Best Mastering Engineer!

Rob G · 17th September 2006

Best Mastering Engineer!

Who do you say?

Rob G..

777 · 17th September 2006

Denny Purcell was tops while he was here.

A 777 Subject.

Rob G · 17th September 2006

1.)A 777 Subject says:

Quote:

Denny Purcell was tops while he was here.

-A 777 Subject.

2.)Bruce Swedien says:

Quote:

Armando.....

There's nothing to say about Bernie Grundman other than "Beernie is the very best at what he does!!!" "There is no one else even close to Bernie when it comes to mastering!!!"

-Bruce Swedien

I say Bob Ludwig is the best.

Rob G..

sedohr · 17th September 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob G

Best Mastering Engineer!

Who do you say?

Rob G..

Who is fastest to master?
Who masters the loudest?
Isn't that what it means? The best?

Kalli

Andy Krehm · 17th September 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob G

Best Mastering Engineer!

Who do you say?

Rob G..

Ask yourself who's your favourite guitarist. Oh sorry, and in what style? Some guitarists are great at one style, or are really known for one style, and other excel at several.

Then ask 20 music afficianatos and see how many different answers you get.

In other words, once you get to a certain level, there is no real answer to your question other than personal preference!

With all due respect to Bruce Swedian (who is mentioned in a later post), some mix engineers are very loyal to one mastering engineer because they have had great and consistent work done for them. They may have even started with them. But if their main guy was unavailable, became sick or passed away, they would soon enought find another great one.

stevep · 17th September 2006

I have always loved the work that Randy Kling from Disk Mastering has done for me he is in Nashville so i am looking for someone here in ca

steve

Coyoteous · 17th September 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by sedohr

Who is fastest to master?
Who masters the loudest?
Isn't that what it means? The best?

Kalli

Well, I'm probably one of the fastest, though that's not much to be proud of, and it has made me virually unable to take very much time with a project. I pretty regularly get stuff where I only have an hour or two to work on it before it goes to mastering (stamper making) - sometimes minutes for singles. Though, to toot my horn a little, I've mastered rush promos and the like that the artists, a&r and I have liked better than the $ big name $ mixed/mastered final version. I am the same way tracking and mixing (which I don't do much of anymore) - working fast maintains/creates momentum and excitement. Best? - not me, I don't have the attention span for it! What was I just talking about, anyway? Loudest? No, I try to give the customer what I think they need, not what they think they want - though this will sometimes bite you in the butt.

thethrillfactor · 17th September 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob G

Best Mastering Engineer!

Who do you say?

Rob G..

The guy who fukks up the mixes the least.

(And this is a joke fellas so don't get your panties in bunch).

doorknocker · 17th September 2006

Greg Calbi.

Jerry Tubb · 17th September 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob G

Best Mastering Engineer!

Who do you say?

What's the best flavor of ice cream?

Strictly a matter of taste.

JT

Coyoteous · 17th September 2006

On a more serious note than my last post, we get quite a few masters done by GS's Jerry Tubb and Brad Blackwood. I've personally used Dave Collins when he was at A&M and Bob Ohlsson through a record company. I'd put these guys up against any Grundmann, Sterling, etc. (which we also get). Though, in a Special Edition ME Celebrity Deathmatch - I'd probably put my money on DC.

In my experience, if something is mastered by a guy (or girl) that makes his (or her) living from mastering, you can pretty much bet it will be good - otherwise they wouldn't be making a living. And no, I don't put myself or want to be in this category - too much stress. I came to the conclusion the other day that I really don't care that much about conventional music, I handle audio and data as a profession. I QC a couple thousand titles a year. I do "mastering" work on a hundred or so.

I try to at least skip through anything that comes from a real mastering house. If it's a style of music that I like (which is rare), I'll listen to the whole thing. And like the kid's say: "it's all good" (well, mostly). And therein is also the rub, you really can't judge just the mastering. My motto is "I'd rather hear a bad recording of good music, than a good recording of bad music" (good/bad being subjective for the most part, but not always). Okay, that's it - carry on!

If you made it this far, I like chocolate.

777 · 18th September 2006

Doug Sax is up there too.

A 777 Subject.

Rob G · 18th September 2006

Glen Meadows is another person who's work I highly respect.

Rob G..

lofi · 18th September 2006

there are plenty of guys here who can do justice to a project. no need for "the best" imo

taturana · 24th September 2006

my vote goes for chris blair, at abbey road who did some awesome radiohead records that sound good and translate very well in any equipment...

as well as emily lazar, great work on a recent david bowie record...

bernie grundman of course...

here in brazil my vote goes to ricardo garcia at magic master...

but i agree the best one is the one that does less harm....

bob katz · 25th September 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randall

Bob Ludwig.... Bob Kats...... Bob Olhson.......

