the mark of an expert editor is knowing when to leave it alone. It’s about striking that balance
between feel and quality, between raw passion and a competitive sound. All great records live in that sweet
spot, and if you don’t get your hands dirty, practicing and learning HOW to edit properly, you won’t be able
to hit that sweet spot.

As Picasso said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break the rules like an artist.”

And just like Ryan found out, the band will love you for it!

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 15

Mix with your ears
Have you ever had that feeling like something bad is gonna happen if you push the limits in your mix? Do
you constantly check frequency analyzers and loudness meters to make sure your mix “looks like” someone
else’s?

I love mixing ITB, but I think mixers in the analog days had a big advantage by NOT having a screen. If you
were to use a console or outboard gear, you wouldn’t have an EQ curve to look at and you wouldn’t be
moving the knobs by 0.1db increments. Without all the visual feedback, you’d be forced to simply rely on
your ears as you twist knobs and push faders.

Yet in the digital world with DAWs and plugins, it takes superhuman effort NOT to start mixing with your
eyes. And when you start mixing with your eyes, your mix is doomed to mediocrity, because you start
playing it safe and stop serving the song.

Break some rules

There’s been a recent trend of “rule making” in the online mix tutorial world and because most online
creators simply copy what’s popular, these made up rules can start to look like scientific fact.

You know what I’m talking about.

Rules like, “Don’t boost more than 3db.”

Or, “Don’t boost at all - use subtractive EQ only!”

How about, “Gain stage all your tracks to -18db.”

And even, “Don’t mess up your sounds with compression - use automation instead.”

Hey, some of this advice might be good for absolute beginners. It’s kinda like how I make my kids wear a
lifejacket in the pool so they don’t drown.

But can we all just step back for a minute and take a hard look at this? Should we really be so afraid of red
lights, lines and numbers on a screen? Especially in the digital world - where everything can be undone
with a click - why do we act like something bad might happen if we break one of these imaginary rules

Don’t you think it’s time to take off the life jacket and learn to swim in the deep end?

The top mixers in the world don’t pay attention to these rules, and if you want your mixes to jump out of the
speakers, you shouldn’t either.

Whose permission are you waiting for

Instead of mixing by numbers, charts and meters, it’s time to get back to mixing with your ears.

Instead of worrying about carving out frequencies so your bass and kick don’t overlap, how about just doing
what sounds good, even if you boost the same frequency on both?

It’s ok for things to overlap and blend - it’s called MIXING after all. And if you feel like you don’t have that
GLUE holding your mixes together, you might be getting too surgical, trying to do math instead of music.
Don’t be fooled by the hype around expensive monitors or worry too much about the room you’re mixing
in. After all, the people listening to your final product are in cars, in the kitchen, or listening on earbuds in a

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 16

noisy space. Mixing in an imperfect room with unflattering speakers is actually going to HELP your mixes
translate better.

That’s why Joey Sturgis was able to record and mix chart topping records in a living room with no
treatment.

I found this out first hand when I moved from a treated studio into a bedroom at home and had clients
telling me it was my best work yet.

OLD STUDIO NEW STUDIO

Expert mixing is all about serving the song, and you can’t do that if you’re a slave to the tools. You have my
permission to crank that EQ, pin that compressor, let that red light come on once in a while if it sounds
good… but you never even needed anyone’s permission in the first place.

As you’ve already realized, you shouldn’t be reinventing the entire production at mix time. If your raw tracks
already sound 80% there, the mix is all about enhancing the song to add that extra punch, clarity, and
excitement.

Now that sounds like a lot more fun, right?

I challenge you to do your next mix without limits or fear of doing something ‘wrong.’ Make it exciting. Be
bold. Push it to the edge, because you can always pull it back. In fact, that’s the only way to find the sweet
spot.

Checking in...

I know we just covered a LOT of ground in a short time. Feel free to go back and read this chapter again to
make sure everything sinks in.

But now that we’ve adopted a new professional outlook on tracking, editing and mixing and destroyed the
imaginary barriers holding you back, there’s only one thing missing…

The final ingredient that will turn you into a sought-after producer with artists lining up to work with you.

In fact, without this final ingredient, your career will flounder no matter how good you are. Luckily, it’s
something that you can start using to your advantage RIGHT NOW. So let’s get to it.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 17

 PART 3: THE GOLD STANDARD
You’ve reached the 3rd and final chapter in our Full Stack journey. The fact that you’ve made it this far
proves you have a level of commitment that, sadly, most don’t have.

