Working Class Audio

Chris Shaw is a four time Grammy Award winning American producer, engineer, mixer, and musician. Beginning his career at Greene Street Recording, he quickly worked his way from his start as an NYU intern, to assistant engineer, to a position as a staff engineer working with influential hip-hop artists such as Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Run-DMC, and LL Cool J. In 1991 he played bass with LL Cool J on his famous performance on MTV Unplugged (along with De La Soul, MC Lyte, and A Tribe Called Quest). He went independent shortly after and has since made records with Weezer, Wilco, Bob Dylan, Ween, Jeff Buckley, Soul Asylum, Sheryl Crow, Super Furry Animals, Death Cab For Cutie, Lou Reed, Bad Brains, Ric Ocasek, Cheap Trick, Neon Neon, Elvis Perkins, Guillemots, Joss Stone, The Meat Puppets, Nada Surf, Dashboard Confessional, and The Derek Trucks Band. He has worked on six of Rolling Stone’s “500 greatest Records of All Time“.About this interview:Chris joins me to talk about keeping your m

Ed Brooks has been making records since the dawn of time, well almost. Ed started his career producing amd engineering records in basement studios, working his way up into major studios during Seattle’s music explosion of the early 90s. He started full time as a mastering engineer 18 years ago. Artists Ed has mastered projects for include, REM, Pearl Jam, Fleet Foxes, Death Cab For Cutie, Courtney Marie Andrews, The Head and The Heart, Chris Robinson, and Noah Gundersen. He also plays pedal steel guitar in several bands based in the Seattle area.About this interview:Ed joins me to talk about working at Tapco, transitioning from tech to recording to mastering, staying cool in intense studio situations and 90’s Seattle. Enjoy! -MattLinks and Show Notes:WCA Journal: https://amzn.to/2GN67TPResonant Mastering: http://www.resonantmastering.com/Credits:Host: Matt Boudreau Guest: Ed BrooksWCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell Announcer: Chuck SmithEditing: Anne-Marie Plea

Shani Gandhi is a producer, engineer and mixer residing in Nashville, TN. She has engineered for such artists as Dierks Bentley, Kelsea Ballerini, Alison Krauss, The Mountain Goats, Parker Millsap, and Sierra Hull. In 2017, she received a GRAMMY Award as an engineer for Sarah Jarosz’s folk album, Undercurrent, and was also nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.About this interview:Shani joins me to talk about her journey from Australia to the US, earning trust, not over mixing, immigration, the dynamics of Nashville and making time for yourself. Enjoy! -MattLinks and Show Notes:Shani’s site: https://www.shanigandhi.com/David Miles Huber’s YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2IOU7VnCredits:Host: Matt Boudreau Guest: Shani GandhiWCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell Announcer: Chuck SmithEditing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt BoudreauAdditional Music: The License Lab

Wesley Slover founded Sono Sanctus in 2011 as a means to freelance in music and sound design. He creates sound design and music for films, ads, apps, games, installations, and hardware with an emphasis on the intersection of sound and music. Some of his client list includes: Dolby, Spotify, Casper, Google, Facebook, the Atlanta Falcons, and Airbnb.About this interview:Wesley joins me to talk about the art & craft of sound design, scheduling, family time, the cassette tape guy, making stuff and church sound. Enjoy! -MattLinks and Show Notes:Wesley’s company: http://www.sonosanctus.com/Designing with Sound bookCredits:Host: Matt Boudreau Guest: Wesley SloverWCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell Announcer: Chuck SmithEditing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt BoudreauAdditional Music: The License Lab

Rachel Field moved to Seattle from California in 2009 and quickly became heavily involved in the PNW recording scene. She has worked in several areas of audio production, and found her passion to be mastering. As Mastering Engineer she works on all genres, and with a wide variety of local and international artists such as Whitney Mongé, Fauna Shade, Old Coast, Jericho Hill, Ryme, The Fucking Eagles, The Baggios, Mouths of Babes, and Anomie Belle. Rachel also does freelance recording in several studios in the Seattle area.About this interview:Rachel joins me to talk about food service, customer service, reading people, riding motorcycles, getting sunshine and mastering. Enjoy! -MattLinks and Show Notes:Resonant Mastering: http://www.resonantmastering.com/The Rolling Stones Documentary: https://www.netflix.com/title/80148239John Coltrane Documentary:  https://www.netflix.com/title/80147403Credits:Host: Matt Boudreau Guest: Rachel FieldWCA Theme Music: Cliff

