WCA #599 with Alex Newport – Three Decades of Production, a Studio in the Desert, Engineering at Tiny Telephone, and Why Unique Always Beats Good

Matt welcomes producer, engineer, and mixer Alex Newport for his first appearance on Working Class Audio. Alex grew up in the UK Midlands with few music resources, and found his way into production after his band got signed to a UK label with an upstream deal to Columbia, and ended up recording at Sawmills, a legendary residential studio on a tidal island at the tip of Cornwall. Working there with producer Colin Richardson changed everything. From there Alex spent decades moving between LA, San Francisco, and New York — engineering at Tiny Telephone, producing records for At the Drive-In, City and Colour, and many more — before eventually building his own residential studio in Joshua Tree, designed from the ground up to let bands show up and make records without distraction. The conversation covers production philosophy, surviving as a freelancer across three decades, why he intentionally avoids getting pigeonholed, and what really matters when designing a studio space.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Growing Up in the UK Midlands With Few Music Resources
• The Band That Got Signed: Upstream Deal to Columbia Records
• Recording at Sawmills — The Tidal Island Studio in Cornwall
• Colin Richardson as a Life-Changing Producer
• The Difference Between a Producer Who Listens and One Who Doesn't
• Why Alex Was Initially Resistant to Having a Producer
• What Colin Taught Him That He Still Uses Today — and What He Hated
• The Shift From Being a Musician to Wanting to Be in the Studio
• Moving to the US: From Arizona to LA to San Francisco to New York
• First Impressions of LA — Where's the City Centre?
• The Culture Shock of Going From the UK to California
• Why Alex Prefers San Francisco Over LA
• Tiny Telephone and John Vanderslice — Engineering as Education
• Learning to Mic Instruments He'd Never Encountered Before
• The Moment Budgets Started Collapsing Around 2004
• Building a Studio in LA, Then New York, Then Realising It Was Madness
• New York vs LA: Brutally Honest vs Relaxed and Open
• Surviving as a Freelance Producer: The Feast or Famine Reality
• Why He Intentionally Avoids Getting Pigeonholed as a Producer
• Moving to Joshua Tree and Building a Residential Studio From Scratch
• Designing the Studio From a Musician's Perspective, Not an Engineer's
• The Vintage Trailer as Accommodation: Glamping, Not a Holiday Inn
• High Ceilings That Cost an Extra $35,000
• Good Coffee Is More Important Than the Gear in the Rack
• The Sawmills Influence on the Joshua Tree Studio Concept
• Philip Broussard, Daniel Lanois, and the Kingsway/Teatro Philosophy
• What Alex Brings to the Table as a Producer: Objectivity and People Skills
• The Sliding Scale Rate Philosophy: Money Follows Good Work
• On Relationships, Touring, and Finding a Partner Who Gets It
• Dual UK/US Citizenship and Thoughts on Moving Back to England

Matt's RANT!: AI and Its Uses

Links and Show Notes:

• Alex Newport
• Tiny Creatures Studio
• WCA with John Greenham
• WCA with Philip Broussard

Credits:

• Guest: Alex Newport
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith