The PNW Section connected (on Zoom) for its November meeting, featuring a panel of Pacific Northwest (PNW) recording all-stars. These “Deans of Grunge” became well known working with PNW bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Death Cab for Cutie, Mudhoney, Harvey Danger, as well as acts not so well known. The panel consisted of Jack Endino, Steve Fisk and John Goodmanson, moderated by engineer/producer/executive Jim Rondinelli of the PNW Section committee. About 41 persons attended (24 being AES members) from around the U.S. and Canada.
PNW Chair Jess Berg opened the meeting, then Committee person Matthew Sutton announced the next PNW meeting for December 9, a panel of PNW live sound veterans. Next, Matt Stearns, a local audio engineer with medical device company Stryker, announced a Stryker job opening for an audio engineer with Stryker in San Jose CA.
PNW Committeeperson Jim Rondinelli began the panel chat. Jim, while not well known as a PNW grunge dean, has his own list of sterling credits, including Weezer, Wilco, Everclear, and Matthew Sweet. Jack Endino, Steve Fisk and John Goodmanson each did short introductions of themselves and their starts in the recording business. Next, Rondinelli asked each if there was an artist each would like to work with that they have not yet worked with. Jim also asked about career and industry changes over the years, and comments on Atmos/immersive mixing, tape vs. digital, and A.I. (artificial intelligence).
There was further discussion of immersive formats and streaming quality, with some comparison of Dolby Atmos and the lesser-known Immersion (Networks), which Rondinelli once led. This continued with talk of panning, hearing, HRTFs and ear-pinna shapes, including personal stories of ear surgery.
Rondinelli asked the panel about their plans for the future. While Fisk and Goodmanson attended the Evergreen State College (Olympia WA) and Endino attended the University of Washington (Seattle WA), each had college-days stories to relate. Finally, the panel was asked to give plugs for any current projects.
The last hours of the Zoom call were the attendees self-introducing themselves and chatting with the panel.
About our Presenters:
Steve Fisk
Steve Fisk is a renowned music producer and musician, born in 1960. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, he has made significant contributions to the alternative and indie music scenes. Fisk’s career took off during the 1980s and 1990s, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the unique sounds of bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Screaming Trees.
His expertise in experimental and innovative production techniques set him apart from his contemporaries, earning him a reputation as an avant-garde producer. Fisk’s collaborations extended beyond the grunge era, as he worked with artists from diverse genres, from electronic music to punk and beyond.
In addition to his prowess behind the mixing console, Steve Fisk showcased his talent as a multi-instrumentalist, contributing his skills on keyboards, synthesizers, and various other instruments to numerous projects.
Beyond his production work, Fisk released solo albums and participated in bands such as Pell Mell and Pigeonhed. His solo efforts were a testament to his creativity, blending genres and pushing musical boundaries.
Throughout his illustrious career, Fisk’s musical vision and innovative approach have left an indelible mark on the industry, inspiring generations of musicians and producers. Today, he remains a respected figure in the music world, continuing to influence emerging artists with his pioneering spirit and musical expertise.
John Goodmanson
John Goodmanson is a record producer, recording engineer, and mixer based in Seattle, Washington. His work has appeared on hundreds of albums. He is best known for producing multiple albums by Bikini Kill, Blonde Redhead, Death Cab for Cutie, Los Campesinos!, and Sleater-Kinney.
For more info: https://johngoodmanson.com
Jack Endino
Jack is a record producer, recording and mastering engineer, mixer, and musician from Seattle. Since 1986 he’s worked on over 700 records for bands from 14 countries on 4 continents. You have probably heard one or two of these records.
He graduated from Seattle’s U of W in 1980 with a BSEE, worked for the Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA for a few years, then moved back to Seattle in 1984 and started recording bands, and refuse to stop.
Jack was “the guy in the engine room” during the early voyages of the battleship “Grunge” in the late 80s. Many of the early releases that put Seattle label Sub Pop on the map have his name on them; Mudhoney, Nirvana, TAD, Soundgarden, L7, Mark Lanegan, Hot Hot Heat, etc. Somehow he also found time to play guitar in a band called Skin Yard; they made 5 albums between 1985 and 1992, some on a subsidiary (Cruz Records) of the legendary SST label.
Just as Skin Yard ended in 1992, Seattle music exploded worldwide, and Jack began producing records full time, which he is still doing, although he never entirely stopped playing in bands, as a drummer, or a bassist, or (mostly) a guitarist/vocalist. Most of his tracking work currently takes place at a Seattle studio called Soundhouse. As of 2025 he is doing mostly mixing and especially mastering.
His most recent work can always be found at the top of his chronological Production Discography, assuming he has updated it lately. Since nowadays no one gets producer credits with digital downloads, you may see quite a few records that you didn’t know Jack worked on.
As of 2025 he is still a guitarist “in” 2 bands: Down With People (with Ron Nine – working on an album) and Beyond Captain Orca (on hiatus but can be found on Bandcamp).
Jack’s third solo album “Permanent Fatal Error” was released in early 2006. His fourth album “Set Myself On Fire,” was released in December 2021. (Yes, some patience is required to follow his musical career.)
Jack continues doing 24/7 what he loves most: “making” music, both other people’s, and his own.
For more info: https://www.endino.com
Jim Rondinelli
Jim Rondinelli is an American record producer, recording engineer, and technology executive. As a producer and/or engineer he has been credited on several influential alternative and power‑pop albums of the 1990s, including projects by Matthew Sweet, Weezer, Wilco, the Jayhawks and Everclear. He later moved into senior roles in digital music and audio technology and most recently served as President of Immersion Networks, an audio R&D company which was acquired by Spotify in 2025. His work on Matthew Sweet’s “Girlfriend” has often been singled out by musicians, engineers, and the music press for its sonics; Mix magazine’s 25th‑anniversary retrospective (“25 Years of Great Recordings”) highlighted Girlfriend specifically as one of the most influential records of its era.
Reported by Gary Louie, PNW Secretary.
