Hiltongrove Mastering on SoundBetter

I'm Dave Blackman and I own and run Hiltongrove Mastering, a dedicated mastering facility based in the Essex countryside. We're an Apple approved MFiT provider, and I've been a mastering engineer since 1996 - I'd like to think I know what I'm doing by now! Past clients include Coldplay, Keane, Killing Joke, and Echo and the Bunnymen.

We are Hi-End mastering facility offering the best of both analogue and digital processing. Monitoring is provided by B&W 801 Nautilus monitors and a Crane Song Avocet monitor controller, in a room designed and built specifically from the ground up as a mastering studio. Outboard is by Barry Porter, Prism Sound, Chiswick Reach, DAV Electronics and TC Electronic, all feeding a SADiE workstation.

Also available are Cedar outboard processors, Cedar ReTouch software and Izotope RX5. We also offer digital audio watermarking.

The studio has been approved by Apple to provide hi-res audio files that meet its Mastered For iTunes specifications (MFiT). Once the mastering is complete, We can supply you with WAVs for digital distribution and streaming, DDP file-sets for physical replication, vinyl cutting masters, or what-ever physical parts you require.

We're happy to work with you remotely as well as offering attended sessions.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

My credits include

AllMusic verified credits for Dave Blackman:

Skin, Flesh & Bones
Yabby You & The Prophets
Yabby You
David Ford
Third World All Stars
Third World All Stars
Tommy McCook
My Darling Clementine
Phil Pratt
Sunshot Band
Lee "Scratch" Perry & the Upsetters
Dennis Bovell
Art Brut
The Free Spirits
The Ingoes
Ryan Kelly
David Ford
Mighty Baby
Pagan Altar
David Julyan
Peter Tosh
Channel One
Sounds from the Ground
Yabby You
The Inturns
Horace Andy
Susan Pillsbury
Chillum
Second Hand
Jade
The Human Beinz
Bunny Lee
My Darling Clementine
Bunny Lee
Striker Lee
Readers Wives
Liquid Stranger
The Man From Another Place
Thomas White
Bobby Kalphat & the Sunshot All Stars

Gear highlights

Prism Sound MLA-2 Compressor
Barry Porter custom EQ
Chiswick Reach stereo valve compressor
DAV Electronics BG3 EQ
TC Electronic System 6000
B&W 801 Nautilus monitors
Crane Song Avocet monitor controller
Cedar ReTouch
Izotope RX5

Genres I specialize in

Terms of Service

First revision free. Then billed at hourly rate.

Reviews of Hiltongrove Mastering

Verified Review11 days agoby Scott K.
I gave Dave my album to Master. He took a really nice mix and made it even better. I am really, really happy with the way it sounds.
Dave was really easy to work with and the turn around was very fast. I highly recommend working with him. I know I will again.
Verified Review17 days agoby Guven C.
Dave is a great mastering engineer to work with. Easy communication and fast turnover. Recommended.
Verified Review21 days agoby Joshua Taylor
Flexible, fast and professional service - 100% recommend
Verified Review28 days agoby Josh C.
Excellent mastering engineer. Worked with him for a second time and as expected, great results with a fast turnover. Will definitely be back, again.

about 1 month agoby Alberto S.

Always a pleasure! Will return for sure for other projects.

2 months agoby Chin L.

Dave really did a great work!!

2 months agoby Alberto S.

One word.. SICK! I don't know what he did, but he did it.
Dave is a true professional, he delivers the highest quality without compromise, is fast, approachable and FAIR with his fee. I could not ask for more and I'll be a regular client for life.

3 months agoby Olga C.

Dave is efficient and professional as always. We are very happy about his work!

3 months agoby Shiinstudio

Very good quality of work. Kind to give me a few versions of work and advices. Great job done.

3 months agoby Vaihi O.

Great Job! Easy to communicate very fast and the sound is killer. Will use again for sure.

3 months agoby Diego Aguirre

We just finished the first EP of our new project, and we are very happy with the result, sonic wise and the service was also amazing. We highly recommend Hiltongrove Mastering. Nice job Dave.

4 months agoby Olga C.

Hilton is very efficient and talented. He worked his magic and made the song better :)

4 months agoby Jon

Went above and beyond to make sure we were happy with our sound- professional and fun to work with. Super accommodating and did a fantastic job at communicating to make sure we knew how to move forward. Can't express with words how grateful we are for the sound and service Dave provided for our album.

4 months agoby Jack P.

the best if you need a great mastering engineer FAST.

5 months agoby Cazz B.

