How Derrick Schneider Joined TALLAH | Nu Metal, Max Portnoy and Modern Metal Guitar

We sat down with Derrick Schneider of Tallah for an in-depth conversation about his journey into one of modern metal’s most chaotic and exciting bands.Derrick takes us all the way back to his Tallah audition, including the wild story of auditioning with a Dream Theater song, and explains what it took to land the gig in the band founded by drummer Max Portnoy.From there, we get into what life in Tallah actually looks like behind the scenes — the practice and preparation required to perform their music, the challenges of translating such intense material to the stage, and what it’s like playing these songs live night after night.Of course, we had to talk GUITAR GEAR.Derrick breaks down his live and studio setup, his experience with Schecter guitars, why he uses the EverTune bridge, and the gear that helps him pull off Tallah’s aggressive, technical sound.But Derrick’s musical life goes much deeper than guitar.Over the years, he’s gone deep into audio engineering, recording, mixing and production, developing the skills to create killer mixes not only for Tallah, but also for other artists and clients. We talk about how he approaches mixing heavy music, what he’s learned from producing his own band, and how becoming an engineer has changed the way he thinks about guitar tone, songwriting and making records.If you're into Tallah, modern metal, guitar gear, Schecter guitars, EverTune, audio engineering, mixing, music production or the realities of being a working metal musician, there’s a ton to dig into here.Hosted by Drew Creal & Christian ColabelliTopics include:• How Derrick Schneider joined Tallah• Auditioning with a Dream Theater song• Playing alongside Max Portnoy• Learning and practicing Tallah's music• Preparing for live shows• Derrick's guitar rig and gear• Schecter guitars• Why Derrick uses EverTune• Recording heavy guitars• Audio engineering and music production• Mixing Tallah• Mixing and producing music for clients• Developing your ear as an audio engineer• The relationship between guitar tone and a great mix• Life as a modern metal musician