Working Class Audio

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 at Mix with the Masters 2017. 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. 

Working Class Audio #144 with Jack Shirley!!! 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,   -MattShow notes and links:Atomic Garden - http://theatomicgarden.com/ Wes Lachot - http://www.weslachot.com/ Mix with the Masters - https://mixwiththemasters.com/

Working Class Audio #143 with Rocky Gallo!!!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! -MattShow notes and links:Virtue and Vice Studio - http://virtueandvicestudio.com/ Seat Guru - http://www.seatguru.com Mix with the Masters - https://mixwiththemasters.com/

Working Class Audio #142 with Tim Randolph!!!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. -MattShow notes and links:UA Link for Apollo Rack Dream Studio: http://www.uaudio.com/apollo-dream-studioAudio-Technica BLOG: http://blog.audio-technica.com/audio-techniques-video-production-comprehensive-guide/The song Levitate mentioned in the interview: https://youtu.be/z0a9k1gSMswThe Donald Passman Book: http://amzn.to/2wzsoRg

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

Working Class Audio Session #140 with Robert Scovill!!!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

Ryan Massey is a musician, recording engineer/producer, and is the co-owner of Sharkbite Studios and Jack London Rehearsal in Oakland, CA. Ryan has spent a lifetime in music- singing with the SF Opera as a choir boy, belting out punk rock anthems with his band American Steel (Lookout Records/Fat Wreck Chords), doing the pop thing with Communiqué (Lookout), rocking with The Sunset Shipwrecks (Lugosi Records), touring the world, running both studios and a very small label.About this Interview:Ryan came over to the house and chatted about many things including how he became the co-owner of Sharkbite Studios, how he runs his business, getting and beating Cancer, the importance of his family and the Bay Area recording/music scene. I have great respect for Ryan. He's a hard working honest guy who deals fairly when it comes to business.

Anthony Gravino is an independent musician and record maker in Chicago, Illinois. He primarily works as a producer, recording engineer, mixer and mastering engineer out of his private studio, The Drake in Chicago, IL. In addition to his music production background, Anthony also plays guitar, bass, percussion and sings as a backing musician and a solo artist in both live and studio settings. His work includes an eclectic variety of styles across many genres including rock, jazz, blues, folk, pop, classical, R&B and a lot of stuff in between.About this Interview:Anthony talks with me about being influenced by Adam Schmitt and our mutual friend Jonathan Pines, how he runs his studio, the transition from day jobs to full time recording professional, insurance, and the importance of getting out of the house to see live music and meet bands.Show notes and links:RIN-M Meta Data Plugin. Choose your airline seat carefully! seatguru.comThe Desk  https://output.com/products/platformAnthony's website: https://anthonygravino.com/Anthony's insurance agent:  Jeff Woodman of Woodman Insurance contact info is jeff@woodmaninsurance.com

Kevin Becka has worked as a recording engineer for over 25 years, working with the top names in music including Kenny G., Quincy Jones, Michael Bolton, George Benson, George Lynch, and more. An experienced educator, Kevin is currently the co-director and instructor at The Blackbird Academy in Nashville. He has also taught advanced recording at Belmont University, surround recording and lecturer at the Danish Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was director of education and instructor at the Conservatory of Recording Arts for over 10 years. Kevin is a journalist who has worked as editors of Pro Audio Review and Audio Media USA magazines. Since 2003, Kevin has been the technical editor of the industry-leading Mix Magazine where he writes features, product reviews and a monthly column.About this Interview:On my recent trip to Nashville I was given a tour of Blackbird Studios by former WCA guest Mark Rubel (WCA #034). On that tour I was introduced to Kevin Becka. I later talked with Kevin at length during the Winter NAMM show that week and knew he would make a great guest for WCA. In this interview I chat with Kevin about the RIN-M meta Data plugin, Blackbird and Education, Blackbird graduate David Platillero and his struggle after being hit by a car. We also discuss Kevin’s background, his habits and quotes that help him keep his career moving forward and inspire others.