Working Class Audio

Dave Fridmann is a producer, engineer and musician who has made records with Mercury Rev , The Flaming Lips , Weezer, Sparklehorse, Mogwai, Gemma Hayes, Sleater-Kinney , Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, MGMT, Neil Finn, OK Go, and Spoon, to name a few! :-) He works out of Tarbox Road Studios which he built over 20 years ago.As a musician, Dave was the bassist and a founding member of Mercury Rev. He gave up his role as a touring member of the band in 1993 to concentrate on producing other artists. In 2007, he received a Grammy for The Flaming Lips' At War With The Mystics at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical). In 2010, three Fridmann-produced albums were listed on the Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums of The Decade: MGMT's Oracular Spectacular, The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, and Sleater-Kinney's The Woods.Fridmann is an occasional faculty member of SUNY Fredonia, teaching sound recording techniques in t

Chris Dugan is an American engineer and producer. He is also a drummer, videographer, and photographer.Dugan began his musical pursuits as a drummer. Needing to be resourceful, he learned to do basic recordings for his high school bands. Engineering was an instinctual progression and it was the purist recording styles of the 60s and 70s that really inspired him. In 1996, he opened Nu-Tone Studios in Pittsburg, Ca with fellow engineer Willie Samuels. Nu-Tone quickly became an indie band favorite, drawing the local rock scene and labels like Lookout, Adeline, and Alternative Tentacles. In 2002, Dugan began engineering for Green Day out of JingleTown Recording in Oakland, Ca, at that time called Studio 880.Dugan has worked with bands such as U2, Iggy Pop, Green Day, and Smash Mouth. He has also worked with producers Rob Cavallo, Butch Vig, Bob Ezrin, and Jeff Saltzman. In 2010, he won the Grammy for Best Rock Album of the Year for engineering Green Day’s “21st Century Brea

A jack of all trades and master of some, his areas of expertise run the gamut of daily station operation; from the foundations of real-time networking for AoIP, to FOH and live sound recording, IP phones and SIP trunking, MPEG audio, and video standards and codecs, radio automation, HD radio transmission, to remote broadcast coordination, even security cameras, and keycards! Andrew stopped by Matt’s house to talk about his job duties, where the worlds of audio and IT collide while they consume loads of coffee!

Gary Hobish brings over 30 years of experience as a professional recording engineer/producer to A. Hammer Mastering which he runs out of Secret Studios in San Francisco. He started as an assistant engineer at legendary Bell Sound Studios in New York City but found his way to San Francisco in 1976. He has worked in many disciplines in recording and music, most notably as Mastering Engineer/ Tape Historian at Berkeley’s Fantasy Studios and Chief Engineer at San Francisco’s CD Studios.Gary began his specialization in the field of Mastering at Fantasy Studios in 1982, and has been credited on hundreds of albums covering all genres of recordings — from classic jazz to classic rock, alt-rock, rap and hard rock to folk, classical, spoken word and even sound effects. His projects include such names as NRBQ, Dream Syndicate, Flipper, The Feelies, Dr. John and Willie Nelson. An expanded list of Gary’s credits can be found at the All Music Guide or Artist Direct.Matt visits Gary at his mast

Nashville producer Mitch Dane has managed to cross the lines into almost every genre In his 20+ years of production/engineering experience. Though most of his work can be heard on Rock, Roots/Rock and Singer/Songwriter records, Mitch continues to work fearlessly in other styles like Bluegrass/Americana. In his own words: “I like to collect the best aspects of every genre of music and bring them together in hybrid productions.” His desire to grow and to learn is constant, making every project he touches relevant and refreshing. This personal philosophy has worked well, considering Mitch’s fingerprints mark over 200 records, four of which are Grammy nominees.    •    Grammy award for his engineering.    •    ASCAP award for his songwriting.    •    Over 25 years of production/engineering experience.    •    Owns a full produ