Dave managed to clean up the mud / open the top-end of my (admittedly dense) mix while retaining the vibey spirit. Exactly what I had requested and was very accommodating in making a quick revision. Would happily recommend and use again for more projects.

5 months agoby Michael N.

Dave is wonderful to work with and I'm delighted with the results. I can't recommend him highly enough--a true professional!

6 months agoby Brad S.

Dave was a treat to work with. He was fast and did a terrific job overall. Highly recommended.

6 months agoby Ryno Z.

A really seamless and pro experience. Dave was very helpful and quick with his turnaround. And it sounds huuuuuge!
Highly recommended

6 months agoby Jack P.

amazing

8 months agoby Babalola

Dave was really quick and did a great job. Thanks!

8 months agoby Buzzin Productionz

DOPE!

8 months agoby Alexei Y.

excellent work, very professional and fast turnaround
easily handled changes that I requested.

10 months agoby Stan Rose

It was great working with Dave, he was super prompt and really put some nice finishing touches to my track. Hope to use his services again.

10 months agoby Christos Stylianides

Great job and really close to what asked. Fast communication and gives feedback on your track/mix.

11 months agoby Buzzin Productionz

GREAT ! ! ! Really fast and professional would be using them again and again.

11 months agoby Rob M.

Very happy with the master, and Dave was even kind enough to give me some feedback on my mix.

11 months agoby Josh C.

Great experience and is without a doubt one of the top mastering engineers on SoundBetter. Dave was very helpful and patient. Once he had all the tracks, he finished them within a day. The results were astounding. I will surely visit again.

11 months agoby Winfried S.

He's done a wonderful job mastering out tracks. Thanks!

12 months agoby Tar C.

Great work and I will continue to work with Dave! Easy communication and timely delivery :)

about 1 year agoby Tim B.

Working with Dave from Hiltongrove Mastering was a real pleasure: great sound, good and helpful service.

about 1 year agoby Diego Aguirre

Working with Dave, has been a really nice experience, and we are very happy with the job he made in our song. I recommend completely Hiltongrove Mastering. Also the service very fast and friendly. Looking forward on working again with them.

about 1 year agoby Glen R.

Dave was great to work with. My song benefited enormously through his mastering. He breathed further life and excitement into the song & gave it cohesion and consistency. It amazes me that some people leave out this crucial step in the record making process. It truly is the icing on the cake.

almost 2 years agoby Tom R.

Extremely easy to work with, right on the money in terms of the master. Couldn't ask for more.

about 2 years agoby Alexandre

Dave did an amazing job like always, incredibly talented and professional engineer, I don't even look for other mastering engineers anymore, Hiltongrove Mastering is my first and only option for mastering.

over 2 years agoby Alexandre

It was a real pleasure to work with Dave, he is really professional,works fast and understands what the song needs, he really took it to another level. I will work with him again for sure, 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

7 months agoby Tar C.

Very glad to have Dave around. I got an excellent master back and quickly too.
He accommodated my deadline which was around the Holidays.

about 1 year agoby Andrea

Really enjoyed working with Dave, he really cares about making sure that you end up with masters tracks that you're 100% happy with. Would recommend to anyone.

Endorse Hiltongrove Mastering

Interview with Hiltongrove Mastering

Which artist would you like to work with and why?

Billy Joel - simply because I'm a massive, massive fan. (I'm a piano player in my spare time!)

Tell us about your studio setup.

My room has been designed and built from the ground up for mastering. Its a classic room-in-a-room design, floated on rubber and isolated from the surrounding building in order to prevent sound transference. The audio response is very flat at the monitoring position, and translates very well to the outside world. Monitoring is handled by a pair of B&W 801 Nautilus monitors which have been with me for over 10 years. These are fed by a Cranesong Avocet monitor controller, providing and extremely clean signal path. The Avocet also makes level matched A/Bing as simple as a button press. The equipment here is all chosen to do a specific job. I have both clean and vibey EQs and compressors, both analogue and digital, and everything is mounted into the desk in front of me, meaning I never have to move from the monitoring position while applying processing. Capture, editing, PQ list-building and parts generation is handled by my SADiE digital audio workstation.

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

We do mastering here, and just mastering - all day everyday. This involves chatting to my client about the sound they're trying to achieve, and what the aims of the project are, and then applying any relevant processing that may be required. We have several really nice pieces of equipment available here, and we'll use whatever is necessary to get where my client wants to go. Once approved we run out the parts and files required for distribution and replication.

Hiltongrove Mastering