Working Class Audio

David Streit is a producer, mixer, recording engineer, and live sound engineer based in Portland, Oregon. He has been working with sound for over 30 years.David began his audio career working in clubs and venues in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. He loved seeing bands play live, and became an avid concertgoer. These experiences proved to be very useful when he decided to move to Nashville, Tennessee and become a recording engineer. David developed his recording skills assisting and learning from the engineers who came before him as he rose up through the studio system in Nashville. Eventually, he became an engineer and producer himself and has been a freelance audio engineer in Connecticut and Santa Cruz, California.Now, David is happy to call the Pacific Northwest his home, and is excited to be a part of the amazing vibrant music scene in Portland. David has a bachelor’s degree in recording from Middle Tennessee State University, and learned about mic’ing classical ensembles as an intern at The Aspen M

Mike Stevens is a Producer, Engineer, Drummer & Percussionist. A life-long lover of music, bringing more than 20 years working as a professional musician throughout the US and abroad, as well as a decade of producing, recording and mixing San Francisco Bay Area bands. Coming from New York City in 2006, his diverse experience has brought a unique perspective into his work. He has been called upon to work with many San Francisco artists and bands (including ska pioneers The Uptones and Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek), as well as playing percussion for Donna Summer’s 2008 Crayons tour. He has a deep understanding of what makes a song great, both as a musician and listener, in the studio, onstage and on the air. Mike started his own Recording Studio in 2009 to establish an artist-friendly hub for creators of great music and the people who listen to it. When he isn’t touring or performing on stage, he dedicates his time to working with new and seasoned artists, helping them discover what

Manny Sanchez began his professional career in audio in 1999 as an unpaid intern at Chicago Recording Company. He had no formal training but a hunger to learn and quickly began assisting on high profile sessions. In 2000 he was the third assistant on the last Smashing Pumpkins sessions before they had their first hiatus. He befriended Billy Corgan and Billy insisted he be placed on any further sessions at CRC. In 2001 Billy formed Zwan and asked producer Bjorn Thorsrud to inform Manny that Billy would like him to engineer the demos for the band. This was a daunting task for Manny and he had to request that the demos be recorded to analog tape because he hadn’t learned Pro Tools yet. Billy agreed and eventually Manny was asked to record their album “Mary Star of the Sea” alongside producers Alan Moulder and Bjorn Thorsrud. The recording of this record would have a profound effect on Manny and would shape his entire career.After finishing up a long and arduous stint working solely for Billy, Manny decided he ne

Brian Gibbs is Producer, Engineer and Owner at Tool Shed Studios (70+ record credits 2017). An accomplished musician and performer with a B.M. Degree from Berklee College of Music, he brings his diversified portfolio of skills and passion past the stage to his roles as a producer, studio engineer, FOH engineer, music teacher (percussion, keyboard, strings and vocal instruction) and as a mentor to the college interns at the studio.  Assistant Engineer (pre-production) 2015 Grammy winning album “Realidades”/ Los Tigres Del Norte  AES San Francisco Treasurer (3 years)  AES International Diversity & Inclusion Committee  Audio GANG Member  Berklee College of Music Alumni Committee  Recording Academy Voting Member  Recording Academy P&E Wing Advisory Committee (SF Chapter)  Recording Academy District Advocacy Captain About this Interview:Brian joins me for a one on one chat about immersive audio, the details of running a studio business, buying your neighbors wine and making your bed. Enjoy! – MattShow Note

Hosted in association with Sound On Sound Magazine, Music Expo is a series of annual events full of workshops, lectures, studio sessions, discussions and product demos bringing 3,000 musicians, engineers, technophiles and tastemakers together. The event was the idea of Loïc Maestracci who does an amazing job bringing people together. WCA #206 is just one of many panels that takes place at Music Expo as as well as many lectures and workshops. About this Interview:I was headed out the door to appear on a panel for Music Expo SF when I saw a notification on Twitter from Matt Carnes of Colorado Recording. Matt asked if I would be recording the panel. To be honest it never occurred to me until I read Matt's tweet. As a result I was able to capture my conversation with Karrie Keys, Piper Payne, Brian Gibbs and Frank Socorro for a panel called "Survival of the Fittest - How to Really Make A Living In Audio". Enjoy! – MattShow Notes and Links Music Expo: https://musicexpo.co/ Sound Girls (Karrie Keys): https://sound

