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WCA #201 with Christopher Scott Cooper

WCA #201 with Christopher Scott Cooper

WCA #201 with Christopher Scott Cooper

Christopher Scott Cooper has played guitar since age 5, composer/songwriter since age 15, and audio engineer/producer for the last 30+ years. Became a FOH mixer/Live Sound Engineer by default and spent the late 80s touring and providing services for many a band. In 1990 decided a new path in the studio was a better option and spent the next 15 years at Music Annex studios going from an intern to Chief Engineer. 15 years ago he chose the independent route and built a cozy high-end studio (Blue Seven Audio), and came full circle to being a FOH mixer again for the Fox Theatre in Redwood City and for various events and bands around the Bay Area. Experienced in live recording, live sound, sound effects capture, sound design, studio recording, toys, games, TV/Film, wiring, the system installs, computer/data management, electronics repair… all by necessity. He has also taught courses at Cogswell College and guest lectures at various Audio Institutions. Chris still writes and composes for his band New Sun, TV/Film, and various unusual ambient labels.

About this Interview:

Chris joins me at Highwire Coffee in Oakland, California for not only coffee but a chat about his time at the Music Annex, building his own studio, diversification, survival in audio, and his start in live sound. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #200 with Tchad Blake

WCA #200 with Tchad Blake

WCA #200 with Tchad Blake – Shooting Armadillos, Motorcycles, Buying ribs for Keith Richards, Surviving Cancer and yes…… the Sans Amp.

When I asked Tchad if he had an official bio he said…”Probably, It’s just not written down. ”  🙂

Tchad has worked with many artists including Arctic Monkeys, State Radio, Apartment 26, Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Pearl Jam, Tom Waits, Richard Thompson, Brazilian Girls, Gerard Way, Sheryl Crow, November 2nd, T-Bone Burnett, Travis, Marike Jager, Crowded House, Finn Brothers, Liam Finn, The Pretenders, Bernard Fanning, Los Lobos, The Bad Plus, Sam Phillips, Suzanne Vega, The Bangles, Stina Nordenstam, Phish, Bonnie Raitt, Lisa Germano, Fishbone, Al Green, Tracy Chapman, Phantom Planet, Gomez, The Dandy Warhols, American Music Club, Jed Davis, Blitzen Trapper, Cibo Matto, Haley Bonar, David Rhodes, The Black Keys, U2, Nico Vega, Halloween, Alaska, Cheese People, Kula Shaker and Soul Coughing, Delta Spirit, The Sheepdogs, Clarance Bucaro, Charlie Mars, The Van Jets, Indy Grotto, RZA, Nive Nielsen, Mutemath, Max Gomez, Living In Question, Justin Townes Earle, Luella And The Suns, Aṣa, Nina Violet, Tracy Bonham, Little Fish, Blackroc, Gary Myrick and The Figures, among others.

Tchad has a long running partnership  with producer Mitchell Froom, and the two formed Latin Playboys with David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez of Los Lobos. Tchad of course is known for his unconventional  recording and mixing technics and his use of binaural recording. He has won a number of Grammy Awards, beginning with a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album for Sheryl Crow’s The Globe Sessions (1998). He won another Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for his work on Suzanne Vega’s Beauty & Crime (2007). Blake won two Grammys for his work with The Black Keys on 2010’s Brothers.

About this Interview:

Tchad joins me to talk  about his journey starting in Baytown, Texas shooting Armadillos and riding motorcycles, to Los Angeles buying ribs for Keith Richards while working at Wally Heider’s studio. We also cover his work with Mitchell Froom, surviving cancer and yes……a little discussion of mechanical filters and the Sans Amp.

Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #199 with Pete Lyman

WCA #199 with Pete Lyman

Pete Lyman is a GRAMMY-Nominated mastering engineer based out of Nashville, TN and owner of Infrasonic mastering, an audio and vinyl mastering studio with locations in Echo Park, California and Nashville, TN. Pete has mastered Grammy-nominated projects for Panic! At the Disco, Weezer, and Grammy-award winning albums for Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton. In 2016 he was recognized with a GRAMMY Nomination for Album of the Year for Chris Stapleton’s Traveller.

