Legendary producer/engineer Eddie Kramer has worked with Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Traffic and a myriad of other major recording stars.
One day I received an email with the subject line Guest suggestion/Eddie Kramer from Clifton David Broadbridge. The email read “I work with Eddie in Toronto. I’m his studio partner and assistant,, was wondering if you would like to interview him for your podcast? He would be totally into it!” I almost fell out of the chair! Long story short, I replied back, spoke with Clifton, then spoke with Eddie, and next thing I know I’m wrapping up an interview with someone who is responsible for some of the most incredible records in music history. I was a little stunned afterward. Sincere, funny, and full of energy is how I would describe Eddie Kramer. We talk about his photography, Jimi Hendrix and the new record coming out, Led Zeppelin, business, diversification, leaving South Africa for England, the famous Troggs tape, music today vs. the past, rebuilding the El Mocambo club with a studio inside, and much more. Enjoy! Happy Holidays! Matt
Dana Jae’s career as an audio engineer spans 34 years since the first day she began to record and mix songs on her Tascam PortaStudio in the early 80’s while attending college at UC Berkeley. She formed several of her own bands performing and recording until 1988 when she discovered that the “behind-the-scenes” tech realm was much more to her liking. Dana then began a career as a live sound engineer and has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe as front-of-house sound engineer for a multitude of bands on various record labels and have been a staff engineer at the venerable Bottom of the Hill nightclub since their inception in 1991.
Dana has owned and maintained a live sound production company since 1989 under the moniker dcj Productions, that has provided sound to the Bay Area community (mostly in the non-profit sector) in both large-scale, outdoor sound events as well as nightclubs and music halls. In 1991, she started recording bands on an 8-track Tascam TSR-8 analog tape recorder and moved into the digital realm in 1993 to 16-tracks of Alesis ADAT in her home studio. In 1995, Dana advanced to using Pro Tools and has been recording exclusively digital ever since, combining audio skills in sound for film as a location recordist as well as in post-production sound design and mixing. Dana says she still prefers the sonic rapture of “strictly analog” in live sound mixing, however.
Dana co-owned and was the President of APG Records & APG Studios, a record label and recording studio from 1999 – 2004 which had a distribution deal through EMI.
In 2001, Dana was hired to the part-time faculty at City College of San Francisco in the Broadcast Electronic Media Arts department where she has taught Digital Media Skills, Basic Audio Production, Digital Audio Production, Sound Recording Studio, Sound For Visual Media, Advanced Sound Recording, Sound Reinforcement, Audio for the Web, Video for the Web, Field Video Production, classes in sound design, audio for animation and games, music video, and computer applications at Laney College in Oakland, CA, Art Institute of California-San Francisco, and Globe Recording Institute in San Francisco.
About this Interview:
I’ve known Dana Jae since the late 90’s. We crossed paths working at local San Francisco pro audio dealers Audio Images and Cutting Edge Audio and also worked briefly together at a small record company. Since then we have stayed in touch over the years and recently ran into each other at an audio event where we planned this interview. We discuss how Dana got into audio and her journey through live sound, studio sound, film sound, pro audio retail and her current gig at City College of San Francisco. Enjoy!
Justin Perkins has been recording music since his mid-teens. It all started in his father’s basement then progressed to recording studios around the state of Wisconsin including the renowned Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin before relocating to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he now has his own mastering studio called Mystery Room Mastering. Justin’s clients include Tommy Stinson, The Replacements, The Figgs, The Gaslight Anthem, Daryl Stuermer, Screeching Weasel, The Mr. T Experience, The Smoking Popes, Limbeck, Miles Nielsen, and Tenement. Justin also recently mixed a new documentary about the legendary 90’s band Jawbreaker called “Don’t Break Down”. Outside of the studio, Justin has played bass in some of his own bands as well as with the newly reformed Bash & Pop, Tommy Stinson, Paul Collins Beat, Cory Chisel, and a few others.
About this Interview:
Every time I post about a new WCA show on Twitter there was always one guy who liked it, shared it, or commented on it and that was Justin. Naturally, I wanted to know who Justin Perkins was and why he was always liking the show so one day I visited his website Mystery Room Mastering and it was then I fully understood just how badass this guy was plus I was just blown away at the thorough nature of his website. Justin had reached out before to invite me to a Bash and Pop show he was playing in San Francisco (I was unable to go) so I wasn’t completely unaware of his background but I had to talk to him! So after reaching out, scheduling, and conducting my interview I had a whole new appreciation for Justin. We chat about his journey and his website and the usual WCA topics (clients, business, work/life balance, etc…). -Enjoy!
Andrew Maury is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixing engineer based in Brooklyn, New York. Maury has worked with artists such as Lewis Del Mar, Ra Ra Riot, Shawn Mendes, Grace Mitchell, Strange Names, Post Malone, RAC, Panama Wedding, Atlas Genius, Kimbra, Delicate Steve, Milagres, High Highs, Penguin Prison, Kisses, Satchmode, COIN, The Kooks, and CRUISR. In the summer of 2009, he worked on Tegan and Sara’s Sainthood alongside producer and Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla at the world-famous Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. Maury also spent years mixing front of house on tour for artists such as Ra Ra Riot and Givers and has mixed shows for bands such as Delicate Steve, Surfer Blood, and Chairlift.
