Working Class Audio

Working Class Audio
  • 4.8 (210)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 3d ago

    WCA #617 with Anthony Gravino: Leaving Chicago, High Cross Sound, and Building the Studio You Want to Work In

    For episode 617, Matt welcomes back Anthony Gravino, musician and recording, mixing, and mastering engineer, nearly a decade after his first appearance on WCA 137. In 2020, Anthony sold The Drake, his Chicago studio of 14 years, bought a converted 1940s horse barn just outside Urbana, Illinois, and turned it into High Cross Sound, a 2,100 square foot studio and home. They talk about why he left Chicago, what drew him to the barn, tracking 14 straight days with Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter three months after moving in, the Champaign-Urbana music scene, and the business side of owning, living in, and working out of the same building. In This Episode, We Discuss: 14 Years in Chicago: The Drake Studio on Drake AvenueWhy Anthony Left: Gentrification, Property Taxes, the Pandemic, and Seeing the Right Property at the Right TimeThe Old Horse Barn: 25-Foot Peak Ceilings, Curved Wooden Walls, and Listening to Drums Before SigningBuilding High Cross Sound: Control Room, Isolation Booth, and Wiring a Former Home Into a StudioKurt Elling and Charlie Hunter: 14 Straight Days, Three Months After Moving InThe Psychology of Vertical Space and Natural Light on MusiciansChampaign-Urbana: REO Speedwagon, the Rose Bowl Tavern, and a Music Scene Bigger Than Its Studio SupplyMoving During the Pandemic: Every Session Canceled in March, Perfect Time to Be Out of CommissionSelling the Chicago Building After Buying in 2006, Financing at 2.5% InterestDropping the API Console, Going to a Small Mixer and Outboard PreampsKeeping the Rate, Then Raising It When He Saw What Others Were ChargingIsolated Ground, a Private Transformer Shared With Three Houses, and a Quieter Noise FloorLiving and Working in the Same Building: Tax Advantages When 80% Is Studio SpaceMusic Videos, University Work, and the Snowball Rolling Down the HillThe Pool: More Romanticized by Clients Than Actually Used Matt’s RANT!: Your Mindset Links and Show Notes: Anthony Gravino on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonygravino/Anthony Gravino on Bandcamp: https://anthonygravino.bandcamp.comWCA Episode 137 with Anthony Gravino: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-137-with-anthony-gravino/ Credits: Guest: Anthony GravinoHost/Engineer/Producer: Matt BoudreauWCA Theme Music: Cliff TruesdellThe Voice: Chuck Smith

    WCA #617 with Anthony Gravino: Leaving Chicago, High Cross Sound, and Building the Studio You Want to Work In

  2. Oct 13

    WCA #616 with Sylvia Massy: Microphone History, the Bob Paquette Collection, and The Great Book of Vintage Microphones

    Sylvia Massy returns to Working Class Audio for the first time since Episode 14 back in 2015. She joins Matt from her studio in Ashland, Oregon to talk about her new book, The Great Book of Vintage Microphones, co-authored with Chris Johnson. To write it, Sylvia and Chris acquired the entire estate collection of Milwaukee radio legend Bob Paquette: 3,500 microphones kept together rather than cherry-picked apart. The book covers 100 years of microphone history, from David Edward Hughes's 1877 burnt-stick carbon transducer to the ribbons and condensers most engineers grew up with. In This Episode, We Discuss:The Studio in Ashland: Converted Radiator Shop, Five-Bay Garage, Concrete ConstructionChris Joshnson: Co-Author, Life Partner, and the Man Who Negotiated a Microphone MuseumBob Paquette's Collection: 3,500 Mics, Milwaukee Radio History, and Keeping It TogetherThe First Microphone: David Edward Hughes, 1877, a Burnt Carbon StickCrystal Mics, Carbon Telephone Elements, and Technology That Lasted Into the 1990sCondenser Development: From a Wooden Box Power Supply Down to the Pencil Condensers We Use TodayThe First Directional MicrophoneA Condenser That Went to the South Pole With Admiral ByrdThe Glow Discharge Mic: Plasma Between Two Electrodes, Banned After 1928Art Deco Mics That Looked Like Spaceships and Sounded Worse Because of Their CasesWestern Electric Birdcage, Tadpole Mics, Bakelite, and the 1947 Astatic 600SThe ChicLet: Color OptionsPearl Mics From Sweden and the 6102 RFPSylvia's Favorite Mic for Female VocalMicrophone Seeds: Ribbons, Dynamics, and Condensers Matt’s RANT!: Client Mix Approval ServerLinks and Show Notes:Sylvia MassyPreorder The Great Book of Vintage MicrophonesWCA Episode 14 with Sylvia Massy (2015) Credits:Guest: Sylvia MassyHost/Engineer/Producer: Matt BoudreauWCA Theme Music: Cliff TruesdellThe Voice: Chuck Smith