 

Pete’s music career began at the age of 14, playing bass in a number of bands in Boulder, CO, California’s Bay Area, and Los Angeles. Over the years he has shared the stage with a variety of bands including My Bloody Valentine, The Mars Volta, and Sebadoh. In 2004, Pete opened Infrasonic Sound a 2000 sqft tracking studio in the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of El Sereno. During its tenure, the studio was host to numerous bands including The Mars Volta, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Beck, People Under The Stairs, and Liars. By 2005, he added a mastering suite to the Infrasonic complex which became home to his 1956 Neumann AM-32B cutting lathe.

As he began to focus strictly on mastering, Pete and his studio partner Jeff Ehrenberg sold the El Sereno space, and together opened a new custom-built facility at 1176 W. Sunset Blvd in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. In 2015, the Infrasonic welcomed mastering engineer Dave Gardner, founder of Magneto Mastering in Minneapolis, MN. Bringing over 19 years of experience and a roster including Hot Snakes, Bassnectar, and The Hold Steady, Dave currently serves as Infrasonic West’s Head Mastering Engineer.

In 2018, Pete opened his second studio facility, Infrasonic East, in Nashville, TN. Infrasonic East is now home to Pete Lyman’s custom mastering suite, the Neumann cutting lathe, and Infrasonic’s newest mastering engineer, Daniel Bacigalupi. The engineers at Infrasonic Sound continue to work with a diverse client roster – from John Prine and Dierks Bentley to Fall Out Boy and Halsey – on projects of all sizes.

About this Interview:

Pete joins me to talk about his journey to mastering inspired by Richard Simpson, the birth of Infrasonic, living in Los Angeles, moving to Nashville,  economic relaxation and learning to breath. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #198 with Fela Davis

WCA #198 with Fela Davis

WCA #198 with Fela Davis

Fela Davis is a graduate of Full Sail University and has over 17 years of experience in audio engineering. Her past experiences include working for industry powerhouses Clair Broadcast and House of Blues. Fela is currently the front-of-house engineer for Christian McBride. Fela co-founded 23 DB Productions with Denis Orynbekov. The company does a variety of work including mastering, recording &mixing as well as video content.  23dB has been a gateway for Fela to begin producing, shooting, and editing for endorsement and product videos for social media (Focusrite, Lewitt Microphones, and Big Joe Stomp Box). Using the videos to teach the audio community about new products and hone her skills at video production. 23dB eventually created their own video series called The Art of Music Tech. The series featured audio giants Leslie Ann Jones (Head of Skywalker Audio) and Jeff Bova (Michael Jackson, Herbie Hancock). Each featured guest talked about their career in audio and the audio gear used on their biggest hits! They have since made The Art of Music Tech video series into a weekly podcast that Fela and Denis host together. When Fela is not creating content for 23dB Productions or working with SoundGirls, she’s traveling the world mixing front of the house for Christian McBride.

About this Interview:

Fela chats with me about her 8th-grade career test that said audio engineering was a possibility, her time at Full Sail, folding airbags for Honda Accord’s, paying her dues, driving long distances for low-paying audio gigs, and her willingness to never give up.  Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #197 with Pete Weiss

WCA #197 with Pete Weiss

WCA #197 with Pete Weiss

Pete Weiss is a New England-based producer/engineer/mixer/musician. His unfussy, organic, “artist first” work has earned him a reputation as an outstanding producer who can adapt to many musical genres and is unafraid to ignore stylistic conventions. Notable artists Weiss has worked with include Charlie Chesterman, Chris Brokaw, Kustomized, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Doug Yule, Moe Tucker, The Upper Crust, Aimee Mann, Lee Ranaldo, Bell X1, Drive-By Wire, One Happy Island, Kingsley Flood, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Two Dollar Pistols, Bow Thayer & Levon Helm, Don Lennon, Hayley Thompson-King and many others.

