Working Class Audio

For episode 618, Matt talks with Chris Dacoron, a Bay Area mixing engineer working mainly in R&B, pop, and hip hop. Chris runs his mix business, Skye Heart Sound, out of his home studio in Martinez, California, and has been at it for over 20 years. The two met at a Bay Area Audio Nerds gathering. Chris started out as a singer in an R&B boy band that moved to Los Angeles in 2004, became an accidental studio assistant along the way, and switched to engineering full time when the group broke up in 2006. They talk about learning by level-matching his mixes against finished records, the Auto-Tune idea he shot down years before T-Pain, the artist vision form that cut his revisions to one or two, going hybrid after one hardware EQ changed his mind, saving rough iPhone vocals, why networking in person still matters, and how to DM artists without sounding like a car salesman.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Growing Up in the Bay Area Singing Along to Boyz II Men
• Forming an R&B Boy Band and Moving to Los Angeles in 2004
• Winning a Talent Competition and Becoming a Studio Assistant Nobody Was Looking For
• The Group Breaks Up in 2006 and the Clean Cut to Engineering
• Coming Home to the Bay Area and Building a Freelance Career Through Word of Mouth
• Setting Rates in the Middle Based on What Outside Engineers Charged
• Learning From Claudio Cueni, Tony Shepperd, and Ken Lewis
• Level-Matching Mixes Against Finished Records to Learn What a Final Sound Is
• Always a Student: R&B Sounds Change Every Five Years
• The Auto-Tune Idea Chris Shot Down Before T-Pain Made It a Hit
• The Artist Vision Form: Understanding the Artist Before Moving a Fader
• Handling Revisions as a Collaboration Instead of a Critique
• Going Hybrid After One Hardware EQ Changed Everything
• Making iPhone Vocals Sound Like a Real Studio: Silver Bullet, Saturation, and Expansion
• Matt’s Tip: Cleaning Up Rough Vocals With Adobe Podcast
• Money: Balancing Gear Spending With Marketing Yourself
• Try Everything: Networking Events, SoundBetter, Websites, and DMs
• Get Out of Your Herman Miller Chair and Meet People in Person
• How to DM Artists: Do the Work, Make It Personal, Don’t Sell Right Away
• Why AI-Written Pitches Are Easy to Spot

Matt’s RANT!: Stop Asking for Permission

Links and Show Notes:

• Skye Heart Sound (Chris Dacoron)
• Skye Heart Sound on Instagram
• Adobe Podcast

Credits:

• Guest: Chris Dacoron
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 617, Matt welcomes back Anthony Gravino, musician and recording, mixing, and mastering engineer, nearly a decade after his first appearance on Episode 137. In 2020, Anthony sold The Drake, his Chicago studio of 14 years, bought a converted 1940s horse barn just outside Urbana, Illinois, and turned it into High Cross Sound, a 2,100 square foot studio and home. They talk about why he left Chicago, what drew him to the barn, tracking 14 straight days with Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter three months after moving in, the Champaign-Urbana music scene, and the business side of owning, living in, and working out of the same building.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• 14 Years in Chicago: The Drake Studio on Drake Avenue
• Why Anthony Left: Gentrification, Property Taxes, the Pandemic, and Seeing the Right Property at the Right Time
• The Old Horse Barn: 25-Foot Peak Ceilings, Curved Wooden Walls, and Listening to Drums Before Signing
• Building High Cross Sound: Control Room, Isolation Booth, and Wiring a Former Home Into a Studio
• Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter: 14 Straight Days, Three Months After Moving In
• The Psychology of Vertical Space and Natural Light on Musicians
• Champaign-Urbana: REO Speedwagon, the Rose Bowl Tavern, and a Music Scene Bigger Than Its Studio Supply
• Moving During the Pandemic: Every Session Canceled in March, Perfect Time to Be Out of Commission
• Selling the Chicago Building After Buying in 2006, Financing at 2.5% Interest
• Dropping the API Console, Going to a Small Mixer and Outboard Preamps
• Keeping the Rate, Then Raising It When He Saw What Others Were Charging
• Isolated Ground, a Private Transformer Shared With Three Houses, and a Quieter Noise Floor
• Living and Working in the Same Building: Tax Advantages When 80% Is Studio Space
• Music Videos, University Work, and the Snowball Rolling Down the Hill
• The Pool: More Romanticized by Clients Than Actually Used

Matt’s RANT!: Your Mindset

Links and Show Notes:

• Anthony Gravino on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonygravino/
• Anthony Gravino on Bandcamp: https://anthonygravino.bandcamp.com
• WCA Episode 137 with Anthony Gravino: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-137-anthony-gravino/

Credits:

• Guest: Anthony Gravino
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

Sylvia Massy returns to Working Class Audio for the first time since Episode 14 back in 2015. She joins Matt from her studio in Ashland, Oregon to talk about her new book, The Great Book of Vintage Microphones, co-authored with Chris Johnson. To write it, Sylvia and Chris acquired the entire estate collection of Milwaukee radio legend Bob Paquette: 3,500 microphones kept together rather than cherry-picked apart. The book covers 100 years of microphone history, from David Edward Hughes's 1877 burnt-stick carbon transducer to the ribbons and condensers most engineers grew up with.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The Studio in Ashland: Converted Radiator Shop, Five-Bay Garage, Concrete Construction
• Chris Joshnson: Co-Author, Life Partner, and the Man Who Negotiated a Microphone Museum
• Bob Paquette's Collection: 3,500 Mics, Milwaukee Radio History, and Keeping It Together
• The First Microphone: David Edward Hughes, 1877, a Burnt Carbon Stick
• Crystal Mics, Carbon Telephone Elements, and Technology That Lasted Into the 1990s
• Condenser Development: From a Wooden Box Power Supply Down to the Pencil Condensers We Use Today
• The First Directional Microphone
• A Condenser That Went to the South Pole With Admiral Byrd
• The Glow Discharge Mic: Plasma Between Two Electrodes, Banned After 1928
• Art Deco Mics That Looked Like Spaceships and Sounded Worse Because of Their Cases
• Western Electric Birdcage, Tadpole Mics, Bakelite, and the 1947 Astatic 600S
• The ChicLet: Color Options
• Pearl Mics From Sweden and the 6102 RFP
• Sylvia's Favorite Mic for Female Vocal
• Microphone Seeds: Ribbons, Dynamics, and Condensers

