Billie Eilish Mix Engineer, Rob Kinelski - Pensado's Place

This week's guest has an amazing story that led him to working with some of music's top acts including Billie Eilish, Big Sean, No ID, 30 Seconds to Mars, Alessia Cara, and many more. Please welcome to The Place, Rob Kinelski!
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[@ReeseWitherknife]

I can't believe I get to enjoy such superb quality content so specific to my interests for free. You guys are amazing.

[@ameerjoziah3264]

I know im randomly asking but does any of you know a tool to log back into an instagram account? I was stupid forgot the password. I would love any help you can offer me

[@kcsounds]

For anyone who's thinking of quitting - DON'T, that's the point when something goods gonna happen :)

[@NickNova324]

Three Feet From GOLD

[@joehazeofficial2]

25 years later... (gunna happen soon). 🥴

[@kcsounds]

@@joehazeofficial2 hang in there... you’re so close 🙃

[@kodakeller6353]

He seems like such a down to earth humble guy. I love the way he comes off sort of insecure about his technical knowledge. He works so simple with waves plugins and it seems he doesn’t do too much he just does little stuff here and there until it sounds good and just lets the tracks breathe. The tracks feel and sound so much more organic that way. I love when he said a lot of his mixing is just listening and taking it in, I love it. Sometimes you just have to appreciate what’s already there and not do too much to add anything to it. Really great interview! Looking forward to his future work :)

[@tentinquarantino2535]

well said!

[@DavidBallin]

He's so positive, nice and humble. He knows his abilities but is also just totally honest with the way he works and sounds. Truly inspiring

[@mattTriv]

Met rob a couple times before he mixed Billie and he is such a humble and nice guy that I can say this is who he is and he mixes on a laptop!

[@Eeen_Engineer]

“Don’t get in the way of it” sounds like a really positive way to view getting on with hard work and never whingeing! Sounds like this guy knows what’s what. Best interview Iv seen on here yet!! 37mins of ‘I am really good at fixing it in the mix but am so much more than that’ while still managing to hold down his job. :)

[@eggbass]

Kudos to Rob. He seems like such a genuinely humble guy.

[@kelvynification]

Rob really seems like a super nice guy. Talent mixed with graciousness and humility. He deserves his success.

[@connorwyle5790]

Dang, I was just scouring the internet to learn more about this guy and BAM! 👍🏼

[@vadykk]

Same

[@Austin-vk1lw]

SoundCloud kinda has dropped quite a bit in the years. A lot of people I know don’t listen to SoundCloud anymore. I’m surprised that this worked out. But she is super talented! So that’s how it works out

[@kodakeller6353]

Austin it’s still the best platform for those who don’t have connections within the industry. It’s the most organic platform for bedroom producers/artists to grow. It’s gone out of style a little bit but it will never go away. Many artists still thrive coming from there and there’s still a lot of people looking there for new stuff. Although KZbin is arguably becoming a better platform for new artists you can’t deny the organic nature that SoundCloud provides.

[@iOWNyouFOOLaskYOmama]

Use every platform there is.

[@HollerAtcherBoi]

Bro do you remember Soundclick!!?

[@willheppel6611]

Rob is subtle, humble yet self assured and he nailed it

[@indigoclean]

THE best interview ever. The best. Energy wise.. flow wise.. info wise.. top! tnx!

[@dulla8469]

i love it when a legend isnt afraid of showing other younger creatives in the same career path as his that they did something better than him, and give them props for it

[@dakotabook04]

I love this guy. His energy is everything!

[@thecurdge5934]

More and more gems for us independent artist. Thank you!

[@ArtbyAtlas]

You can tell he really loves his job!

[@YJbeats]

Wowww no way i was really hoping you will get this guy on heree, thank you

[@MitsurgyS]

Yo thought I'd inform you I checked your channel from this comment, just cuz i felt like it and i liked what i saw bud, nice beats ^^

[@YJbeats]

MitsurgyS appreciate that allot mann, thank you 🙏

[@rw7799]

i always wandered who bought the big horse lauren shirts.

[@adriansanchez4875]

Lol

[@DOKOTV]

Cannot believe we found this channel this late in 2020. 👏

[@GraemeWoller]

Humble dude, wonderful episode. Thanks!