In 1989 he co-founded Zippah Studio in Boston. Selling his share of Zippah in 2004, he built and opened Verdant Studio, an “open room” retreat-style studio with artist lodging in rural Vermont which he now uses as a home base.

When not in the studio, Weiss fronts the instrumental band The Weisstronauts and is a member of the experimental pop collective known as Sool. He released a solo album in 1996 and three albums while fronting the subversive Pete Weiss & the Rock Band from 1995-2000. He has scored four independent films, “Methods” (1998), “Metal” (2001), “Bad Gravity” (with Sool 2006), and “The Arcadian Ideal” (2007).

He is a Senior Contributor for Tape Op Magazine, writing reviews of audio equipment as well as conducting interviews with recording industry figures. Over the years he has served on many panels & workshops at Tape Op’s and Potluck Audio conferences. In the early 1990’s Weiss authored two books on baseball, “Baseball’s All Time Goats” and “Longshots!”, both published by Adams Media.

About this Interview:

Pete joins me to talk about his early career and decision making, his transition to building a rural studio, the lessons learned in that rural environment and his decision to sell and try a different recording adventure. plus much more. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #196 with Adam Rossi

WCA #196 with Adam Rossi


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Working Class Audio #196 with Adam Rossi!!!

Adam Rossi is a music and sound producer working in San Francisco. Past projects include music production for local Bay Area artists Jeffrey Halford and The Healers, Morsifire, Brad Brooks, The Welcome Matt and Luce; music scores for VR games War Hammer: Betrayal at Calth and Bounce (Steel Wool Studios), and sound design, music and voice over for award winning toys by KID Group.
Adam’s work in the VR world has led to music, sound design and voice over work on immersive projects for the films Ready Player One and Jigsaw, Mercedes-Benz, Visa, SAP, Lexus, Sprint, LG, Kaiser, Carnival and many others.
When he’s not locked in the studio, Adam can be found playing keyboards with local Bay Area artists and jumping on the occasional tour to Europe with Jeffrey Halford and the Healers.

About this Interview:

Adam joins me to talk about his journey that started with  an 8th grade run-in with Eric Valentine to his mom’s garage to crappy midi composing jobs to making records with Tom Luce and much, much more!. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #195 with Sherry Klein



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Working Class Audio #195 with Sherry Klein !!!

Sherry Klein is a Post Production Re-Recording Mixer for Television and Film, she is currently living in Los Angeles, Ca. and works with Smart Post Sound in Burbank. Some of her past credits include Queen of the South, Reverie, Burn Notice, Arrested Development, Sons of Anarchy, and The Shield. She is currently a Board member of the CAS (Cinema Audio Society) and chairs their annual Student Recognition Awards.

She first became “aware” of audio while attending Berklee College of music in Boston studying Arranging and Composition. There was a small 2-track studio in the basement of the main Berklee building where she had to record her 4th semester term project. This was the experience that she remembers as the start of her fascination with sound, and the beginnings of her journey from musician, to record engineering and finally into post production mixing.

“I consider myself very lucky to be working within this talented community of people who have continually inspired me to refine my craft, and grow my love of mixing”

About this Interview:

Sherry joins me to talk about her journey from musician, composer, arranger to recording engineer in the world of records to finally Post Production Re-Recording Mixer for Television and Film. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #194 with Sara Carter

WCA #194 with Sara Carter

Sara Carter is a BBC trained, mixing and mastering engineer based in Hampshire, UK.

Sara started recording and mixing music in the mid 90’s as a hobby from a small home studio after playing guitar for many years. Then, in 2000 in a bold move, she decided to sell her house, give up her established career of 16 years and relocate to London to turn that hobby into her new full-time career.

She studied at the SAE Institute in London gaining an Audio Engineering Diploma and soon after secured a position as a BBC Radio Studio Manager (sound engineer) working on the UK’s most listened to radio shows, live music sessions and major music festivals across all of the BBC’s main music networks. She also created the foley and sound effects on several radio drama productions and comedy shows.