Look back at how much you’ve already learned. You now know what really separates the struggling
engineer from the professional Full Stack Producer. And chances are, you’re already sensing how fast
things could change when you begin upgrading your skills and applying the tracking, editing and mixing
breakthroughs we covered in Part 2.

It’s safe to say that over the past decade, there’s been a massive surge in people who want to start recording
and mixing for themselves. After all, the gear is affordable and the information is plentiful.

But the truth is that even though many people dream of doing it professionally, only a few ever actually
achieve that status.

So, why do some producers quickly build a name for themselves in the industry and get hired over and over
again?

Like Sam - who went from being a student in Hardcore Mixing a few years ago, where he learned by seeing
my entire mix for the band Silverstein...to producing and mixing Silverstein’s 9th studio album this past
Spring.

Or Erwin, who, even in his 40s with a good day job, was attracting clients so consistently that he was able to
leave and focus 100% on the studio?

You might think they had special connections or just got lucky. We all know what happens to many lottery
winners when they get lucky...they don’t put in the work to manage their wealth and end up exactly where
they were before - broke!

There’s one shift that I have made, along with Sam, Erwin and countless other members, that makes all the
difference. And it’s a shift that YOU can make in an instant.

I call it the Gold Standard Mindset.

Look at your favourite producers and mixers. Is there a bad record on their discography? Do you hear poor
tuning or sloppy playing on any of their albums? Do some of them sound great and others amateur? Of
course not.

And it’s not just because they’re at the top working with all the greatest musicians. This is just between us,
but even the biggest bands can have some pretty sloppy players.

A producer is in demand for one reason: they deliver. Every. Single. Time.

Consistency is key
Imagine you were hired by a label to work with their newest signing and you handed in a record with off-
time drums, loose guitars, and pitchy vocals… and then blamed it on the band.

Like, “Sorry guys! Turns out that band you signed can’t really play!! I can only capture what they’re playing.”

You’d never be hired again - by that label or probably anyone else! There IS a standard of production in every

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 18

genre of music today. Hit it, and you thrive. Cut corners even a little, and you struggle.

Like every other career in the world, the secret of success is dead simple: Do outstanding work consistently.
You want people to look at your track record and hear nothing but stellar production and professional
mixes.

You might have a doubt in the back of your mind that says, “Why would anyone choose me?” Or you may
still think you need an amazing collection of gear or a really nice studio to attract labels and bands.

If that was true, I wouldn’t be talking to you today and pretty much all of us would be screwed! Thankfully,
the rules have changed, and pros like Ryan, Sam, John, and other Hardcore Music Studio members are
attracting well known artists and labels in small, simple studios all over the world.

See, many engineers get stuck at the $100-300 per song level because they’re focused on being just the
engineer. They set up the mics, turn the knobs and operate the DAW, but everything else is left up to the
band.

Getting to the point where you can charge $1,000+ per song and command 5-figure fees for an album only
happens when a label, a manager or a band KNOWS that you will deliver a certain level of quality in the
studio NO MATTER WHAT. They’re confident that there is virtually no chance that they hire you and come
out with something sub-par.

Sometimes you get great artists who make your job easy, but sometimes you’ve got to pull out every trick in
the book to make amateur players sound great and maybe even invent some new tricks on the fly!

Take the reins

Now, you might have the same objection that many others bring up, which is “I’d love to do that, but what if
the band won’t let me? What if they object??”

Let me tell you a story.

Inside my Hardcore Tracking program, I recommend that you put fresh strings on the guitar at least daily.
One of our members ran into a guitar player who refused to follow this advice.

Why do you think someone would object to using fresh strings every day? It could be that they like the feel
of worked-in strings, they think they’ll have to tune too much, or they don’t like the brighter tone of new
strings.
FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 19
Right?

Wrong.

Underneath all of that, there’s only one real reason they don’t want to change the strings: they don’t know
how and they’re worried they’ll do it wrong!

The root of resistance is always insecurity. It’s your job as a PROFESSIONAL to take the reins, show them
what’s possible and guide them to a kick-ass outcome - the outcome that you both want!

Can you imagine if you landed in a new city, got into a cab, and the driver turned around to ask YOU how to
get to the destination?

You’d find another way to get around. I know I would.

After all, it’s the driver’s job to get you to your destination from any starting point, safely and efficiently.

