Production Expert Podcast

"Behind some of the world's greatest hits lies a great question: does constraint breed genius? In this Podcast Edition, Drummer Steven Gilchrist (Graham Coxon, The Damned, and Boney M) and Grammy winning engineer Liam Nolan (Rihanna, Stormzy, the Black Eyed Peas) sit down with our Host Ashea to reveal the behind-the-scenes of Adele's 'Hello,' the meticulous process behind the legendary Drumopolis project with Tony Visconti, and what it really takes to engineer records that resonate globally.
In This Episode:
Inside the Adele 'Hello' sessions: 
The mic chain that captured one of the biggest vocal performances of the decade (U47, Neve 1081, 1176)
How Tony Visconti designed Drumopolis: capturing '70s legend with modern flexibility across 29 microphones
The Decca tree, room mics, and why a tea towel on the snare matters (vintage tone with intention)
Why recording vibe, comfort, and 'reading the room' is non-negotiable—and what that looks like in practice
Analog vs. digital: the tape machine, commitment, and why limitations can raise the stakes for performance
Managing expectations: why clients listening on car stereos ask for mixes that don't exist, and how to set boundaries
Democratizing music production: why tools like Drumopolis matter beyond the studio
Working with Rihanna, Stormzy, the Black Eyed Peas & will.i.am: lessons from sessions with global superstars

About Our Guests
Liam Nolan
Liam Nolan is a recording and mix engineer who has recently transitioned to freelance work after years at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick. Over his career, he's engineered sessions with some of the world's biggest artists, including Adele, Stormzy, Rihanna, AJ Tracey, the Black Eyed Peas, and will.i.am. He was the engineer on Adele's Grammy-winning 'Hello,' credited for his work in a writing session that became chart history. His approach prioritizes artist comfort, technical precision, and understanding the unique sonic demands of each session. He specializes in capturing vocal performances and crafting the sonic identity of records at one of the world's most legendary facilities.
Instagram: @liamjnolan | Website: mixedbyliamnolan.com
Steven Gilchrist
Steven Gilchrist is an accomplished drummer, percussionist, producer, and engineer. He's performed with legendary artists including Graham Coxon, The Damned, and Boney M. As the owner and operator of Brixton Hill Studios, he works as a session drummer, producer, and engineer. Under his name Stephen Evens, he's currently working on his fifth record, all of which (except the first) have been recorded to tape. He collaborated with Tony Visconti on the Drumopolis project for Toontrack, providing his Ludwig drum kit and his mother's Premier snare for the sound design. Steven is a strong advocate for analog recording, commitment in the studio, and the philosophy that limitation breeds creativity.
Instagram: @thestephenevens | Brixton Hill Studios: brixtonhillstudios.com
About Our Host
Ashea
Ashea is a platinum-selling songwriter, music producer, and audio engineer from the UK. Her production and mixing credits include work with Alan Walker, Holy Goof, TS7, Billy Da Kid (Kiss FM), Steve Smart (Kiss FM), The Wideboys, MER, Sony Music, 2Tone Records, BBC, and SVT1 (Sweden). Through the Production Expert Podcast, she brings industry insiders together to explore the craft, process, and philosophy behind the world's greatest records.
Website: asheamusicofficial.com Instagram: @iamashea
Featured In This Podcast: 
Metropolis Studios: metropolisstudios.com
Toontrack Drumopolis SDX: toontrack.com
Brixton Hill Studios: brixtonrecording.com
Genelec UNIO Monitoring: genelec.com/unio
Source Elements Suite: sourceelem

The number of women working as audio engineers and music producers is falling, not rising. Ashea is joined by British-Ghanaian producer, rapper and author Nana Ayebi-Kwakye to discuss why the gap is widening, where the signs of hope are, and the thinking behind her children's book Delasi On A Mission, written to show young girls that the studio is a place they belong.

Women In Audio: Why The Numbers Are Falling, With Nana Ayebi-Kwakye
The proportion of women working as professional audio engineers and music producers has been moving in the wrong direction for years. The data is uncomfortable, the reasons are tangled, and the industry's response has been inconsistent at best. In this conversation, Ashea sits down with producer, rapper and author Nana Ayebi-Kwakye to talk honestly about what's happening, what's working, and why representation in children's books might matter more than another panel discussion at a trade show.
In this episode:
Why the percentage of women working in professional audio production is declining rather than growing, and what the available data actually shows
The signs of hope: the initiatives, mentorship structures and visible role models that are starting to shift the picture for the next generation
The principle Nana keeps coming back to: if you can't see it, you can't be it, and what that means in practical terms for studios, schools and parents
The story behind Delasi On A Mission, the children's book Nana wrote to put a young girl behind the desk rather than in front of the mic
The barriers that show up before anyone gets near a studio: perception, language, who appears in the photos, who teaches the classes
What working professionals can actually do, beyond awareness, to change the numbers in their own corner of the industry
About Our Guest: Nana Ayebi-Kwakye:
Nana Ayebi-Kwakye is a British-Ghanaian music producer, rapper and author. Her debut children's book, Delasi On A Mission, tells the story of a young girl discovering music production and learning to navigate the obstacles that come with it, aimed at readers aged six and up. She is also involved in initiatives including The Leading Vibe and her own Sounds You Make project, both focused on widening access to music production for young people.
About Our Host:  Ashea is a platinum selling songwriter, music producer & audio engineer from the UK. Credits & Placements Include… Alan Walker, Holy Goof, TS7, Billy Da Kid (Kiss FM) Steve Smart (Kiss FM) The Wideboys, MER, Sony Music, 2Tone Records, BBC, SVT1 (Sweden).

In this edition Ashea is joined by Arnd Kaiser, product designer & strategist at Fender Musical Instruments and Tony Carridi, global revenue and go-to-market executive at Fender/PreSonus where they discuss the new Fender studio re-brand. 

Ashea: platinum selling songwriter,  music producer & audio engineer https://asheamusicofficial.com/

In this episode Ashea is joined by Arnd Kaiser and Tony Cariddi of Presonus/Fender for a tense guitar and synth quiz designed to really test your abilities. If you fail it's worth thinking long and hard about your career choice because you're likely an impostor ;) Enjoy!

In this episode Ashea is joined by Emmy award winning composer Stephen Gallagher and Co-Founder, Creative Director and Head Composer at Sonuscore Tilman Sillescu. Where they discuss composing for film, what it was like being music editor for the Beatles Get Back documentary and of course, Sonuscore's luxurious products for composers. The all in one scoring tool, to rule them all!