Matt’s RANT!: Client Mix Approval Server

Links and Show Notes:

• Sylvia Massy
• Preorder The Great Book of Vintage Microphones
• WCA Episode 14 with Sylvia Massy (2015)

Credits:

• Guest: Sylvia Massy
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 615, Matt concludes his two-part conversation with Michael Frondelli, picking up in Los Angeles where Keith Forsey and Richie Zito brought him west. Michael landed at Giorgio Moroder’s Oasis Studios, where he worked on the Breakfast Club soundtrack, Beverly Hills Cop, and the world premiere digital playback of Moroder’s restored Metropolis. He went on to eleven years as Vice President of Capitol Records Studios, where his first artist was Frank Sinatra and he quietly produced Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on a $100,000 investment that grossed $7 million. They also talk about AI and copyright, the importance of pre-production, apprenticeships in audio, network as the real currency of a career, and what Phil Ramone told him about what recording engineers actually do.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Moving to Los Angeles via Keith Forsey and Richie Zito
• Giorgio Moroder’s Oasis Studios: Breakfast Club, Beverly Hills Cop, and Three Films at Once
• The World Premiere Digital Playback of Moroder’s Restored Metropolis
• East Coast vs West Coast Recording Culture
• Keeping an Apartment in Brooklyn and One in LA
• VP of Capitol Records Studios: How He Got the Job
• Learning to Run a $5 Million Business
• The First Business Plan Ever Written for Capitol Studios
• Frank Sinatra as the First Artist: Phil Ramone, Al Schmitt, and Building a Custom Vocal Booth
• Union Negotiations, Health Benefits, and Taking Care of the Staff
• Being Told He Was Too Old to Start a Label at 44
• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: $100,000 In, $7 Million Gross, 500,000 Records by May
• Crowded House, Gary Stamper, and Don’t Dream It’s Over
• AI, Copyright, and Why You Must Register Before You Use the Platform
• Apprenticeships, the Music Producers Guild, and Passing It On
• Network as the Real Currency of a Career
• Still Working: James Gadson, Autism Speaks, and Making Records

Matt’s RANT!: Matt’s Dad

Links and Show Notes:

• Michael Frondelli
• WCA #614 with Michael Frondelli, Part 1
• Vincent Boudreau — Obituary

Credits:

• Guest: Michael Frondelli
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 614, Matt talks with Michael Frondelli, producer, engineer, and former Vice President of Capitol Records Studios, where he ran the facility for eleven years before going independent in 2001. Michael grew up in Astoria, Queens. Tony Bennett took vocal lessons with his Uncle Sal. The Walken family ran the bakery on Steinway Street. He came up playing guitar in soul bands and rock bands in the 60s, studied business in college, landed a maintenance tech job at Broadway Recording on 1697 Broadway, and from there made his way to Electric Lady in November 1975, where he spent nine years. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Growing Up in Astoria, Queens
• Music in the Family and Learning Guitar
• Soul Bands, Rock Bands, and the 60s
• College, the Draft Lottery, and Moving to Manhattan
• Carpentry, Soundproofing, and Finding a Way Into Recording
• Broadway Recording at 1697 Broadway
• Learning to Listen, Watch, and Visualize Signal Path
• Landing at Electric Lady in 1975
• Nine Years in the Room: Zeppelin, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, Joni Mitchell
• Working With Eddie Kramer on Song Remains the Same
• Rebel Yell: Finding Billy Idol a Drummer
• Keith Forsey, Charlie Sexton, and Don't You Forget About Me
• Getting Management and Learning the Business
• Going From $5 an Hour to $2,500 a Mix

Matt's RANT!: Revisiting Backing Up and Archiving

Links and Show Notes:

Michael Frondelli" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michael's site

Credits:

• Guest: Michael Frondelli
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 613, Matt talks with Ben Mellott — recording engineer, mixer, and owner of Nothing but Noise studio in Northern Virginia. Ben has been freelance since 2014, balances studio work with live production at churches, farms, and local venues, and runs every dollar through the Profit First system. They talk about building a career on curiosity, the alternative path through cassette manufacturing and church sound, and why the business side of audio doesn't sound like fun until it absolutely is.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Northern Virginia, Born and Raised
• A Dad at Toys R Us and a Mom in the Church Choir
• Recording Bands on a Tascam Four-Track at Ten Dollars a Song
• The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio — Audio Boot Camp
• Learning Signal Flow Before Hardware
• Manufacturing Cassettes and CDs at Lion Recording
• Moving Into Graphics — Quark Express, InDesign, and Terrible Early Websites
• Roadie and Merch for a Month-Long US Tour With Frodus
• Getting the Farm Festival Gig
• Ten Years of Sunday Church Sound — and What He Learned About Temperament
• The Drummer in the Crowd Who Got Him the Venue Gig
• Real-Life Social Proof — Likable Enough (For a Live Sound Guy)
• Curiosity as a Career Strategy
• Nothing But Noise — The Studio and the Freelance Life Since 2014
• Debt, an Inheritance That Didn't Change the Slope, and the Pandemic
• Implementing the Profit First System
• Of Every Thousand Dollars, Only $150 Is Spendable — and Why That's the Point
• Self-Financing Gear and Paying Yourself Back on a Payment Plan
• The Sweetwater Rep Who Said You've Got a Lot of Gear
• The Business Side Doesn't Sound Like Fun Until It Is

Matt's RANT!: Doing Things the Alternative Way

Links and Show Notes:

• Nothing but Noise
• Profit First — Mike Michalowicz (book)
• Profit First — Audiobook on Libro.fm
• WCA #133 with Alan Evans
• WCA #328 with Alan Evans
• WCA #576 with Alan Evans

Credits:

