In this episode, Matt welcomes mastering engineer and artist Amar Lal of Oakland’s Macro Sound. Amar shares his journey from the New York DIY scene and touring with Big Ups to a corporate role at Sennheiser and his eventual return to independent studio ownership. They discuss the benefits of an all-digital mastering workflow, the "Active Listening Club" philosophy, and how Amar maintains career longevity through work-life balance and photography.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

1. Mastering Engineer Roles
2. Oakland Studio Location
3. Shared Building Benefits
4. Early Childhood Canada
5. Childhood Piano Lessons
6. Experimental Music Scene
7. Circuit Bending Gear
8. High School Recording
9. New York Education
10. Touring Big Ups
11. Facing Career Burnout
12. Corporate Sennheiser Experience
13. Launching Macro Sound
14. Home Studio Logistics
15. Oakland Artistic Community
16. All Digital Mastering
17. Active Listening Club
18. Balancing Personal Life
19. Passion For Photography
20. Artistic Practice Philosophy
21. Mastering Room Acoustics
22. Local Community Ties
23. Remote Working Models
24. Studio Business Logistics
25. Auditory Sensitivity Issues

Links and Show Notes:

1. Amar Lal’s Site: Macro Sound
2. Band Reference: Big Ups
3. Sennheiser
4. Active Listening Club

Matt's RANT: Doing Try Outs

Credits:

1. Guest: Amar Lal
2. Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
3. WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
4. The Voice: Chuck Smith