We were lucky to catch up with Keith Armstrong recently and have shared our conversation below.

Keith, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I came into my career in an unusual way compared to others. In college I didn’t have much direction and didn’t have any plans other than perhaps taking an apprenticeship with a luthier. At some point it was getting close to time to choose a major and a guidance counselor put me in an introduction to music recording class to try that as an option. I loved it right away and later graduated with a bachelors of music from USC. I started working in studios right away as a runner and eventually became an assistant engineer at The Mix Room in Burbank. I was enamored with the studio environment. At the time, it was primarily still consoles, tape machines, and outboard gear. There wasn’t a common knowledge about SSL, Neve, Studer, Eventide, and the like, so I felt like I had entered a truly special place and was more than enthusiastic in learning how to use those rooms. Well, that eventually backfired on me as I was essentially fired for sneaking in during off hours to work on my own projects more than I was allowed to. I fortuitously was offered a job at Pacifique Studios since they needed an SSL 9000J assistant (the main console at the Mix Room) at the time. After a couple of years there I interviewed to work with Chris Lord-Alge at Image Recording in Hollywood and got the job. I followed Chris to Resonate Music and then Mix LA over the course of 15 years.

One of the very best parts of that gig is that it was a part time job, alternating on and off every two weeks. That gave me ample time to work on my own projects while learning (and getting paid) with the big studio gig. It was awesome having the ability to learn new techniques from working on large projects like Green Day, MCR, Paramore, and others and then be able to apply them right away in the stuff I was working on.

Despite the plethora of hard skills that were accrued over that time, I would say that the most unique and special skills gained were the soft skills of handling session dynamics, and navigating successes/failures. It was good to see how even the cream of the crop take a loss now and again. Their resilience is a big part of what makes them who they are.

As far as those hard skills go, it is reps that makes the difference. Watching hours and hours of a master at work, or killing it in the classroom doesn’t create proficiency. It is all about gaining facility and getting fluid with the information you have gathered. In this field there is a lot of conflicting information about best practices. It is In those reps you can come to terms with what makes sense for you.

So far as speed and obstacles for learning, I am going to double down on reps, and mention that the one thing you can do to hamper your growth is to get complacent. If you are lucky enough to hang around for a career-length of time, you will have to accommodate stylistic and workflow shifts. Make sure to remember that style and process are fluid now more than ever and continue to grow.

Keith, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As mentioned above, I got into this via college and then years on the job. I have 27 years experience and still love working with analog gear. I do about 70% mixing, but love to record. Recording with my ample collection of guitars, basses, amps, pedals, synths, and other instruments is such a thrill. I mix music of all stripes, but I prefer to record indie, folk, and rock. Recording drums and guitars is particularly fun for me. I also find myself as a resource for producers that want to add bespoke recorded tracks to their productions in leu of samples or plugin presets.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I try to never lose sight that an artist is trusting me with their music. Especially with indie artists, this is no small privilege. I love helping musicians fall harder in love with their own creations. It is incredibly rewarding.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

There was a moment or hubris for me when I assumed that what I had been doing was THE way to go. I was fortunate enough to have a mix client to be patient with me as I navigated other workflow options to get where we needed to go and break through my stubbornness. That was more than just a career lesson, to be honest.

Contact Info:

• Website: Pietown sound.com
• Instagram: Properkeith