Working Class Audio

Jim Homes is a producer /engineer and one half of the production team known as Boe Weaver who have worked with artists including Champs, Whyte Horses, Wolfpeople, Archie Bronson Outfit and Rhys Lewis. Jim is our guest today since according to him he is the chatty one and brother Rob is the quiet one. Jim and Rob parlayed their 90's era band's minor success into a production  career by making some very good decisions  about gear and money early on. Their studio is located on the Isle of Wight South of London on property owned by the Crown where they rent a 3 story water tower to make records in. Raising families and careers, the brothers have taken what some would see as a disadvantage (being isolated away from London) into an advantage by bringing artists to a truly magical place away from distraction to focus purely on music. About this Interview:Jim chats with me about living and working on the Isle of Wight with brother Rob, raising a family, working 9-5, working below a giant water tank and

Dom Morley is a Grammy Award winning producer and mixer based in his own Oxfordshire (UK) studio. Dom engineered  Amy Winehouse's number 1 "Back To Black" album, Mark Ronson's "Version" and "Record Collection", Richard Ashcroft's 'These People' and "Keys' To The World', the Grinderman (Nick Cave) debut album and singles for Adele, Morrissey & Estelle amongst others. Some recent mixes include Sting's 5.1 "Live at Durham Cathedral", Solomon Grey's debut album, Mull Historical Society's 'Dear Satellite' & 'City Awakenings' (both of which Dom also produced) 'Colin MacIntyre's "The Water", the Million Dollar Quartet OCR, and the soundtrack for the upcoming British film 'Gozo'. Dom has also engineered or mixed for Rag'n'Bone Man, The Staves, Rumer, Keane, Birdy, Lemon Jelly, Jeff Beck, Sting, I Am Kloot, The Verve, Live8 (DVD) and Underworld, as well as working with The Police on the pre-production for their world tour and recording and mixing the audio for the 5 "Intros" and "Input/Output" series (Mu

Bill Smith is a recording engineer & producer wIth over thirty years experience in the music industry. He’s worked with YES, John Fogerty, Steve Lukather, Trevor Horn, Natalie Cole, George Benson, Queen Latifah and many more. He’s been  involved with numerous Gold, Platinum and both Grammy winning and Grammy nominated records and film soundtracks. Simultaneous to his own career he also spent eleven years as the personal recording assistant, co-engineer and Pro Tools operator to twenty-two time Grammy winning recording engineer, producer and industry legend Al Schmitt. Bill has an extensive and diverse background in rock, jazz, orchestral and big band recording. He has also with been involved with product and preset development for both the hardware and software versions of the Lexicon PCM96 and the TC Electronic M6000 Multichannel Processor.About this Interview:In our interview we talk about Bill's early days in New York as a recording engineer and his decision to move to California. We also tal

Brett Bullion is a mixing engineer and producer based in Minneapolis, MN. Born 1984 in the suburbs of MN, Brett Grew up on 90s Warp Records and the Ornette Coleman box set. Brett's recording path started with playing drums in studios and eventually led to getting a Roland a digital multitrack as a kid. Brett earned  his  BA in theology from St Olaf College and eventually moved to Seattle where he spent his time drinking coffee, eating noodles, but kept recording on his own. After a move back to Minneapolis, he toured with Tarlton and Dark Dark Dark . Hundreds of sessions later he stopped performing to focus full-time on recording and mixing and has been at it ever since.About this Interview:I met Brett at Mix with the Masters in France. After hearing his work and spending time drinking wine, eating meals and talking shop I knew he had to be on the show. Enjoy!Show notes and links: www.brettbullion.com Morph plugin Coil Tap microphone

Rene Coronado graduated in 1999 with with an AAS in audio engineering from South Plains College and jumped straight into the working world as an audio engineer at Dallas Audio Post where he does audio post and mixing, sound design, field recording and voice production. He also builds and releases sfx libraries at echocollectivefx.com and is the co host of the tonebenders podcast  along with Tim Muirhead. About this Interview:I interviewed Rene when I was in France staying at Studio La Fabrique. We were challenged by 2 visiting wasps in my room and therefore did the interview in two parts (1 for each wasp-kidding). We discuss Rene's job at Dallas Audio post, work/life balance, sound design, capturing sounds in the field and maintaining those sounds for future access as well as his podcast Tonebenders. Special thanks to Mark Kilborn for setting this up! -Enjoy!Show notes and links:http://dallasaudiopost.comhttp://tonebenderspodcast.comhttp://echocollectivefx.com http