In the studio, you’re in the driver’s seat - and this is why Full Stack engineering skills are essential. They give
you a rock-solid foundation, allowing you to deliver consistently top-notch records, whether the players are
prodigies or rookies.

Digging for gold

The fuel for delivering consistent, quality results - and to your career taking off - is the Gold Standard
Mindset.

Don’t you want to go from endless mix revision notes to feedback like this?

The fact is, you never know which band or album will take off and propel your career forward, so make every
project the best it can be, no matter what.

And if you think this philosophy only applies to people who are already getting pro sounding mixes, think
again. The Gold Standard Mindset is about doing the absolute best that you can RIGHT NOW, because
there’s a client at every level.

That means even if you’re a beginner, work with beginner bands.

So, take a project.

Do your best.

And finish it.

You’ll get 10% better.

Then, finish another one…and you’re 10% better again.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 20

Always do your best and your best will always keep increasing - along with your rates and the caliber of
artist you attract.

Stick with this long enough, and you’ll become more consistent, develop a track record for success, and
most importantly - build credibility. Your clients will trust you - and so will their referrals.

Bands and labels will seek you out and happily pay to receive a competitive final product. That means no
more begging for test mixes, bands backing out, working weekends and nights, chasing artists for money
or cutting your rates. The Gold Standard mindset is the rocket fuel that takes you to Level 5 - a Full Stack
Producer with confidence and capability.

Now it’s time for the rubber to meet the road. I’m going to show you the best way to start implementing all
of this in your studio career.

But first, let’s take a step back.

The Big Picture

Why does this all matter anyway? Why dedicate your time, energy, and money into your passion for
recording music?

Like anything worthwhile, this journey can sometimes be hard. I remember working myself to the point of
burnout in the studio, questioning what was the point of all this blood, sweat and tears.

It was when I started sharing my knowledge and experience to help engineers like you,

and as more and more stories keep pouring in from students getting nominated for Grammys, producing
songs that hit #1 on the charts, and getting to work with their favourite bands, it suddenly hit me.

It isn’t just about having fun in the studio. It isn’t just about getting to do what we love and getting paid for
it.

It’s much bigger than that.

As producers and engineers, we sit in one of the most influential and important seats in the entire music
industry. By bringing your taste, your expertise, your unique way of hearing things to the table, you are the
conduit that brings music to the masses.

Recorded music allows artists to reach fans all over the world. And without real engineers and producers
who are true pros, music that needs to be heard will never have a chance. You have the unique opportunity
to bring an artist’s vision to life in the best possible way, and to be a part of bringing the joy of good music to
thousands, or even millions of people all over the world.

Here’s what I know about you.

You’re different than most people. You’re willing to pour not only your resources, but also your heart and
soul into pursuing a craft that most people don’t even think about. And it’s not even for popularity. You want
to be behind the scenes, helping other people shine. Face it, you’re weird. And I get it - I am too.

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 21

You fell in love with this craft for a reason.

What was it?

What was that dream that gripped you and started your love of audio?

Picture yourself in the future, having gotten there, fully living out that dream…

What does it look like? How does that version of you feel? Take a moment and think about it for a minute.

If you took the time to reconnect with that passion and with the bigger reason you care about this, chances
are you also have a glimpse of what your possible future looks like - a future where you step into that
producer role with full confidence and expert ability.

There’s only one question that remains: How committed are you to making it happen?

If you think I had some special superpower and that all of this came naturally to me, think again. I don’t,
and it didn’t. I’m the guy who used a small diaphragm condenser to mic a bass cab, started in a studio filled
with the cheapest Behringer gear, and didn’t know that there was anything more to mixing than moving
some faders.

But I had a dream. I persevered when others quit, and I achieved it.

So why not you?

You now know what it takes. You know what you need to learn, where you need to invest your time and
effort, and the key changes that will take your work from amateur to pro.

At this point, you’ve got a choice to make.

Option One: Take everything you’ve just learned here and do… nothing. Decide it’s too hard, or come up
with reasons why others can but you can’t. You can close this book and go back to the way you’ve been
doing it before.

But since you’re here and you’ve read this far, I know that’s not the type of person you are. And you also
know that you’re capable of more.

Option Two: Move forward and try to figure out the rest on your own. Sadly, this is the choice made by
many passionate engineers, but passion alone doesn’t pay the bills.

If teaching yourself was working for you…

If you already knew how to capture raw sounds that fit perfectly into your mix...

