Book excerpt: Learn from top audio professionals about survival, business practices, mistakes, failures, equipment choices, finances, work life balance, workflow, and family life! Working Class Audio (WCA) is the home of the Working-Class Audio Podcast hosted by veteran Bay Area producer/engineer and drummer Matt Boudreau. And over the years, it has become a treasure trove of inspirational interviews with some of the best audio engineers in the business. The Working Class Audio Journal series captures the essence of Matt's podcast interviews with industry professionals, in an easy-to-digest written form. Matt moves beyond the technical and gets to the core of how top engineers practice their craft, delving into the world behind recording. He goes way beyond the typical “what was it like to work with” or “what is the best EQ to use on a kick drum” style questions typical of most interviews. WCA gets up close and personal with engineers and asks the questions no one else asks. Business practices, mistakes, failures, equipment choices, financial advice, work life balance, workflow, and family life are topics that are all on the table. Volume 1 includes interviews with engineer, producer, and label owner Andrew Scheps (Black Sabbath, Jay Z, Beyonce, Metallica), mastering engineer Kim Rosen (Bonnie Raitt, Aimee Mann, Steve Earle, Kris Kristofferson), audio entrepreneur Langston Masingale (owner of Handsome Audio and inventor of the Zulu passive analog tape simulator), and game sound designer Mark Kilborn (Forza Motorsport, Tony Hawk, Call of Duty, Black Ops). Join Matt and his guests as they discuss their professional journeys. The interviews explore the business dealings, approaches to finances, survival techniques, and the work/life balance as they pertain to a successful audio career. Through their words, you'll gain new perspective and ideas to help you navigate your own career.