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WCA #337 with Peter Claes

WCA #337 with Peter Claes – Live Sound, YouTube, Sharing Knowledge, and The Family Music Shop

My guest today is live sound mixer, audio coach, and noise abatement consultant Peter Claes, who lives in Hasselt, Belgium.

Peter has a great Youtube channel that I watch called Masterclaes (spelled with his last name in mind ) Master Claes, and I enjoy his approach to teaching and sharing knowledge. After connecting on Linkedin, we made arrangements to join me to share his experience working in live sound with bands such as Simple Monds, The Human League, and Arsenal. 

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Hasselt, Belgium
  • Family Music Shop
  • Music School
  • Live Sound
  • Reading Music
  • Using Studio Gear Live
  • Playing In Bands
  • Mentors
  • Climbing The Live Sound Ladder
  • Working With Others
  • Making A Living
  • Business Outlook
  • Challenges
  • Striving For Perfection
  • Working With Musicians
  • Coaching
  • Sharing Knowledge
  • Masterclaes 
  • The Critics
  • Ambition vs. Work/Life
  • Post COVID Work

Matt’s Rant: Exploration

Links and Show Notes

Credits:

  • Guest: Peter Claes
  • 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

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

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 #335 with Dan Alexander

WCA #335 with Dan Alexander – Vintage Recording Gear, Guitars, Radical Parents, Bill Putnam, and The Drain of The Studio Business

My guest today is engineer, former studio owner, author, and vintage gear dealer, Dan Alexander.

Dan was a fixture of the Bay Area recording scene in San Francisco for many years. He ran the same studio space I did, the former Coast Recorders building on Mission Street in San Francisco as well as Coast on Harrison. He’s spent many years of his life buying and selling vintage guitars and vintage recording equipment which we will talk about. He’s got a new book out called “Dan Alexander Audio: A Vintage Odyssey” He talk s to us from his home in Los Angeles.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Radical Parents
  • House UnAmerican Activities Committee 
  • The Rockets
  • Eddie Money
  • Bay Area Music
  • Selling Guitars
  • Grocery Store Studio
  • Vintage Recording Gear
  • Wheeling and Dealing
  • Hyde Street Studios
  • Coast Recorders
  • Coast on Harrison
  • Bill Putnam
  • The Drain of The Studio Business
  • Getting Evicted
  • Divorce
  • Rising Gear Prices
  • Gear Clones

Matt’s Rant: Getting out of the Chair!

Links and Show Notes

Credits:

  • Guest: Dan Alexander
  • 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

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

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 #333 with Alex Crescioni

WCA #333 with Alex Crescioni – Doom Metal, Peter & The Wolf, Bad Intern Experiences, and Garage Sale Four-Tracks

My guest today is producer, engineer, mixer Alex Crescioni.

Alex is based in Los Angeles at his studio Stygian Sound, located in the legendary Sound City studio complex. He works with a wide variety of rock & metal bands on Nuclear Blast Records, Napalm Records, Wind-Up Records, Craft Recordings, Cleopatra Records, Metal Assault Records, Steamhammer Records, Sliptrick Records, EMP Label Group, Gore House Productions, Frontiers Records, Danse Macabre Records, and Minotauro Records. I’ve followed Alex’s career for a long time and am happy he’s here to join me for a chat. Alex Crescioni, coming up here on The Working Class Audio Podcast. 

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Mothers Musical influence
  • The Suzuki Method
  • Musicians Institute
  • Peter and the wolf
  • Garage Sale Four-Track
  • Home base
  • Wanting To Give Up
  • Bad Intern Experiences
  • Sound City 
  • LA Studio Complexes
  • Getting Work
  • Client Vetting Process
  • Rates
  • Mentors
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Doom metal
  • Matt Wallace
  • Tim Palmer
  • Chris Collier
  • Assistants
  • Struggling
  • Financial Awakening

Matt’s Rant: Sharing Your Knowledge

Links and Show Notes

Credits:

  • Guest: Alex Crescioni
  • 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

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

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 #331 with Michael Castañeda

WCA #331 with Michael Castañeda – Tape Syncs, Podcasts, Network of Friends, West Covina, and Getting Super Lucky

My guest today is Michael Castañeda, who is an audio engineer who does location recordings, post-production, producing, and consultation for podcasts.

In this episode, we discuss:

  • West Covina
  • Tape Syncs
  • Covid Audio Practices
  • Cassettes
  • Drum & Bugle Corps. 
  • School Band
  • Citrus Community College
  • UC San Diego
  • Sending Resumes
  • Craigslist Illness
  • Reality Show Gigs
  • The Grind of TV
  • Recording School Bands
  • Getting Super Lucky
  • The Gift of Audio Gear
  • Live Sound
  • Podcast Work
  • Network of Friends
  • Enjoying Gigs
  • New York Times
  • Podcast Producing
  • Learning in the Field
  • Linkedin

Matt’s Rant: Banking Locally

Links and Show Notes

Credits:

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

WCA #330 with Bill Schnee

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

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 #329 with Joe Caithness

WCA #329 with Joe Caithness – Pragmatic Studio Building, Meta Data, Professionalism, Office Hours, and Gear Poverty

My guest today is Mastering Engineering Joe Caithness. Joe has worked on mastering the soundtrack music for games such as Borderlands, and Tekken, the soundtracks for the Netflix movie Close, bands such as Don Martin 3 and Palooka 5 and he does it all from the comfort of his mastering studio located in his backyard in Nottingham, England. 

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Shakespeare
  • Early PC Recording
  • Clutter
  • Being An Audio Introvert
  • Forums
  • GateKeeper Mentality
  • Online Mentors
  • Gear Poverty
  • Inverse Financial Curves
  • Pragmatic Studio Building
  • Transfer Equipment
  • Test Pressings
  • Mastering QC Process
  • Meta Data
  • Professionalism
  • Office Hours
  • Back Issues
  • Being Debt Free

Matt’s Rant: Patience

Links and Show Notes

Credits:

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