If you could already track and edit so well that you achieve tight tones every time…

If you were already getting mixes that belong on the same playlist as CLA or Andy Sneap…

You wouldn’t be reading this book, or wanting more for yourself. But here you are.

Be honest - is trying to put the puzzle together yourself really getting you where you need to be? Can you
afford to spend another 2 or 3 years to maybe (hopefully) figure this out?

There’s another way

Option Three: Get the insider playbook, the direct access to learn exactly HOW to do everything I talked
about in this book.

This is for the person who isn’t content to take baby steps anymore, who is tired of not hearing the vision in

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 22

their head coming out of the speakers and who wants the solution NOW, without the trial and error.

It’s for the person who says, if all these people can get clients, get paid, and build a lifestyle around making
records, then why can’t I?

Well, if that’s you, everything is ready and waiting inside my Professional Production System.

Here’s what to expect

In the Pro Production System, I take you behind the glass and show you everything I know and everything
I’ve learned from 10 years of making records professionally. No secrets, nothing held back.

This is not about giving you some cool tips or a collection of tutorials that might help a little. This is the full
picture - everything that goes into making a pro record, from putting on a drum head to bouncing out the
final mix. It’s the closest you can get to dumping skills into your brain like Neo in the Matrix.

And my students can say it better than I can:

“I could not for the life of me figure out how to get my mixes to translate out of my stu-
dio space…. The mixes were falling flat, they did not sound full, they didn’t sound punchy,
they weren’t competitive… I really felt the shift in my mindset go from, ‘I’m gonna fix this
in the mix’ to ‘I’m going to get this right up front’… My records instantly started sounding
better, it boosted my confidence… These courses allowed me to quit my job as a sales
associate and pursue my studio full-time, be more confident in myself. I feel like I can take
any musician in any situation and produce a result that is not only listenable, but compet-
itive and very much real-world.”
RJ D.

“I always struggled to make a mix sound big… I would struggle with getting any width or
excitement… but going through this course I had so many Aha moments...My mixes have
vastly improved… I’m just a lot more confident...I have a band with a couple friends and
we’ve been able to release them on Spotify and have had great feedback on not only the
songs but how professional they sound. It’s the first time I ever felt like I might actually
be able to do this”
Dave S.

“The biggest change this has had on my life is being able to write, record and mix music
that sounds legit, so there’s no middle man needed between creating music and releasing
it. And this has also opened the door for me to be able to gain more clients and be more
confident with it.”
Alexandre J.

The Pro Production System combines my 3 proven courses - Hardcore Tracking, Hardcore Editing and
Hardcore Mixing - so that you have instant access to everything you need to become a Full Stack Producer,
all in one place.

Unlike the confusion and contradiction of trying to tie together tips from dozens of different sources, this is
one continuous thread from start to finish. Wouldn’t it be better to make a mile of progress in one direction,
instead an inch in 10 directions?

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 23

The PPS experience is like being a fly on the wall, watching real top-level records get made from start to
finish.

In contrast, thousands of people every year throw away $20 to $80K on audio college and sadly don’t get to
see how a real record actually gets made. Luckily, the Professional Production System completely replaces
audio college at a fraction of the time and a small percentage of the cost.

In fact, you could go into any studio and do only exactly what I show in the PPS, and walk out with the best
raw tracks you’ve ever captured and a pro caliber final mix.

This stuff works, because it’s not just about WHAT to do, but also WHY you do it - so that you end up with
real skills and dependable workflows, not just surface level tricks that only work in limited scenarios.

Plus, the PPS isn’t just the training. It’s the templates, samples, and tools that you can plug directly into
your workflow for instant results, along with access to a community of like-minded producers to push you
forward.

The knowledge and insider secrets waiting for you in the PPS are what enabled me to live my dream, make
records that have touched millions of fans, and continue to fuel a lifestyle built around music production.

And now it’s your time. I want you to make records that make an impact. To experience what it’s like to
master this craft and walk into any studio, with any artist, with confidence and control.

It’s time for you to choose - do you want to be a one-trick pony, or a true producer and engineer?

And what ripple effects will that choice have over the next 12 months?

If you know that having the start-to-finish blueprint for making competitive recordings is exactly what you
need right now, stay tuned and look out for my emails to join the Pro Production System soon.

Take Care!

- Jordan

FULL STACK PRODUCER JORDAN VALERIOTE 24