About this Interview:
Andrew talks to me from his home in Brooklyn, NY about management, health, working in the pop world as a rock guy, gear lust, Sound City, and much more. Many thanks to listener Chad Wahlbrink for suggesting Andrew.
James Tuttle is an recording/mixing engineer and producer with 40 years in the trenches. After growing up playing in local bands in the midwest and Colorado he traded his place on stage for a place behind the console and never looked back. He has worked with everyone from Carole King and Dan Fogelberg to Joe Ely and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. He is a 2 time Grammy nominee for his mixing work with singer/songwriter Eliza Gilkyson and Jungle Jazz For Kids creator Mark Oblinger. He currently lives outside of Boulder, Colorado where he returned to after a stay in the fertile music mecca of Austin TX. He continues to be actively involved in making records with local and national artists. After a long affiliation with Airshow Mastering where he had a mix room, he now works from his home studio and from the Studio at eTown Hall.
His ongoing affiliation with the eTown syndicated radio show/podcast spans 20+ years where he is the chief recording engineer. Working on the eTown show has afforded him the opportunity to record and mix hundreds of artists including: James Taylor, Mumford and Son, Los Lobos, Michael Franti, Lyle Lovett, Imogen Heap, Rickie Lee Jones, Randy Newman, Ben Folds, Atmosphere, Emmy Lou Harris, Brother Ali and many, many more.
About this Interview:
WCA #154 features US recording/mixing engineer and producer James Tuttle. James originally emailed me knowing I would be in Colorado to see if I wanted to sit down for coffee. Once I saw that James had a serious background I countered his coffee offer with a an interview in a local coffee shop. With my portable rig in tow we got caffeinated and talked money, E-Town (https://www.etown.org/ ) where James has been at the last 20 years, his connection to David Glasser , recording in Austin and being in Carol King’s backup band. Enjoy! -Matt
Show notes and links:
E Town: https://www.etown.org/
The Documentary we mention: http://www.shopkeepermovie.com/
The studio in the above documentary: http://congresshouse.com/
Katie Tavini began working as a producer and engineer before a piece of advice changed everything for her. “I was looking to improve my mixes,” she recalls. “Someone told me that if I wanted to do that I should learn to master. Whether it was good advice or not I took it. I loved what I discovered and never looked back.”
With a fine balance of curiosity and experience, Tavini is now a mastering engineer with a rich and diverse client-list far bigger than any sound or scene.
“I like things with a lot of influences,” she adds. “I like not being able to place a piece of music immediately and I love working with bands and artists who push their boundaries. I’ve found that a willingness to try and explore something new has often led to amazing results for my clients.”
Katie is a mastering engineer who encourages, refines, expands and finishes. She loves to amplify the emotion and energy of an artist while bringing clarity and consistency to their art. People do not hear her best work, they feel it.
“Most people don’t think about how music moves them,” admits Tavini. “They are just moved. My job is to bring all the hard work of artists, producers and engineers together and create a platform for songs to shine. It’s the perfect job for me.”
About this Interview:
WCA #153 features UK Mastering engineer Katie Tavini ( https://www.katietavini.co.uk/ ). Katie recently wrote a what I think is a great opinion piece for Audio Media International ( https://goo.gl/XaovbN) about supporting your fellow engineers, your peers etc.. Instead of casting judgement over the gear they use and instead judge them based on the work they do. After reading that article I had a look at Katie’s website sent an email and invited her on the show. We chatted a couple of days ago about mastering of course, clients, money, health and marketing. Enjoy! -Matt
Horacio Bolz is an engineer/producer from Montevideo, Uruguay. By the age of 8 he was recording for fun and playing guitar and drums. While his life plan was originally to become a commercial airline pilot, it wasn’t until later he realized that music, producing and engineering was what I wanted to do in life. So by the age of 18 he moved to the UK to follow that dream. Horacio started his Production & Sound Engineering studies at Alchemea Collage in London. Once there he began to work for Phil Manzanera and Javier Weyler as an assistant engineer. During this period he recorded part of Phil’s last two solo albums (The Sound of Blue & Corroncho 2).
In 2012 Horacio returned to Uruguay where he started working as head engineer at Vivace Music. There, he recorded and mixed songs for most of the best bands in the country. Meanwhile he started doing live related work as a Monitor Engineer for Uruguayan bands. 2013 was the year in which Horacio started his band The Islingtons. They released “1 1 2 3 5”, their first studio album which was nominated for “Best New Band” at the Graffiti Awards. Since 2015 Horacio has been working as a freelance engineer, producer and musician. He owns (with his business partner Christian Eichin) a software development company in which they develop a free app called “Wavejam”. A collaborative multi-track recorder for iOS devices. Horacio also owns Vincent, a Creative Audio & Film production company based in Montevideo, Uruguay.
