

Working Class Audio
Working Class Audio
Peel back the glamour of the professional recording world. Guests from the world of audio for music, film, games, restoration, and more share their insights on how they made their journey, how they survive, their advice on the real things including wins, losses, working with other people, money, and career advice.
Hosted by audio engineer Matt Boudreau.
The Working Class Audio Podcast - Navigating the World of Recording with a working class perspective.
Hosted by audio engineer Matt Boudreau.
The Working Class Audio Podcast - Navigating the World of Recording with a working class perspective.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 5, 2021 • 46min
WCA #355 with Jason Phelps - Lobster, Landlords, Studio Partnerships, Portland, Maine, and Bluegrass
Today, my guest is producer, engineer, and musician Jason Phelps, co-owner of Acadia Recording Company located in Portland, Maine. In this episode, we discuss:
Portland, Maine
Lobster
Acadia Recording CO.
Gateway Mastering
Landlords
Mini Splits
Studio Business
Shared Workflows
Studio Partnerships
Grants and Loans
Handling Studio Money
Trust
Making People Comfortable
8 Tracks
Back Ordered Guitars
Bluegrass
Networking
Teaching
Having A Plan
Matt's Rant: Having Coffee with New FriendsLinks and Show Notes
acadiarecording.com
jasonphelpsmusic.com
WCA on Instagram
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Jason Phelps
Host: Matt Boudreau
Engineer: Matt Boudreau
Producer: Matt Boudreau
Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau
WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
Announcer: Chuck Smith
Additional Music: The License Lab
Sep 28, 2021 • 1h 8min
WCA #354 with Tom Gordon - Granny's House, Weed Offerings, 80 Hour Weeks, Sammy Davis Jr., and Advice from Shelly Yakus
My guest today is Producer, Engineer, and Educator Tom Gordon. Tom has worked with Ozzy Osbourne, Dr. Dre, The Beach Boys, Boyz II Men, Willie Nelson, Whitesnake, and Bruce Dickenson of Iron Maiden, to name a few. In this episode, we discuss:
Growing up In Reno
Theater Parents
Sammy Davis Jr.
Reel to Reel Discoveries
Endless Love
Granny's House
USC
Discovering Recording
Advice from Shelly Yakus
Milli Vanilli
Spec Deals
Music Bias
Weed Offerings
Working with Famous People
Whitesnake
Imirage Studios
Teaching
80 Hour Weeks
Lessons for Students
Matt's Rant: Inspiration from Other ThingsLinks and Show Notes
Tom's Site
Tom at UNR
Mike Blodgett WCA #348
WCA on Instagram
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Tom Gordon
Host: Matt Boudreau
Engineer: Matt Boudreau
Producer: Matt Boudreau
Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau
WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
Announcer: Chuck Smith
Additional Music: The License Lab
Sep 21, 2021 • 57min
WCA #353 with Matt Qualls - Van Burnout, Doctors Office Recording, Working with Limitations, Sound Baths, and Memphis
My guest today is recording, mixing, and mastering engineer Matt Qualls who is based in Memphis, Tennessee. In this episode, we discuss:
Growing Up In Memphis
Early Recording
Van Burnout
Doctors Office Recording
Ardent Studios
Working with Limitations
Neve VR-60 and Toothpicks
Studio Maintenance
The Bay Area
Albuquerque
Feeling Retired
Gear Talk
Sound Bath
Moving Back to Memphis
Young Avenue Sound
Nashville vs. Memphis
Invasion
Sacrifices
Matt's Rant: Over CommittingLinks and Show Notes
Matt Qualls on Instagram
WCA on Instagram
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Matt Qualls
Host: Matt Boudreau
Engineer: Matt Boudreau
Producer: Matt Boudreau
Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau
WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
Announcer: Chuck Smith
Additional Music: The License Lab

Sep 14, 2021 • 1h 2min
WCA #352 with Sean O'Keefe - Quitting School, Wednesday Warriors, Hacking the Intern Process, Managers, Royalties, and Soft Cities
My guest today is Grammy Nominated Mixer, Producer, Sean O'Keefe who has worked with Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights, and The Plain White T's, among many others. In this episode, we discuss:
Chicago
4 Track Recording
Academic Father
Quitting School
Living in an Office
Wednesday Warriors
Lessons Learned from Gravity Studios
Hacking the Intern Process
Smart Studios
Fall Out Boy
Evanston
Soft City
Managers
Royalties
Economic Lessons
Gear Doesn't Matter
Matt's Rant: Random ThoughtsLinks and Show Notes
Sean's Site
Sean on Instagram
Doug McBride
Justin Perkins
Ken Sluiter
Brad Wood
Butch Vig
WCA on Instagram
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Sean O'Keefe
Host: Matt Boudreau
Engineer: Matt Boudreau
Producer: Matt Boudreau
Editing: Anne-Marie Pleau
WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
Announcer: Chuck Smith
Additional Music: The License Lab
Sep 7, 2021 • 1h
WCA #351 with Travis Ference - Talent Shows, Capital Studios, Waiting for the Phone to Ring, and Doing Awful Things to Audio
My guest today is Grammy Nominated Mixer, Producer, and Recording Engineer Travis Ference. Travis has worked with Imagine Dragons, John Mayer, Ariana Grande, and Bush, to name a few. In this episode, we discuss:
North Carolina
Blooming Late
Selling his only Zeppelin CD!