Above all, she relished working in the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios where she developed her mixing and critical listening skills, working on sessions with a wide variety of artists from Crowded House to The Cure and Adele to The Black Keys to name just a few. She’s been officially credited on records from Corrine Bailey Rae, KT Tunstall and Girls Aloud amongst others.

In 2009, Sara decided to take a break from broadcasting and left the BBC to explore a different creative interest and became a Brewer in a small award-winning microbrewery (Yes, I know a bit random but it still involved mixing, just not music!). In recent years, however, she had felt a strong calling back to music and engineering, returning to the industry with her online mixing and mastering business called Music Mix Pro. Sara is passionate about mixing music and strives to exceed her clients’ expectations and to make the whole process as rewarding as possible for both the artist and herself.

About this Interview:

Sara joins me to talk about her incredible journey that took her through the motor trade, audio at the BBC to brewing then back to audio as a freelancer. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #193 with Drew Vandenberg


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Working Class Audio #193 with Drew Vandenberg !!!

Drew Vandenberg is an engineer, producer and label owner based out of Athens, Georgia. He got his start working at legendary Chase Park Transductions studios when he was just 16, learning the finer points of the craft from studio founder David Barbe. He left his homebase for a time to get a degree in the recording arts from Indiana University, returning to Athens to work on pivotal records for Ra Ra Riot, Toro y Moi, of Montreal, Kishi Bashi, Tall Tall Trees, Fred Thomas, Mothers, Faye Webster, Futurebirds and dozens more. Though centralized in Athens where he lives with wife Catherine, Vandenberg often travels to engineer special projects, as well as producing and mixing remotely.
In 2018, he formed True Blue Records, a label he closely supervised, working directly with new artists The High Divers, Partials, and Curt Castle on the creation and release of their albums. The label also recently began a series of specially recorded 7″ singles, inviting bands into the studio to record exclusive material live to 1/2″ tape, pressing the results to limited edition vinyl singles and donating all of the proceeds to local charities Nuci’s Space and the Athens Boys & Girls Club Music Makers program.

About this Interview:

Drew joins me for a chat about his rise from teenage assistant to his current role as producer and engineer. We talk money, work/life balance, earthquakes vs tornados and being mindful in the studio. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #192 with Ryan Earnhardt

WCA #192 with Ryan Earnhardt


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Working Class Audio #192 with Ryan Earnhardt!!!

Ryan Earnhardt is a video creator and studio owner who produces a YouTube show called Creative Sound Lab. It covers recording-focused topics and out-of-the-box topics such as DIY effects. He recently built a Pooper Time Cube (A delay made from 4 inch drainage pipe) and created a reverb out of a garden hose. Creative Sound Lab stresses fundamental recording techniques and capturing real sounds such as using re-amping during mixing or using echo chambers for vocals – even if that chamber is your living room! Ryan has partnered with Brian McTear (WCA #060) of Weathervane Music and author Eric Sarafin aka “Mixerman”. Ryan started Creative Sound Lab in 2013 because he saw a need for something different than computer screen videos that mostly covered mixing topics. He currently has over 37,000 subscribers and hosts over a dozen online courses at Creative Sound Lab.tv Ryan’s studio, Lumen Audio, is debt free and supports his wife, and 4 kids. For fun he enjoys fresh mountain air, electronic music creation, and cooking…which he says is just about the same mindset as mixing a song.

About this Interview:

Ryan joins me for a chat about his studio (Lumen Audio), his Audio Courses and Youtube channel  Creative Sound Lab as well as his world of 4 kids (5th on the way!) and his journey to where he is today.  Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #191 with Will Sadler

WCA #191 with Will Sadler

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Working Class Audio #191 with Will Sadler!!!