Guest: Ben Mellott

Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau

WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell

The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 612, Matt talks with Brian Starley recording and mixing engineer based in North Hollywood, California, and owner of Bergatron Music Studio. Brian grew up in Salt Lake City with a dad who transferred vinyl to cassette for the car, chased a hockey career to Ontario, came home to Utah without a plan, and found recording through a coworker who'd interned at the Blasting Room. After learning Pro Tools at twenty bucks an hour and getting out of Utah in 2005, he landed at Musicians Institute in LA and then at Lon Cohen Studio Rentals a cartage company where he spent six years moving Tim Pierce's guitars and Mike Elizondo's Logic rig around the city. After going freelance in 2013, he built a YouTube live session channel, had his busiest mixing years during COVID, and then spent the better part of two years fighting LA permits, tariffs, and a construction crew to build his dream studio — refinancing the house to do it. They talk about what cartage taught him about gear and sessions, the mobile recording revelation that shaped his whole approach, building a studio in 2025 LA, the stress that put him in the hospital with diverticulitis, and why you should focus on relationships before gear.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

- Growing Up in Salt Lake City, Utah — The Zion Curtain

- A Dad Who Transferred Vinyl to Cassette and Filled the Car With Music

- Hockey, Rage Against the Machine, and a Dream of the NHL

- Moving to Shelburne, Ontario to Play Junior Hockey

- Coming Home to Utah and Finding Construction Work for His Dad

- A Coworker From the Blasting Room Who Changed Everything

- Learning Pro Tools at Twenty Bucks an Hour on a Digi 001

- Getting Into Trouble and Getting Out of Utah — Moving to LA in 2005

- Musicians Institute and Finding the Path Into Recording

- Landing at Lawn — a Cartage Company for LA's Top Session Musicians

- Tim Pierce, Joe Chiccarelli, Abe Laboriel Sr., and What Cartage Taught Him

- Mike Elizondo's Logic Rig and the Mobile Recording Revelation

- Scab Dates, Church Choirs, and Recording With a Handful of Mics

- Post Production School, Roger Nichols, and Getting Certified in Pro Tools

- Going Freelance in 2013

- Live Sessions at Custom Vintage Keys With JJ Blair and the Boba Jam Channel

- The Decision to Build a Studio — and Reaching Out to Josh Nyback in 2023

- Two and a Half Years of Permits, Hidden Fees, and LA Bureaucracy

- Refinancing the House to Fund the Build

- Tariffs, Construction Costs, and Watching the Budget Disappear

- Supervising a General Contractor Who Didn't Know What a Studio Was

- Isomax Clips, Green Glue, and Checking Every Screw

- Diverticulitis in November From the Stress of the Build

- His Wife Allie — The Person Who Got Them Through It

- Crying in the Finished Room When They First Put the Speakers Up

- California Disability Insurance for Freelancers — and the Scott McDowell Episode

- You Don't Need All the Gear — Build Relationships First

- Support the Ecosystem — Book Studios, Pay for Mastering

Matt's RANT!: Things Matt Is Doing

Links

• Bergatron Music
• Brian Starley – Credits (Muso.ai)
• Brian Starley (Instagram)
• Brian Starley (TikTok)
• Bergatron Music – Studio Build Videos (YouTube)
• Josh Nyback – Nyback Builds
• Nyback Builds (Instagram)
• WCA #611 with Scott McDowell — California Disability Insurance
• Libro.fm — Audiobooks
• Four Thousand Weeks — Oliver Burkeman
• M-DISC — Wikipedia
• Steinberg SpectraLayers

Credits:

- Guest: Brian Starley

- Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau

- WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell

- The Voice: Chuck Smith

Scott McDowell is a producer, engineer, and co-owner of Wally's Hydeout at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. In episode 611 they talk about getting fired from his first SF internship, becoming a studio partner at Wally’s Hydeout, surviving COVID, getting hit by a car in March 2026, recovering from a TBI, and why every freelancer in California needs to sign up for state disability insurance before something happens.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Co-owning a Studio, Making Records, and Working in Game Audio
• Growing Up in Novato — North Marin County
• A Broadcast Engineer Dad
• Working Niners Games on the Sideline
• Heading to Berklee for Trumpet
• A Hernia That Ended the Trumpet Career and Started the Recording One
• City College SF, SF Soundworks, and Getting Fired
• John Vanderslice, Tiny Telephone, and the Referral to Justin Phelps
• Interning at Hyde Street Studios With Justin Phelps and Jaimeson Durr
• Filling the Calendar for Six Months to Avoid Being Replaced — Then Getting Made a Partner
• The CDR Run That He Thought Was a Firing
• Eight Years of Game Audio
• COVID Survival
• Getting Hit by a Car in Northridge
• The TBI, the Wheelchair, and Coming Back
• California Disability Insurance Elective Coverage — Why Every Freelancer Should Sign Up

Matt's RANT!: Accumulation

Links and Show Notes:

• Fader Solo: https://fadersolo.com/
• California Disability Insurance Elective Coverage (EDD): https://edd.ca.gov/en/payroll_taxes/Disability_Insurance_Elective_Coverage/
• WCA #082 with Justin Phelps: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-082-justin-phelps/
• WCA #211 with Jaimeson Durr: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-211-with-jaimeson-durr/
• WCA #047 with John Vanderslice: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-047-with-john-vanderslice/

Credits:

• Guest: Scott McDowell
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 610, Matt talks with Stephen Shirk — engineer, producer, guitarist, and owner of SHIRK Studios in Chicago's West Town neighborhood. Stephen grew up in Bloomington, Illinois, studied business at Miami University, moved to New York in 1998 with a friend's couch as his launch pad, and worked his way through the Hit Factory and a jingle house where he built Pro Tools systems, got his SAG card, and learned from Jay Messina. In 2004 he moved to Chicago, rented studio spaces for a decade, and in 2013 bought the building he now runs as a semi-commercial studio with a Sphere console, instruments on every wall, and a deliberately un-sterile feel. They talk about the HearYa live sessions that built his early reputation, word-of-mouth marketing and what comes next, Steve Albini and Electrical Audio, owning vs. renting in Chicago's studio ecosystem, and getting back out to shows.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