Talent Shows
Sports
Berklee College of Music
Boston
LA
Capital Studios
Waiting for the Phone to Ring
Life As a Studio Runner
Disney Pop
Doing Awful Things to Audio
Independence
Personality Types in Audio
Matt's Rant: Staying OrganizedLinks and Show Notes
Travis's Site
ProGressions Podcast
Travis on Instagram
WCA on Instagram
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Travis Ference
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
Aug 31, 2021 • 1h 20min
WCA #350 with Leslie Brathwaite - Island Culture, The Craft of Recording, Taking Pride in Work, Valuing Peace, and Salads for Whitney Houston
My guest today is recording and mixing engineer Leslie Brathwaite, who has worked with Pharrell Williams, Outkast, Björk, TLC, Jay Z, Madonna, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, Akon, T.I., Monica, Michael Jackson, Cher, Mary J. Blige, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G just to name a few. In this episode, we discuss:
Virgin Islands
Calypso Music
Birth of Hip Hop
Drum Machines
Island Culture
Making Dubs
Leaving The Island
Full Sail
The Craft of Recording
Dallas Austin
Salads for Whitney Houston
Apple IIE
Taking Pride in Work
Good and Efficient
Building Relationships
The Cup Test
Turning Work Down
Valuing Peace
Mixing in the Box
Money Talk
Mix Philosophy
Matt's Rant: Revisiting HabitsLinks and Show Notes
Leslie on Instagram
Leslie on Twitch
Atomic Habits
WCA on Instagram
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Leslie Brathwaite
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
Aug 24, 2021 • 53min
WCA #349 with Craig Alvin - Muscle Shoals, Mentors, Survival, Bible College Neves, And A Brand New Studio
My guest today is Grammy-Winning Mix Engineer and Producer Craig Alvin. Craig's recording credits include Hanson, Little Big Town, Amy Grant, Vanessa Carlton, Will Hoge, Andrew Belle, Brittany Howard, and a Grammy for his mix work on Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour album in 2019.In this episode, we discuss:
Vancouver, Washington
Bible College Neves
5 O'Clock People
Joe Chicarelli
Always Be Listening
Oklahoma City
Advice on Nashville
Muscle Shoals
Mentors
Larry Crane
Aretha Franklin
Cost of Living
New Studio
Work/Life
Survival
Quality of Tracks
Matt's Rant: Do We Always Need to Get Paid for Our Stuff?Links and Show Notes
Craig's Site
Craig On Instagram
WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Craig Alvin
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
Aug 17, 2021 • 47min
WCA #348 with Mike Blodgett - Reno to East Oakland, Starving Musician, Building a Studio, and Becoming an Electrician.
Today, my guest is producer, engineer, composer, and electrician Mike Blodgett, the owner of Electric Sparky Land recording in East Oakland. In this episode, we discuss:
East Oakland
Live/Work Space
Reno, Nevada
Viola
Field Recording
4 Tracks
Starving Musician
Becoming an Electrician
Business Practices
Building a Studio
Creating A Record Label
Recording Bands Live
Choosing Gear
Talking Electricity
Hiring an Electrician
Matt's Rant: Atmos Studio UpdateLinks and Show Notes
Mike's Studio
WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Mike Blodgett
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
Aug 9, 2021 • 1h 2min
WCA #347 with Beckie Campbell - Controlling The Live Beast, Building A Resume, Planning for The Future, and Running Your Life From The Road
My guest today is Live Sound engineer Beckie Campbell. Beckie does FOH for major acts like the Indigo Girls and the Commodores. She's also the owner of B4Media Production LLC, where she Produces corporate events, festivals, and live shows all over the US. In this episode, we discuss:
Live Sound
Union Work
The UP of Michigan
FullSail
Building A Resume
Worship Sound
Controlling The Live Beast
Building Troubleshooting Skills
Setting Rates
A1 AND A2 Distinctions
Working On Digital Consoles
Taking Deep Breaths
Recording Shows
Hearing Protection
Money Management
Planning for The Future
Health and Wellness
Work/Life Balance
Running Your Life From The Road
Health Insurance
Matt's Rant: Making time for your imaginationLinks and Show Notes
Beckie on Facebook
Beckie on Linkedin
Beckie on Instagram
Beckie's Website
Soundgirls Site
WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Beckie Campbell
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
Aug 2, 2021 • 53min
WCA #346 with Dante Fumo - Post Production, Immersive Audio, Recording for 6 Packs, Finding Work, and The Sunk Cost Fallacy
Today's guest today is sound designer, mixer, composer, and writer Dante Fumo. Dante started recording indie bands in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has since branched out into sound design for film and games and relocating to Minnesota. In this episode, we discuss:
Copywriting
Prog Rock
Audio School
Recording for 6 Packs
Basement Studios
Day Jobs
Freelance Writing
Building a Studio
Working From Home
Post Production
Game Sound
Immersive Audio
Selling Gear
Lower Overhead
Studio Identity
The Sunk Cost Fallacy
Finding Work
Volunteering
Local Work Opportunities
Slack Channels
Hobby vs. Profession
Finances
Matt's Rant: Dolby Atmos UpdateLinks and Show Notes
Dante's Site
Dante on Instagram
Dante on Twitter
Sound Anchor DAW stand
WCA on Instagram: @working_class_audio
Connect with Matt on Linkedin
Current sponsors & promos
Credits
Guest: Dante Fumo
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