Tremaine Williams (AKA: “Six7”) was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. He began his musical journey by taking piano & drum lessons while in elementary school, as well as becoming a classically trained singer in the Raleigh Boychoir. He grew up playing in church but was also heavily influenced by R&B. He began to dabble in music production in high school as a hobby. After lending his production works to emerging singers in North Carolina, Tremaine enrolled at Full Sail University in 2003.Upon graduating in October 2004 with his Associate of Science degree in Recording Arts, Tremaine achieved one of his many career goals, as he received an internship at Hidden Beach Recordings. His career catapulted when he moved to Los Angeles, California and became a standout intern at the label from November 2004 to June 2005. Tremaine achieved another benchmark in his career when he joined the Recording Academy as a voting member at age 21 in December 2005. After a short stint with producer&n

John Schimpf got his start in the music industry working in clubs and theatres as a production manager and sound engineer, and working as a recording engineer for the University he was attending while pursuing a classical music degree. As a student he built what became the technological backbone for a music industry program developed at that University. In 2001, he went on to become an engineer and crew chief with one of the largest live sound companies in California where he began working with and learning about large scale music productions in detail. In 2002 he took a job as a studio manager in Stockton, CA where he began recording and producing projects in many genres while learning the critical balance between technician and artist. Through that business John was asked to begin managing several high-profile artists while on tour. That experience opened the door to continue touring for the next 10 years, working with management groups from New York and LA. His lean and pragmatic style allowed him to becom

Mike Kalajian is the son of an audio technician/audiophile who was exposed to music and recording equipment at a very early age through family including his Uncle’s home recording setup  which fascinated Mike and started to draw him in to the audio experience. Mike’s parents say his first word was actually “speaker” and at  9 years old was given his first guitar along with a 1/4 inch reel to reel . Mike wasted no time and immediately started writing and recording his own music. All of this took him to the next step in audio indoctrination, the building of his first basement “studio” in junior high where he and a friend started recording fellow student musicians for $20/song on a cassette 4-track. After high school, attendance at Full Sail followed. 20+ years later, Mike has recorded over a hundred albums and Ep’s for other artists, toured with his own band, and mastered countless recordings. Of all th

Finding detailed information on Producer/Engineer/Mixer Niko Bolas is a challenge. Niko is not a publicity hound and generally avoids big star-studded events. He’s a man that stays focused on the work in front of him and he puts his all into it. Looking at his discography you’ll notice a couple of things, repeat clients such as Neil Young, Melissa Etheridge, Robert Cray, and the late Warren Zevon for example. The other thing you’ll notice is the large number of records he has worked on coupled with the fact that he’s not a household name except to those in the know. He’s passionate about what he does and takes it seriously. We discuss that passion as well as Niko’s work style. Richard Dodd makes an appearance during the interview which adds a bit of laughter to the situation. You’ll dig it. Enjoy -MattPhoto Credit: Robert Cabral

What can you say about Al Schmitt that has not been said? The man truly is a legend and a complete professional.  He has scored a pile of Grammy wins and nominations over the years, recorded and mixed more than 150 gold and platinum albums plus his credit list includes Henry Mancini, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis, Jr., Natalie Cole, Thelonious Monk, Elvis Presley, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, to name just a few.Steve Genewick has been Al Schmitt’s assistant for the last 15 years working with artists such as Diana Krall, Chris Botti, Gladys Knight, Neil Young, George Benson, Quincy Jones, Burt Bacharach, and Paul McCartney. Steve is a three-time GRAMMY® nominated recording engineer with over twenty-five years of experience, both as a studio and live recording engineer. Steve has worked primarily out of Capitol Studios as a staff engineer since 1994. When not at Capitol, Steve can be found working at any number of major recording studios in Los Ang

Magnus Lindberg is a freelance engineer based in Stockholm, Sweden. Despite his young age of 35 he has already been an audio professional for 14 years, working with a wide range of independent bands and artists from all over the world.Starting out at a young age with various intern ships, most noticeable the one at Sound City Studios, LA he then found himself a part of the production team at Tonteknik Recording, under which roof he stayed for about 8 years until moving to Stockholm and becoming completely solo. Although he has been doing many projects in studios in London, Paris etc he is now a co-owner of a brand new facility in central Stockholm in which he conducts his mixing and mastering work which nowadays takes up most of his time. While not doing engineering he also play live drums (and does studio engineering) in Cult of Luna, a well established band in the alternative rock/metal scene.Matt talks with Magnus about Stockholm, his business practice, building a new studio from the ground up an