- Growing Up in Bloomington, Illinois

- Church Choir, Guitar at Fourth Grade, and Early Bands

- A Business Degree at Miami University and Playing in Bands

- Moving to New York in 1998 With a Friend's Couch as a Launch Pad

- Learning Pro Tools Version 4 on the Fly

- Starting at the Hit Factory as a General Assistant

- The Culture Shock of New York Speed — and Learning to Shut Up

- Moving to a Jingle House: More Engineering, More Money, a Synclavier

- Building Pro Tools Systems and Getting a Pager From the Boss

- Learning From Jay Messina (Early Aerosmith, Jack Douglas)

- Getting His SAG Card and Discovering Mailbox Money

- Moving to Chicago in 2004 and Renting Studio Spaces

- Buying the Building in 2013 and the History Behind It

- SHIRK Studios: Semi-Commercial, Instruments on Every Wall

- Avoiding the Sterile Studio — Guilford of Maine Walls and Why He Hates Them

- Word of Mouth Marketing and Wondering What's Next

- Chicago's Studio Scene: Narwhal, Brian Deck, and the DIY Wave

- Steve Albini and Electrical Audio

- Owning the Building vs. Renting — Lessons From Chicago Studios

- Live-Work Lofts as an Option for Engineer-Owners

- Getting Back Out to Shows and Reconnecting With the Scene

- The Red Room: Chicago's Fifty-Cap DIY Listening Venue

- Dana Nielsen Listening to the Episode and the Buttoned-Up Business

Matt's RANT!: Getting the Job Done Part 2

Links and Show Notes:

- SHIRK Studios

- WCA #363 with Chaz Root

- WCA #137 with Anthony Gravino

- WCA #607 with Dana Nielsen

-WCA #164 with Steve Albini

Credits:

- Guest: Stephen Shirk

- Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau

- WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell

- The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 609, Matt talks with Eric M Lichter — multi-instrumentalist, producer, and owner of Dirt Floor Recording in Connecticut, where he’s been in business for twenty years. Eric came up singing in chorus, spent time on Martha’s Vineyard playing the Hot Tin Roof and landing in Carly Simon’s living room with Danny Kortchmar and Jerry Marotta in the liner notes, then moved to New York, recorded at Sear Sound on a Polygram AR’s dime, and eventually landed back in Connecticut to open a studio on a wing and a prayer in 2006. They talk about the Ed Wood approach to recording — get the vibe before the moment is gone — why he leaves the beauty marks in, pitching a studio to 90-year-old landlords, keeping a tight ship with bankers hours, vetting clients for energy, a proposal-based pricing model, and the Caribou Ranch mentality that has everyone leaving with fresh eggs from the chickens out back.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Twenty Years of Dirt Floor Recording in Connecticut
• Growing Up in a Sports-First Town and Finding His Voice in Chorus
• The Soccer Coach Who Changed His Life
• John Mayer, Keith Richards, and Goose — Connecticut’s Quiet Music Scene
• The Hot Tin Roof on Martha’s Vineyard — and Carly Simon’s Living Room
• Danny Kortchmar, Jerry Marotta, and Reading the Credits as a Kid
• New York City, Polygram, and Recording at Sear Sound
• Failing Guitar 101 in College and Trusting the Natural Thing
• The Troubadour Years — Singer-Songwriter on the Road
• Watching His Brother Make a Record With Jerry Marotta at Jarysville
• Discovering Tape Op and Saying Out Loud “I’m Going to Be in That Magazine”
• Starting Dirt Floor in Chester, Connecticut in 2006
• The Ed Wood Approach: Getting the Vibe Before the Moment Is Gone
• Beauty Marks — Why He Leaves the Imperfections In
• Why Real Music Is Winning Against AI
• Kids Discovering Van Halen and AC/DC on Their Own
• Ethan Johns, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner — Who Inspired Him
• The Rented House That Became Dirt Floor’s Current Home
• Pitching a Studio to 90-Year-Old Landlords — and Winning Them Over
• Keeping Overhead Low — The Case for Renting vs. Owning
• Vetting Artists: Why He Turns Down Projects That Drain the Room
• Bankers Hours: 9:30 to 5:30 and Going Home
• Other Engineers Working Nights — The Studio Humming When He’s Not There
• Pricing by Proposal — Hourly, Day Rate, and Full Project Budget
• The Caribou Ranch Mentality — Full Hospitality for Artists Who Stay
• Everybody Leaves With Eggs — The Dirt Floor Signature

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Twenty Years of Dirt Floor Recording in Connecticut
• Growing Up in a Sports-First Town and Finding His Voice in Chorus
• The Soccer Coach Who Changed His Life
• John Mayer, Keith Richards, and Goose — Connecticut’s Quiet Music Scene
• The Hot Tin Roof on Martha’s Vineyard — and Carly Simon’s Living Room
• Danny Kortchmar, Jerry Marotta, and Reading the Credits as a Kid
• New York City, Polygram, and Recording at Sear Sound
• Failing Guitar 101 in College and Trusting the Natural Thing
• The Troubadour Years — Singer-Songwriter on the Road
• Watching His Brother Make a Record With Jerry Marotta at Jarysville
• Discovering Tape Op and Saying Out Loud “I’m Going to Be in That Magazine”
• Starting Dirt Floor in Chester, Connecticut in 2006
• The Ed Wood Approach: Getting the Vibe Before the Moment Is Gone
• Beauty Marks — Why He Leaves the Imperfections In
• Why Real Music Is Winning Against AI
• Kids Discovering Van Halen and AC/DC on Their Own
• Ethan Johns, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner — Who Inspired Him
• The Rented House That Became Dirt Floor’s Current Home
• Pitching a Studio to 90-Year-Old Landlords — and Winning Them Over
• Keeping Overhead Low — The Case for Renting vs. Owning
• Vetting Artists: Why He Turns Down Projects That Drain the Room
• Bankers Hours: 9:30 to 5:30 and Going Home
• Other Engineers Working Nights — The Studio Humming When He’s Not There
• Pricing by Proposal — Hourly, Day Rate, and Full Project Budget
• The Caribou Ranch Mentality — Full Hospitality for Artists Who Stay
• Everybody Leaves With Eggs — The Dirt Floor Signature

Matt’s RANT!: Getting the Job Done!

