Few people are lucky enough to grow up in the music business. Ryan Hewitt had the fortune of being raised in and around recording studios from an early age; the perfect springboard for his career as an in-demand engineer/mixer for bands including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flogging Molly, the Avett Brothers and Chili Pepper John Frusciante’s solo projects.

Glenn Rosenstein is one of those powerhouse engineer/producers who cut his teeth at NYC’s Sigma Sound in the ‘80s. Madonna, U2, Talking Heads, and Ziggy Marley are just some of the artists whose records received Rosenstein’s golden touch. These days, he is producing hits in his own studio in Nashville.

Hans Zimmer is one of the most prolific and compelling film composers in Hollywood. With more than 100 films and eight Academy Awards to his name, a short list of Zimmer's scores include the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Gladiator, The Lion King, The Da Vinci Code, Sherlock Holmes, The Last Samurai, Kung Fu Panda and The Dark Knight.

GRAMMY®-winner Mike Shipley is one of the music industry’s top mixers; his hit-making career spans over thirty years. He seldom grants interviews, so I was thrilled when he agreed to speak with me about how he uses UA hardware and UAD Powered Plug-ins. Born in Australia, Shipley moved to England as a teenager, and there became interested in recording.

JR Hutson is a highly-in-demand songwriter and producer in LA’s thriving R&B scene. Best known for his work with Jill Scott, Hutson also produced Musiq Soulchild’s GRAMMY®-nominated song, "Sobeautiful". Hutson is no newcomer to the music business. His mother was a professional opera singer in NYC and his father was an R&B musician.

Veteran hip-hop/electronic producer Arabian Prince has enjoyed a steady career of hits spanning 25 years, and he’s not stopping now. An original member of NWA, along with future stars Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, Arabian’s sound reflects both the early West Coast hip-hop scene and a deep Euro-electro influence. More recently, Arabian has been involved with remixes, and music for animation and video games.

Jacquire (pronounced Ja-KEER) King has emerged as one of the most exciting engineer/producers of his generation. Of King's work, noted multi-Platinum and Grammy-winning producer/engineer Joe Chiccarelli recently observed, “Jaquire constantly seems to get inside the artist and push out their best work. He seems to have a way of making unique sounding albums without ever overshadowing the artist with that production.”

Justin Niebank could very well be the nicest guy on the planet. He is also more than eager to talk about Universal Audio. No attitude here, even though Justin is one of the hottest engineers going right now with five--count ‘em, five--albums in the Top 40: Fearless by Taylor Swift, Defying Gravity by Keith Urban, Unstoppable by Rascal Flatts, American Saturday Night by Brad Paisley, and Kenny Chesney’s Greatest Hits.

Justin Smith, aka Just Blaze, was spinning records in clubs when he was just fourteen years old. Now he produces Platinum-selling mega-hits for stars such as Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Talib Kweli, Saigon and Kanye West. Smith's unique style and technique are identifiable through his clever manipulation of sample speed, handcrafted drumbeats, and penchant for horn stabs.