Warm Punchy Analog Mastering

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Don't try to mix AND master yourself, or get your stuff mixed AND mastered by the same person. That simply doesn't work. Mastering is an Art on its own, and trying to get it all done at the same place is best way to get it ruined. At Quantum Music, we have a team of mix engineers who take care of the mixing, which I supervise, and I then master the songs that are coming out it. This results in a very high quality production. As long as you didn't destroyed everything already, a great mastering engineer will be able to bring your mix to a very high level of professionalism.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I worked on the GSol album, which is a very unique project. They recorded live a band directly to two track using a console. Therefore, no remix was possible. Indeed, the original recording was very dark, had major dynamic and phasing issues, it was a nightmare. What we did, we called it Advanced Mastering, as it requires a lot of very precise work to transform this recording into a professional sounding record. The final product sounds amazing, I'm surprised myself. It even attracted the attention of some audiophiles!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm just finalizing two albums. The first is Simon Kelly, an Australian pop-rock artist. What he's doing is really original. I think this was my favourite album this year. The other one is an album by a band called Noyze. These guys are very young and talented. They are from Montreal and they really have a unique sound.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: 80% analog, 20% digital. Analog does sound better, I think there is no doubt about that. However, there are things that sound great in digital that are hard to implement in analog; Linear phase eqs, Deessers, Envelopper, limiters, stereo tools, etc. Ideally, you would use a combination of both, using each for their strength. For sure, I don't like using plugins that try to emulate analog gear, usually they have they disadvantages of both worlds...

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I was born to both very Technical and Artistic. Mastering allows me to exploit those two traits. On a more practical side, being my boss means I have a flexible schedule. Having a young child, it is very convenient.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: What's the price ? - It is written on the webpage.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: Biggest misconception is that mastering is only about making it loud. Mastering actually contributes way more to that. Mastering is really what makes beautiful records sound well balanced, dense, detailed and strong. It's not something you can do yourself in a non-treated bedroom with headphone or small affordable monitors and some cheap plugins. Mastering is an art that requires Experience, Dedication, Expensive gear and an ideal listening environment.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is the FEELING you are trying to convey through your music. What is unique about this album ? What is the context, what is it about ?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Try to hire an expert. Don't hire someone that tune vocals, write songs, record, mix, master, edit, do your laundry while taking care of your kids. Don't get your stuff mastered by the guy who mixed it. It's really important to hire a real Mastering Engineer of a mastering work. That can make or break your record. That's it.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: 1. The best monitoring available on earth. 2. The best Audio interface in the world. 3. A mac with Logic Pro on. 4. One great analog EQ. 5. Sorry, but I would need a bunch of different compressors...

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I have been a mastering engineer for 10 years. Before that I had a band of oldschool hip hop. I was producing, recording, mixing and mastering.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Audiophile grade HiFi, Loud yet detailed and clean. Open and warm.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: These days, I feel more and more working for very original and organic independent artists. Josh Garrels is the first one that comes to my mind. There is something so personal, transparent and honest about his music. I'm sick of cheap and cheesy Pop songs, Reggaetons and Trap music... I want to hear the real thing and something new.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I often work for very talented and original independent artists, which I really like. More and more I have been called to work on Audiophile stuff, which I like a lot as well.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: I have very fine ears. I can hear small dips in the spectrum, almost inaudible distortion artifacts, subtle phases issues, subtle attack and release changes on a compressor, etc. It allows me to hear the transients very precisely, so I can make things loud without ruining the mix.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring the mix to the fullest of its potential. That's it. I will optimize Dynamic, Transient response, Loudness, Frequency Balance, Stereo Field, Harmonic Structure, Details and Textures, Mid-to-Side relationship, Modes and Resonances, Mono Compatibility, and more all at once. It indeed requires a lot of experience as well a flawless listening environment to do so.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I listen to all the songs of the album in order to really understand the project as a whole. Then I will simply start with my favourite song to get inspired and set the tone for the album. Understand what works for a specific project is 90% of the work. Once that's all set, the rest goes very fast. In terms of signal processing, I will usually do some tests using plugin, then switch to outboard gear when I know where I'm heading. Once all the songs have been processed in analog, I will do the final editing for disc authoring, including fades, level matching, as well as generating the different formats (Mastered for iTunes, CD, Hi Res MP3, etc.)

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: It is a very fancy Home Mastering Studio. Everything is centered around my Analog desk, which includes all different types of compressors (Variable Mu's, Opto, VCAs, FETs...) as well one Tube preamp that I use for tone, and one great Analog EQ, that I use for tone. I have the Drawmer Threesum, which is a multi band interface that allows me to use any kind of combination of gear altogether on different frequency bands. My monitoring is based on a pair of Zaph Audio ZDT 3.5 High Performance Speakers, which have been built custom for my studio. I also used a Klipsch SW112 sub to take care of the low end. I also use the KRK ERGO room correction device, which really does an effective job at making the room neutral and surgical.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I have a lot of respect for Bob Ludwig, Greg Calbi and Ted Jensen. To me, they are basically the best mastering engineers in the world. I often compare my work to their, and try to get as close to them as possible in terms of dynamic, impact, punch et definition.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I usually Master complete album or EPs for both independent and signed artists. Most of them is regular stereo mastering, but I have been doing more and more stem Mastering in the last 4-5 years. I love working for independent artists, as they tend to have a very unique sound.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: That I'll bring the mix to the fullest of its potential. If you have an B+ mix, I probably can make a A+ master.