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What's That Sound?

What's That Sound?

By: Stu Watts
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 Want to know what it's like to be an engineer or producer in the Australian music scene? Join Stu Watts as he interviews some of the best talent to come out of Australia. You'll learn about mindset, sessions, plugins and gear, and actionable advice from some of the best that Down Under has to offer.Stu Watts Music
Episodes
  • Myles Mumford | What's That Sound? with Stu Watts Episode #58

    Myles Mumford | What's That Sound? with Stu Watts Episode #58
    Jul 1 2025
    Stu Watts chats with Myles Mumford, who has been making music and making records professionally since the late 90s. Starting trombone with his Dad, Monte Mumford, he completed a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Music) with trombone and composition before moving to Melbourne in 2002 to study at the VCA. After completing a Graduate Diploma in Dramatic Art (sound) Myles took over the operation of the VCA recording studio and hasn't looked back. Since then he has worked extensively across all spheres of music and audio creation including record production, music and effects for film, music and effects for theatre, location recording, concert production and more. He is well known for his musical and collaborative approach to recording, and his ability to create a sense of presence and space. Myles’ productions can be heard across all forms of media and regularly receives critical acclaim in the form of featured singles, featured albums, or album of the week. He's had a few albums nominated for ARIAs, several Bell Award winning productions, many Age and Music Victoria awards, a Green Room award, APRA awards and various others along the way. In 2012 - 2013 Myles volunteered for 12 months in Swaziland for Lusweti - Institute For Health Communication and Development through Australian Volunteers International. During this time Myles produced two weekly one hour radio shows on the National broadcaster SBIS, worked with local builders to design and build a recording studio, developed radio content, trained local staff, collaborated with the Swazi Community Radio Initiative, produced several albums of local artists and his productions featured in the Swazi Top 20 every week for more than a year. In 2014 he spearheaded the formation of Rolling Stock Recording Rooms in Collingwood which has quickly become an incredibly active hub of music making across all genres of Melbourne music with hundreds of projects in the ensuing 10 years and in 2025 was named as the MPEG Studio of the Year. In addition to producing and engineering, Myles is a multi-award-winning composer and performer. He has composed for concerts, theatre, and contemporary dance, with his work being performed across Australia and internationally. Chapters:00:00 Intro02:17 About Myles Mumford03:09 Early experiences with music10:04 Appreciating a broad range of music genres11:16 The technical side of making records13:40 Moving into production15:17 What is "good music"?19:28 Early days producing and engineering21:49 How his approach has changed23:47 Coaching an artist through a recording session28:29 About Rolling Stock Recording Rooms34:02 The wealth of talented producers and engineers in Melbourne (and the rest of Australia)36:31 The lack of support from our government and governing bodies43:39 The difficulties of being a producer/engineer50:00 Dealing with FOMO52:34 Respect and sacrifice1:00:47 What's Myles looking forward to1:04:55 Best bits of advice for producers/engineers and artists1:10:07 Conclusion/OutroHow you can support the podcast:⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠Buy some merch⁠⁠Donate⁠Follow on Instagram:⁠What's That Sound?⁠⁠Stu Watts⁠⁠Myles MumfordRolling Stock Recording Rooms⁠Myles Mumford website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Rolling Stock website⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enquiries and suggestions: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Louis Montgomery | What's That Sound? with Stu Watts Episode #57

    Louis Montgomery | What's That Sound? with Stu Watts Episode #57
    May 20 2025

    Stu Watts chats with Louis Montgomery, who is a Melbourne based music producer, mix engineer, recording engineer, composer, and musician; working mostly between Canberra, Melbourne, and Sydney.

    Louis graduated from the ANU with a Bachelor of Music - First Class Honours. In this, Louis specialised in Creative Recording and was awarded the prestigious Bernard Neumann Memorial Prize, The Peter and Lena Karmel Anniversary Award, and The Friends of the School of Music Transition Award. During his studies, he also partook in a number of recording studio internships around Australia, including: Studios 301, Sydney; Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne; Infidel Studios, Canberra; work experience with ABC Classic FM, and assisted Magoo (Dr Lachlan Goold), Brisbane.

