Mastering

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

A: First thing comes to mind is Remedy Drive's Northstar record. It was a one or two day turn around for the full record and everything just clicked. The A/B between mix and master was drastic, not just in level of course. It was great to help a great band, a great cause and the record is just so cool to me.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: There is a new proprietary plug-in series coming out called Nightfox Audio. There were 9 tracks that were demos of the plug-in that I just mastered. Also my former bandmate Marc Martel is releasing a music video cover of "Another One Bites The Dust" that I just turned in today.

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

A: Jeff Sojka, and Denny White. (Although I'd only like people to use Jeff for mixing not mastering haha)

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital: 1. It's the utility of it. It's more effective in this environment because it is more instant in the workflow for me. 2. Its cleaner, no power supply artifacts, buzzes, hums 3. As a student of saturation, noise floor, phasing etc. there is NOTHING analog can do that digital cannot with the proper understanding of what is actually happening. 4. I do not trust the long fidelity of outboard gear, too many variables pots/caps/bad solders etc. 5. I don't believe in magic. 6. Its cheaper 7. Power bill is lower

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

A: I promise to collaborate. I've been in the clients seat many times, I promise to be the mastering guy I would want to handle my own art. To care as though it is my own project, because it actually is - I'm a collaborator and friend.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love it when I can tell I've really helped the song, when I listen and A/B with the mix, even the Producer hot mix and get the "Woah! Thats so much better!" factor. I know then that I've helped the client and that is likely to be their reaction as well. I know then, as well, that it has been a good value for value exchange.

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

A: Can you give this a listen and let me know what you think of the mix? My Answer: Absolutely! Do you need stems? My answer: No just the stereo file in the resolution it was mixed in. Can you make it less/more______? My answer: Yes, but it will be fractional at this point. What is mastering anyway? "Its the last step of production, the first step of distribution" Bob Katz

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

A: That masterings sole role is to make things loud. A good mastering guy can makes things loud by making it good first.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Are there refs/comps that you like? How is the track going to be disseminated? What platforms will it stream/be purchased/used? Will there be a CD/Vinyl printing? What resolution was the track mixed in? 24/48? How competitive with loudness? Is there target LUFFS needs, or ADM/MFIT? Do you have ISRCs for the songs? Can you send me a white sheet or track list with Proper Song Titles, Artist Name, Album Name, Genre, Songwriters, Producer etc.? Can you send me artwork for the cover of the record?

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

A: Hire the very best people for every step of the job that you are not the best at.

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

A: 1. Solar Powered Laptop loaded with my DAW and Plugs, 2. Neodymium Isolating headphones, 3. SAT phone with an ELT 4. Water De-salinator. 5. Bottle of Whiskey;)

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

A: I started working at a small studio in Canada in 1998. I did at least 100 records of local artist/vanity projects as engineer/producer. A couple were standouts with some radio traction. One of those records was my own band which caught the attention of Nashville. I signed a record deal to Word Records in 2001 as a founding member of the 4 time JUNO award, ASCAP award, and Dove award winning band "Downhere", and later signed to Centricity and recorded and toured 11 records. Some self produced and engineered. My start in mastering happened in session in 2006 watching my own record be mastered. I was ahead of the engineer to frequencies in my head and the workflow and idea of the whole thing just clicked with me. My cousin Scott Orr who runs an indy label (Other Songs) started sending me mastering work. This work travelled and I started getting cold called about mastering. I explained that at the time I was just a guy with headphones in a bedroom, and it didn't seem to phase people. When we shuttered "Downhere", I was already pretty busy with Mastering and I had opportunities to share with my music buds what I was doing next. I haven't done a full count of how many records I've mastered now but its a ton. No marketing, no website all just trust.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: One part Gandalf, One Part NASA. Balanced is the right thing to say, but I mean that from a left brain/right brain place. There is both subjective and objective functions and jobs in mastering, I'm a rare guy that can do both and be cool, personable with clients too.

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

A: Peter Gabriel. Just seems like he'd get what I'm doing and be fascinated. I think it would be encouraging, maybe not haha!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: For general levels in a mix I coach young mixing guys to listen, monitor and mix at a low level, this not only saves the ear fatigue and hearing but because of the nature of air and mechanical resistance less dbs means more perceived separation resulting in much finer tuned levels. This is also helpful with both panning and saturation monitoring because there is less ambient competition in the room "bleed".

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

A: CCM (Contemporary Christian Music), Country, Future Rock

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Hearing. Hearing the clients needs, hearing the intent of producers and mixers, hearing concerns of the artist, and hearing all the issues in the way in the track.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Clarity, energy, color and peace of mind that everything is right sonically, and on the digital backend, and ready for dissemination!

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: There are 10 steps for me in delivering a Master: 1. Listening to clients needs and communicating a game plan and sending some README files that spell out the process. 2. Receive 2 stereo files per song in the resolution they were mixed in via Dropbox, hightail etc. A) A”Low Print” with the mix master bus backed off a bit or just until the mix doesn't fall apart, or even lifted entirely is appreciated. B) The hot mix with the mix engineers master chain in. 3. Many producers, artists, mixing engineers like to have a first listen from a trusted mastering guy to come with some constructive feedback. That is typical and I’m totally cool to help this way if requested. I see the mastering role as almost a first consumer and friend to help with typical problems, if a mix recall is needed it happens here. 4. I make it sound better! Much better. Sonic treatment in a creative and scientific way. From the two mix I handle sonic accumulations, standing waves, stereo field, phase issues, EQ from general color to very clinical sculpting, from tight Q'd custom comb filtering to multi-band and everything in between, whatever the song needs. Color, compression, resonance, saturation and managing transient/ambient information. Vocal focusing and problematic de-essing. I can also do fractional mixing and subtle tweaking on levels really using mid side techniques and playing with phase. Imaging. Limiting and headroom management a la cart, for general dissemination or for target uses ie Radio Mixes, Spotify etc. - MFIT/ADM masters available. 5. Send off sonic ref to client for review/approval/tweaking and communication. 6. Compile record (if need be) and sequence with artistic timing, format for CD/DDP/Vinyl. 7. Send DDP player as ref complete with all Meta Data etc. and/or MP3's 8. Approvals for sequencing and meta data. 9. Delivery of final product with .wav/DDP/Mp3s or any other file needs 10. Follow up and invoicing.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I own a fully customized and personally tuned and trapped 300 square foot mastering room. I master in the box with my own curated processes, and monitor through personally customized Tyler Acoustic Decade X Mains powered by Emotiva XPA with custom silver cables.

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

A: Bob Ludwig (Ear), Bob Katz (Knowledge), Hanz Zimmer(Standards), Daniel Lanois (Craftsmanship), Tom Lord-Alge(Creative Courage)

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

A: 1. Custom mastering, formatting and delivery of music audio. 2. Restoration of distorted or problematic audio.