Will Sadler was born in Columbia, SC but within two months his parents had moved to Las Cruces, NM. After traipsing across the south, first at Mississippi State and then in the Raleigh/Durham, NC area, he returned to Las Cruces and finished a degree in Political Science. Somewhere in the midst of starting a Master’s Degree in History, Will was sidetracked by the need to correct his Tejano bands flagging sound system and the rest is history. Today, Will helps KW Sound and Hubbard’s Music aid Las Cruces in having better sound at their concerts and in their buildings. Hopefully, more often than not, succeeding.

About this Interview:

I join Will at his house for a chat about his journey from bass player to live sound engineer and installer, running a small sound company in New Mexico, the culture of Las Cruces, finding satisfaction by not joining big tours and his brush with Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #190 with David Cook

WCA #190 with David Cook
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Working Class Audio #190 with David Cook!!!

David Cook is a Audio Engineer from Columbia, SC. David graduated from Full Sail with a recording arts degree in 2001 and quickly started working in studios and doing live sound while living in Atlanta Georgia. David eventually moved back to SC where he owned a studio and continued to work in live sound. David also developed relationships with local film makers and started providing location sound and post services as well. In 2015 David and his family decided to take a chance and move to Southern California. This move was not just about moving to a new location but moving into a new vocation.

For the past 3 years David has been working in film and television as a location sound mixer. His transition has allowed him to work with companies such as Comedy Central, NBC, Hulu, Netflix, HBO, Aston Martin, Chevy, Best Buy, Pepsi, and Nickelodeon. In 2017 David’s first Feature Film , Thumper, was released on Netflix. David still works in music production and from time to time those worlds collide allowing him to record acts such as Tom Morello for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, James Blake Live DVD, Atlantic Artists Charlie Puth and Matt Maeson, and many others. Even though David mostly works in the Film and Television industry he still works as a Live Sound Engineer, Mix Engineer, and Audio Post Engineer. David would say that his biggest asset is his sense of community. The entertainment industry is all about relationships and that is what David does best; builds relationships

About this Interview:

David joins me for a talk about his move from South Carolina to California,  the production sound community in LA, the lessons he learned along the way and the importance of getting out and hustling instead of sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #189 with Lee Bothwick

WCA #189 with Lee Bothwick

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Working Class Audio #189 with Lee Bothwick!!!

Lee Bothwick is an audio engineer, producer and musician based in Oakland, CA . A graduate of Ex’pression College, Lee’s spent the last decade of his life working in recording studios. The last several of those years were spent as the Head Engineer at Green Day’s JingleTown Recording. Having been there from the day it publicly opened its doors to the day it closed, Lee worked almost every session that came through the door. Because of that experience, Lee had the pleasure of working with Bay Area legends such as Green Day, Machine Head, Fat Mike (NoFX), Samiam, and Too $hort as well as international acts like Kate Nash. Currently, Lee works day to day for Green Day as an engineer and, when possible, taking up extra sessions on weekends and nights with bands from around the Bay.

About this Interview:

Lee joins me for a discussion about surviving as an  intern,  working with Green Day, seizing opportunities, networking, complacency, introverts and extroverts as well as the art of frugality.    Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #188 with Justin Weis

WCA #188 with Justin Weis

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Working Class Audio #188 with Justin Weis!!!

Justin Weis is a San Francisco, California based audio engineer and owner/operator at Trakworx Mastering & Recording.  Since starting Trakworx in 1995 Justin has mastered, mixed or recorded a wide variety of artists including Sammy Hagar, Papa Roach, Matt Nathanson, Larry Coryell, The Tubes, Agalloch, Pallbearer, The Coup, B-Legit, Zion I, Berner and Andre Nickatina.  His approach is heavily oriented towards analog outboard gear and tape, integrated with modern digital tools.   Justin started out in the 1980s on guitar, bass and vocals in local Rock bands, then developed a love for home recording.  He graduated from California Recording Institute in 1994 and was hired by the school as an instructor.  Within a year he started Trakworx in a small studio within the recording school.  By 1997 he had established himself as a working engineer so he left teaching to create his own studio space.In recent years the mastering side of Justin’s business has begun to overshadow the recording/mixing side as demand for online mastering has steadily increased.