Franklin Emmanuel Socorro started his audio career in the early 2000s working in the Miami area recording the diverse styles that happen in a city that’s such a melting pot. During that time an opportunity to work on a Bad Boy project put him on a fast track that led to him working with artists such as Mary J Blige, Lenny Kravitz, and Lauryn Hill. Eventually, he would land a position as head engineer for super-producer Salaam Remi. This new position brought a wider range of projects from Nas and Cee-Lo to major motion picture work for Rush Hour and Sex and the City. Along the way came 5 grammy nominations and several gold and platinum plaques. He currently operates his own studio while working with the future of audio at the SAE Miami campusAbout this Interview:Frank joins me to tell of his incredible story of his rise to the top and the thing that changed it all, his early training with Charles Dye, working with Salaam Remi, Diddy, Tony Maserati, and finding peace in claiming control of his time. E

Streaky’s mastering journey began in 1996 when he landed his first job at Zomba’s Battery Studio in London, learning the art of compact disc mastering alongside Chris Parmenidis. The first record he mastered was ‘Return of the Mac’ by Mark Morrison, following that early Groove Armada and other 90’s club classics!Moving on to The Soundmasters in 2000 learning how to master for vinyl under the veteran mastering engineer Kevin Metcalfe. Here working with some legendary artists including Kasabian, Snow Patrol, Usher, The Prodigy to name a few. In 2003 whilst at Soundmasters Streaky set up the world’s first online mastering studio ‘eMasters’ this method has now become the norm for mastering as the internet has developed.2013 saw Streaky base himself at Metropolis Mastering in London, taking the opportunity of working alongside mastering legends John Davis, Stuart Hawkes & Tim Young where he continued to help artists big and small to achieve their dream sound.2017 Streaky opened his own mast

Doug Clarke is a passionate audio engineer, mixer, sound designer, and musician. Based in Sydney’s Inner West, Doug works as a freelance engineer at multiple studios. Working withartists and songwriters as well as doing sound design and mixing for TV and Films. Following his graduation from the Queensland University of Technology in 2013 with a Bachelorof Music, Doug worked at Hunting Ground Studios recording bands such as Bay Harbour, Sun Heights (Pee Records), Matt McGuire, SkullClub (Sony), SkiesCollide, First Sight, El Monstro, and Courtney Heaton. After an intense 18 months of recording nonstop, Doug moved to Sydney in late 2015and began working at various studios such as One Flight Up and A Sharp Recording. Going freelance in late 2016, Doug extended his audio network into post-production by working at Two Dogs TV, Warner Bros ITVP, and Endemol Shine. 2018 has been a busy year for Doug as he finished producing and mixing the debut record with Vacant Shade at Arthur Street Studios, mixing Channel 10

Mixerman, professionally known as Eric Sarafin, is a producer, mixer, and recordist with multiple gold and platinum sales awards to his name. After 25 years of operating out of Los Angeles, Eric currently resides in Asheville, NC, where he produces and mixes acts from around the world. Eric has worked with numerous National and International acts including The Pharcyde, Tone Loc, Spearhead, The Brand New Heavies, Ben Harper, Amy Grant, Lifehouse, Barenaked Ladies, Hillary Duff, Foreigner, and Australian phenom Pete Murray, just to name a few.Mixerman gained notoriety as an author from his first work, The Daily Adventures of Mixerman, a satire of a Major Label recording session from the early aughts that delighted and surprised well over 150,000 unique visitors. In 2008, Hal Leonard picked up his Adventures, and since 2010, Mixerman has written 5 books including Zen and the Art of Mixing, Zen and the Art of Producing, Zen and the Art of Recording, followed by another music business satire #Mixerman a

