Tour Butch Walker’s Hit-Making Studio

Learn how the Green Day and Weezer producer crafts killer rock with Apollo, OX Amp Top Box, LUNA, and UAD plug-ins.

In this episode of UA Live, Grammy-winning producer, engineer, songwriter, and solo artist Butch Walker shows you how he creates banging rock tracks using Apollo interfaces, OX Amp Top Box, LUNA, and UAD plug-ins.

From dialing in guitar mics to getting the perfect drum “smack,” Walker shows you how a true A‑lister crafts his sounds.

(32:09) Tracking with OX Amp Top Box

Here, Walker explains how he uses OX Amp Top Box as part of a multi-amp signal chain, and how he finds the perfect blend of direct, amp, and room sounds.

(35:59) Using Multiple Apollo Interfaces

Learn how Walker integrates an Apollo x8p, two Apollo x16s, and three Apollo UAD OCTO Satellites in his Grammy-winning setup.

(56:59) Plug-In Chain to Make Drums “Smack and Breathe”

Using the Thermionic Culture Vulture, Pultec EQP-1, Empirical Labs Distressor, AMS RMX16 Reverb, and Ocean Way Studio plug-ins, Walker shows you how to add thickness, heft, and air to kicks, snares, and overheads.

(1:04:55) How to Use Neve Summing in LUNA

Find out how Walker adds tone and complexity using Neve Summing in LUNA, tweaking high- or low-impedance, Level, Gain, and Trim controls to get results previously only available with expensive analog consoles.

(1:18:43) Crafting Killer Guitars

Find out why the Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ plug-in is Walker’s go-to for electric guitars. Then, learn how to use the Neve 1073 to remove rumble using the hi-pass filter, carve out spaces between 50Hz and 300Hz, and add extra midrange and “hot top.”

(1:31:07) Compress the Sh#t Out of It!

Here, Walker shows how he uses the Fairchild Tube Limiter and UA 1176 plug-ins together, and balances their individual tones for maximum spank appeal.