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#255 - Energy Vampires Are Killing Your Career

29 min • 22 juli 2025

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 being extremely picky about clients after having kids
The exact moment he realized $50 bar gigs weren’t worth his time or energy anymore
Why that ridiculously talented Berkeley guitarist everyone knows is actually bad for business
The surprising reason word-of-mouth referrals can trap you with similar low-quality clients
How to recognize if you’re being a pushover with difficult clients who love unlimited revisions

Ben and Carl's Weekly Inspiration Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1IpnxDVoTY44JBV1j19H4h?si=0f80e020d8ae497e

LA Wildfire Relief:
Musicares - https://donor.musicares.org/page/lafirerelief
WAMTN - https://give.wearemovingtheneedle.org/campaign/654724/donate

Learn more about StudioLand - https://www.welcometostudioland.com/a/2147995182/bmyFf8p5

Download our free guide: "The Future-Proof Mixing Engineer: 8 Essential Skills for 2024 and Beyond" - https://mpe-ebook.benwallick.com/future-proof-mixing

Connect with us:

Secret Sonics - https://www.instagram.com/secretsonics
Ben - https://www.instagram.com/benwallickmusic/
Carl - https://www.instagram.com/carlbahner/

Learn more:

https://www.benwallick.com/
https://www.carlbahner.com/

This episode with edited by Gavi Kutliroff - https://www.instagram.com/pleasant_peasant_music/

Senaste avsnitt

#255 - Energy Vampires Are Killing Your Career

Senaste avsnitt

#255 - Energy Vampires Are Killing Your Career

#254 - The Shelf-Life of Major Credits

#253 - Dave Stagl: Leaving Artists Speechless with Dolby Atmos

#252 - The NEW Business of Mixing

#251 - Context Context Context (Vocals Pt2)

Quick Announcement: Taking a Week Off to Celebrate 6 Years and 250 Episodes

#250 - Are We Making Vocals Too Perfect? (Pt1)

#249 - Are We Hearing the Bass, or Just Feeling It? (Pt2)

#248 - Our Wildly Different Bass Philosophies (Pt1)

#247 - The Drummer's Divide: Two Wildly Different Approaches to Drum Production

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

#245 - Why You’re Afraid to Charge More (And What To Do About It)

#244 - You Don't Need Permission: Why Creatives Hold Back & How to Move Forward

#243 - Creating Unforgettable Client Experiences

#242 - Limitations > Creativity

#241 - Inspiration: Where to Find It, How to Nurture It, and Why It Matters

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

#239 - Reference Mixes: When They Should (and Shouldn’t) Guide Us

#238 - Time Management: Why Productivity Advice Fails Music Pros

#237 - Playlist Psychology: Organizing Your Work to Impress the RIGHT Clients

#236 - How to Know When Your Song is Finished

#235 - Emotional Cues in Mixing: Crafting a Powerful Listener Experience

#234 - Rethinking Sonic Identity

#233 - Finding Your Sonic DNA: A Deep Dive into Musical Identity

#232 - Setting (and Resetting) Goals for 2025

#231 - Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

#230 - Seasons of Growth

#229 - Mix Like a Producer: Crafting Sonic Depth and Dimension

#228 - Philip Weinrobe Part 2 - Trust and Authenticity in Music Production

#227 - Philip Weinrobe Part 1 - Death by Perfection: Bringing Humanity Back to Records

#226 - Why the Client Isn't Always Right (But Their Vision Is)

#225 - Burnout and Overwhelm in the Audio Industry

#224 - Matt Huber Part 2 - The Mixer's Mastermind: Collaborative Learning and Leveling Up

#223 - Matt Huber Part 1 - Mastering Loudness in the Streaming Era

#222 - What We Wish We Knew When We Got Started

#221 - Dave McNair Part 2 - The Lifelong Learner's Guide to Mastering

#220 - Dave McNair Part 1 - The Perpetual Balance of Taste and Technique

#219 - Dana Nielsen Part 2 - Vocal Production Mastery

#218 - Dana Nielsen Part 1 - The Art of Studio Diplomacy

#217 - Nick Nagurka Part 2 - The Psychology of Live Recording

#216 - Nick Nagurka Part 1 - Capturing Magical Moments (Live in the Room)

#215 - Future-Proofing Your Music Business: Essential Strategies for Sustainable Success

Quick Announcement: The Platinum Pitch (Free Class)

#214 - Four Years of Growth: Reflections on Our Professional Journeys

Reissue: #058 with Carl Bahner - Forging a Creative Path in Production

#213 - How to Mix an Arena-Ready Backing Track

#212 - How Our Instrumental Backgrounds Shape Our Production & Mixing

#211 - On-Stage Lessons for Studio Success

#210 - Your Opinion Wanted: The State of the Podcast

#209 - Building Your Dream Team: How to Collaborate in Music Production

#208 - Overcoming the Curse of Perfectionism

#207 - Our Go-To Reference Mixes (and Why We Chose Them)

#206 - Using Music Theory to Conquer Common Mixing Challenges

#205 - Consistency Hacks for Reliably Radio-Ready Mixes

#204 - Masking Mayhem: How to Tame the Chaos and Clarify Your Mixes

#203 - Embracing Your Inner Weird: Turning Quirks into Career Superpowers

#202 - AI in Music: Salvation or Doom for Creatives?

#201 - Minimalism: How Audio Engineers Can Create Big Results With Less

#200 - Mastering: A Mixer's Perspective

#199 - How to Confidently Raise Your Rates

#198 - Cold Outreach That Doesn’t Feel Icky

#197 - Why the Goal Posts of Success are Always Moving

#196 - Taking Criticism Like a Pro

#195 - How Templates Can Enable (Not Stifle) Creativity

#194 - Don’t Get Suckered By The Sale: What We ACTUALLY Look For When Buying Plugins

#193 - How the Role of the Mixing Engineer is Changing in 2024

#192 - Moving Forward: Ben & Carl Chart Their 2024 Game Plan

Secret Sonics 191 - Matt Huber - The Hyper-Focused Mixing Engineer

Bonus Episode - 10 Must-Have Mindsets for Music Professionals - With Travis Ference of Progressions

A Brief Message from Jerusalem

Sorry for Going AWOL

Secret Sonics 190 - John Velasquez - Fostering a Community Around Music

Secret Sonics 189 - Enoch Yang - Future-Proofing Your Audio Business with Systems

Secret Sonics 188 - Daniela Rivera - Letting the Music Shine in the Mix

Secret Sonics 187 - Stephen Cole - Making Eclectic Records

Secret Sonics 186 - Travis Ference - Strategic Audio Workflows

Secret Sonics 185 - Dave McNair - An Audiophile's Approach to Mastering

Secret Sonics 184 - Noam Levinberg - Manifesting Successful Pivots in Audio