[@gavmurray7398]

humbling to hear someone assisting on a Beyonce record then not being able to get a gig for 6 months..

[@rhaab117]

Another awesome show, thank-you so much boys! Kinelski's a mad dog!

[@andiherzog]

What an awesome dude and interview! Seems like such a good guy to be around and work with.

[@nextnely]

"my food orders were on point" haha, respect

[@drummerjeroensimons]

No watching TV for me on friday, but PP ...always...:) Great work guys!!! And don, t forget Warren Huart on Producelikeapro with his great Academy, where I,m also a member of...:)

[@dougthemoleman]

Billie went viral overnight, sure. But they've always been very smart about their marketing, and they have good connections. Maybe they shared the song really cleverly. Getting even a thousand plays on a song on day 1 if nobody knows who you are, that's kind of a fairy tale. The only time I've had even hundreds of plays before promoting were singular obsessive fans or stalkers. So I'm thinking they already had some kind of audience and some kind of plan to share the song from the get go.

[@RomanTheRapper]

Her whole family is in the industry...I'm sure they shared it to their industry friends who made sure it got reposted by the right ppl

[@branscombeR]

The story they tell is that 'Ocean Eyes' was recorded and uploaded to Soundcloud as an easy way for Billie's dance teacher to download it for choreography purposes. Billie and Finneas have said multiple times in interviews that they had no expectations that the song would be of interest to anybody else and were shocked when it clocked 1000 downloads within 24 hours. It was much later that industry scouts started to call. The siblings claim they did not have any industry connections that helped them. www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/finneas-responds-billie-eilish-success-parents-connections-2614198 ... R (Australia)

[@RomanTheRapper]

@@branscombeR That's a nice story but both her parents are in the industry and Finneas has acted in movies and tv. There's no way they didn't have industry friends seeing and reposting their songs.

[@marcus1190]

do you guys have a spotify podcast?

[@juliannegron1995]

This dude is dope. Great interview! 👂🎥🔥

[@Maxxwavvy]

Thanks for the Amazing input 🙌🏾 you guys rock

[@vazen33]

so he mixes into compression and limiting on the mix bus which is cool, but what about when he sends the final mix to mastering? Would you leave all that on the master channel or take off just limiter before sending out to master engineer? Any advice or insight would be very helpful Thanks!!!

[@RC6207videovariety]

I'm no professional, but I think as long as the processing on your mix buss is relatively light (I suppose this might depend on the genre/song, though) and not effecting your headroom too much it's okay to leave that stuff on when sending it away for mastering. The FX on your mix buss is obviously adding something to the entire song, and if you spend the entire mixing process working through those processors then they effectively become a characteristic of your mix. Take em off, and your mix may lose some of its magic and glue. That's just my take on it though. There are lots of ways to go about it. Ultimately I think the most important thing is to communicate with your mastering engineer and figure out how they want the song delivered to them.

[@lordgraga]

Awesome interview. But for a show about audio, this sounds sooo boomy on my home monitors.

[@TheAlbiCollier]

Such an informative, giving, interview! Brilliance!

[@Paul-dw2cl]

How do they get Billie’s vocals so loud and upfront ? I know it’s compression, but it sounds like a new effect. I’ve never heard that kind of clarity

[@alanuchiha]

maybe it’s because she sings so close to the mic?

[@gisellechacon7081]

Rob actually gave us the answer to this question- it's all about the volume automation. He's automating it note by note to get just the perfect level on her every note, and that means a lot less need for compression. You end up with a very upfront vocal that still has dynamics. Which is super cool with Billie's soft touch style and expressivity.

[@ryun3307]

Wow! A ton of gems just listening.

[@mrfleamino9350]

amazing talk

[@OverdriveMusic]

I'd love to see an interview with whoever produced Bebe Rexha's track 'Not The One'

[@sereroserera367]

Can anybody explain the game they're playing at the end?

[@dafingaz]

Great interview!

[@TheBlashMusic]

Incredible interview!

[@mayanknaikmusic]

Amazing content Pensado's Place!

[@kimjongun2529]

How do we hear the original vs. mixed and mastered....?

