Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Rich Mahan Discusses Podcasting and the Quantum

19/07/2019

We recently had the opportunity to hear from Rich Mahan who is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, podcaster, and a PreSonus user! If you're not familiar with Rhino, we're excited to introduce you to it. It is important and very well-respected reissue label, the label home of Warner Music's legendary catalog. Currently living in Nashville, Rich where he records his podcast titled the Rhino Podcast. This biweekly podcast dives into classic artist and albums, interviews with musicians and lots of behind the scenes stories about some of the most legendary music. Their latest episode discusses Prince and it's very entertaining! Read all about his thoughts on the growing a creating a podcast, the industry, gear and the Quantum 2!

Tell us about your background. How long have you been in the audio industry?

I started recording in the mid 90's on a Vestax 4 track cassette recorder, moved up to a Tascam 388 reel to reel, and then to computer-based recording around 2003, starting originally using Vegas. I've been working in Pro Tools now for about 15 years.

How has the Audio industry changed since your early days?

The gear keeps getting better and better. The quality you can capture in a home studio or out in the field is unreal, and digital editing has changed everything. You can repair audio problems now that you simply couldn't before, problems that would necessitate re-recording a part.

What's your favorite podcast right now?

I love Cocaine & Rhinestones, by Tyler Mahan Coe (No relation). It's about 20th-century country music, it's really well researched and produced, and I've learned a ton listening to it.

Tell us about your podcast. Where did the idea for your podcast come from? How does your first podcast compare to your most recent?

The idea for the Rhino Podcast came from both Rhino and me and my co-host Dennis Scheyer. We pitched the idea to them and they said, We've been wanting to do a podcast so it came together pretty easily. The format since the 1st episode has changed here and there, but basically, it's still the same. Every once in awhile Rhino will want to add or take something out, so it is a living, breathing thing that progresses as it goes.

There are so many podcasts these days. How do you stand out?

There are a number of reasons why the Rhino Podcast stands out. First and foremost, we are fortunate to be working with the greatest musicians and artists of our time. Rhino Entertainment is the catalog arm of Warner Music Group, so we cover any classic recordings from Atlantic, Warner Brothers, Reprise, Elektra, Sire there's a wealth of musical riches to explore, and it's been thrilling to interview the artists who have created the soundtracks of our lives. On the production side of things, we hold ourselves to a high standard of audio quality; we fight hard to avoid using telephone audio for production purposes. If we can't interview an artist in person, then we get them into a studio or send a recordist to them to capture high-quality audio for production, and just use the phone to talk with each other, everyone wearing a microphone headset or phone earbuds so there's no monitor bleed into the mics. I spend a lot of time removing background noise and cleaning things up, removing lip smacks, getting fades perfect, and generally being a perfectionist. I don't let anything go. If I hear an issue, I fix it.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to start a podcast?

Really learn how to record and edit well to make a professional sounding product. Record and edit as often as you can, and practice, practice, practice. Record your friends' bands or your own music, interview your parents or grandparents and clean up the audio by removing ums, uhs, stutters and stammers, click and pops. Learn how the room you're recording in affects the sound of your recording. Experiment with different microphones, and buy the best gear for the job that you can afford. Garbage in, garbage out. There's a saying that you need to get 10,000 hours of experience to really start cooking, and there's something to that.

How did you first hear of PreSonus?

I first heard of PreSonus when I was building my first ProTools rig. I wanted better preamps than my Digi002 offered, and I scored a PreSonus Eureka channel strip on the recommendation of a friend. It was great to get a good clean preamp, compression, and EQ all in a one-rack space unit. I liked the sound of it so much that I then bought two PreSonus MP20's for tracking drums. That improved my recordings at that time dramatically.

What PreSonus products do you use?

Currently, I'm using a Quantum 2.

Why did you decide to go with Quantum?