Christopher Scott Cooper has played guitar since age 5, composer/songwriter since age 15, and audio engineer/producer for the last 30+ years. Became a FOH mixer/Live Sound Engineer by default and spent the late 80s touring and providing services for many a band. In 1990 decided a new path in the studio was a better option and spent the next 15 years at Music Annex studios going from an intern to Chief Engineer. 15 years ago he chose the independent route and built a cozy high-end studio (Blue Seven Audio), and came full circle to being a FOH mixer again for the Fox Theatre in Redwood City and for various events and bands around the Bay Area. Experienced in live recording, live sound, sound effects capture, sound design, studio recording, toys, games, TV/Film, wiring, the system installs, computer/data management, electronics repair… all by necessity. He has also taught courses at Cogswell College and guest lectures at various Audio Institutions. Chris still writes and composes for his band New Sun,

When I asked Tchad if he had an official bio he said…”Probably, It’s just not written down. ” 

Pete Lyman is a GRAMMY-Nominated mastering engineer based out of Nashville, TN and owner of Infrasonic mastering, an audio and vinyl mastering studio with locations in Echo Park, California and Nashville, TN. Pete has mastered Grammy-nominated projects for Panic! At the Disco, Weezer, and Grammy-award winning albums for Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton. In 2016 he was recognized with a GRAMMY Nomination for Album of the Year for Chris Stapleton’s Traveller. Pete’s music career began at the age of 14, playing bass in a number of bands in Boulder, CO, California’s Bay Area, and Los Angeles. Over the years he has shared the stage with a variety of bands including My Bloody Valentine, The Mars Volta, and Sebadoh. In 2004, Pete opened Infrasonic Sound a 2000 sqft tracking studio in the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of El Sereno. During its tenure, the studio was host to numerous bands including The Mars Volta, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Beck, People Under The Stairs, and Liars. By 2005, he added a mastering s

Fela Davis is a graduate of Full Sail University and has over 17 years of experience in audio engineering. Her past experiences include working for industry powerhouses Clair Broadcast and House of Blues. Fela is currently the front-of-house engineer for Christian McBride. Fela co-founded 23 DB Productions with Denis Orynbekov. The company does a variety of work including mastering, recording &mixing as well as video content. 23dB has been a gateway for Fela to begin producing, shooting, and editing for endorsement and product videos for social media (Focusrite, Lewitt Microphones, and Big Joe Stomp Box). Using the videos to teach the audio community about new products and hone her skills at video production. 23dB eventually created their own video series called The Art of Music Tech. The series featured audio giants Leslie Ann Jones (Head of Skywalker Audio) and Jeff Bova (Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock). Each featured guest talked about their career in audio and the audio gear used on their b

Pete Weiss is a New England-based producer/engineer/mixer/musician. His unfussy, organic, “artist first” work has earned him a reputation as an outstanding producer who can adapt to many musical genres and is unafraid to ignore stylistic conventions. Notable artists Weiss has worked with include Charlie Chesterman, Chris Brokaw, Kustomized, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Doug Yule, Moe Tucker, The Upper Crust, Aimee Mann, Lee Ranaldo, Bell X1, Drive-By Wire, One Happy Island, Kingsley Flood, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Two Dollar Pistols, Bow Thayer & Levon Helm, Don Lennon, Hayley Thompson-King and many others.In 1989 he co-founded Zippah Studio in Boston. Selling his share of Zippah in 2004, he built and opened Verdant Studio, an “open room” retreat-style studio with artist lodging in rural Vermont which he now uses as a home base.When not in the studio, Weiss fronts the instrumental band The Weisstronauts and is a member of the experimental pop collective known as Sool. He released a solo album

Adam Rossi is a music and sound producer working in San Francisco. Past projects include music production for local Bay Area artists Jeffrey Halford and The Healers, Morsifire, Brad Brooks, The Welcome Matt and Luce; music scores for VR games War Hammer: Betrayal at Calth and Bounce (Steel Wool Studios), and sound design, music and voice over for award winning toys by KID Group.Adam’s work in the VR world has led to music, sound design and voice over work on immersive projects for the films Ready Player One and Jigsaw, Mercedes-Benz, Visa, SAP, Lexus, Sprint, LG, Kaiser, Carnival and many others.When he’s not locked in the studio, Adam can be found playing keyboards with local Bay Area artists and jumping on the occasional tour to Europe with Jeffrey Halford and the Healers.About this Interview:Adam joins me to talk about his journey that started with an 8th grade run-in with Eric Valentine to his mom’s garage to crappy midi composing jobs to making records with Tom Luce and much, much more!. Enjoy! – Ma