Joe Finocchio is a musician and recording engineer (The Soft White Sixties, American Killers, Double Duchess, davOmakesbeats, The Family Crest) based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has spent the last 11 years making records in studios all over Northern California. Currently he resides at Santo Recording in Oakland and works out of his mix room in his Mission District apartment. Joe also works as a Production Manager for a Bay Area corporate AV provider called On Point Audio Visual. About this interview:Joe joins me to talk about his early struggles, the trust of mentors, skipping the intern process, working in corporate AV and not drinking with the band. Enjoy! -MattLinks and Show Notes:Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://amzn.to/2U3J8gVJoe's Site: www.gainandvolume.com Credits:Host: Matt Boudreau Guest: Joe FinocchioWCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell Announcer: Chuck SmithEditing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt BoudreauAdditional Music: The License Lab

Working Class Audio #224 with Frank Marchand!!!Frank Marchand is a recording engineer, mixer, producer, live sound engineer, broadcast mixer and Maryland native since 1976. He learned to play bass in his high school band in the late 70’s and was bitten by the audio bug when his band went into the studio for the first time to record some original material. He then attended a four year liberal arts college that had only one course in acoustics and four track studio that the director would not let any one use. After graduation he found work in a D.C. based mom and pop Hi-fi chain that specialized in selling blank recording media such as cassettes and blank video tape. Working up from the sales floor to the advertising end of the business he then landed a Front of House or House sound job at the now vanished Bayou in D.C. where he cut his teeth as a live sound engineer. After the stint at the Bayou, he then landed a job at Washington Professional Systems where he was the assistant to sound guru Greg Lukens and ow

Working Class Audio #223 with Doug McBride!!!Doug McBride is a man with many titles including studio owner, engineer, mastering engineer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, dad and husband. Doug founded and has run Chicago based Gravity Studios for over 20 years. He has worked with Izzy Stradlin, Veruca Salt, Smashing Pumpkins, Fall Out Boy, and many more. Doug lived in a treehouse in the Panamanian jungle for 3 months in summer of 1985 and he owns a beagle named Banjo. About this interview:Doug joins me to talk about running Gravity Studios, assisting for Steve Albini, 911, word of mouth, dealing with landlords and unexpected guests. Enjoy! -MattLinks and Show Notes:Gravity Studios: http://www.gravitystudios.com/Current sponsors & promos Credits:Host: Matt Boudreau Guest: Doug McBrideWCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell Announcer: Chuck SmithEditing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt BoudreauAdditional Music: The License Lab

Working Class Audio #222 with Justin Lieberman!!!Justin Lieberman is a recording engineer and producer with over two decades of experience.  Justin has worked with hundreds of artists on over 150 commercially released albums including Santana, George Winston, Roy Hargorve, Jonathan Richman, David Gray, Alanis Morissette, Les Claypool, Jennifer Nettles, Jackie King, Willie Nelson, Kronos Quartet, Ralph Stanley, Bill Frisell and many more.  Justin has also worked on several films, countless radio and television commercials and has recently been focusing his work on score mixing for video games such as the recent blockbuster release Spider-Man.Justin began his professional career in San Francisco at Toast Recording and then moved on to Different Fur Recording where he worked as a staff assistant and staff engineer for 7 years.  In 2004 Justin began working at SF Soundworks where he met a producer PC Muñoz who introduced him to the Talking House Productions crew.  Just joined the Talking House

Working Class Audio #221 with Hans DeKline!!!Hans DeKline is a Grammy-winning, Los Angeles based mastering engineer. Since 2005, he has mastered thousands of songs & albums by artists such as U2, Pixies, Snoop Dogg, Touche Amore, mewithoutYou, Morcheeba, Veruca Salt, Lisa Loeb, Diplo, Jack Irons, James Fearnley, Candiria, Ritchie Ramone, Twista, Jesca Hoop, DJ AM, Papa M, Skating Polly, Gary Jules, Ninja Sex Party, Tim Finn, Ben Lee, JMSN, The Growlers, The Paranoyds, The Von Bondies, Partyshank, Jon Lajoie, Matthew Ryan, The Romantics, Steve Aoki, Pace Won, 825 Records & YOU!Hans grew up in Tucson AZ where he started playing and singing in bands when he was 15.  His early audio experiences started with using  borrowed 4 track cassette machines to make mix tapes of hip hop and punk tunes recorded from vinyl. Hans would compress/eq and change level for each tune so that those tapes would play down like commercially released compilations.  He didn't realize it then but he was already star

“Artist” is the single word which best describes producer, mixer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Butch Vig.  Born in Viroqua, Wisconsin, his parents Doc and Betty exposed Butch to a variety of music and fine arts culture during his youth.While attending the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he received a degree in filmmaking, Vig focused on experimental music composition – an area that would serve him well into the future.  While at the UW, Butch jumped into the local music scene and joined the band Spooner as its drummer.  Unlike most drummers, content to bang out the rhythms, Vig pursued music composition with the band and stepped behind the studio glass to shape the recorded sound as a producer.After graduating from the UW, Butch co-founded Smart Studios and began producing and mixing albums.  His perseverance as an independent producer in Madison carried far beyond Wisconsin’s borders, as artists from around the country began to hear the clear, edgy, hard rock sound shaped by

Don Setaro is a producer and engineer based in the Central Valley of California with over 40 years in the world of music and audio. Don is also is involved in live sound, owns a record label and has an extensive background doing studio installation and wiring.About this Interview:Don Joins me at Highwire Coffee in Oakland, California for a chat about soldering thousands of cables, working on model trains for Neil Young, building studios, running a record label and his love for audio and making records.Show Notes and LinksDon’s Record Label: http://iacrecords.com/WCA Patreon Subscriptions: https://goo.gl/iSPLTSAudio-Technica: https://www.audio-technica.com/UA Promo: https://www.uaudio.com/uad-accelerator-promoAEA Ribbon Mics: https://www.aearibbonmics.com/Audio Life on Gearslutz: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/audio-life/WCA on Youtube: https://goo.gl/g5nsWGNational Audio Company (Cassettes): https://www.nationalaudiocompany.com/NAC Video Story: https://goo.gl/g8ss

Nick Luca is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer/songwriter/composer, music producer and audio engineer. He has toured throughout Europe, USA, Mexico, Canada and Australia with Iron and Wine, Calexico, John Doe (X) and his own band, Luca. As a session musician and audio engineer, Nick has credits on over 100 albums with artists such as Neko Case, DeVotchka, Robyn Hitchcock, Margaret Cho, M Ward, Darren Hanlon and many others. About this Interview:Nick joins me to talk about scenes, spirit animals, Calexico, Los Angeles, Kelsey Grammer, recording Hip Hop and diversification. Enjoy!-MattShow Notes and LinksNick’s Site: http://www.nickluca.com/WCA Patreon Subscriptions: https://goo.gl/iSPLTSOneMic Series: http://www.johncuniberti.com/onemic/Audio-Technica: https://www.audio-technica.com/UA Promo: https://www.uaudio.com/uad-accelerator-promoAEA Ribbon Mics: https://www.aearibbonmics.com/Audio Life on Gearslutz: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/audio-life/WCA on Youtube:

Working Class Audio #217 with Tony Maserati!!!Tony Maserati is a Grammy Award winning mixer, and record producer / engineer. He was involved in the development of the New York R&B and Hip-Hop scene in the 1990s, working with Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, and Queen Latifah. Since then, he has worked on Grammy nominated projects with Beyonce (who he won “Best R&B Album” in 2003 with “Dangerously In Love”), Jason Mraz, Robin Thicke, Usher, and Selena Gomez. Tony has been nominated for a total of 10 Grammys, with four in the “Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical” category.About this Interview:Tony joins me to talk about his 90’s New York history, early adoption of technology, setting goals, contracts, not working for free and hip hop. -EnjoyShow Notes and LinksTony’s site: http://tonymaserati.com/WCA Patreon Subscriptions: https://goo.gl/iSPLTSOneMic Series: http://www.johncuniberti.com/onemic/Current Sponsors and Promos: https://bit.ly/2WmKbFw

Working Class Audio #216 with Adam Gonsalves!!!Adam Gonsalves has mastered over a thousand releases from artists around the world. He is equally at home mastering for digital formats and cutting lacquers for vinyl. Prior to mastering Adam worked for 7 years as a tracking and mixing engineer at Anchorhold Recording. From 2010-2013 Adam also produced the Square Cad Mastering Podcast. In 2017 he was featured in the book Why Vinyl Matters. Adam received a master’s degree in Music Technology from New York University. Adam is  approved to provide Mastered for iTunes masters. Clients include: Willie Nelson, Peter Buck, Elliott Smith, Sleep, Blitzen Trapper, The Last Artful Dodgr, Sufjan Stevens, Pure Bathing Culture, Tender Loving Empire, Southern Lord, TKO, Living Music, Crane City Music, Typhoon, My Brightest Diamond, Dead Moon, Emma Ruth Rundle, Steve Aoki, Poison Idea, Rogue Wave, Ty Segall, Pelican, John Craigie, Earth, Horse Feathers, Blackwater Holylight, Calvin Johnson, Haley Heynderickx, Widowmaker, and ma

