what I do
And this is the how of what I do
care - because every project matters and requires my best attention
professionalism - a safe pair of hands - this is all I do, I'm constantly represented by my work out there
integrity - all is above board, I don't touch "kracked" code, am upfront about costs and bill by the hour not the job.
excellence - I work for the long term and mediocrity is not allowed, ever - because this is the arts
creativity - my food is lateral thinking, making new sounds, working in unheard of ways
experience - audio from 1981, mastering from 1996 - helps cut through to great outcomes
good communication - just as important as good gear, and you deserve to be in the know
"yes can do" - the best tools, to try solve any problem, and bring on the magic, on time
1
Mastering is the last step in the production chain before distribution to everyone. It’s the final optimisation, and where creative leaps can still be made to bring out the very best in a mix. A mastering engineer brings a fresh set of ears, hopefully many years of experience and the humanity to listen to the artists’s needs and wishes. Although AI mastering is available it falls far short, in reducing it to a technical “cookie-cutter” process.
2
Although the studio was originally set up for CD mastering a lot of editing and mixing happens as well. Basically it's another use of the same tools, with a different workflow and headspace. Whereas mastering may be "the forest", audio production with its attention to detail in more dimensions may be "the trees".
3
Although most of my work is in mixing or mastering, I’m drawn to recording too. I like to capture a performance with perfection while keeping all the life in it, which is as much a human as a technical skill. Every assignment is approached with planning and care, knowing that at the crucial moment everything has to be great.
4
I consider sound design to be a plastic art where sound is shaped like a physical substance, with delicacy and subtlety one day, or with hammer and chisel the next. My sound design is the opposite of “sound design” in most movie credits, ie that practice of pulling library sound effects enslaved to image. For me sound design is an independent animal that breathes, moves and roars…
5
A small but important part of my work is restoration, that is bringing to life old digital files or analogue formats. I’m conscious of the care needed and am grateful for my role preserving cultural history. I also work with forensic audio to extract meaning from the most degraded recordings, to find the buried truths.
6
I have been talking with people about sound, and getting them to try things, since the 1980s. Training is a small but valued part of what I do. I learn through training others and explaining things.
7
As well as working with audio in its electronic or digital form, I’m interested in the signatures of spaces and how to make them better, or more appropriate. This grew out of my experience in studio building. And after all, recordings of real sounds originate in spaces, so it makes sense to optimise things at source rather than "fix it in the mix".