There are a few reasons I went with the Quantum. Firstly because it has 4 mic inputs, along with a ton of other I/O options, which I need when interviewing multiple subjects simultaneously. Another huge feature is that the Quantum has 2 Thunderbolt ports which allow me to plug in my bus-powered thunderbolt drive into the Quantum, and then the Quantum into my Macbook Pro. Thirdly, I love the smaller footprint, its' not as wide as a piece of rack gear, so it fits easily into my messenger bag making it really easy to carry onto an airplane. And last but certainly not least, it is dead quiet, and there's plenty of gain in the preamps to drive a Shure SM7B, which is my VO microphone of choice. The Quantum sounds awesome.

What do you like about PreSonus? What caught your eye?

The folks at PreSonus really are the best to work with. If you have an issue or need to figure something out, you can get help and get back up and running quickly. But another great thing is their gear is intuitive and easy to use. It's easy to get great tones with their gear.

Recent projects? What's
LINK: https://blog.presonus.com/index.php/2019/07/17/rich-mahan-discusses-po...
See more stories from presonus

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

15/10/2025

Reporting that changes lives: Announcing the Young Journalist finalists 2025

Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...

15/10/2025

St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open Video

St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...

15/10/2025

Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsorships

Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...

15/10/2025

The Remaining Native Team on the Sundance Institute Labs, Community and More

By Paige Bethmann Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...

15/10/2025

Spotify Celebrates Two Years of Audiobooks in Premium, Fueling Growth and Discovery Across the Publishing World

Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...

15/10/2025

DJ Levels Up With Spanish-Language Requests, Text Requests, and Personalized Prompts

People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...

15/10/2025

DJ evoluciona con solicitudes en espaol, peticiones por texto y recomendaciones personalizadas

Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...

15/10/2025

Bruce Springsteen and Jeremy Allen White Unite in London for an Exclusive Spotify Conversation and Film Preview

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...

15/10/2025

Meet Spotify's RADAR Creators Global Class of 2025, the Next Wave of Podcast Talent

At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...

15/10/2025

New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS On Demand

New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...

15/10/2025

SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across the network

SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...

15/10/2025

Seeking Astrobiological Potential Millions of Miles from Earth

One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...

15/10/2025

Austin PBS Expands Facility-Wide Production Communications with Clear-Com

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

15/10/2025

Scality debuts industry-first AI certifications with more...

Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...

15/10/2025

2026 HPA Tech Retreat to Deliver Insight Innovation and I...

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...

15/10/2025

Interra Systems Drives Quality Compliance and Monetizatio...

At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...

15/10/2025

RMC BFM Group Selects Grass Valley to Power its Transitio...

Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...

15/10/2025

Appear to Showcase Next-Generation Hybrid Live Production...

Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future of hybrid, s...

15/10/2025

Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert

Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert The rap icon becomes the latest inductee, following luminaries such as Roxanne Sh...

15/10/2025

Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles

Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles Student artists will perform on multiple riverfront stages during the 60th anniversary of the world's...

15/10/2025

CobbTV Taps Pebble for Playout Automation

CobbTV, the government access television channel for Cobb County, Ga. recently acquired an automated playout system from Pebble, a global provider of automation...

15/10/2025

Appear to Showcase Next-Generation Hybrid Live Production at NAB Show NY

OSLO, Norway Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future...

15/10/2025

NBA Unveils Updated NBA App and Reimagined' NBA TV

NEW YORK The NBA is making major changes to the NBA App and NBA TV as it takes control of them from TNT Sports, which has long managed the league's digital ...

15/10/2025

DirecTV Announces Major Expansion of Interactive AI-Powered Features

SAN MATEO, Calif. In what promises to be a major expansion of interactive features and personalized content on the DirecTV platform, the operator and Glance hav...

15/10/2025

Roku Upgrades User Interface to Showcase Original Content

SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has launched changes to its user interface (UI) that the streaming platform says will better showcase original programming on the platform...

