Working Class Audio

WCA #340 with Collin Dupuis – Mid-West Work Ethic, Growing up In Michigan, The Learning Process, and Moving to Nashville

Today’s guest is Grammy-winning producer, engineer, and mixer Collin Dupuis who has worked with many artists, including Lana Del Ray, Cage The Elephant, and the Black Keys. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Growing up In Michigan
• Norman Druce
• Glenn Brown Productions
• Impedance
• The Learning Process
• Detroit, MI
• Nashville, TN
• Al Sutton
• Wiring and Tech Work
• Working Late Hours
• Vintage King
• Working in Italy
• Cost of Living in Michigan
• Mid-West Work Ethic
• Motown
• Dan Auerbach
• Moving to Nashville
• Getting Replaced
• Loyalty
• Engineer Roles

Links and Show Notes

• Collin’s Site: www.collindupuis.com
• Collin on Instagram: @collin_dupuis_mixer/
• WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
• Connect with Matt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattboudreau/
• Current sponsors & promos: https://bit.ly/2WmKbFw

Credits

• Guest: Collin Dupuis
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• Engineer: Matt Boudreau
• Producer: Matt Boudreau
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Additional Music: The License Lab

WCA #338 with Jessica Thompson – Backup Strategies, File Management, Spending Money To Make Money, and Silver Linings

My guest today is GRAMMY-nominated mastering and restoration engineer, audio preservationist, and educator Jessica Thompson. Jessica originally appeared on WCA in episode #080, and I’m thrilled to have her back on the show to talk about backup strategies for audio, restoration, some gear talk, and changes in her new studio she is planning at her house. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Admin Work
• Archiving
• Formats
• File Management
• Backup Strategies
• Working From Home
• Data Tape Restore
• DAT Tapes 
• Modular Digital Multitracks
• COVID Work Challenges
• Silver Linings
• Building A Home Studio
• The John Cuniberti ATR
• Spending Money To Make Money
• Gear
• Backup Buddies
• Zynaptic 
• Bettermaker EQ
• Weiss Mastering
• Turntables
• Audeze Headphones
• Future Formats

Links and Show Notes

• Jessica’s Site: https://www.jessicathompsonaudio.com/
• Jessica on Instagram: @jathompso/
• Jessica’s Previous Episode: WCA #080
• WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
• Connect with Matt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattboudreau/
• Current sponsors & promos: https://bit.ly/2WmKbFw

Credits

• Guest: Jessica Thompson
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• Engineer: Matt Boudreau
• Producer: Matt Boudreau
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Additional Music: The License Lab

WCA #336 with Val Garay – Making Hits, Teaching Others, Coaching Assistants, and The Stanford School of Medicine

My guest today is producer, engineer, mixer Val Garay. Val has had an incredible career working with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Kenny Rogers, Ringo Starr, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton, Pablo Cruise, Queensrÿche, Santana, and many others. Val has garnered 5 Grammy wins, over 100 gold and platinum records, an Emmy nomination, and over 125 million worldwide record sales. In 1982, he shared a Grammy Award for Record of the Year with Kim Carnes for the iconic song, “Bette Davis Eyes.” We catch up with Val at his home in Los Angeles. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Vals Dad
• Frank Fillipetti
• Stanford School of Medicine
• Songwriting
• Lou Adler
• Dave Hassinger
• Studio Work
• Bill Schnee
• Dissecting Mixes
• Making Hits
• Teaching Others
• Niko Bolas
• Royalties
• Business
• Choosing Representation 
• Working with Avid
• Coaching Assistants
• Do-overs
• Work-Life Balance

Matt’s Rant: Getting Back Out in Person!

Links and Show Notes

• Val’s Site: http://www.valgaray.com/
• WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
• Connect with Matt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattboudreau/
• Current sponsors & promos: https://bit.ly/2WmKbFw

Credits:

• Guest: Val Garay
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• Engineer: Matt Boudreau
• Producer: Matt Boudreau
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Additional Music: The License Lab

WCA #334 with Jack Rubinacci – Dealing with Tinnitus, Working with Tchad Blake, iPad Production, and Sleeping By The Hotel Piano

My guest today is musician, songwriter, author, and producer, Jack Rubinacci. Born in Rome, raised in the UK, and now residing in Norway. 

Jack has been through the music industry on both sides of the glass including recorded his debut release with Tchad Blake Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, he’s sold produced and mixed his own releases, he’s opened for Joe Cocker, Lionel Richie, and Arcade Fire to name a few. Like many in the industry, Jack suffers from Tinnitus. He’s written two books on the topic and it is the focus of our conversation in today’s episode. Jack came as a referral from our good friend and studio rat James Ivey. I felt it was important to have Jack on to discuss this topic of tinnitus since many people don’t. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Tinnitus
• Monitoring low
• Earplugs
• Meeting Dad at 10
• Sleeping By The Hotel Piano
• Tchad Blake
• Sympathetic Producers
• IPad Production
• Dealing with Tinnitus
• Getting inside the Song
• Ear Nose and Throat
• Prepping Your Ears for Sonic Assault
• Tools to Counteract Tinnitus
• Sound Therapy

Matt’s Rant: The Great Al Schmitt

Links and Show Notes

• Jacks tinnitus website www.helpmytinnitus.com
• Overcoming Tinnitus. 12 Tools That Helped Me Overcome Tinnitus
• A Musician With Tinnitus: 14 Tools That Help Me Perform And Cope With Tinnitus
• Jack’s Instagram
• Jack on Spotify
• Jack’s Site: http://www.jackrubinacci.com
• Jack on Youtube
• Journey of Sound to the Brain
• WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
• Connect with Matt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattboudreau/
• Current sponsors & promos: https://bit.ly/2WmKbFw

Credits:

• Guest: Jack Rubinacci
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• Engineer: Matt Boudreau
• Producer: Matt Boudreau
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Additional Music: The License Lab

WCA #332 with Frank Filipetti – METAlliance, Physics to Music, Starting Late, Sticking With It, and Right Track Recording

My guest today is Frank Filipetti, a producer, engineer, mixer, and a seven-time Grammy winner. 

Frank has worked with many artists, including Foreigner, KISS, Carly Simon, The Bangles, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Elton John, Rod Stewart, and Paul McCartney, to name a few. Frank talks to us from his home in Connecticut about his journey, which I think you’ll enjoy very much. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Parental Impact
• Grammar School Band
• Physics to Music
• Losing Record Deals
• Transition to Recording at 30
• Right Track Recording
• Peter Asher
• Niko Bolas
• Val Garay
• METAlliance
• Starting Late
• Survival
• Alan Myerson
• Dealing with Doubt
• Sticking With It
• Assessing Career
• Learning Everyday
• Studio in Connecticut
• Living Outside of Recording Hubs
• Finances

Matt’s Rant: Protecting your Ears!

Links and Show Notes

• Frank’s site: http://frankfilipetti.com/bio/
• METAlliance: https://www.metalliance.com/
• WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
• Connect with Matt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattboudreau/
• Current sponsors & promos: https://bit.ly/2WmKbFw

Credits:

• Guest: Frank Filipetti
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• Engineer: Matt Boudreau
• Producer: Matt Boudreau
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Additional Music: The License Lab

WCA #330 with Bill Schnee – Love of Radio, Grammy’s, Dad Jokes, Faith, The R Word, and The Chairman at the Board

My guest today is Bill Schnee who is an internationally renowned producer, engineer and mix master. He has over 125 Gold and Platinum records and 50 top twenty singles, and is known as an engineer’s engineer. Bill has worked on dozens of Grammy nominated and winning albums, and has been personally nominated 11 times for The Best Engineered Album category, winning twice for Steely Dan’s Aja and Gaucho. He also has won an Emmy Award for Best Sound Mixing for a Variety Special and a Dove Award. In his 50+ year career, Bill has found success in every musical genre, from Pop to Rock to R&B to Gospel to Country. Bill talks to us from Black bird Studios in Nashville where we have a great conversation I think you’ll enjoy.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Growing up In Phoenix
• Love of Radio
• Early Record Deal
• Quitting College
• Law School
• Parents Approval
• San Francisco
• Discovering Audio
• Working with Hired Guns
• Keeping Musicians Happy
• Recording Drums
• Working with Singers
• High Profile Artists
• Shyness
• Faith
• Peers
• AL Schmitt
• The Gift of Balancing
• Putting Family First
• Disagreements
• Differences in Record Making
• Nashville vs. Los Angeles
• Money Management
• Chairman at the Board
• Grammy’s and Dad Jokes
• Records That Don’t Get Promoted
• The R Word

Matt’s Rant: Expanding your DAW skills

Links and Show Notes

• Bill’s Site: https://www.billschnee.com/
• Bill’s Book: https://amzn.to/326cjBj
• WCA on Instagram: @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
• Working Class Audio Journal: https://amzn.to/2GN67TP

Credits:

• Guest: Bill Schnee
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• Additional Music: The License Lab

WCA #328 with Alan Evans – Open Concept Recording, Studio Remodeling, Remote Teaching, Template Mixing, and Selling Vinyl Records

My guest today is producer, engineer, mixer, multi-instrumentalist, singer and, songwriter, Alan Evans. This is Alan’s second time on the podcast. He first joined us on episode 133. This time around He talks to us from Massachusetts where we have a great chat about his studio and, his record label, and what’s been happening lately in his life. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• Studio Remodeling
• Alan’s Record Label
• Remote Teaching
• Audio Minimalism
• Vinyl Flooring
• Great Musicians
• Open Concept Recording
• Template Mixing
• Financial Groove
• Selling Vinyl Records
• The Blockbuster Documentary
• The Black Puma’s
• Great Monitoring
• Boot Drives