    WCA #616 with Sylvia Massy: Microphone History, the Bob Paquette Collection, and The Great Book of Vintage Microphones

  3. Oct 5

    WCA #615 with Michael Frondelli, Part 2: Los Angeles, Capitol Records, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and the Long View on Audio

    For episode 615, Matt concludes his two-part conversation with Michael Frondelli, picking up in Los Angeles where Keith Forsey and Richie Zito brought him west. Michael landed at Giorgio Moroder’s Oasis Studios, where he worked on the Breakfast Club soundtrack, Beverly Hills Cop, and the world premiere digital playback of Moroder’s restored Metropolis. He went on to eleven years as Vice President of Capitol Records Studios, where his first artist was Frank Sinatra and he quietly produced Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on a $100,000 investment that grossed $7 million. They also talk about AI and copyright, the importance of pre-production, apprenticeships in audio, network as the real currency of a career, and what Phil Ramone told him about what recording engineers actually do. In This Episode, We Discuss:Moving to Los Angeles via Keith Forsey and Richie ZitoGiorgio Moroder’s Oasis Studios: Breakfast Club, Beverly Hills Cop, and Three Films at OnceThe World Premiere Digital Playback of Moroder’s Restored MetropolisEast Coast vs West Coast Recording CultureKeeping an Apartment in Brooklyn and One in LAVP of Capitol Records Studios: How He Got the JobLearning to Run a $5 Million BusinessThe First Business Plan Ever Written for Capitol StudiosFrank Sinatra as the First Artist: Phil Ramone, Al Schmitt, and Building a Custom Vocal BoothUnion Negotiations, Health Benefits, and Taking Care of the StaffBeing Told He Was Too Old to Start a Label at 44Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: $100,000 In, $7 Million Gross, 500,000 Records by MayCrowded House, Gary Stamper, and Don’t Dream It’s OverAI, Copyright, and Why You Must Register Before You Use the PlatformApprenticeships, the Music Producers Guild, and Passing It OnNetwork as the Real Currency of a CareerStill Working: James Gadson, Autism Speaks, and Making Records Matt’s RANT!: Matt’s DadLinks and Show Notes:Michael FrondelliWCA #614 with Michael Frondelli, Part 1Vincent Boudreau — Obituary Credits:Guest: Michael FrondelliHost/Engineer/Producer: Matt BoudreauWCA Theme Music: Cliff TruesdellThe Voice: Chuck Smith

    WCA #615 with Michael Frondelli, Part 2: Los Angeles, Capitol Records, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and the Long View on Audio

  4. Sep 22

    WCA #614 with Michael Frondelli, Part 1 – Astoria, R&B Days, Salsa Nights, and Electric Lady