John Paterno is an LA-based audio pro. He has worked with a wide range of artists, including Robbie Williams, Soraya, Badly Drawn Boy, Lustra, The Thrills, Tim McGraw, Robben Ford, Eros Ramazzotti, and The Steve Gadd Band in his 25+ years in the music business.John moved to Los Angeles two weeks after graduating from the University of Miami’s Music Engineering program, and quickly gained footing as a ‘freelance assistant’ until he was offered a position at Sunset Sound/Sound Factory as a staff engineer/assistant. It was at Sound Factory where he ended up on a session with Tchad Blake and Mitchell Froom, and was for the next several years involved in many of their seminal records — projects by Los Lobos, Suzanne Vega, American Music Club, and the Latin Playboys, among many others.John’s first projects as an engineer include Ted Hawkins’ ‘The Next Hundred Years’, that dog’s ‘Retreat From the Sun’, and co-producing the Los Lobos score for the film ‘Feeling Minnesota’. From there he worked wit

Matt Wright grew up in an extended musical family, of both musicians and aficionados. Every family gets together involved extended periods of both playing music and arguing about pop records, which strongly influenced his relationship with music: a) He’s a lifelong musician because of it, b) He was raised listening to the canon of great pop records, and c) He was surrounded by people who thought that pop music and record albums were important. They were more than just a consumer product for teenagers to buy and eventually throw away. A great pop record was a work of art that was worth arguing about and that you could have an ongoing relationship with.Matt toyed around with cassette recorders when he was young (My First Sony, anyone?), but Matt was never one to get too excited by the technology itself (aside from a new Walkman or CD player being a cool toy). Matt had no interest in the Sound Crew when I was in high school – mixers, speakers, amplifiers (other than the guitar kind) all seeme

Graham Hick has been an audio professional for the past 17 years. He is an amateur musician who holds a BA in music recording from Columbia College. He has written for Tape Op magazine and been a featured speaker and panelist at their professional conferences, taught audio production at Columbia College for five years, worked in jingle studios, voice studios, post-production studios, and public radio. He has also done some live sound and even did a stint in Hollywood where one of the sound editing crews he was on was nominated for an Oscar in 2009 (Transformers – Revenge of the Fallen). Currently working at Minnesota Public Radio as a Master Control Engineer, he is able to use all of the skills and knowledge gained in the field throughout his entire career. Now wearing bifocals and taking care of a 12-year-old cat Graham lives a quiet, happy and modest life in Minneapolis. His very brief IMDB film credits page can be viewed at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3476550/

Brad Brooks is that rare quadruple threat of writer, player, singer, and performer. His songs combine the melodic sensibility of Elvis Costello, the best instincts of Wilco and Brian Wilson, along with the orchestral sophistication of Queen. Brooks is rooted in a kind of Victorian California romanticism; and with the release of his record “Harmony Of Passing Light” Brooks joined his peers with the best work of his career. His gift for melody and his soaring vocals remain the most immediately impressive traits of his music. Brooks’ voice can wail like a blue-eyed soul singer, whisper plaintively, croon with just a touch of twang, or soar through the most demanding melodic acrobatics, and he pulls off all of these different guises on “Harmony” without the record sounding disjointed. Rather, it’s an album with multiple textures that still feels unified. Brooks has found the essence of his own unique voice, and been one of the Bay Area’s best-kept secrets for years. He’s also survived sta