I'd like to be a fly on the wall when the 3 Bobs get together.

Buzz Buzz, thanks! I nominate, among others, Bob Ludwig, Paul Stubblebine, Bernie Grundman, Doug Sax. But behind every successful mastering engineer there has to be a great mixing engineer... the only way you can sort of "isolate" a mastering engineer's work is to listen to many many many examples of his or her work and then you can take an average, because on the average they may receive only average mixes.

Anyway, I always say, "Every Tom, Dick and Harry is named Bob!"

BK

IJsman · 26th September 2006

Brian Gardner is my favourite.

lynn ness · 26th September 2006

i know everyone talks about Bernie Grundman but what about Tom Coyne? man, that guy worked on nearly every classic hip-hop LP to come out of NY in the '90s. from what i know he's still staying busy too. i always liked his work... any thoughts?

Julien Apruzzese · 26th September 2006

In R'n'B style ...Tom Coyne is a genius !

shikawkee · 26th September 2006

I've worked with just about everyone sans Mr. Katz and Bob Ludwig but Bob Olhsson makes everything better for me. But hey, it ain't a competition!

Each person has a distinct approach and style. Based on that and
availability it shouldn't be too hard to find the right person for your project.

Paul Gold · 26th September 2006

I nominate myself for most mediocre. There are precicely 327 who are better than me and 327 who are worse. Please contact me if you are new to mastering with a sample of your work. How it is will determine in which direction I point my sniper rifle.

Musiclab · 26th September 2006

Scott Hull has always done it for me

MT Groove · 28th September 2006

My vote has got to go to Brian "Big Bass" Gardner.

David Lee · 28th September 2006

I have had some pretty good results from Dave Glasser at Airshow, Boulder CO...

very easy guy to work with, my mixes end up sounding very nice with Dave

djui5 · 28th September 2006

George Marino anyone? Hello...

My vote goes "it depends on the project"...

I've had Blackwood master some stuff and think he's an amazing talent. Far better than a lot of other guys I've worked with.

Now if I were doing a bass heavy club banga'/club anthem project, I'd probably call Brian G.

If I were doing something else, who knows. If it were Brittney Spears, I'd probably call George M.

thenoiseflower · 28th September 2006

Def dependant on the project, but

Calibi is my pick.

but everyone thats mentioned is special, it really depends on the music.

Ruudman · 28th September 2006

Chris 'vinyl' Blair.... RIP

ruudman

Thomas W. Bethe · 1st October 2006

Ken Love

Bob Katz

Doug Sax

Glenn Meadows

Hank Williams

Dave Glasser

Bernie Grundman

Brad Blackwood

Bob Ludwig

To name a few of the "good ones"

slickscrilla · 9th October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by MT Groove

My vote has got to go to Brian "Big Bass" Gardner.

yeaa...Big Bass is super

BigBassBrian · 5th January 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob G

1.)A 777 Subject says:

Quote:

Denny Purcell was tops while he was here.

-A 777 Subject.

2.)Bruce Swedien says:

Quote:

Armando.....

There's nothing to say about Bernie Grundman other than "Beernie is the very best at what he does!!!" "There is no one else even close to Bernie when it comes to mastering!!!"

-Bruce Swedien

I say Bob Ludwig is the best.

Rob G..

3)THANKS BRUCE. Crap. We did A LOT of records together

BigBassBrian

17th September 2006	#1
Rob G Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2002 Location: Florida, & Virginia - U.S.A. Posts: 689 Thread Starter	Best Mastering Engineer! Best Mastering Engineer! Who do you say? Rob G..

17th September 2006	#6
stevep Lives for Jesus Joined: Oct 2005 Location: orange county ca. Posts: 2,935	I have always loved the work that Randy Kling from Disk Mastering has done for me he is in Nashville so i am looking for someone here in ca steve __________________ Steve Perkins Steve Perkins Fishing.com Creation Recording Studios .com Take a Kid Fishing Outreach John 3:16

18th September 2006	#14
lofi Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2004 Location: in my studio mostly Posts: 501	there are plenty of guys here who can do justice to a project. no need for "the best" imo __________________ WTB/WTT: speck asc-t eq,Griver EQ-1nv, RND Portico 5043 comp, open to trades !

24th September 2006	#15
taturana Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2006 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Posts: 4,059 13 Reviews written	some good ones.... my vote goes for chris blair, at abbey road who did some awesome radiohead records that sound good and translate very well in any equipment... as well as emily lazar, great work on a recent david bowie record... bernie grundman of course... here in brazil my vote goes to ricardo garcia at magic master... but i agree the best one is the one that does less harm....