    For episode 614, Matt talks with Michael Frondelli, producer, engineer, and former Vice President of Capitol Records Studios, where he ran the facility for eleven years before going independent in 2001. Michael grew up in Astoria, Queens. Tony Bennett took vocal lessons with his Uncle Sal. The Walken family ran the bakery on Steinway Street. He came up playing guitar in soul bands and rock bands in the 60s, studied business in college, landed a maintenance tech job at Broadway Recording on 1697 Broadway, and from there made his way to Electric Lady in November 1975, where he spent nine years. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In This Episode, We Discuss: Growing Up in Astoria, QueensMusic in the Family and Learning GuitarSoul Bands, Rock Bands, and the 60sCollege, the Draft Lottery, and Moving to ManhattanCarpentry, Soundproofing, and Finding a Way Into RecordingBroadway Recording at 1697 BroadwayLearning to Listen, Watch, and Visualize Signal PathLanding at Electric Lady in 1975Nine Years in the Room: Zeppelin, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius, Joni MitchellWorking With Eddie Kramer on Song Remains the SameRebel Yell: Finding Billy Idol a DrummerKeith Forsey, Charlie Sexton, and Don't You Forget About MeGetting Management and Learning the BusinessGoing From $5 an Hour to $2,500 a Mix Matt's RANT!: Revisiting Backing Up and Archiving Links and Show Notes: Michael's site Credits: Guest: Michael FrondelliHost/Engineer/Producer: Matt BoudreauWCA Theme Music: Cliff TruesdellThe Voice: Chuck Smith

    WCA #614 with Michael Frondelli, Part 1 – Astoria, R&B Days, Salsa Nights, and Electric Lady

  5. Sep 15

    WCA #613 with Ben Mellott – Northern Virginia, Church Sound, Farm Festivals, and Profit First

    For episode 613, Matt talks with Ben Mellott — recording engineer, mixer, and owner of Nothing but Noise studio in Northern Virginia. Ben has been freelance since 2014, balances studio work with live production at churches, farms, and local venues, and runs every dollar through the Profit First system. They talk about building a career on curiosity, the alternative path through cassette manufacturing and church sound, and why the business side of audio doesn't sound like fun until it absolutely is. In This Episode, We Discuss: Northern Virginia, Born and RaisedA Dad at Toys R Us and a Mom in the Church ChoirRecording Bands on a Tascam Four-Track at Ten Dollars a SongThe Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio — Audio Boot CampLearning Signal Flow Before HardwareManufacturing Cassettes and CDs at Lion RecordingMoving Into Graphics — Quark Express, InDesign, and Terrible Early WebsitesRoadie and Merch for a Month-Long US Tour With FrodusGetting the Farm Festival GigTen Years of Sunday Church Sound — and What He Learned About TemperamentThe Drummer in the Crowd Who Got Him the Venue GigReal-Life Social Proof — Likable Enough (For a Live Sound Guy)Curiosity as a Career StrategyNothing But Noise — The Studio and the Freelance Life Since 2014Debt, an Inheritance That Didn't Change the Slope, and the PandemicImplementing the Profit First SystemOf Every Thousand Dollars, Only $150 Is Spendable — and Why That's the PointSelf-Financing Gear and Paying Yourself Back on a Payment PlanThe Sweetwater Rep Who Said You've Got a Lot of GearThe Business Side Doesn't Sound Like Fun Until It Is Matt's RANT!: Doing Things the Alternative Way Links and Show Notes: Nothing but NoiseProfit First — Mike Michalowicz (book)Profit First — Audiobook on Libro.fmWCA #133 with Alan EvansWCA #328 with Alan EvansWCA #576 with Alan Evans Credits: Guest: Ben Mellott Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell The Voice: Chuck Smith

    WCA #613 with Ben Mellott – Northern Virginia, Church Sound, Farm Festivals, and Profit First

  6. Sep 8

    WCA #612 with Brian Starley – Utah, Cartage, Building a Studio in LA, and Relationships Before Gear