Johnny Sangster is known for his production and engineering work with Mudhoney, Posies, The Supersuckers, Smoosh, and The Makers, and also as guitarist for the Tripwires, Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands, The Dear John Letters, and Steve Turner’s Bad Ideas. Johnny has also served as bassist for the legendary Roy Loney in the Longshots. Originally from Seattle, Johnny Sangster relocated to Europe in 1984 where he led the Copenhagen-based The Sharing Patrol until ’97. The Sharing Patrol recorded for EMI and toured extensively through Europe, Scandinavia, and the former Soviet Union.Upon returning to Seattle in ’97, he took up engineering full time at Conrad Uno’s Egg Studio, a place well established by Uno’s work with The Young Fresh Fellows, Gas Huffer, and the Presidents of the United States of America. In the period of the late ’90s and early 2000s. Johnny Sangster worked the Posies, the Murder City Devils, the Supersuckers, Zeke, The Fireballs of Freedom, Dr. Explosion, The Makers, Gerald Collier and man

Joey Sturgis is an educator, speaker, and fixture in the emergent modern rock music pantheon producing, engineering and mixing bands such as Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men, We Came As Romans, Blessthefall, and The Devil Wears Prada. He took his passion for drums and guitars and combined it with his love for understanding how things work and how to do things more efficiently. And he built a career with it. When other bands started hitting him up about how he was recording, he knew he had discovered something special. Joey Sturgis Tones develops, simplifies, and ultimately makes available the tools necessary to execute the creative visions of musicians, producers, and songwriters from any walk of life. Joey is indeed, a new breed of music professional.Matt and Joey discuss the many aspects of Joey’s music world and his skills as an entrepreneur.Links for Joey:http://joeysturgistones.com/https://www.creativelive.com/courses/studio-pass-joey-sturgisWCA

Maor Appelbaum is a mastering engineer and musician. After working as staff engineer (mixing, recording and mastering) for famed record producer Sylvia Massy Shivy at Radiostar Studios in Weed, California, Maor moved to Los Angeles where he opened his private mastering suite.Maor has had the pleasure of mastering recordings for major international acts such as: Faith No More, Yes, Walter Trout, Eric Gales, Starset, Ill Nino, Dokken, Fates Warning, William Shatner, Gus G, Common Kings, Sepultura, Yngwie Malmsteen, Halford, Fight, Armored Saint, Lita ford, Seven The Hardway , Marco Mendoza, Angra, Treponem Pal, Wayne Hussey, Therion, Cynic, Nekromantix, Butcher Babies, Billy Sherwood, The Top Chops and more…He has mastered the works of well-known music producers such as: Matt Wallace, Mike Clink, Mike Plotnikoff, Bob Horn, Ben Grosse, Bassy bob Brockmann, Toby Wright, Justin Gray, Roy Z, Sylvia Massy, Gilby Clark, Warren Riker, Ryan Greene, Ulrich Wild, Fabrizio Grossi, L

TW Walsh is a solo artist, musician, songwriter, and mastering engineer. As a mastering engineer, TW Walsh has over 700 projects under his belt, including work for Sufjan Stevens, Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie), The Shins, Cold War Kids, Pedro the Lion, David Bazan, Starflyer 59, Kristin Hersh, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Damien Jurado. As a songwriter and recording artist, TW was a member of Pedro the Lion, Headphones, and The Soft Drugs and has released several solo albums including his most recent “Fruitless Research”.Our discussion covers family, touring, mastering, as well as building his own control surface! Enjoy.Bandcamp Page iTunes link for Fruitless ResearchTW Walsh Mastering

Brian McTear is a nationally respected record producer, musician, and the owner of one of Philadelphia’s most revered independent recording studios, Miner Street Recordings in Fishtown. In the 18 years since he moved to the Philadelphia music community, Brian has worked with countless local artists like Dr. Dog, Kurt Vile, and The War on Drugs, as well as national artists like Sharon Van Etten and Joan Osborne, whose grammy nominated album “Bring it on Home” he mixed in 2011.McTear is also the founder of Weathervane Music , a non profit arts and culture organization whose mission is to advance independent music and the community that surrounds it. In 2010 he created and launched the organization’s flagship series, Shaking Through, a documentary series that takes place in Philadelphia and captures the recording studio performances of 7 – 10 select independent musical groups each year as they each record one song in two days. .Weathervane’s membership progr