26th September 2006	#18
lynn ness Gear Head Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 40	i know everyone talks about Bernie Grundman but what about Tom Coyne? man, that guy worked on nearly every classic hip-hop LP to come out of NY in the '90s. from what i know he's still staying busy too. i always liked his work... any thoughts? __________________ "Buying old records is a habit, and if I can't afford to buy it I'll bag it." http://www.myspace.com/lynnness

17th September 2006	#2
777 Gear maniac Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 171	Denny Purcell was tops while he was here. A 777 Subject.

17th September 2006	#9
doorknocker Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2002 Location: Basel, Switzerland Posts: 6,206 1 Review written	Greg Calbi.

17th September 2006	#11
Coyoteous Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 4,130	On a more serious note than my last post, we get quite a few masters done by GS's Jerry Tubb and Brad Blackwood. I've personally used Dave Collins when he was at A&M and Bob Ohlsson through a record company. I'd put these guys up against any Grundmann, Sterling, etc. (which we also get). Though, in a Special Edition ME Celebrity Deathmatch - I'd probably put my money on DC. In my experience, if something is mastered by a guy (or girl) that makes his (or her) living from mastering, you can pretty much bet it will be good - otherwise they wouldn't be making a living. And no, I don't put myself or want to be in this category - too much stress. I came to the conclusion the other day that I really don't care that much about conventional music, I handle audio and data as a profession. I QC a couple thousand titles a year. I do "mastering" work on a hundred or so. I try to at least skip through anything that comes from a real mastering house. If it's a style of music that I like (which is rare), I'll listen to the whole thing. And like the kid's say: "it's all good" (well, mostly). And therein is also the rub, you really can't judge just the mastering. My motto is "I'd rather hear a bad recording of good music, than a good recording of bad music" (good/bad being subjective for the most part, but not always). Okay, that's it - carry on! If you made it this far, I like chocolate.

26th September 2006	#17
IJsman Gear nut Joined: Sep 2006 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 93	Brian Gardner is my favourite.

26th September 2006	#19
Julien Apruzzese Gear maniac Joined: Jul 2004 Location: France, Paris. Posts: 185	In R'n'B style ...Tom Coyne is a genius !

26th September 2006	#20
shikawkee Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2003 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1,010	I've worked with just about everyone sans Mr. Katz and Bob Ludwig but Bob Olhsson makes everything better for me. But hey, it ain't a competition! Each person has a distinct approach and style. Based on that and availability it shouldn't be too hard to find the right person for your project. __________________ "Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor"- Andre 3000

26th September 2006	#21
Paul Gold Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2003 Location: Brooklyn Posts: 1,009	I nominate myself for most mediocre. There are precicely 327 who are better than me and 327 who are worse. Please contact me if you are new to mastering with a sample of your work. How it is will determine in which direction I point my sniper rifle. __________________ Paul Gold www.saltmastering.com Greenpoint's No. 1 online purveyor of poo on a boot

26th September 2006	#22
Musiclab Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2002 Location: Elmont NY Posts: 6,278 3 Reviews written	Scott Hull has always done it for me

28th September 2006	#23
MT Groove Gear maniac Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 180	My vote has got to go to Brian "Big Bass" Gardner.

28th September 2006	#24
David Lee Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Santa Monica CA Posts: 237	I have had some pretty good results from Dave Glasser at Airshow, Boulder CO... very easy guy to work with, my mixes end up sounding very nice with Dave

28th September 2006	#25
djui5 Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix Posts: 6,664	George Marino anyone? Hello... My vote goes "it depends on the project"... I've had Blackwood master some stuff and think he's an amazing talent. Far better than a lot of other guys I've worked with. Now if I were doing a bass heavy club banga'/club anthem project, I'd probably call Brian G. If I were doing something else, who knows. If it were Brittney Spears, I'd probably call George M. __________________ _________________ "What is a crossfire hurricane & why wasn't I born in one?" Randy Wright

28th September 2006	#26
thenoiseflower Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 1,425	Def dependant on the project, but Calibi is my pick. but everyone thats mentioned is special, it really depends on the music.

28th September 2006	#27
Ruudman Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2003 Location: Norway Posts: 3,086	Chris 'vinyl' Blair.... RIP ruudman

1st October 2006	#28
Thomas W. Bethe Lives for gear Joined: Jan 2005 Location: Oberlin, Ohio Posts: 3,273 1 Review written	Ken Love Bob Katz Doug Sax Glenn Meadows Hank Williams Dave Glasser Bernie Grundman Brad Blackwood Bob Ludwig To name a few of the "good ones" __________________ -TOM- Thomas W. Bethel Managing Director Acoustik Musik, Ltd. Room with a View Productions Oberlin, OH 44074 www.acoustikmusik.com Doing what you love is freedom. Loving what you do is happiness.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search