Tony Hoffer: Creating Tracks That Have Grit

Tony Hoffer is most known for his colorful, gritty productions and mixes that pop out of the speakers. His work over the years spans across alternative, electronic, rock, pop and indie. Hoffer spent his early years in Miami making music on 2 cassette decks and a reel-to-reel machine. As a teenager, he moved to Los Angeles and went ‘hi-tech’ upgrading to a Tascam 4-track cassette deck falling in love with music and the art of production. Tony started off playing guitar in ‘post-punk’ bands and fell in love with sampling his favorite post-punk records (Cure, Chameleons, Bauhaus) into his own songs and productions. His big break was co-producing Beck’s double Grammy nominated album ‘Midnite Vultures’ which was a hybrid of intricate sampling and live playing. That initially led to him to working with Air, Phoenix and Supergrass. Some additional credits include: M83, The Kooks, Belle and Sebastian, Silversun Pickups, The Fratellis, Depeche Mode, Fitz and The Tantrums, Blondie, Metric, Chromeo, Dirty Heads, The Snuts, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Ziggy Marley. Tony’s productions and mixes have been nominated and/or won 7 Grammy’s (US), 4 Juno’s (Canada), 2 Aria’s (Australia) and the Mercury Prize (UK). IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT: Working with Beck Working fast and being a minimalist Running organic sounds through synths Giving tracks character and grit Recording live off the floor vs. tracking individually Using samples in your productions Creating hooks Separating production time from mixing time To learn more about Tony Hoffer, visit: http://tonyhoffer.com/ Notable gear mentioned in this episode: ARP2600 (Plugin Version): https://sweetwater.sjv.io/JzMmkQ Korg MS20: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/XYMX45 For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit https://masteryourmix.com/ Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes? Check out my new coaching program Amplitude and apply to join: https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/ Download your FREE copy of the Ultimate Mixing Blueprint: https://masteryourmix.com/blueprint/ Get your copy of my Amazon #1 bestselling books: The Recording Mindset: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Pro Recordings From Your Home Studio: https://therecordingmindset.com The Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/ Join the FREE MasterYourMix Facebook community: https://links.masteryourmix.com/community To make sure that you don’t miss an episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or on Android. Have your questions answered on the show. Send them to [email protected] Thanks for listening! Please leave a rating and review on iTunes!