15/10/2025

OpenDrives Promotes Alex Dunfey to CTO

LOS ANGELES Software-defined data storage and data services provider OpenDrives has elevated Alex Dunfey to chief technology officer, responsible for driving th...

15/10/2025

Space42 and Autonomous A2Z Partner to Advance Smart Mobility Ecosystem in the UAE

Abu Dhabi, UAE October 15, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...

15/10/2025

Third series of Dream Car Fixers confirmed for U and U&YESTERDAY

Sheldon Nichols and Will Trickett to find and prepare more classic cars for budget conscious would-be owners from Wiser Films UKTV have recommissioned the clas...

15/10/2025

Sky celebrates Nick Cave in upcoming one-off special, The Veiled World of Nick Cave (w/t)

Wednesday 15 October 2025 Nick Cave JPEG (275 KB) Explore the creative univer...

15/10/2025

The Textorcist: Brits confess their scariest messaging moments

Wednesday 15 October 2025 From breaking up with your partner to quitting your job - new polling shows some messages are just too scary to send Over a fifth (...

15/10/2025

Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advanced performance meets affordability

Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advan...

15/10/2025

Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia

Back to All News Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia Entertainment 15 October 2025 GlobalTaiwan Link copied to clipboard ...

15/10/2025

Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline

Back to All News Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline Jeffrey Shapiro CEO, Eyeline Business 15 October 2025 GlobalCanadaInd...

15/10/2025

NESN Redefines Regional Sports Video Delivery with Harmonic

Deployed by Astound Business Solutions, Harmonic's Primary Distribution Solution Ensures Outstanding Video Quality and Seamless Ad Insertion at the Edge SA...

15/10/2025

RMC BFM Group Selects Grass Valley to Power its Transition to IP and UHD Production

Collaboration extends a trusted relationship as RMC BFM invests in scalable, fut...

15/10/2025

First look at new RT comedy-drama These Sacred Vows

Series coming in 2026 stars Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara released today RT today released first look images of new comedy-drama ...

14/10/2025

SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYNetworking event that preceded IBC2025 shone a light on elite live sports innovation acro...

14/10/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting'

SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revo...

14/10/2025

SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacing

SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacingThe Illinois State grad steers a vast schedule of motorsports events at tracks across the countr...

14/10/2025

Content Protection: Getting the Right Management for Your DRM

Content protection: Getting the right management for your DRM By Neal Romanek Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:11 Print This Story Eluvio power the EPCR'...

14/10/2025

As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, Global Matchups, and More

As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, ...

14/10/2025

Time and Effort: World's Largest Student-Led Broadcast Prepares to Go On Air for 24 Hours this Week

Time and effort: World's largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air...

14/10/2025

The Perfect Neighbor Takes a Novel Approach to Examining America's Race and Gun Violence

(L-R) Guest, Kimberly Robinson Jones, Geeta Gandbhir, Pamela Dias, and Takema Ro...

14/10/2025

Spotify Premium bietet jetzt verlustfreies Audio fr ein detailreicheres Hrerlebnis

Lossless ist jetzt mit Spotify Premium verf gbar. Verlustfreies Audio war eine...

14/10/2025

La qualit Lossless arrive sur Spotify Premium, pour une exprience d'coute plus riche

La qualit Lossless est disponible sur Spotify Premium. Le format sans perte de...

14/10/2025

Ed Sheeran's Play' Hits the Pitch as Spotify and FC Barcelona Launch Latest El Clsico Jersey Takeover

For the seventh edition of Spotify and FC Barcelona's artist jersey series, ...

14/10/2025

Spotify Expands Managed Accounts for Young Listeners on Premium Family Plans

Spotify is committed to bringing the best listening experience to all our users, and that includes parents and families. That's why we're expanding mana...

14/10/2025

Spotify's Fiction Podcast Caso 63' Reaches an Epic Conclusion

Since its debut, the Spotify Original podcast Caso 63 has been more than just a story; it's been a cultural sensation. The science fiction thriller captivat...