Links and Show Notes:

• Dirt Floor Recording
• WCA #363 with Chaz Root
• WCA #341 with Cynthia Daniels
• WCA #552 with Daniel Holter
• WCA #575 with Michael Beinhorn
• Tape Op Magazine

Credits:

• Guest: Eric M Lichter
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 608, Matt talks with Julian Kindred — Canadian producer, engineer, and songwriter based in London, where he runs Nonsuch Park Studio in Epsom, Surrey. Julian grew up in St. John, New Brunswick — a working-class port city he describes as a place where people punched in all week and played blues in bars on the weekend — and found his way into recording through a part-time job at a music shop and access to synthesizers. Too broke for Berklee, he took a corporate function band gig that got him to Nashville, where he cold-called Music Row for a year and a half before landing a spot at Studio Nineteen. Ten years on Music Row followed, and then a move to London in 2003. They talk about what Nashville taught him about song craft and on-the-floor tracking, learning persistence in two different cultures, surviving a lull before the Ellie Goulding record turned things around, managing money as a freelancer, and why longevity attracts a different kind of client than talent alone ever did. Enjoy!

In This Episode, We Discuss:

- Growing Up in St. John, New Brunswick

- "Sultans of Swing" as a Portrait of His Hometown

- A Musical Family and a Father Who Taught Guitar

- Keyboards at Eleven and a Part-Time Job at a Music Shop

- Access to Synthesizers and the Recording Bug

- Too Broke for Berklee — and the Corporate Function Band That Got Him to Nashville

- Cold-Calling Music Row for a Year and a Half

- Studio Nineteen: A Five-Week Course, a Trident Desk, and Patsy Cline's Living Room

- Learning the Craft in Nashville's Legendary Rooms

- What Ten Years on Music Row Taught Him About Song Craft

- On-the-Floor Tracking: Finishing a Record in One Session

- Nashville vs. London: Tracking Rooms, Production Rooms, and Culture

- Moving to London in 2003 for a Woman — and Building a Career From Scratch

- Learning Persistence in Two Different Cultures

- The Lull, the Ellie Goulding Record, and the Comeback

- Universal, Polydor, and Building a Repeat Client Base in the UK

- Nonsuch Park Studio: A Purpose-Built Room in the Back of the Garden

- Managing Money as a Freelancer: Living Below Your Means

- Why Longevity Attracts a Different Kind of Client

- The Conversations About You That You'll Never Hear

Matt's RANT!: Random Items

Links and Show Notes:

- Julian Kindred

- Nonsuch Park Studio

- DriveDX

- ExifTool

- NeoFinder

Credits:

- Guest: Julian Kindred

- Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau

- WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell

- The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 607, Matt talks with Dana Nielsen — Grammy-nominated producer, mixer, engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of Mix Protégé in Los Angeles. Dana came up as a jazz saxophonist at Loyola University in New Orleans, where a Brian Blade album and a set of studio keys changed his direction. After chasing Daniel Lanois all the way to a phone call with Teatro and eventually moving to LA with no plan, he found his footing at Guitar Center on Sunset, caught a break on a System of a Down session with Dave Schiffman, and built a career in Rick Rubin's camp alongside Andrew Scheps, Greg Fidelman, and Philip Broussard. Now with 450+ credits and 30B+ streams, they talk about the unspoken rules of the studio hierarchy, keeping cool when everything goes wrong, running six albums at once, and the financial discipline (—SEP IRAs, 529s, and a high-yield savings habit—) that keeps a freelance life sustainable.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

- Musician First: Jazz Saxophone at Loyola University

- The Brian Blade Fellowship Album That Changed Everything

- Keys to the Studio: His First Real Recording Access

- Growing Up Outside Chicago and Reading the Credits

- Chasing Daniel Lanois: The Phone Call to Teatro

- How That Call Became the First Chapter of a Friendship With Philip Broussard

- Moving to LA With No Job and Landing at Guitar Center on Sunset

- The Film Lot Engineer Who Told Him to Say What He Wanted

- Learning to Read the Room and Raise His Hand

- Breaking In: System of a Down With Dave Schiffman

- Meeting Andrew Scheps

- How Rick Rubin's Camp Became His World

- The Unspoken Rules: Hierarchy, Knowing Your Role, and Keeping Notes

- Passing Gems Up the Chain Without Stealing the Credit

- How One Alliance Becomes the Next

- Recording Justin Timberlake's Vocals With a Green Screen and No Metering

- Keeping Cool When Everything Goes South in the Studio

- Six Albums at Once: Managing Multiple Projects With ClickUp

- Client Management With Dubsado and Automating the Paperwork

- Feast or Famine: How He Structures the Money

- SEP IRAs, High-Yield Savings, and a 529 From Day One

- Buying Gear as a Tax-Deductible Investment That Appreciates

- The Financial Advisor Who Got Them Into Their Culver City Home

- Telling People What You Want — From the Studio to the Rent Check

Matt's RANT!: Taking Stock of Our Profession

Links and Show Notes:

- Dana Nielsen

- Mix Protégé

- Dana Nielsen (Instagram)

- WCA #294 with McKay Garner

- WCA #590 with Phillip Broussard

- WCA #398 with Dave Schiffman

- ClickUp

- Dubsado

Credits:

- Guest: Dana Nielsen

- Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau

- WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell

- The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 606, Matt talks with Neil Rogers — recording engineer, owner of Half-ton Studios in Cambridge, and longtime reviewer for Sound on Sound. After a decade of gigging as a drummer with no payoff, Neil found a music tech degree at 26 that rebuilt his confidence, then answered a group email about a ramshackle unit next to a brewery and built a studio there on about £7,000 and favors. Eighteen years on, they talk about the accidental great-sounding drum room, rebuilding bigger during COVID, pricing, being honest with young people about studio careers, and the joy of recording bands live on the floor.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Meeting Matt Over a Pint in Cambridge
• Eighteen Years of Half-ton Studios
• Writing for Sound on Sound
• Learning Drums When School Friends Started a Band
• Why So Many Engineers Are Drummers
• A Decade of Gigging Without a Payoff
• A Music Tech Degree at 26
• Discovering He Could Write
• The Group Email and the Unit Next to a Brewery
• Starting With £7,000 and Favors
• The Accidental Great-Sounding Drum Room
• First Gear: a £700 Soundtracs Desk
• MySpace, Flyers, and Rehearsal Income
• Rebuilding Bigger During COVID
• Working With an Acoustician
• How the New Room Draws Bands From London
• Pricing and the Independent Band Rate
• Honest Advice for Young Engineers
• Workshops and Taster Sessions
• Why He Limits Mixing Work
• Recording Bands Live on the Floor

Matt’s RANT!: CLUTTER!