This week WCA features the 2017 attendees to Mix with the Masters with Tchad Blake. Noam Levinberg, Rishi Bradoo, Eduardo Molina Goigoux, Jeremy Glover, Chris Brandes, Brett Bullion, Peo Hedin, Horacio Bolz, Ryan Worsley, Matthias Ortner, Guillaume Charret, Manuel Egger, Vincent Bonanno, Oded Davidov, Bas Kennis and Gilles Olivesi all join me for short conversations about their experience learning from Tchad Blake at Mix with the Masters 2017. About these Interviews:From Sept. 20th-26th I was in France attending Mix with the Masters with Tchad Blake. I met a great group of audio pros while there. We formed a strong bond and I felt it was important to have a brief chat with each one of them over the course of the time I was there. These interviews took place in the backyard of Studio La Fabrique in St. Remy de Provence. 

Working Class Audio #144 with Jack Shirley!!! Jack Shirley is a record producer, audio engineer, musician and owner of The Atomic Garden Studio located in Palo Alto, California. He is best known for his work with Deafheaven,  Loma Prieta,  Bosse-de-Nage, Punch, Whirr,  La Bella, State Faults and Frameworks. Jack is currently one year into building a new studio in Oakland, California that will become the new Atomic Garden and has been designed by Wes Lachot . About this Interview:I visit Jack at his new studio location in Oakland, California and see the building in process. We talk about Jack's humble beginnings at his parents house recording on an Mbox and Dell Computer all the way to his current setup of an API 1608 and 2 inch analog machine. Jack takes me through his progression as an engineer and businessman, laying out his approach to money, band and work. Jack is truly passionate, focused and just an all around nice guy. Enjoy,   -MattShow notes and links:Atomic G

Working Class Audio #143 with Rocky Gallo!!!Anthony “Rocky” Gallo is a producer/recording engineer based in NYC.  Rocky has worked with artists such as John Legend, Tycho, Carrie Underwood, Cat Power, Yeasayer, Mos Def, Carly Simon, Jon Bon Jovi, Perry Farrell, Warren Haynes, Travis Barker, Robert Randolph, Andrew Bird, KRS1 and Talib Kweli just to name a few.As the former Chief Engineer at The Cutting Room studios for years, Rocky has worked on platinum award-winning and many Grammy-nominated projects. He has worked closely with notorious producers including Steve Lillywhite, Eddie Kramer, Will.I.AM, Track Masters, and Jimmy Douglas. Rocky is constantly producing artists himself and is always excited to work in all music genres.Since then Rocky has opened his own studio Virtue And Vice Studios located in Brooklyn, New York. Featuring a Vintage 8024 Neve Console(coming soon) he’s put together a variety of great instruments and high end analog equipment into one place with rates the indie a

Working Class Audio #142 with Tim Randolph!!!Tim Randolph is a musician, songwriter and record producer. After producing for several indie bands in a variety of studios across the U.S., Tim co-wrote and produced Nico Vega's debut album in 2007.  Since then, he has gone on to produce for and co-write with international stars such as Imagine Dragons, including two tracks from their 2017 album Evolve, reaching number two on billboard charts.  Along with a thriving career in production, Tim is a multi-instrumentalist that has toured globally, most notably playing arenas and festivals with The Killers.About this Interview:TIm joins me for a chat about his early recording and live sound days as well as  his current work producing and cowriting with Dan from Imagine Dragons. We also talk about the finer details of working with people in the music industry when it comes to songwriting splits and signing on with a manager. -MattShow notes and links:UA Link for Apollo Rack Dream Studio: http://www.u