Working Class Audio #215 with NAMM 2019!!!  NAMM 2019 was fantastic as usual. Always so much to see. This episode is a little different compared to the others. Many WCA alumni come back for interviews including Vance Powell, Chris Selim and Lij Shaw and Alex Oana makes his debut explaining how his new venture Audio Test Kitchen works.  About this Interview: I hang out with Vance Powell as he tells me about his recent projects with The Stray Cats and Trey Anastasio. Alex Oana tells me all about Audio Test Kitchen and we wrap up with a semi-drunken ambush interview with Chris Selim and Lij Shaw at our AIRBNB. Enjoy! -Matt  ________________________________  Show Notes and LinksWCA Patreon Subscriptions: http://www.patreon.com/workingclassaudioVance’s Site: http://www.sputniksound.com/vance/Audio Test Kitchen: https://audiotestkitchen.squarespace.com/Recording Studio Rockstars: https://recordingstudiorockstars.com/Chris Selim’s Cubase Course: https://mixdownacademy.thi

For Bart Thurber, what started as a hobby, soon became an obsession that led him to start House Of Faith Studios in Palo Alto. When the graffiti covered building was torn down, his studio moved to Oakland. After 28 years, recording over 700 bands, Bart is still amazed by the musicians he works with. "Every band I’ve recorded has something unique and remarkable about them. I truly enjoy helping people achieve the recordings that they hear inside. As I tell my bands : ” I want this recording to sound like you, only more so. “ About this Interview: I head over to House of Faith in Oakland for a chat with Bart about the most common musician personality types, people skills, studio sharing and his recent (2014) transition from analog to digital. Enjoy! -Matt Links and Show Notes Barts site: http://www.bartthurberrecording.com/ Cubase Course: https://mixdown.online/en/the-ultimate-guide-to-cubase-new-premium-course/ WCA on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/working_class_audio Support WCA - Go Ad-Free! htt

Ken Riley’s career started in 1980 at 3D Studio’s in Costa Mesa with Doug Doyle. Recording such names as The Altar Boys, Crumbacher, Daniel Amos, and The Life Savors. Then creating the group Common Bond where he was the lead vocalist and the bass player. Common Bond toured and had 3 albums on Front Line Records. Then moving his career along to New York at Electric Lady Studios, where he worked with the best in the industry. Bringing it to today where he is in his own well established Rio Grande Studios in Albuquerque, New Mexico recording.In this episode, we discuss: Ken's history. The New Mexico sound. Artist's knowing who they are.  Ken's partnership with Drew Newman New Mexico and its people. Links and Show Notes Rio Grande Studios: http://riograndestudios.com/ WCA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/working_class_audio Go Ad-Free! https://glow.fm/workingclassaudio/ Connect with Matt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattboudreau/ Current sponsors & promos: https://bit.ly/2WmKbFw Wor

Working Class Audio #212 with Gentry Studer!!!Gentry Studer grew up with a definitive love of music. He played various instruments from an early age, later joining rock bands in high school. But with a name like “Studer”, although no actual relation to the famous tape machine, he was bound for the engineering world. Gentry graduated from the prestigious Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences program in 2013. He moved to Los Angeles and worked under one of the most iconic mastering engineers. In 2015 Gentry started his own company, Epicenter Mastering. In 2016 the operation moved into Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood, California. In 2018 Epicenter Mastering relocated down south to Nashville, Tennessee in the historic RCA Studio A building.His combined creative and technical backgrounds have informed Gentry’s approach to the art of mastering– not only to preserve and enhance the sonic qualities of an artist’s vision in the mix but also to bring across its feel and emotional intentions. As he puts i

Working Class Audio #211 with Jaimeson Durr!!!Jaimeson Durr is a San Francisco Bay Area recording engineer, mixer and producer that works on a variety of music genres from local legends like, Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Chickenfoot, The Circle, The Dead, Dan the Automator as well as many other new promising artists. For the past 14 years Jaimeson has been primarily working out of his own studio Wally’s Hyde Out (formally Studio C) in the legendary Hyde Street Recording Studio complex where many well known artists recorded including Santana, Clearance Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane,The Grateful Dead, Green Day, Train, and many, many more. He has also performed on and mixed several songs for hit prime time TV shows and movie trailers 90210, The Mindy Project, Ugly Betty, Rango, Arthur, The Lorax, Tangled and many more. About this Interview:Jaimeson joins me for coffee at Philz Coffee in Lafayette, California to discuss his journey, his mentors, never quitting and his work with Sammy Hagar. Enjoy! – MattS