Links and Show Notes:

• Half-ton Studios
• Neil Rogers at Sound on Sound
• Half-ton recording & mixing workshops

Credits:

• Guest: Neil Rogers
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

Chris Mara owns Welcome to 1979, one of the larger recording studios in Nashville, along with his wife Yoli. He joins Matt for episode 605 to talk about moving to Nashville at 20, building Mara Machines and a vinyl mastering department alongside the studio, and running it for 18 years with no partners and almost no borrowed money.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Growing Up in an 800-Person Wisconsin Town With No Internet and No Roadmap
• Community College Recording and Moving to Nashville at 20
• "I Am Working Class": No Safety Net, No Umbilical Cord
• The Unpaid Internship and the Downtown Bellman Job That Funded It
• Trading Every Favor to Pull Studio Shifts
• Keys and Alarm Codes to Ten Studios
• Seeing the Same Gear Used a Million Different Ways
• Working Across Every Format: 2-Inch, RADAR, DAT, and Early Pro Tools
• The Nashville Number System and Country-Session Efficiency
• Bringing in Rock Bands and Running Them Like Pro Country Dates
• Justifying Your Existence When the Guitarist Has Pro Tools at Home
• Coming Up With Welcome to 1979 (and the Runner-Up: "Simulated Wood Grain")
• Pitching a Studio to His Pregnant Wife for $1,100 a Month
• "You Can Break Even As Long As You Want"
• Yoli Quitting Her Job to Run the Business Side
• How Mara Machines Was Born From a Side Hustle
• Multiple Income Streams and Why They Carry the Weight
• Watching Your Overhead Before It Sinks You
• Is That Gear Going to Make You Money, or Just Sit There?
• Renting Rooms Instead of Buying Them
• Saying Yes to Everything and Learning on Someone Else's Dime
• 18 Years, No Partners, Almost No Borrowed Money, Still Married
• The Recording Summit, Tape Camps, and Vinyl Camps

Matt's RANT!: A Brain Dump

Links and Show Notes:

• Welcome to 1979: https://www.welcometo1979.com/
• Mara Machines: https://www.maramachines.com/
• Recording Summit: https://welcometo1979.com/events/#recordingsummit
• Tape Camp: https://welcometo1979.com/events/#tapecamp
• Vinyl Camp: https://welcometo1979.com/events/#vinylcamp
• Lij Shaw / Recording Studio Rockstars: https://recordingstudiorockstars.com/

Credits:

• Guest: Chris Mara
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 604, Matt talks with Alec Ness, a mastering engineer in Minneapolis and the owner of Ness Mastering. Alec joins to tell an unusual origin story: born with partially amputated fingers, he was steered from guitar to drums, caught the recording bug on Cakewalk in a Dakotas high school, and chased music through a now-defunct college (McNally Smith), the San Francisco and LA beat scenes as an Ableton Certified Trainer, and years touring as a producer and artist — before pivoting fully into mastering as the pandemic hit. He learned the craft by badgering his way into Greg Reierson's Rare Form Mastering and trading questions with Mandy Parnell, then sold his entire modular synth rig to buy the speakers for his own room. They get into the "Should everything sound the same?" note on his desk, resisting the loudness game, controlling your space, putting the art before the money, and the health toll of going too hard.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

- Growing Up in the Dakotas and “Flyover” Music Culture

- A Coffee Shop, a Venue, and Touring Bands Passing Through

- Born With Half His Fingers: From Guitar to Drums

- Catching the Recording Bug on Cakewalk in High School

- The Guitar Shop That Introduced Him to Ableton

- McNally Smith, Composition, and Dropping Out

- San Francisco, the LA Beat Scene, and Becoming an Ableton Certified Trainer

- From Producer and Artist to Mixing and Mastering

- A Studio in the Back of a South Dakota Guitar Shop

- Old Tools, Limitations, and Learning Phase and Mics the Hard Way

- The Dua Saleh Remix Album That Tipped Him Into Mastering

- Backing Off Touring Right as the Pandemic Hit

- Learning From Greg Reierson at Rare Form Mastering

- Badgering Mandy Parnell for Lessons

- "Should Everything Sound the Same?" Resisting Homogenization

- Why He Won’t Master to the Loudness of a Reference

- Controlling Your Space and Reducing Variables

- Selling His Modular Synths to Buy His Speakers

- Empathy, the Artist’s Vision, and Serving the Music

- Art First, Money Second, and Time as the Real Currency

- Health, Overwork, and Backing Off Before It Broke Him

Links and Show Notes:

• Alec Ness / Ness Mastering
• Rare Form Mastering (Greg Reierson)
• WCA #599 with Alex Newport
• Mandy Parnell
• Michael Beinhorn on WCA

Credits:

- Guest: Alec Ness

- Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau

- WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell

- The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 603, Matt talks with Lorenzo Wolff — a Grammy-winning engineer, producer, musician, and owner of Restoration Sound in Brooklyn. Lorenzo joins on a Saturday from New York to trace a path from a hip-hop-obsessed kid in Nyack, chasing the basslines on Fugees and Wyclef records, to a session bassist, to interning under engineer Scott Lehrer at Second Story Sound, to building one of Brooklyn's most community-minded studios over eleven years. Along the way his string session with violinist Bobby Hawk turned out to be a Taylor Swift record, which led to Ye's Donda, which led to his ongoing work with Ms. Lauryn Hill. They get into the two tiers of gigs (community vs. famous), funding a studio build with a patron's retainer, why he treats generosity and conflict de-escalation as business strategy, and the honesty it takes to work with visionary artists. Enjoy!

