Nathan Yarborough: Engineering for Heavy Music
Nathan Yarborough: Engineering for Heavy Music  
Podcast: Master Your Mix Podcast
Published On: Wed Mar 04 2026
Description: Nathan Yarborough is a Grammy-nominated recording engineer based in Nashville, TN. His credits include albums from Deftones, Korn, Code Orange, Mastodon, Alice In Chains, and Halestorm. Nathan began his career as a musician who eventually realized he loved the craft of recording more than playing and performing. After attending recording school in North Carolina, he moved to Nashville to look for work in a recording studio. An internship at Blackbird Studio opened the door to a 20-year career and allowed him to learn from some of the best engineers and producers in the industry.IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:How Nashville studios record 5 full songs in under 3 hoursTracking live off the floor vs. recording instruments separatelyAdapting your engineering to the production styles of different producersPreserving the signature sound of artists like Deftones, Korn, and Alice In ChainsHow to track drums with a focus on clarity, separation, and body.Finding weird places to put micsSpot-micing cymbalsThe challenge of maintaining phase relationships between multiple micsCapturing heavy guitar tonesTo learn more about Nathan Yarborough, visit: http://nathanyarborough.com/Looking for 1-on-1 feedback and training to help you create pro-quality mixes?Check out my coaching program Amplitude and apply to join:https://masteryourmix.com/amplitude/ Want additional help with your music productions?For tips on how to improve your mixes, visit: https://masteryourmix.com/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.comThe Mixing Mindset: The Step-By-Step Formula For Creating Professional Rock Mixes From Your Home Studio: https://masteryourmix.com/mixingmindsetbook/Check out our Sponsors:Download Waves Plugins here: https://waves.alzt.net/EK3G2KSubscribe to the show:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/master-your-mix-podcast/id1240842781Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5V4xtrWSnpA5e9L67QcJejYoutube: http://www.youtube.com/@MasterYourMixHave questions you’d like answered on the show?Send them to questions@masteryourmix.comPlease leave a rating and review:https://masteryourmix.com/review/Thanks for listening!