About this Interview:
Horacio talks with me about his early plan to become a commercial airline pilot, his work with Phil Manzanara, import taxes in Uruguay and how that affects his ability to buy equipment, as well his ability to make a living and incorporate audio into his life even when faced limitations. -Matt
Mastering engineer David Glasser has over 35 years of experience in audio engineering and has mastered thousands of records, including more than 80 GRAMMY nominees. A three-time nominee himself, he has earned two GRAMMY awards for mastering and restoration of the culturally significant Anthology of American Folk Music (1997) and Screamin’ and Hollerin’ the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton (2002). David began his audio career with the Boston Symphony, followed by eight years of recording and production for NPR. He founded Airshow in 1983 and shifted to full-time mastering in 1990 with a modest studio in Springfield, VA. Expanding the company to Boulder, Colorado in 1997, David grew Airshow into one of the largest mastering facilities in the country. In 2016, David built a new facility where he continues to enjoy the daily variety of a busy mastering practice.
About this Interview:
David talks with me about his early days at NPR, recording live shows, transitioning into mastering and being a volunteer fire fighter! Enjoy! – Matt
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 being at peace with his surroundings.
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 (Mumford & Sons, Florence & The Machine etc) for Channel 4 and Island Records. Dom has also recently undertaken a sound design project, providing all the sounds for the Samplephonics ‘Dirty Modular’ Kontakt instrument (“Great waveform library. Excellent sound” MusicRadar / “great sound quality of waveform library” producerspot.com).
I can’t honestly remember how I came to be emailing with Dom Morley. I do know it took us awhile to figure out a workable time to do it. Time Zones…….what a head scratcher when it comes to interview planning. Anyway, I talk with Dom about his work with Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, staying busy even though he lives out in the English countryside and work/life balance among many other topics. Enjoy.
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 talk about lessons learned from Al Schmitt, the changing recording world and how to adapt as well as common sense financial advice. Enjoy!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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, -Matt
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 artist can afford. When he is not freelancing at other studios it is his primary home.
About this Interview:
Rocky chat’s with me about his time at the Cutting Room and the events that lead up to that being his first studio job. We also talk about his new studio Virtue and Vice , his new Neve 80 series, being single, money, building permits and how he goes out 6 nights a week rather sitting on the couch watching Netflix. Many thanks to WCA Kyle Joseph for suggesting Rocky as a guest! -Matt
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. -Matt
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 name a few…
Chris is also the creator of Mixdown Online (mixdown.online), a resource website and Youtube channel design for helping musicians and home studio owners with their music production, recording and mixing skills through Youtube tutorial videos and blog articles.
About this Interview:
I met Chris through an online “Mastermind” Friday morning video call I do weekly. I was able to hang out with Chris in person in Nashville and it’s there I realized he would be a great candidate for WCA. Chris joins me for a chat about diet, money, his involvement in the French Canadian Christian music scene, and his home studio build. -Matt
Chris Selim’s Bullet Proof Coffee : Try at your own risk 😉
The regular recipe is One big cup of black coffee… 1 tbsp of grass fed unsalted butter… 1tbsp coconut oil… A bit of natural vanilla extract… A bit of cinnamon powder… But if this is your first time, cut the butter and coconut oil quantity in half. – Chris
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. and MusiCanvas Recorders in Scottsdale, AZ, he offers full service mixing facility and mobile recording services.Robert is also a highly sought after consultant advising artists, sound companies and the house of worship market on everything from technology, workflows and acoustics for their companies and events.
As an educator, Robert has lectured throughout the world on concert sound and recording practices at seminars and trade shows, and is a regular contributor to numerous industry publications, blog sites and YouTube video series.
Robert’s profile includes positions as a technical consultant for many of the top name manufacturers in professional audio, including Avid, EAW, Neumann, Audio Technica, Electrovoice, Servo Drive, and Alesis. He has held the title of endorser for numerous products, including Avid’s VENUE live sound environment, WAVE’s digital technology, Neumann Microphones, ATI Paragon, Intersonics loud speakers, Future Sonics ear monitors, and countless others throughout the years.
In 2006 Robert served as guest speaker delivering the keynote address for the Annual AES conference in San Francisco. He currently holds the position of Senior Specialist for live sound and recording products for Avid as principle designer for their VENUE line of live sound consoles, contributing to all aspects of their commanding presence in the live event market.
Robert’s hobbies include snowboarding, archery, pistol and rifle sports along with endurance challenge athletic events. He has successfully completed the Lake Tahoe North/South Swim, The Alcatraz Swim Challenge, The Great Wall Marathon and World’s Toughest Mudder along with numerous other events.
Robert is very happily married with three children and a dog named Fender.
About this Interview:
Robert joins me via Skype in Arizona to talk about challenges on the road including diet, fitness, staying close with family as well as his love for digital technology in the live sound world. -Matt
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
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