In This Episode, We Discuss:

- Growing Up in Nyack, New York, in an Integrated Music Town

- From Hip-Hop and Turntables to Hunting Down the Bass

- The Fugees, Wyclef, Jerry Wonda, and Outkast as a Way In

- Becoming a Session Bass Player to Live in Studios

- Interning at Second Story Sound Under Scott Lehrer

- Being Sent to the Library to Read the Dry Theory First

- Why He Left to Start His Own Shops and Chase Creativity

- Building a Brooklyn Studio Over Eleven Years

- Winning Over Landlords: "Your Success Is Our Success" (and Cookies)

- The Patron Who Funded a Studio by Commissioning a Musical

- Survival Economics: Production Suites That Pay the Rent

- Community as a Business Model

- The Two Tiers of Gigs: Community vs. Famous

- The Bobby Hawk String Session That Became a Taylor Swift Record

- One Credit Leading to the Next: Folklore to Donda

- Working for Ms. Lauryn Hill

- Telling the Truth in the Room With Visionary Artists

- What "He's Gonna Be Okay" Really Means at That Level

- Why High-Profile Credits Do (and Don’t) Create More Work

- Generosity and De-escalation as Studio Strategy

- Why He Struggles With Interns

Links and Show Notes:

- Restoration Sound

- Lorenzo Wolff (Instagram)

Credits:

- Guest: Lorenzo Wolff

- Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau

- WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell

- The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 602, Matt talks with London mix engineer Luke Burgoyne, who joins from his room at Pony Studios in East London. Luke grew up in Winchester with two violinist parents, fell for the studio side of music at sixteen, and studied performance and recording at the University of West London before spending the last seven years assisting one of the UK's busiest mixers, Dan Grech-Marguerat (Lana Del Rey, The Killers, Liam Gallagher, George Ezra). Now he's transitioning into his own career as a mixer and producer. They get into the realities of high-level mix prep, what seven years of assisting actually teaches you, why UK managers tend to bring in work in a way American managers often don't, sharing expensive London rooms, his skeptical take on Atmos, and the differences between the UK and US recording ecosystems.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Growing Up in Winchester With Two Violinist Parents
• From the Beatles and Guitar to the Pull of the Studio
• Why It Was Always About the Music, Not the Technology
• Studying Performance and Recording at the University of West London
• Realizing He'd Rather Record Great Players Than Compete With Them
• Cold-Emailing Abbey Road, RAK, and Getting No Replies
• Landing the Assistant Job With Dan Grech-Marguerat (on the Second Try)
• Seven Years Assisting One of the UK's Busiest Mixers
• The Soft Skills: Managing Clients, Files, and Spinning Plates
• Mixing in the Box: Pro Tools, Recall, and Multiple Machines
• Deep Mix Prep: Rebuilding Logic and Ableton Sessions in Pro Tools
• Learning a Mixer's Quirks So They Never Leave the Creative Space
• Transitioning From Assistant to Mixer and Producer
• Getting Management and Why UK Managers Bring in Work
• How UK and US Managers Differ
• Building a Network While Assisting Five or Six Days a Week
• Studio Identity: Staff Engineer vs. Independent Freelancer
• The London Studio Ecosystem: Abbey Road, AIR, RAK, and Metropolis
• Renting a Room at Pony Studios and Sharing Space in Expensive London
• Neumanns, Genelec 1031s, and Working on Headphones
• His Take on Atmos: Right for "Dark Side of the Moon," Wrong for AC/DC
• Camaraderie Over Competition in London

Matt's RANT!: Technology Prices

Links and Show Notes:

• Luke Burgoyne
• Dan Grech-Marguerat
• WCA #600 with Andrew Scheps
• WCA #102 with Frank McDonough

Credits:

• Guest: Luke Burgoyne
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

For episode 601, Matt sits down with Belgian musician, mastering engineer, and sociologist of music Gert Keunen — recommended to the show by past guest John Greenham. Gert has spent 35 years saying yes to nearly everything music: seven albums of his own, the nu-jazz project Briskey, a PhD in the sociology of music, four books on pop history, stints as a record-label staffer and newspaper critic, teaching at conservatories in Ghent, and most recently a deep dive into immersive audio that produced his book STEREO – Was a Nice Try. He joins from the Flemish countryside — where he also runs a 200-liter brewery and grows his own hops — to talk about how he manages time across all of it, why he learns best by teaching, how ADHD and dyslexia shaped an offline, notebook-driven discipline, and why he believes the future of immersive music is composing in 3D from the very first note rather than up mixing stereo.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Living a Passion-Driven Life Across Music, Academia, and Beer
• Managing Time When You Do a Dozen Things (and Cycling to Clear the Mind)
• Growing Up in Flanders: Flute, Pink Floyd, and a Cracked Cubase on an Atari
• Why He'd Rather Create Music Than Perform It
• A PhD in the Sociology of Music and Four Books on Pop History
• Teaching Music History, Sociology, and Production in Ghent
• Going All-In on Mastering for a Year with Friedemann Tischmeyer and Ian Shepherd
• How ADHD and Dyslexia Shaped His Offline, Notebook-Driven Learning
• Why Teaching Is How He Actually Learns
• Discovering Immersive Audio Through Apple Spatial Audio on Earbuds
• Why a Good Immersive Mix Makes the Headphone Experience Better
• Writing STEREO – Was a Nice Try Because No Good Handbook Existed
• "13 Reasons Why Dolby Atmos Sucks" — and His Rebuttals
• Creating Immersive From the Ground Up vs. Upmixing Stereo
• A Format-Agnostic Workflow: Object, Channel, and Scene-Based, Then Choose Atmos or Auro-3D Later
• Teaching Immersive at a Conservatory With a Dolby Atmos Room
• Translating Student Tracks to a Live Immersive System at Ghent's Winter Circus
• Pricing Mastering, Student Discounts, and Treating Gear as the Real Payment
• Gear Acquisition, Buy-and-Return, and "a Hobby That Pays for Itself"
• Finding Community Online Through Chris Salim's MCC
• Running a 200-Liter Brewery, Growing His Own Hops, and Why Beer Is Like Making Music

