Michael Matsakis on SoundBetter

I've worked alongside artists such as Indigo de Souza and Computer Science. Audio Engineer specializing in Dolby Atmos and recordings for VR. Equipped with experience as well as an arsenal of plugins and outboard gear, I am an expert at making lo-fi bedroom recordings shine and pop!

I am a Music Engineer, Composer, and Tonmeister living in Brooklyn with a graduate degree in Music Technology from NYU.

I started seriously making records in 2012 and haven’t stopped for a second. I graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2018 with a BM in Music Technology and Composition. Throughout my years in Pittsburgh, I mainly did sessions recording Jazz, Pop-Punk, and Hip-Hop. I worked in studios around Pittsburgh and NYC, as well as shadowing two Grammy Award winning engineers and running sound at night clubs.

I also have experience working on several professional podcasts. I am familiar and organized with the necessary workflows.

I continued my education at NYU and received a Masters in Music Technology. During my time at NYU, I wrote a thesis on Techniques and Philosophies for Mastering Object-Based Music for Streaming Platforms. I am well versed in loudness normalization values for the various platforms and know how to achieve great levels of loudness without sacrificing audio quality.

I have since researched deeper into the world of immersive audio and found myself looking into this idea of “holophonic recording” techniques for VR envrionments. I started out my year by writing an E-Brief on the topic, published in the 2021 Fall AES Convention. I have several published works in this interesting medium that are on my itch.io page.

Send me an email through 'Contact' button above and I'll get back to you asap.

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Interview with Michael Matsakis

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Recently, I've been working on a lot of projects in Dolby Atmos. I have done lots of experimenting with the software and even wrote my master's thesis on techniques for mastering music in Atmos.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Mastering is just making a song louder.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started recording bands 10 years ago and have only sped up my skills in the process. I worked freelance through my undergrad in music Technology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh as well as through my graduate degree in music technology from New York University.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Electronic Pop or Beats are usually what I work on. Some dreamy indie rock mixes are always fun to create.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I believe one has to know both extremely well to utilize them for their strengths and weaknesses. I would never cut myself off from one, unless the client specifically asks me to.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will have the mix done on-time and you will feel like it was well worth the investment.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Learning new practices and perspectives from artists I work with. And hitting that spacebar to listen to that finished mix!
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What are your goals with this song? What other songs gave you inspiration or mixes that contain elements that you're going for?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Just contact me with whatever questions you have. Even if I don't turn out to be the right fit for your style, I love helping people on their path to creating their own amazing art!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Solar Powered laptop, nylon string acoustic guitar, bus powered interface, SM57 w/xlr, and my Sony MDR-7506 Headphones!
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: People who want a dense and unique sound, if you have elements you're looking to blend better or sounds that are "close to perfect" send them my way and I'll construct a stable sound out of everything. Unless you're going for something trashy and messed up, I have tons of ways to make things sound strange and interesting.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My ear for frequency buildups, loudness, phase issues, as well as spatialization. I can shape a mix into whatever form fits it best as well as Master a mix into its fullest form for any medium (Streaming, tape, vinyl, maybe even CD).
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Depends on the goals of the mix or master. I strongly believe that there is no one correct way to accomplish everything regarding audio.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: A pair of Advent full range speakers with a matching sub. I own and possess adept knowledge for operating ProTools, Logic Pro X, and Ableton.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: All my best friends inspire me most, the art they produce is amazing and I never feel more inspired than when I'm around them. I love the production styles of Flying Lotus, James Blake, Shafiq Husayn, as well as genres such as lo-fi (Jay Som, Alex G, American Pleasure Club) and Japanese City Pop (Haruomi Hosono, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto). I am always studying new music, production, and mixing styles. If seeing this list makes you feel like what you're going for isn't something I've worked on before, this is far from a comprehensive list of genres I've studied. And, if I haven't heard of what you're going for yet, then I love learning new genres and feel comfortable with my technical know-how to identify and learn new techniques quickly!
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Mixing, Mastering, Vocal Tuning in Melodyne, or clean Edits and Organization on a mix.