World Class Mastering Service

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

A: It’s hard to name just one. But I recently remastered Metallica’s ‘…And Justice For All’ which is an album a grew up with. It’s also an album which was heavily criticized originally for lacking bass. For that reason, there was a lot of anticipation for the remastering. I was happy to learn it’s been widely well received and even got a writeup in Billboard celebrating the Mastering. I was happy to give the fans and band what they wanted. Also, Pharrell William’s “Happy”. Because it made the world happy and continues to make people dance everyday.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Developing an amazing new Mastering Plugin!

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Yes, my good friend Matt Linesch is on the site, as well as Dave Way. My partner Gavin Lurssen is also available for Mastering. He is the engineer who trained me not only to master music, but also how to provide the service.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I’d like to draw the yin-yang symbol here… It’s a combination and synergy of both worlds. My heart is in the analog domaine, and it’s how I process audio everyday. The world listens to music digitally, so it’s about capturing the integrity of the analog processing in the digital world. Even if I work strictly digital (which is very rare and usually only for immersive formats) all my processing is modeled after analog technology, like our LMC plugin.

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

A: That they will get my very best, not matter the circumstance. I have always given that and will always continue to. It’s the only way I ever want to work.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Having the ability to work on music everyday and make people smile. When my clients are happy, it makes me happy. When the fans connect with the music and therefor connect with the artist, it’s all very rewarding. I love working with my small team everyday and providing the best service possible.

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

A: How did you do that? To which I respond, “I don’t really know, I just felt it”. It’s the same as any art, in many ways it’s unexplainable. But I can break it down on a technical level and dissect what I’ve done, but that’s not really what the answer is. It’s how I’ve come to that place that is the key, and it has to do with experience and understanding musical feel.

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

A: That mastering is a corrective process only. In other words, if your mix is perfect, why master it? Mastering is much more than correcting balances. It’s a process that can bring things to life that the producer or engineer did not think possible. It’s also a process where vibe, texture, and further connectivity can be achieved. This is what I love about the process. Lastly, there is great value in hiring someone with objectivity. When someone sends me a mix, it’s the first time I’ve heard it. I’m not attached to the work beyond where I can take it. It allows me to give it my first instinct with is always a good thing.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Are you happy with your mix?  If not, what are you not happy with?

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

A: I would suggest that they hire someone that can give them what they are truly looking for. Mastering is a subtle art that takes many years to truly understand. Anyone has the tools to master a mix now and there are many people attempting to provide the service. However, when you hire a specialist that only does one thing, you’re getting all those years of dedicated practice. It’s the equivalent to hiring a doctor to take care of a cavity, but you really need a dentist with years, and preferably many many years of experience.

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

A: A great pair of monitors… I’m a big fan of ATCs and have been using them my entire career. I would try to take one of our analog consoles, but if that couldn’t fit, a computer with my go-to plugins would do the trick. Beyond that I would need to build myself a studio… so I would probably take a saw blade and an endless supply of duct tape. …Oh, and I bunch of lighters so I could keep myself warm.. Unless it was a tropical island, in which case I’d be happy sleeping on the warm sand. ...wait… how would I power the gear?? I better give this one more thought…

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

A: I started Mastering professionally in 2005. I began as a runner at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood CA. I met Gavin Lurssen and he agreed to mentor me. Not long after, we began Lurssen Mastering and have been servicing the audio community ever since. Mastering music is my everyday practice and discipline. I also have developed technical solutions for Mastering in Dolby ATMOS and have shared these techniques with the world via AES (the Audio Engineering Society). I have helped develop IK Multimedia’s Mastering Software, Lurssen Mastering Console and continue to design and develop audio plugins to this day.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Full of life, impact, energy, emotional, warm, analog connection. The song should sing through the console. When it’s singing, it’s ready to print.

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

A: Mozart. Because I would be fascinated by his brilliance and continuously curious.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Use your heart, not your head. The head gets in the way, the heart always knows.

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

A: Everyday is different. I’m well versed in all genres of music because everything out there has come through our studio. I’ve mastered thousands of albums over the years and know how to get the most out of any type of arrangement or style. I’ve also been able to help shape standards in all genres, ranging from heavy rock bands and hard hitting hiphop, to delicate orchestral scores and signer-songwriter arrangements.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Connection. Sometimes a small amount of processing is all that is required to achieve that connection, and sometimes it’s a lot. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that the feel is captured and the music has ultimate connection to the listener. It also needs to sound like I was never there doing it. The listener must be unaware of my process so that the connection can be fluid.

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

A: I’ve had the honor of privilege of being surrounded by our industry’s most experienced and accomplished producers and engineers. I’ve been immersed and have truly grown up in this environment since I was a teenager, and the experiences I have had continue to inspire and shape how I approach my profession. Now well into my 30s, I’ve been part of a world class mastering team since the beginning. The team at our studio inspires me to lead by example, and I also learn more and more everyday from everyone I interact with.

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

A: Mastering is the service that we offer and we offer the same quality of service to anyone and everyone who chooses to work with us. There are many options out there, and we take pride in the fact that our clients continue to trust us with their work. We master singles, EPs, albums, soundtracks and also offer the service of Mastering in surround formats such as 5.1 and Dolby ATMOS. We have a deep understanding of the marketplace and how the finished results will be experienced by the masses in all formats and platforms.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Connecting to the music and connecting to the music maker.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I begin my listening to the mix and connect with the vibe. Vibe is something that is felt more than heard. It’s also difficult to describe in words. In the world of Mastering, I can recognize vibe and enhance it. I can make compressors dance and create movement when desired. I can bring music to life through texture and feel. I project all of this in my mind’s eye before reaching for anything. Once I have an idea of where I feel I can take something, I take it there rather quickly. If it doesn’t work, I pick a new path and start over. The process itself informs the path along the way. Usually this all happens with little effort, which is always the desire. When something happens naturally, the results are fluid and musical, which enhances the connection between the artist and the listener.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: We have two custom analog console, which were designed by Gavin Lurssen and inspired by Doug Sax technology. I often say that I am standing on the shoulders of giants. My path in audio began based on what they had already discovered. So much of my work is based on the trial and error technology that dates back to the 1960s. Decades of refinement has gone into the way I was trained, as well as my own contributions to how we process audio to meet current competitive standards. We combine analog and digital technology. We use Benchmark D/A and A/D converters. Tube and solid-state EQs and compressors. High-frequency limiters, and digital limiters to shape the sound. We clock externally with Antelope clocks. We pretty much have every digital plugin under the sun at our disposal. I also like to use AI multi-band tools like Gullfoss when it calls for it. But generally, the majority of the processing is done in the analog domain unless I feel that I need to lean more digital.