    For episode 612, Matt talks with Brian Starley recording and mixing engineer based in North Hollywood, California, and owner of Bergatron Music Studio. Brian grew up in Salt Lake City with a dad who transferred vinyl to cassette for the car, chased a hockey career to Ontario, came home to Utah without a plan, and found recording through a coworker who'd interned at the Blasting Room. After learning Pro Tools at twenty bucks an hour and getting out of Utah in 2005, he landed at Musicians Institute in LA and then at Lon Cohen Studio Rentals a cartage company where he spent six years moving Tim Pierce's guitars and Mike Elizondo's Logic rig around the city. After going freelance in 2013, he built a YouTube live session channel, had his busiest mixing years during COVID, and then spent the better part of two years fighting LA permits, tariffs, and a construction crew to build his dream studio — refinancing the house to do it. They talk about what cartage taught him about gear and sessions, the mobile recording revelation that shaped his whole approach, building a studio in 2025 LA, the stress that put him in the hospital with diverticulitis, and why you should focus on relationships before gear. In This Episode, We Discuss: - Growing Up in Salt Lake City, Utah — The Zion Curtain - A Dad Who Transferred Vinyl to Cassette and Filled the Car With Music - Hockey, Rage Against the Machine, and a Dream of the NHL - Moving to Shelburne, Ontario to Play Junior Hockey - Coming Home to Utah and Finding Construction Work for His Dad - A Coworker From the Blasting Room Who Changed Everything - Learning Pro Tools at Twenty Bucks an Hour on a Digi 001 - Getting Into Trouble and Getting Out of Utah — Moving to LA in 2005 - Musicians Institute and Finding the Path Into Recording - Landing at Lawn — a Cartage Company for LA's Top Session Musicians - Tim Pierce, Joe Chiccarelli, Abe Laboriel Sr., and What Cartage Taught Him - Mike Elizondo's Logic Rig and the Mobile Recording Revelation - Scab Dates, Church Choirs, and Recording With a Handful of Mics - Post Production School, Roger Nichols, and Getting Certified in Pro Tools - Going Freelance in 2013 - Live Sessions at Custom Vintage Keys With JJ Blair and the Boba Jam Channel - The Decision to Build a Studio — and Reaching Out to Josh Nyback in 2023 - Two and a Half Years of Permits, Hidden Fees, and LA Bureaucracy - Refinancing the House to Fund the Build - Tariffs, Construction Costs, and Watching the Budget Disappear - Supervising a General Contractor Who Didn't Know What a Studio Was - Isomax Clips, Green Glue, and Checking Every Screw - Diverticulitis in November From the Stress of the Build - His Wife Allie — The Person Who Got Them Through It - Crying in the Finished Room When They First Put the Speakers Up - California Disability Insurance for Freelancers — and the Scott McDowell Episode - You Don't Need All the Gear — Build Relationships First - Support the Ecosystem — Book Studios, Pay for Mastering Matt's RANT!: Things Matt Is Doing Links Bergatron MusicBrian Starley – Credits (Muso.ai)Brian Starley (Instagram)Brian Starley (TikTok)Bergatron Music – Studio Build Videos (YouTube)Josh Nyback – Nyback BuildsNyback Builds (Instagram)WCA #611 with Scott McDowell — California Disability InsuranceLibro.fm — AudiobooksFour Thousand Weeks — Oliver BurkemanM-DISC — WikipediaSteinberg SpectraLayers Credits: - Guest: Brian Starley - Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau - WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell - The Voice: Chuck Smith

    WCA #612 with Brian Starley – Utah, Cartage, Building a Studio in LA, and Relationships Before Gear

  7. Sep 1

    WCA #611 with Scott McDowell – Berklee, California vs New York, Getting Fired, Becoming a Studio Partner, and Getting Hit by a Car

    Scott McDowell is a producer, engineer, and co-owner of Wally's Hydeout at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. In episode 611 they talk about getting fired from his first SF internship, becoming a studio partner at Wally’s Hydeout, surviving COVID, getting hit by a car in March 2026, recovering from a TBI, and why every freelancer in California needs to sign up for state disability insurance before something happens. In This Episode, We Discuss: Co-owning a Studio, Making Records, and Working in Game AudioGrowing Up in Novato — North Marin CountyA Broadcast Engineer DadWorking Niners Games on the SidelineHeading to Berklee for TrumpetA Hernia That Ended the Trumpet Career and Started the Recording OneCity College SF, SF Soundworks, and Getting FiredJohn Vanderslice, Tiny Telephone, and the Referral to Justin PhelpsInterning at Hyde Street Studios With Justin Phelps and Jaimeson DurrFilling the Calendar for Six Months to Avoid Being Replaced — Then Getting Made a PartnerThe CDR Run That He Thought Was a FiringEight Years of Game AudioCOVID SurvivalGetting Hit by a Car in NorthridgeThe TBI, the Wheelchair, and Coming BackCalifornia Disability Insurance Elective Coverage — Why Every Freelancer Should Sign Up Matt's RANT!: Accumulation Links and Show Notes: Fader Solo: https://fadersolo.com/California Disability Insurance Elective Coverage (EDD): https://edd.ca.gov/en/payroll_taxes/Disability_Insurance_Elective_Coverage/WCA #082 with Justin Phelps: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-082-justin-phelps/WCA #211 with Jaimeson Durr: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-211-with-jaimeson-durr/WCA #047 with John Vanderslice: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/wca-047-with-john-vanderslice/ Credits: Guest: Scott McDowellHost/Engineer/Producer: Matt BoudreauWCA Theme Music: Cliff TruesdellThe Voice: Chuck Smith