About this Interview:

Justin stops by my house to chat about not bothering your landlord, getting out of debt, thinking from your clients perspective and shifting towards doing more mastering than recording work.  Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #187 with Kendal Osborne


WCA #187 with Kendal Osborne

Kendal Osborne is an audio engineer, mixer, producer, and musician out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He owns and operates The Closet Studios and has done so since 2007. Kendal regularly records with artists from Oklahoma and the surrounding states, but has mixed songs from artists around the world. He also teaches two part-time night classes at Tulsa Technology Center (a vocational school in Tulsa) about recording, and is the host of the Recording Lounge Podcast.  Aside from the studio, Kendal enjoys reading, woodworking, and spending time with his wife, Audra. After marrying in 2012, they moved into their current home in a quiet neighborhood just on the outskirts of Tulsa. They enjoy cooking, weekend getaways, and watching movies together.

About this Interview:

Kendal joins me for a chat about laughing bankers, passing and failing building inspections, drummers with decorating sense, the music scene of Tulsa, Oklahoma and tornados. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #186 with Aaron Youngberg

WCA #186 with Aaron Youngberg



WCA #186 with Aaron Youngberg

Aaron Youngberg is a Colorado musician, a recording & mixing engineer, producer & owner of Swingfingers Recording Studios. He got his start in the music industry 20 years playing the 5-string banjo in full-time touring bluegrass bands.  After becoming the band’s default “sound guy” for live sound, Aaron dove in to the complexities of mixing live and recorded acoustic music. He traded in the touring life-style for more time at home and built a world-class studio in the foothills west of Ft. Collins, CO. He has a reputation in the acoustic music, bluegrass, country, and American world for getting amazing tones for acoustic instruments, taking great care and deliberation of mic choice & placement for optimal true-to-life tone. He also has an affinity for the warmth and character for any piece of gear with tubes in it. Aaron still tours with his band FY5 playing banjo & pedal steel although he’s found a much happier balance between life on the road and life behind the glass.

About this Interview:

Aaron joins me to talk about building his studio, working with studio designer Sam Berkow, his band FY5, balance, family and his respect for live sound engineers. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #185 with Joshua Brooks

WCA #185 with Joshua Brooks

WCA #185 with Joshua Brooks

Joshua Brooks is an American Producer and Audio Engineer currently serving as Hybrid Studio’s Lead Engineer in Orange County, California . He has worked with a number of top performers as well as 100’s of LA and Orange County’s rising independent artists including: Lamb of God, Trivium, Soulfly, The Diamond Light, Jessica Muse, The Alan Parsons Project, Sons of Texas, Bird & The War, The Shakes and Your Favorite Color. Joshua also has several television and film credits.

Joshua maintains his passion for writing music and his works have gained recognition from top industry organizations. His music has been published by Riptide Music Group and he is the proud recipient of an Artist of the Year Award (Malibu Music Awards), a Billboard Chart Honorable Mention, and an Artist of the Year nomination (RAW Music Awards).

Joshua is a graduate of The Los Angeles Film School where he received an AS in Recording Arts and a BS in Entertainment Business, and he is certified by Avid in Pro Tools software systems.

About this Interview:

Joshua joins me to talk about his time in the United States Coast Guard,  what he learned at The Los Angeles Film School, why he loves working at  Hybrid Studios, the Orange County music scene and he and his wife’s  anticipated arrival of a baby.  Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #184 with Joe Tessone

WCA #184 with JOE TESSONE

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Working Class Audio #184 with Joe Tessone!!!

Joe Tessone is the owner and lead audio engineer at Mystery Street Recording Company. He is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago’s famed school of Audio Arts and Acoustics, with a degree specializing in Audio Design and Production. Since 2007, he has been an audio archiving consultant and mastering engineer for the Old Town School of Folk Music where he has helped preserve over 30,000 songs from recordings that date as far back as 1956. He is a member of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, the Audio Engineering Society, and is a voting member of The Recording Academy (Grammys). His work has been featured on Chicago Radio Stations such as Q101, WXRT,  WGCI, WPNA, WGN, WLUW and more. He has also been highlighted multiple audio publications, including Live Sound International, Pro Audio Review, and Mix Magazine.