[@ElektroHaus]

Amazing, thanks!

[@OverdriveMusic]

Dave's looking healthier than 5 years ago!

[@remedymusic305]

You guys are the best. Hopefully I have some luck on the sweetwater giveaway and we can have the chance to talk

[@heckovermeplease]

This makes me realize i must stop giving a hoot, and simply making, until the audio engineers start questionin they’re undeniable skillz to make room for my sound. Bad ass stuff, love fin and billi, and dave and herb, so much.

[@drmedwuast]

starts 2:23

[@billbull4924]

Just turned in!

[@maxonthetrack]

Great interview

[@XrictosTkd]

Yess

[@DontRushRecords]

Shout out Brian Marquis! Therefore I Am is one of the best bands.

[@bboymac84]

Wow so inspired!!!

[@adenaas9108]

Rob reminds me of actor Jonah Hil ...anyone else get this from himl

[@thelab705]

Yet Another Great interview!

[@castrogarcia97]

14:00

[@benjaminsweetmilk5013]

What a guy.

[@shahnewazmanto4798]

Did Rob Kinelski use any hard-ware or ITB ?

[@mariusL7667]

Both, Dangerous Compressor.

[@worknow5619]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@adammalekos3788]

Anyone know the books that are on the table?!

[@freeespiritu13]

The Pensado Papers Al Schmitt on the record The plain and simple guide to music publishing Recording Vocals with Dave Pensado

[@janukomski6728]

love that record, long live all trap sounds!

[@KaBASS]

sooo the cups are just decoration then

[@zionherbert]

What a previlege

[@CamRebires]

Lol, I thought Finneas would do all the mixing, now I feel stupid

[@lighterwaves5659]

me too, lol Finneas is good, but ahh A LOT went into Billies stuff. the ME has an interview on youtube too.

[@sereroserera367]

When it comes to potential hit songs, most produders won't mix their own records because of ear fatigue.

[@brooklynboy1000]

sounds like a dude who hit the lottery

[@trashboy9517]

He kinda looks like Lars Ulrich

[@Boissinova]

First! lol

[@brandondithberry]

If Rita Ora needs a ton of other individuals to be flown across seas and states to write her music...she's not talented. I know artists personally who should be in her shoes for how hard they work on their music and the thought that's put into it. Sad that it takes almost 5 layers of management and production to get terribly written music on the radios and in pop culture.

[@GoodfaYou]

Most artist use writing camps now ..you are out of the loop

[@user-ej7ss8ei2g]

@@GoodfaYou sad part is youre both right.

[@CamRebires]

@@user-ej7ss8ei2g Well played

[@talk2322]

Billie has a good voice, but she didn't just became an overnight thing. Her parents both are in the entertainment industry, lets just say she got a little (sarcasm) help.

[@EnglishMike]

LOL. Her parents aren't movie stars, they were just like thousands of other actors that fill the pages of IMDB that nobody's ever heard of. How come all their kids didn't make it? Her parents had no professional connection with the music industry I know of.

[@3llipsis181]

People need to stop giving Billie Eilish all of the credit for that record saying it was all done in her bedroom 🙄

[@machosouldeep]

Ellipsis Music he stated that they give him a really good recorded record that makes it easy for him to mix. That’s why he has to do so little in mixing because from her bedroom they are creating the best, lyrics and recording it. That’s a major part of it.

[@3llipsis181]

@@machosouldeep never really was impressed tho ig. Honestly i listened thru the album a few times and i didnt get anything really exciting out of it. It had some decent songs, but i felt a similar feeling about Igor, by Tyler, The Creator. There are high points but the reality is it seriously under-lived the hype

[@lesliebrunner8017]

Sorry this is a mistake. I hit the dislike button by mistake.

[@heckovermeplease]

Pensado is a bad ass absolutely

[@heckovermeplease]

Dave pensado is so flippin awesome too. Protect him at all cawsts

[@heckovermeplease]

Herb is hella interesting. Like as a person

[@heckovermeplease]

“Vintage presets” 😱

[@heckovermeplease]

Anybodg else wanna mid/side eq the mp3 of pensados place vids? Lets all do it together

[@losangeleslovesyou]

Great interview!