    WCA #611 with Scott McDowell – Berklee, California vs New York, Getting Fired, Becoming a Studio Partner, and Getting Hit by a Car

  8. Aug 25

    WCA #610 with Stephen Shirk – Bloomington, New York, Chicago, and Twenty Years of SHIRK Studios

    For episode 610, Matt talks with Stephen Shirk — engineer, producer, guitarist, and owner of SHIRK Studios in Chicago's West Town neighborhood. Stephen grew up in Bloomington, Illinois, studied business at Miami University, moved to New York in 1998 with a friend's couch as his launch pad, and worked his way through the Hit Factory and a jingle house where he built Pro Tools systems, got his SAG card, and learned from Jay Messina. In 2004 he moved to Chicago, rented studio spaces for a decade, and in 2013 bought the building he now runs as a semi-commercial studio with a Sphere console, instruments on every wall, and a deliberately un-sterile feel. They talk about the HearYa live sessions that built his early reputation, word-of-mouth marketing and what comes next, Steve Albini and Electrical Audio, owning vs. renting in Chicago's studio ecosystem, and getting back out to shows. In This Episode, We Discuss: - Growing Up in Bloomington, Illinois - Church Choir, Guitar at Fourth Grade, and Early Bands - A Business Degree at Miami University and Playing in Bands - Moving to New York in 1998 With a Friend's Couch as a Launch Pad - Learning Pro Tools Version 4 on the Fly - Starting at the Hit Factory as a General Assistant - The Culture Shock of New York Speed — and Learning to Shut Up - Moving to a Jingle House: More Engineering, More Money, a Synclavier - Building Pro Tools Systems and Getting a Pager From the Boss - Learning From Jay Messina (Early Aerosmith, Jack Douglas) - Getting His SAG Card and Discovering Mailbox Money - Moving to Chicago in 2004 and Renting Studio Spaces - Buying the Building in 2013 and the History Behind It - SHIRK Studios: Semi-Commercial, Instruments on Every Wall - Avoiding the Sterile Studio — Guilford of Maine Walls and Why He Hates Them - Word of Mouth Marketing and Wondering What's Next - Chicago's Studio Scene: Narwhal, Brian Deck, and the DIY Wave - Steve Albini and Electrical Audio - Owning the Building vs. Renting — Lessons From Chicago Studios - Live-Work Lofts as an Option for Engineer-Owners - Getting Back Out to Shows and Reconnecting With the Scene - The Red Room: Chicago's Fifty-Cap DIY Listening Venue - Dana Nielsen Listening to the Episode and the Buttoned-Up Business Matt's RANT!: Getting the Job Done Part 2 Links and Show Notes: - SHIRK Studios - WCA #363 with Chaz Root - WCA #137 with Anthony Gravino - WCA #607 with Dana Nielsen -WCA #164 with Steve Albini Credits: - Guest: Stephen Shirk - Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau - WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell - The Voice: Chuck Smith

    WCA #610 with Stephen Shirk – Bloomington, New York, Chicago, and Twenty Years of SHIRK Studios
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4.8
out of 5
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Working Class Audio
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2026
  • Episodes
    616
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Working Class Audio All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    Working Class Audio

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