    Over his career his work has amassed 160+ million streams. His work with Callum Henshaw resulted in an Album of the Week on Classic FM; his work with SAFIA resulted in an Album of the Week on Triple J, 5 songs in the Hottest 100, and in 2016 saw the band nominated for an ARIA Award. He has been awarded multiple Gold and Platinum singles, as well as a Gold Certified album. He has worked at Abbey Road Studios, London; Studios 301, Sydney; Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne; Golden Retriever, Sydney; Rolling on the River, Tasmania; and Supersize Recording Studio, Budapest. In 2018 he was part of a team that won Best Sound for Interactive Media at the Australian Screen Sound Guild Awards. In 2022 Louis was nominated for Industry Legend of the Year at the Music ACT Music Awards, in 2024 he produced the Music ACT Music Awards Release of the Year (Flik - Stormchaser), in 2025 he was nominated for MPEG Breakthrough Producer of the Year.

    Chapters:00:00 Intro02:11 About Louis Montgomery02:32 Early experiences with music08:25 Discussing the education system10:36 Early experiences of sound engineering14:20 Interning and assisting22:39 The importance of extensive demoing25:52 How to navigate when things aren't going right29:22 What is a "great mix"?32:57 A discussion about mix notes37:14 There's no answer for how to create the "perfect" piece of art39:02 What Louis has learnt about business over the years42:45 Networking and relationships45:15 Recording live and to tape52:10 What's coming up for Louis55:01 Best bits of advice for producers/engineers and artists56:41 Conclusion/Outro

    How you can support the podcast:Subscribe on YouTube

    Buy some merch

    Donate

    Follow on Instagram:What's That Sound?

    Stu Watts

    Louis Montgomery

    Louis Montgomery website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Stu Watts website

    ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Louis' work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Enquiries and suggestions: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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    58 mins
  • Nick Franklin | What's That Sound? with Stu Watts Episode #56

    Nick Franklin | What's That Sound? with Stu Watts Episode #56
    Apr 15 2025
    Stu Watts chats with Nick Franklin, who is a mastering engineer, (sometimes) recording and mixing engineer and the owner of electronic gadget company Franklin Audio.Nick grew up in a small coastal town on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, playing in bands and recording music with friends. His parents were incredibly supportive—soundproofing the garage, helping him buy his first recording equipment, and ultimately encouraging him to pursue his dream of moving to the city to study audio engineering.Shortly after completing his studies, a chance encounter with legendary mastering engineer Rick O’Neil led to a position as an assistant engineer at Turtlerock Mastering, then the largest mastering studio in Australia. The role proved to be an intense crash course in mastering and client work, laying a strong foundation for the rest of his music career. Like many studios, however, the Turtlerock building was eventually demolished to make way for apartments, leaving Nick jobless and uncertain about the next step.In search of steady work while figuring out his next move, Nick accepted a lecturing role at JMC Academy, teaching Pro Tools, electronics, and music production. It wasn’t long before he became fully immersed in the world of education, eventually taking on the role of full-time studio manager. In that position, he oversaw the campus’s relocation to Ultimo and the commissioning of four large-format consoles. During a studio tour for local producers, he connected with a studio owner in need of a new house engineer—an opportunity that brought him back into the professional audio world.Over the next five years, Nick recorded hundreds of artists and bands at Linear Recording, refining the craft of capturing live instruments. During this time, he also built his own studio just a block away—poetically located in the newly established Turtlerock Mastering building.Alongside his music career, Nick had been nurturing an electronics business, which he officially launched in 2021. That same year, he was once again forced to demolish his studio to make way for development. This time, he chose not to rebuild, instead committing full-time to Franklin Audio. Since then, the company has grown into a six-person team with customers around the world.Chapters:00:00:00 Intro00:03:35 About Nick Franklin00:04:15 Early experiences with music00:09:11 Learning audio at JMC00:13:27 After college and Rick O'Neil's mentorship00:18:40 Key learns from his early mastering experiences00:22:35 The next stage of Nick's journey as a lecturer00:28:35 Meeting Chris from Linear Recording00:31:02 Reflections on the higher education system00:35:11 How Franklin Audio got started00:41:52 How Nick's previous experiences help with running a business00:45:36 How Franklin Audio approaches social media00:54:14 What can a producer/engineer learn from a business owner?00:57:17 What is still surprising/exciting about being around music?00:59:46 What's coming up this year01:00:51 Best bits of advice for producers/engineers, artists and business owners01:06:02 Conclusion/OutroHow you can support the podcast:⁠⁠⁠SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BUY SOME MERCH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DONATE⁠⁠⁠Follow on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@whatsthatsoundpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@stu.watts.audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nick Franklin: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@fricknanklin⁠Franklin Audio: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@franklin_audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stu Watts website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nick Franklin website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Franklin Audio website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Stu's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Nick's work on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠Enquiries and suggestions: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast.whatsthatsound@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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    1 hr and 7 mins

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