Table of Contents
- Interview with Easton Allyn
- You started out as a news anchor and movie theater projectionist before moving into Network Operations Center Engineering and eventually becoming Executive Producer of American Top 40. How did that early, varied broadcast experience shape the way you approach audio production today?
- American Top 40 reaches roughly 500 stations, all with different equipment, formats, and listening environments. What does it take to produce a countdown show every week that has to sound great everywhere from a car radio to a home stereo, and how does that constraint shape your production choices?
- You're credited at the end of every Pod Meets World episode as "engineer and Boy Meets World superfan." How much of a difference does it make engineering a show you're genuinely a die-hard fan of, versus a project you're purely approaching as a professional?
- Pod Meets World mixes co-host banter, archival clips, and guest interviews with original cast and crew – a very different animal from a scripted music countdown. What changes about your engineering approach on a conversational rewatch podcast versus AT40?
- Between the two shows, has iZotope RX ever bailed you out on a tricky recording – a rough remote guest connection, a noisy archival clip, something like that? What did you use to fix it?
- You've been running The Eastie Awards for a decade now. What made you start it, and has producing your own passion project taught you anything that carries back into your day job?
- What's the most challenging part of your job in a typical week, and what's the most rewarding?
- A lot of our readers are audio producers and engineers hoping to break into radio, podcasting, or syndicated production. What advice would you give someone trying to build a career like yours?
- Is there anything else you'd like to add – about your work, the shows, or anything we haven't touched on?
- Take control of your podcast audio
From local radio waves to syndicated powerhouses, audio engineering is equal parts technical precision and creative adaptation. Few people exemplify this balance better than Easton Allyn.
Having started out as a news anchor and movie theater projectionist before rising through Network Operations Center Engineering, Easton now serves as Executive Producer of American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest and engineer for the hit podcast Pod Meets World. Whether he is mastering a broadcast heard across 500 affiliate stations or cleaning up remote interviews recorded in acoustically challenging spaces, Easton relies on a deep passion for the medium – and a few trusted tools in the rack – to keep the audio pristine.
We sat down with Easton to talk about his journey, his technical workflow, and how iZotope RX rescues audio on the front lines of radio and podcasting.
iHeartMedia Executive Producer Easton AllynInterview with Easton Allyn
You started out as a news anchor and movie theater projectionist before moving into Network Operations Center Engineering and eventually becoming Executive Producer of American Top 40. How did that early, varied broadcast experience shape the way you approach audio production today?
Easton Allyn: I’ve always been drawn to the relationship between technology and storytelling, especially the intimacy of audio. I fell in love with AM radio because I saw the power it had to connect the community in a way I still don’t even see on the internet. A host can express an idea or give an interview, and through invisible radio waves it instantly reaches people in their cars and in their homes and it could potentially change their life. I find that connection very important and that intimacy is something I strive for in every program I’m involved with, from breaking down drama on The Bachelor to a town hall with Governor Gavin Newsom.
American Top 40 reaches roughly 500 stations, all with different equipment, formats, and listening environments. What does it take to produce a countdown show every week that has to sound great everywhere from a car radio to a home stereo, and how does that constraint shape your production choices?
Easton: The key is giving our affiliates the best audio quality from the source with no compromise. We record Ryan Seacrest in a top-of-the-line studio and utilize a highly specialized post-production chain so that even our smallest radio stations can sound like Z100 in New York or KIIS FM in LA.
You're credited at the end of every Pod Meets World episode as "engineer and Boy Meets World superfan." How much of a difference does it make engineering a show you're genuinely a die-hard fan of, versus a project you're purely approaching as a professional?
Easton: Well, I love all my children equally ;). But when I’m working on a show that covers something I have a strong passion for, I get a chance to put a little more “sauce” on it. I love adding in fun sound effects or feeding the hosts extra information or material while they record – it’s a blast!
Pod Meets World mixes co-host banter, archival clips, and guest interviews with original cast and crew – a very different animal from a scripted music countdown. What changes about your engineering approach on a conversational rewatch podcast versus AT40?
Easton: With Pod Meets World I have to be ready for ANYTHING. In the middle of a recording I could be asked to pull audio from a 90s Nickelodeon Gak commercial and be ready to put a voice modulation on a guest so they sound like Alvin & the Chipmunks. Knowing those quick requests could happen at any time keeps me in shape and on my toes.
iHeartMedia Executive Producer Easton Allyn mixing on set at the iHeartRadio Theater
Between the two shows, has iZotope RX ever bailed you out on a tricky recording – a rough remote guest connection, a noisy archival clip, something like that? What did you use to fix it?
Easton: RX is invaluable to every podcast we produce at iHeartRadio. Pod Meets World records in Los Angeles, which can be a very hot place, and that means we deal with a lot of fan noise. RX’s Spectral De-noise has helped keep our hosts cool and the audio nice and clean.
I also frequently use RX’s De-reverb to help out when we interview guests who felt the need to record in an empty airplane hangar or their local cathedral. It’s saved us too many times to count!
De-reverb module in iZotope RX 12You've been running The Eastie Awards for a decade now. What made you start it, and has producing your own passion project taught you anything that carries back into your day job?
Easton: I used to make a list at the end of the year that I called The Eastie Awards to highlight very favorite (and very specific) things, then when Instagram Live became a thing, I decided to do a “show” which 6 people watched. As the years went on I asked some of the podcast talent I work with to be “presenters” and now it’s become a real live show!
I’ve had Paris Hilton, Ryan Seacrest, the stars of Boy Meets World and One Tree Hill join in and it’s been so much fun. Doing the Awards has definitely given me more admiration for live show production, and it helps me understand how to serve talent better when they’re hosting.
What's the most challenging part of your job in a typical week, and what's the most rewarding?
Easton: The most challenging part has to be the uncertainty of a remote guest interview. We prep our guests as much as possible and will even send them microphones to use, but sometimes they log in from the beach in Costa Rica on their phone with an internet connection that makes dial-up seem like fiber. But we always find a way to make it pleasant to listen to!
The most rewarding part is seeing the feedback from listeners and hearing about how the shows we produce are part of their weekly routines. It’s such a gift and a privilege to be let into people’s ears like that.
A lot of our readers are audio producers and engineers hoping to break into radio, podcasting, or syndicated production. What advice would you give someone trying to build a career like yours?
Easton: Say yes to everything and talk to everyone. You never know what new skill you could pick up or an opportunity that could present itself!
Is there anything else you'd like to add – about your work, the shows, or anything we haven't touched on?
Easton: As a podcasting fan myself since 2009, it’s so incredible to see the medium continue to grow in popularity, to the point where young kids are saying they want to be podcasters when they grow up! I just have so much respect and admiration for sharing human stories and ideas through audio and I feel so lucky I get to be a small part of the magic. And don’t forget to like and subscribe!
Take control of your podcast audio
Whether you are taming background fan noise or controlling room reflections from remote recordings, the right post-production suite makes all the difference. Learn more about how iZotope RX can help clean up dialogue and rescue production audio on your next show.