Matt's RANT!: Time

Links and Show Notes:

• Gert Keunen
• STEREO – Was a Nice Try(book)
• Briskey
• Ian Shepherd on WCA
• Friedemann Tischmeyer / Mastering Academy
• Nuendo (Steinberg)
• Chris Selim on WCA

Credits:

• Guest: Gert Keunen
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

Matt celebrates episode 600 of Working Class Audio with a guest who's been there since the beginning — mixer and producer Andrew Scheps, who first appeared back on episodes 009 300 & 477. Andrew joins from his home in rural England to talk about winning MPG Atmos Mixer of the Year for his work on Low Roar, how he approaches Dolby Atmos delivery and client approval, why he switched from Sony headphones to the Audeze LCD-MX4, and what he's learned about training your brain to externalize binaural audio. The conversation also covers writing his own plugins with Claude and the JUCE framework, why he quit drinking four years ago and found rock climbing instead, breaking his foot, the realities of working with a manager, what "retirement" even means when no one tells you you're done, and why — 600 episodes in — Working Class Audio still matters in a way that's different from everything else.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• 600 Episodes In — Andrew's Long History with the Show
• Winning MPG Atmos Mixer of the Year for the Low Roar Catalog
• The MPG vs. a US Equivalent: Advocacy, VAT, and Saving Studios
• Being an American Honored Inside a UK Organization
• Why the Low Roar "House in the Woods" Atmos Mix May Be His Best Work
• The Pressure of Paid Work vs. Unpaid Passion Projects
• Still Battling Imposter Syndrome After Decades at the Top
• Why He Hates Sending Mixes Out
• Atmos Delivery Workflow: Binaural, MP4, ADM, and the Two-Page PDF
• Training Your Brain to Externalize Binaural Audio
• Why He Starts Atmos Mixes in Headphones, Not Speakers
• Switching from Sony Headphones to the Audeze LCD-MX4
• Steven Wilson and Staying True to the Music in Atmos
• Discovering Rock Climbing as Moving Meditation
• Breaking His Foot — and Five Weeks on the Sidelines
• Alex Honnold, Free Solo, and the Idea of Minimizing Risk
• Quitting Drinking Four Years Ago and Stepping Away from Pub Culture
• Is There a Calculation Behind a Career? Building Extra Income Streams
• The Retirement Question: "They'll Just Stop Hiring Us"
• Writing Plugins with Claude and the JUCE Framework
• Why You Need an Idea — Not Just AI — to Build a Plugin
• AI as a "Knowledgeable but Completely Blinkered Friend"
• AAX, PACE Code Signing, and the Nightmare of Plugin UI
• Board Games, Astronomy, and Life in Rural England
• Why He Can't Imagine Living in LA Anymore
• Working with Manager Frank McDonough — and What a Manager Actually Does
• The Reality of Getting Paid by Major Labels (180-Day Cycles)

Matt's RANT!: 600 Episodes!

Links and Show Notes:

• Andrew Scheps
• Low Roar
• WCA interview with manager Frank McDonough
• JUCE framework
• Audio Developer Conference
• Audeze LCD-MX4
• Free Solo (Alex Honnold)
• Bounce Factory

Credits:

• Guest: Andrew Scheps
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith

Matt welcomes producer, engineer, and mixer Alex Newport for his first appearance on Working Class Audio. Alex grew up in the UK Midlands with few music resources, and found his way into production after his band got signed to a UK label with an upstream deal to Columbia, and ended up recording at Sawmills, a legendary residential studio on a tidal island at the tip of Cornwall. Working there with producer Colin Richardson changed everything. From there Alex spent decades moving between LA, San Francisco, and New York — engineering at Tiny Telephone, producing records for At the Drive-In, City and Colour, and many more — before eventually building his own residential studio in Joshua Tree, designed from the ground up to let bands show up and make records without distraction. The conversation covers production philosophy, surviving as a freelancer across three decades, why he intentionally avoids getting pigeonholed, and what really matters when designing a studio space.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Growing Up in the UK Midlands With Few Music Resources
• The Band That Got Signed: Upstream Deal to Columbia Records
• Recording at Sawmills — The Tidal Island Studio in Cornwall
• Colin Richardson as a Life-Changing Producer
• The Difference Between a Producer Who Listens and One Who Doesn't
• Why Alex Was Initially Resistant to Having a Producer
• What Colin Taught Him That He Still Uses Today — and What He Hated
• The Shift From Being a Musician to Wanting to Be in the Studio
• Moving to the US: From Arizona to LA to San Francisco to New York
• First Impressions of LA — Where's the City Centre?
• The Culture Shock of Going From the UK to California
• Why Alex Prefers San Francisco Over LA
• Tiny Telephone and John Vanderslice — Engineering as Education
• Learning to Mic Instruments He'd Never Encountered Before
• The Moment Budgets Started Collapsing Around 2004
• Building a Studio in LA, Then New York, Then Realising It Was Madness
• New York vs LA: Brutally Honest vs Relaxed and Open
• Surviving as a Freelance Producer: The Feast or Famine Reality
• Why He Intentionally Avoids Getting Pigeonholed as a Producer
• Moving to Joshua Tree and Building a Residential Studio From Scratch
• Designing the Studio From a Musician's Perspective, Not an Engineer's
• The Vintage Trailer as Accommodation: Glamping, Not a Holiday Inn
• High Ceilings That Cost an Extra $35,000
• Good Coffee Is More Important Than the Gear in the Rack
• The Sawmills Influence on the Joshua Tree Studio Concept
• Philip Broussard, Daniel Lanois, and the Kingsway/Teatro Philosophy
• What Alex Brings to the Table as a Producer: Objectivity and People Skills
• The Sliding Scale Rate Philosophy: Money Follows Good Work
• On Relationships, Touring, and Finding a Partner Who Gets It
• Dual UK/US Citizenship and Thoughts on Moving Back to England

Matt's RANT!: AI and Its Uses

Links and Show Notes:

• Alex Newport
• Tiny Creatures Studio
• WCA with John Greenham
• WCA with Philip Broussard

Credits:

• Guest: Alex Newport
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith