The Recording Studio Lifestyle | with Greazy Wil

Explicit content warning

06/28/23 • 119 min

Progressions: Success in the Music Industry

Today’s guest is recording engineer and mixer Wil “Greazy” Anspach. Wil is a veteran in the Los Angeles recording scene with credits including Killer Mike, Vic Mensa, Imagine Dragons, Frank Ocean, X-Ambassadors, The Greatest Showman, and Ariana Grande. He’s also become the defacto “TikTok Engineer” by amassing a following of over 50k people by sharing real world experiences and calling out some of the nonsense on the platform. We have a great chat about what it takes to break into the engineering world, his time coming up at East West Studios, the importance of mentoring and sharing knowledge, where art and psychology meet in the recording process, and why he wants to return to Iraq to help foster music culture there.

🗒 In this episode we'll dig in on... 🗒

How to be a great tracking engineer
Working at East West Studios
The importance of problem solving
Being thrown into freelance
Mentoring and training assistants
The future of big studios
Unionizing engineers and mixers
Sleeping at the studio
Working for Alex Da Kid
Learning electronics as a kid
Engineering songwriting sessions
Growing an audience on TikTok
Respecting the artist
Recording Killer Mike
Serving in the Marines during the Iraq war

🎙 Travis' Intro 🎙

Stop Learning and Start Doing

🎶 ... Listening Recommendation 🎶

The Shaggs - Here

Florence + The Machine "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" - Here

🗣 Mentioned in the Interview 🗣

East West Recording Studios - https://www.eastweststudios.com/

That Sounds About Right Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/that-sounds-about-right/id1688042612

👉 Learn More About Wil Anspach... 👈

Website: https://www.wilanspach.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greazywil/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greazywilmusic

📢 Our Sponsors 📢

Listen to Secret Sonics!

⬇️ FREE 2025 PLANNING WORKSHOP ⬇️

https://www.travisference.com/2025plan

📺 WATCH THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE 📺

https://www.youtube.com/@progressionspod

Connect with Me:

📬 Newsletter: https://www.travisference.com/subscribe

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/progressionspod

🎵TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@progressionspod

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/progressionspod

🌐 Website: https://www.travisference.com/

🙏 Leave a Review or Rating 🙏

Apple: https://www.progressionspodcast.com/apple

Spotify: https://www.progressionspodcast.com/spotify

Credits:

Guest: Wil Anspach

Host: Travis Ference

Editor: Stephen Boyd

Theme Music: inter.ference

🗒 In this episode we'll dig in on... 🗒

How to be a great tracking engineer
Working at East West Studios
The importance of problem solving
Being thrown into freelance
Mentoring and training assistants
The future of big studios
Unionizing engineers and mixers
Sleeping at the studio
Working for Alex Da Kid
Learning electronics as a kid
Engineering songwriting sessions
Growing an audience on TikTok
Respecting the artist
Recording Killer Mike
Serving in the Marines during the Iraq war

🎙 Travis' Intro 🎙

Stop Learning and Start Doing

🎶 ... Listening Recommendation 🎶

The Shaggs - Here

Florence + The Machine "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" - Here

🗣 Mentioned in the Interview 🗣

East West Recording Studios - https://www.eastweststudios.com/

That Sounds About Right Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/that-sounds-about-right/id1688042612

👉 Learn More About Wil Anspach... 👈

Website: https://www.wilanspach.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greazywil/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greazywilmusic

📢 Our Sponsors 📢

Listen to Secret Sonics!

⬇️ FREE 2025 PLANNING WORKSHOP ⬇️

https://www.travisference.com/2025plan

📺 WATCH THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE 📺

https://www.youtube.com/@progressionspod

Connect with Me:

📬 Newsletter: https://www.travisference.com/subscribe

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/progressionspod

🎵TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@progressionspod

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/progressionspod

🌐 Website: https://www.travisference.com/

🙏 Leave a Review or Rating 🙏

Apple: https://www.progressionspodcast.com/apple

Spotify: https://www.progressionspodcast.com/spotify

Credits:

Guest: Wil Anspach

Host: Travis Ference

Editor: Stephen Boyd

Theme Music: inter.ference

Previous Episode

Scaling Your Creative Business: The Artistpreneur Approach | with Evan Price

Today’s guest is artist manager, educator, and entreprenuer Evan Price. He and his team at Artist Collective are on a mission to transform artists into what he calls “artistpreneurs” and help them build a profitable business around their passions. Prior to founding Artist Collective, Evan wore countless hats in the music industry from musician, to promoter, to manager so we’ve got insights for everybody in this one. We covered everything from the “4 Elements Needed to Scale a Creative Business” to why your new song might not be the best “offer” for your audience. We also got into ways that producers and engineers can diversify and stabilize their income, the importance of prioritizing your time, and hot to frame the “story” of the music.

🗒 In this episode we'll dig in on... 🗒

What is an Artistpreneur?
How to focus on high-value offers in the music industry
Strategies to help connect with audiences emotionally
Turning followers into leads
Music business degrees vs regular business degrees
Monetizing creative skill sets and building a brand around them
Focusing on prioritization
Identifying and targeting superfans for growth
Strategies for diversifying income streams in the audio industry

🎙 Travis' Intro 🎙

Does Marketing Matter More Than Skills?

🎶 ... Listening Recommendation 🎶

Northlane - Listen

🗣 Mentioned in the Episode 🗣

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller - Here

👉 Learn More About Evan Price and Artist Collective ... 👈

Website: https://www.artistcollect.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ac_evan/

📢 Our Sponsors 📢

Listen to Secret Sonics!

⬇️ FREE 2025 PLANNING WORKSHOP ⬇️

https://www.travisference.com/2025plan

📺 WATCH THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE 📺

https://www.youtube.com/@progressionspod

Connect with Me:

📬 Newsletter: https://www.travisference.com/subscribe

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/progressionspod

🎵TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@progressionspod

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/progressionspod

🌐 Website: https://www.travisference.com/

🙏 Leave a Review or Rating 🙏

Apple: https://www.progressionspodcast.com/apple

Spotify: https://www.progressionspodcast.com/spotify

Credits:

Guest: Evan Price

Host: Travis Ference

Editor: Stephen Boyd

Theme Music: inter.ference

Next Episode

How to Fix Your Studio Brand and Work with Artists you LOVE | with Carl Bahner

Today’s guest is mixing engineer, music producer, and brand strategist Carl Bahner. Carl has helped countless audio pros and artists from not only the mixing chair, but also as a mentor helping them shape their brands and careers. For Carl’s second appearance on the podcast he shares his wealth of knowledge and experience in attracting ideal clients and elevating your brand communication skills. Uncover strategies to curate a distinct brand that resonates with your target audience, enhances perception, and leads to working on music you are passionate about with artists that you love.

🗒 In this episode we'll dig in on... 🗒