Joe worked as an engineer for the “127 Songs Live From the Old Town School of Folk Music” project, during which he mastered tracks by world renowned artists including Pete Seeger, Jeff Tweedy, Mahalia Jackson, Donovan, Andrew Bird, and more.

Since 2012, Joe has been a consultant for Sensaphonics, advising touring engineers and artists (including Steven Tyler, The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, Lisa Loeb, Wayne Kramer (MC5), John Feldmann (Goldfinger), Chance the Rapper, Thom Yorke, The Lumineers, and David Crosby), and teaching students and doctors of audiology, the implementation of in-ear monitoring in live and studio environments.

In 2014, he mixed and and mastered a live recording for Iron and Wine and he continues to work with dozens of Chicago’s favorite performers across all genres of music. Joe is also the Head of Audio for Sofar Sounds Chicago, were he produces dozens of live recordings year, including recent recordings of Jack Garrett, Shawnee Dez, CHAI, and Tank and the Bangaz.

In addition to his accomplishments in the field of audio, he is a musician of sorts. His musical career spans over 15 years of experience, most recently as singer/songwriter for the socially conscious punk rock band‚ Behold!‚ and banjo/ukulele player for the Americana ensemble, The Rust Belt Ramblers. Joe also is a volunteer producer for the Punk Rock Karaoke Collective, a community fundraising organization and an advocate for Jail Guitar Doors, an organization dedicated to bringing music to the lives of those in prison.

In his spare time, Joe enjoys playing with his two kids, skateboarding, vegan cooking, and birdwatching with this wife, Kristen.

About this Interview:

Joe joins me to talk about his multi-facetted studio Mystery Street Recording  which exemplifies the concept of diversification. The studio handles an array of  tasks including a traditional recording studio, format transfers, rehearsal space, Karaoke recording party’s, video production, consulting  and podcast recording. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #183 with Craig Bowen


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Working Class Audio #183 with Craig Bowen!!!

Craig Bowen has been recording bands for over 20 years and is currently the owner/ operator of Tempo House recording studio in Baltimore City. He recorded records by Lungfish, Quixotic, Jackie-O Motherfucker, Ecstatic Sunshine, Jason Urick, Oxes, Thank You, Growing, Smoke Bellow, Zomes, Dan Deacon, Animal Collectiveand many more. He was in the band INK(Monitor Records) and currently performs instrumental guitar + drum machine music.

After years of working in a wide range of studios and ad-hoc recording environments, he designed and built a studio with a balance of efficiency and flexibility Inspired by, among other things, the John Peel radio show, Tempo House was created to provide an professional, relaxed recording atmosphere accessible to artists regardless of their popularity or esthetics.

About this Interview:

Craig joins me to talk about mentoring  kids in inner city Baltimore, the fire that displaced his last studio, the beauty of his his espresso maker and the challenges that come with recording. Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links

WCA #182 with Mike Kennerty

WCA #182 with Mike Kennerty

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Working Class Audio #182 with Mike Kennerty!!!

Mike Kennerty is a producer/engineer based out of Edmond, OK. He’s best known as a guitar player for the multi-platinum band The All-American Rejects, but over the last decade has also made a name for himself as a producer in the punk rock world. Having worked with bands like Screeching Weasel, Masked Intruder, Direct Hit!, Red City Radio, and The Copyrights (for labels such as Fat Wreck Chords, Pure Noise, Red Scare, and Asian Man) he often tries to integrate bigger production elements to a genre usually known for its simplicity.

About this Interview:

Mike joins me to talk about the dual worlds of producing/engineering while being in a well known band as well as tips for studio owners, knowing when you have enough gear, his mentors and what he’s learned while straddling both sides of the glass.  Enjoy! – Matt

Show Notes and Links