Chris Selim is a musician, music producer and recording/mixing engineer.  Chris is renowned for his work in the French Christian music industry. Having produced and mixed artists globally in Canada, USA, France, Belgium and Switzerland, Chris has been working remotely with many of these artists using today’s technology. Out of his recording studio near Montreal, Canada, Chris has mixed and produced more than 75 albums over the past fourteen years.   Chris has worked with Canadian Christian Artist, Convenant Award winner (Canadian version of the Dove Awards) and Juno nominee Lianna Klassen. French Christian Artists such as Impact, Seb Demrey, Luc Dumont, Andreanne, Peggy Polito to n

Working Class Audio Session #140 with Robert Scovill!!!Robert Scovill is a modern day renaissance man with interests and activities spanning a wide breadth of professional audio. Robert is a 35-year veteran of professional concert sound and recording and has mixed over 3500 events in his career. His engineering and production talents have been enlisted by a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ of marquee music acts including Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Matchbox Twenty, Jackson Browne, Rush, Def Leppard, Prince and many others.Scovill’s body of live sound and recording work has garnered numerous industry accolades including 6 TEC Awards for technical and creative achievement in sound reinforcement. Robert is a 4 time nominee, two time winner of the PLSN Parnelli Award for live sound engineer of the year and has been a multi-year nominee for Mobile Production’s “Top Dog” Award along with being an inaugural nominee for the highly coveted Pensado Award for live sound excellence.As the owner of Eldon’s Boy Productions Inc

Langston Masingale has been working in recording studios for the last 24 years, starting at age 16 in his uncles studio in New Jersey.  Langston helped start JJ Audio Mics in 2009 and in 2014 invented what would become the core technology of Zulu.  He formed Handsome Audio in 2015 with his partner Tod Levine and Zulu was released this year. Langston still owns a recording studio called Narrative Audio based in Syracuse, NY where he still produces and records artists.His passion for the analog aesthetic drives him to create new and interesting tools for the modern recording engineer and record producer alike. About this Interview:Alan Evans (WCA#133) suggested I talk with Langston. Langston talks about his early experiences with his Uncle's studio in New Jersey, how early exposure to analog tape shaped his sonic viewpoint and lead him to develop Zulu. Langston also talks about his faith, family and how his experience in college also helped drive him to be the person he is today.  -Matt

Ryan Massey is a musician, recording engineer/producer, and is the co-owner of Sharkbite Studios and Jack London Rehearsal in Oakland, CA. Ryan has spent a lifetime in music- singing with the SF Opera as a choir boy, belting out punk rock anthems with his band American Steel (Lookout Records/Fat Wreck Chords), doing the pop thing with Communiqué (Lookout), rocking with The Sunset Shipwrecks (Lugosi Records), touring the world, running both studios and a very small label.About this Interview:Ryan came over to the house and chatted about many things including how he became the co-owner of Sharkbite Studios, how he runs his business, getting and beating Cancer, the importance of his family and the Bay Area recording/music scene. I have great respect for Ryan. He's a hard working honest guy who deals fairly when it comes to business.

Anthony Gravino is an independent musician and record maker in Chicago, Illinois. He primarily works as a producer, recording engineer, mixer and mastering engineer out of his private studio, The Drake in Chicago, IL. In addition to his music production background, Anthony also plays guitar, bass, percussion and sings as a backing musician and a solo artist in both live and studio settings. His work includes an eclectic variety of styles across many genres including rock, jazz, blues, folk, pop, classical, R&B and a lot of stuff in between.About this Interview:Anthony talks with me about being influenced by Adam Schmitt and our mutual friend Jonathan Pines, how he runs his studio, the transition from day jobs to full time recording professional, insurance, and the importance of getting out of the house to see live music and meet bands.Show notes and links:RIN-M Meta Data Plugin. Choose your airline seat carefully! seatguru.comThe Desk  https://output.com/products/platformAnthony's website: https

Kevin Becka has worked as a recording engineer for over 25 years, working with the top names in music including Kenny G., Quincy Jones, Michael Bolton, George Benson, George Lynch, and more. An experienced educator, Kevin is currently the co-director and instructor at The Blackbird Academy in Nashville. He has also taught advanced recording at Belmont University, surround recording and lecturer at the Danish Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was director of education and instructor at the Conservatory of Recording Arts for over 10 years. Kevin is a journalist who has worked as editors of Pro Audio Review and Audio Media USA magazines. Since 2003, Kevin has been the technical editor of the industry-leading Mix Magazine where he writes features, product reviews and a monthly column.About this Interview:On my recent trip to Nashville I was given a tour of Blackbird Studios by former WCA guest Mark Rubel (WCA #034). On that tour I was introduced to Kevin Becka.