Sherry Klein is a Post Production Re-Recording Mixer for Television and Film, she is currently living in Los Angeles, Ca. and works with Smart Post Sound in Burbank. Some of her past credits include Queen of the South, Reverie, Burn Notice, Arrested Development, Sons of Anarchy, and The Shield. She is currently a Board member of the CAS (Cinema Audio Society) and chairs their annual Student Recognition Awards.She first became “aware” of audio while attending Berklee College of music in Boston studying Arranging and Composition. There was a small 2-track studio in the basement of the main Berklee building where she had to record her 4th semester term project. This was the experience that she remembers as the start of her fascination with sound, and the beginnings of her journey from musician, to record engineering and finally into post production mixing.“I consider myself very lucky to be working within this talented community of people who have continually inspired me t

Sara Carter is a BBC trained, mixing and mastering engineer based in Hampshire, UK.Sara started recording and mixing music in the mid 90’s as a hobby from a small home studio after playing guitar for many years. Then, in 2000 in a bold move, she decided to sell her house, give up her established career of 16 years and relocate to London to turn that hobby into her new full-time career.She studied at the SAE Institute in London gaining an Audio Engineering Diploma and soon after secured a position as a BBC Radio Studio Manager (sound engineer) working on the UK’s most listened to radio shows, live music sessions and major music festivals across all of the BBC’s main music networks. She also created the foley and sound effects on several radio drama productions and comedy shows.Above all, she relished working in the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios where she developed her mixing and critical listening skills, working on sessions with a wide variety of artists from Crowded House to The Cure and Adele to The Black Keys t

Drew Vandenberg is an engineer, producer and label owner based out of Athens, Georgia. He got his start working at legendary Chase Park Transductions studios when he was just 16, learning the finer points of the craft from studio founder David Barbe. He left his homebase for a time to get a degree in the recording arts from Indiana University, returning to Athens to work on pivotal records for Ra Ra Riot, Toro y Moi, of Montreal, Kishi Bashi, Tall Tall Trees, Fred Thomas, Mothers, Faye Webster, Futurebirds and dozens more. Though centralized in Athens where he lives with wife Catherine, Vandenberg often travels to engineer special projects, as well as producing and mixing remotely.In 2018, he formed True Blue Records, a label he closely supervised, working directly with new artists The High Divers, Partials, and Curt Castle on the creation and release of their albums. The label also recently began a series of specially recorded 7″ singles, inviting bands into the studio

Ryan Earnhardt is a video creator and studio owner who produces a YouTube show called Creative Sound Lab. It covers recording-focused topics and out-of-the-box topics such as DIY effects. He recently built a Pooper Time Cube (A delay made from 4 inch drainage pipe) and created a reverb out of a garden hose. Creative Sound Lab stresses fundamental recording techniques and capturing real sounds such as using re-amping during mixing or using echo chambers for vocals – even if that chamber is your living room! Ryan has partnered with Brian McTear (WCA #060) of Weathervane Music and author Eric Sarafin aka “Mixerman”. Ryan started Creative Sound Lab in 2013 because he saw a need for something different than computer screen videos that mostly covered mixing topics. He currently has over 37,000 subscribers and hosts over a dozen online courses at Creative Sound Lab.tv Ryan’s studio, Lumen Audio, is debt free and supports his wife, and 4 kids. For fun he enjoys fresh mountain air, e

Will Sadler was born in Columbia, SC but within two months his parents had moved to Las Cruces, NM. After traipsing across the south, first at Mississippi State and then in the Raleigh/Durham, NC area, he returned to Las Cruces and finished a degree in Political Science. Somewhere in the midst of starting a Master’s Degree in History, Will was sidetracked by the need to correct his Tejano bands flagging sound system and the rest is history. Today, Will helps KW Sound and Hubbard’s Music aid Las Cruces in having better sound at their concerts and in their buildings. Hopefully, more often than not, succeeding.About this Interview:I join Will at his house for a chat about his journey from bass player to live sound engineer and installer, running a small sound company in New Mexico, the culture of Las Cruces, finding satisfaction by not joining big tours and his brush with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) Enjoy! – MattShow Notes and LinksHubbard Music : http://www.h