Matt’s Rant: Audio Dogma

Links and Show Notes

• Alan’s Studio: https://www.ironwax.com/
• Alan’s Band: https://www.soulive.com/
• Alan’s Label: https://www.vintageleaguemusic.com/
• Listen to this song! https://spoti.fi/3stsG6M
• WCA on Instagram: @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
• Working Class Audio Journal: https://amzn.to/2GN67TP

Credits:

• Guest: Alan Evans
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• Additional Music: The License Lab

WCA #326 with Stephen Dent – Working with Sean Combs, Go-go, House of Sound, Bob Rosa, DC, and The Forest Gump Effect

My guest today is Grammy Nominated engineer Stephen Dent. Stephen has worked on records for Notorious B.I.G, Sean Combs, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and Lil Kim. He also spent a number of years running Daddy’s House, the studio owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs located in Brooklyn. I met Stephen while participating in rooms on Club House. I reached out and he accepted my invitation to come on the show. We have a great conversation and I’m looking forward to you hearing about his journey.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Motown
• Gospel
• Go Go Music
• Yacht Rock
• Anthony Wellington
• Offset Printing
• DJing
• Making Beats
• The Forest Gump Effect
• Super VHS/Beta Max Recording
• Engineering Out of Spite
• Omega Recording School
• SSL Plasma Meters
• DC to NYC
• House of Sound
• Bob Rosa
• Tackling the Tape Library
• Sleeping on Trains
• Befriending The Homeless 
• The One Page That Changed His Life
• Working with Sean Diddy Combs
• Not Leaving the Studio
• Golf
• Teaching
• Sons Man Cave

Matt’s Rant: Self Evaluation

Links and Show Notes

• Stephen on Instagram: @inlikedent
• Oblique Strategies: https://bit.ly/3lkhNkW
• WCA on Instagram: @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
• Working Class Audio Journal: https://amzn.to/2GN67TP

Credits:

• Guest: Stephen Dent
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• Additional Music: Cordova

WCA #324 with Steve Genewick – Mixing for ATMOS, Al Schmitt, High-Pressure Sessions, Saying No to Gigs, and Cancer

My guest today is Grammy-nominated engineer, Steve Genewick. Steve is making a return appearance on WCA. With 30 years of experience and 20 of that spent working alongside Al Schmitt, Steve has worked all over the world with artists such as Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, and LL Cool Jay as well as games such as Apex Legend. Lately, Steve is deep into remixing classic records for release in ATMOS.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Preparing Capital for COVID
• Mixing Atmos from Home
• Setting up for Atmos
• Working Independently 
• Working with Al Schmitt
• High-Level Gigs
• Diverse Sessions
• Learning from Peers
• Learning from Everybody
• Being Prepared
• High-Pressure Sessions
• Sacrifices
• Cancer
• Saying No to Gigs
• Knowing What’s Important 
• Shrinking Budgets
• Mix Revisions
• Mixing for Video Games
• Home Studio Future

Matt’s Rant: Revisions

Links and Show Notes

• Steve’s Site: http://stevegenewick.com/
• Steve on Instagram: @steve_genewick
• WCA #070 with Al Schmitt & Steve Genewick
• WCA #112 with Frank Wolf
• WCA on Instagram: @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
• Working Class Audio Journal: https://amzn.to/2GN67TP

Credits:

• Guest: Steve Genewick
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• Additional Music: The License Lab

WCA #322 with Matthew Rifino – NBC’s The Today Show, Union Work, Mixing Bands, Home Studio Build, and Free Wood

My guest today is Matthew Rifino who is a music mixer for NBC’s The Today Show as well as a freelance engineer. Matthew has worked with so many top names in music it would be futile to list them all here. That said, he is a 5 Time Emmy Award Winner for his mixing work in television.

In this episode, we discuss:

• New Jersey Upbringing
• Don Mcclean
• Recording Lessons
• Pushing Boundaries
• Influence of Grandparents
• Tony Bongiovi/Power Station
• Five Towns College
• 911’s Effect on Studios
• Mixing Bands
• NBC’s The Today Show
• 40 Hours a Week
• Working with Major Bands
• Hierarchy of Union Audio
• Covid Effects On Work
• Stress Level
• Freelance Work
• Home Studio Build
• Early to Bed
• Early to Rise
• Being Healthy
• Freedom From Discipline
• Mixing
• Free Wood
• Financial Health
• Union Work

Matt’s Rant: Tax Season

Links and Show Notes

• Matthew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rifinomatthew/
• Matthew’s SIte: https://www.mattrifinomusicmixer.com/
• Quickbooks Self Employed: http://fbuy.me/oLXTP
• WCA on Instagram: @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
• Working Class Audio Journal: https://amzn.to/2GN67TP

Credits:

• Guest: Matthew Rifino
• Host: Matt Boudreau 
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell 
• Announcer: Chuck Smith
• Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau & Matt Boudreau
• Additional Music: The License Lab