Working Class Audio Session #135 with Jacquire King!!!Jacquire King is known for his work with  Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, James Bay, Modest Mouse, You Me At Six, Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, Of Monsters and Men, Josh Ritter, Cold War Kids, Punch Brothers, City and Colour, Moon Taxi, Robert Ellis, Amber Rubarth and Dawes. Our interview takes place at Jacquire's private studio outside of Nashville, Tennessee where he graciously invited me over to have a chat and discuss our common connection to the Bay Area. We discuss his time there coming up as someone trying to make his mark in the studio scene and the changes that eventually convinced him to move to Nashville. We follow that up with his transition into Nashville and the struggles that followed and of course the success that followed that. Jacquire is a thoughtful and low key person who shares his views on what inspires him and how he works to inspire others. I have to say this interview really inspired me and got me thinking about my own career and what I c

Working Class Audio Session #134 with Andrew Oswald!!!Andrew Oswald is a recording engineer who is based out of Oakland, CA who makes records almost everyday. He  co-owns and operates Secret Bathroom, a recording studio in West Oakland, where he also does a monthly live in studio podcast called Live From Secret Bathroom, that features new and upcoming bands. Andrew started recording bands in high school while growing up in San Diego where he also took a series of Pro Tools certification classes. Eventually he made his way to the Bay Area to go to recording school even though he already accumulated a few years of experience . While in recording school he continued to record bands and become affiliated with local recording vets Eli Crews (WCA #044) and Jonah Strauss (WCA #016)  who gave him keys and access to their studios . Andrew found early success with his recordings of the band Ash Borer which were both praised by Pitchfork . After graduating Andrew  and his studio partner Max Senna opened S

Working Class Audio Session #133 with Alan Evans!!!Alan Evans is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, studio engineer, record producer, whose “retro” style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk,jazz,reggae and the psychedelic. In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Evans often plays all the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and percussion himself on his solo recordings. Alan Joins Matt for a discussion about his musical side, family, living in a small town and keeping things relaxed and musically focused in the studio.Show Notes:Link to Evernote I mentioned in the monologue. https://evernote.com/Link to Alan's studio: http://www.ironwax.com/

Working Class Audio Session #132 with Ian Shepherd!!!Ian Shepherd is a mastering engineer owner of Mastering Media Ltd, host of The Mastering Show podcast as well as the founder of the website Production Advice. Over the last twenty years he's worked on literally thousands of CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays for all of the major record labels, TV stations and independents, including several number one singles and award-winning albums. Ian has been  a fierce critic of the so-called “Loudness Wars” and in 2010 he organized the first Dynamic Range Day to raise awareness about the issue. He also developed two plugins with MeterPlus – Perception, which received an AudioMedia Gear Of The Year award in 2014, and Dynameter, which helps you achieve optimal audio dynamics for your music, and competitive loudness for online streaming. Ian has worked with  Keane, Tricky, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Deep Purple, The Orb, Leslie Garret, Culture Club, Porcupine Tree, Andy Weatherall, The Las, Ozric Tentacles, Chr

Working Class Audio Session #131 with Ronan Chris Murphy!!!Ronan Chris Murphy works around the globe in the wide extremes of music and in the last 20 years has amassed a discography spanning several hundred albums including work with international pop stars to some of the most respected virtuoso musicians in the world.As a producer, engineer and/or mixer, Ronan Chris Murphy has worked with the likes of King Crimson (several albums), Steve Morse (Dixie Dreggs Deep Purple), Terry Bozzio (Zappa, Missing Persons), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Pink Floyd)), Martin Sexton, Jamie Walters, Ulver, The California Guitar Trio, Chucho Valdes y Groupo Irakere, Pete Teo Joan LaBarbara (Philip Glass Ensemble, Steve Reich) Nels Cline (Wilco) as well as various projects featuring members of Tool, Ministry, Weezer Dishwalla, and Yes.Before diving into production and mixing Ronan spent several years as a musician playing in bands in the scene that later became know as grunge, sharing the s