WCA #600 with Andrew Scheps – Atmos, Imposter Syndrome, Coding Plugins with AI, Climbing Walls, and 600 Episodes

Matt celebrates episode 600 of Working Class Audio with a guest who's been there since the beginning — mixer and producer Andrew Scheps, who first appeared back on episodes 009 300 & 477. Andrew joins from his home in rural England to talk about winning MPG Atmos Mixer of the Year for his work on Low Roar, how he approaches Dolby Atmos delivery and client approval, why he switched from Sony headphones to the Audeze LCD-MX4, and what he's learned about training your brain to externalize binaural audio. The conversation also covers writing his own plugins with Claude and the JUCE framework, why he quit drinking four years ago and found rock climbing instead, breaking his foot, the realities of working with a manager, what "retirement" even means when no one tells you you're done, and why — 600 episodes in — Working Class Audio still matters in a way that's different from everything else.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• 600 Episodes In — Andrew's Long History with the Show
• Winning MPG Atmos Mixer of the Year for the Low Roar Catalog
• The MPG vs. a US Equivalent: Advocacy, VAT, and Saving Studios
• Being an American Honored Inside a UK Organization
• Why the Low Roar "House in the Woods" Atmos Mix May Be His Best Work
• The Pressure of Paid Work vs. Unpaid Passion Projects
• Still Battling Imposter Syndrome After Decades at the Top
• Why He Hates Sending Mixes Out
• Atmos Delivery Workflow: Binaural, MP4, ADM, and the Two-Page PDF
• Training Your Brain to Externalize Binaural Audio
• Why He Starts Atmos Mixes in Headphones, Not Speakers
• Switching from Sony Headphones to the Audeze LCD-MX4
• Steven Wilson and Staying True to the Music in Atmos
• Discovering Rock Climbing as Moving Meditation
• Breaking His Foot — and Five Weeks on the Sidelines
• Alex Honnold, Free Solo, and the Idea of Minimizing Risk
• Quitting Drinking Four Years Ago and Stepping Away from Pub Culture
• Is There a Calculation Behind a Career? Building Extra Income Streams
• The Retirement Question: "They'll Just Stop Hiring Us"
• Writing Plugins with Claude and the JUCE Framework
• Why You Need an Idea — Not Just AI — to Build a Plugin
• AI as a "Knowledgeable but Completely Blinkered Friend"
• AAX, PACE Code Signing, and the Nightmare of Plugin UI
• Board Games, Astronomy, and Life in Rural England
• Why He Can't Imagine Living in LA Anymore
• Working with Manager Frank McDonough — and What a Manager Actually Does
• The Reality of Getting Paid by Major Labels (180-Day Cycles)

Matt's RANT!: 600 Episodes!

Links and Show Notes:

• Andrew Scheps
• Low Roar
• WCA interview with manager Frank McDonough
• JUCE framework
• Audio Developer Conference
• Audeze LCD-MX4
• Free Solo (Alex Honnold)
• Bounce Factory

Credits:

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