Mastering Engineer

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

A: Ruthie Foster "Live at Antone's" CD/DVD combo release. It was a pleasure working on that record and it won the Blues Music Awards - DVD of the Year that year. One of the reviews I read also mentioned the differences in the transitions from the DVD and CD version and how smooth the CD versions were. We spent a lot of time to keep those transitions smooth when there was no accompanying picture and move things along for the different experience of listening to a music-only format and it was great to hear someone noticed.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Like right now?!? My SoundBetter profile...

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. Analog has strengths in places digital falls short and vice versa. Want an EQ change with a real tight q-factor? Digital filters can do that great! Want some great vibey glue across the mix? A tube compressor is a great choice for some analog color!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I get to make my living working on great music!

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

A: I can't do changes like mixing. No, I can't tune the vocals. No, I can't replace that guitar solo with another take.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: One of the first questions I ask, that isn't just contact info/business stuff, is 'How happy are you with the mixes?'. This gives me a quick read on what they expect from mastering their project and how much they want to be involved in the process.

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

A: Well, I think it's great that you're looking for a mastering engineer and not using an automated service or having your mixing guy do it. Check out several mastering engineers and look at their experience and credits, then if you think we'd be a good fit shoot me an email or give me a call and we can talk about your project.

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

A: GPS, SAT Phone, Food, Water, and a good knife.

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

A: I've been a full-time mastering engineer since 2005. Before that, I started my career in jazz as the live sound engineer for the UNT One O'Clock Lab Band and toured with them for 2 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I try to be as transparent as possible. Your mixes should sound like your mixes when I'm done. I want you to think they sound better, but you can't quite pick out exactly what I did. My job is not to put a mark on your music, it is to take what you do and move it one step further along.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Be sure to reference material that sounds great. Often, studios have less than perfect playback systems and that can really come back to bite you later in the post-production process.

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

A: Recorded music.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Experience and an objective opinion. With over 4,500 albums in my career so far, I can comfortably call myself an expert in the field of mastering. With that depth and breadth of work, I can bring experience in presenting your music in the best possible way. Also, mastering requires an objective opinion. Since I don't do much mixing, and I probably didn't mix your project, having a fresh set of ears on your recording is a great place to start.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work out of a private studio near Austin, TX. Most of my mastering work I use an analog setup with some choice digital components also. I have several analog tape machines and can accommodate mastering from mixes delivered on analog tape.

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

A: Bob Ludwig is always a great place to start for mastering engineers. I like Bob Katz, Bernie Grundman, and Doug Sax. Those guys are really the guys I'd call the top of the top and I aspire to make great records like they do.

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

A: Most of my work I am a mastering engineer. I help guide producers, artists, bands, and/or record labels in finishing the last step of creating a record for distribution for CD, digital, streaming, and/or vinyl.