dCS Legends - The Other Side Of The Glass

In this episode, we look back at some of the highlights from the series – from James Guthrie’s memories of working with Pink Floyd and Kate Bush to Mark Wilder’s insight into the mastering process and Leslie Ann Jones’ reflections on recording music for films and video games at the iconic Skywalker Sound. We also hear from some of our dCS Legends recipients about their early musical influences and the joys and challenges of working in music production.

Although producer and engineer James Guthrie has recorded a number of artists, he is best known for his seminal work with the legendary band Pink Floyd, who he’s been associated with for more than forty years. He is the only member of their production team to be awarded a GRAMMY for his contributions, which are considered an essential element of the band’s timeless sound.

George Massenburg is a once-in-a-generation multi-talented producer, engineer, inventor and educator. Over the past 45 years he has designed, built and managed a number of studios and his work on parametric equalization has received worldwide recognition. He’s also recorded a number of notable artists, including James Taylor, Randy Newman, Lyle Lovett, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Dixie Chicks, Billy Joel, Natalie Merchant and Earth, Wind & Fire.

John Newton is known for his prolific work with many of the world’s leading orchestras and choral groups, including the Boston Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Santa Fe Opera and the Kansas City and Phoenix Chorals. To date, he has garnered nine GRAMMY Awards and his company Sound Mirror is widely recognized as one of the industry’s premier production facilities.

Frank Filipetti is a world-renowned producer, engineer and mixer who was one of the first music professionals to embrace digital audio. His credits include projects for Foreigner, Kiss, Carly Simon, The Bangles, Rod Stewart, Luciano Pavarotti and Korn. Additionally his work on James Taylor’s Hour glass recording garnered Frank GRAMMY Awards for both Best Pop Album producer and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical).

Elliot Scheiner began his recording career over five decades ago as an assistant to the legendary Phil Ramone. Given his many talents, he quickly became a highly accomplished engineer and producer for a variety of artists, including Foo Fighters, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Toto, Jimmy Buffett, Beck, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill, Sting, Bruce Hornsby and Van Morrison. But Elliot is best known for his collaborations with the Eagles; as well as his long association with Steely Dan.

Bob Ludwig is a classical musician by training, having obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, New York, where he was also involved in the sound department and played Principal Trumpet with the Utica Symphony Orchestra. Inspired by Phil Ramone when he came to the school to teach a summer recording workshop, he ended up working as his assistant for the course. Phil asked him if he would like to work at A&R Recording. Together, they did sessions on projects with The Band, Peter, Paul & Mary, Neil Diamond, Burt Bacharach etc.

After a few years at A&R, Ludwig received an offer from Sterling Sound becoming their first employee, where he eventually rose to become a Vice-President. After seven years at Sterling, he moved to Masterdisk where he was Vice President and Chief Engineer. In 1992, Ludwig decided to take more control over his career by starting his own record-mastering facility in Portland, Maine named Gateway Mastering Studios, Inc..

Over the course of his nearly forty year career, Mark Wilder has mastered or remastered over two thousand recordings for such diverse artists as Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Phish and Sting. And as senior mastering engineer at Sony Music’s Battery Studios, Mark’s golden ear and pursuit of sonic perfection can be heard in many major titles found in the incredible Legacy Recordings catalogue.

For more than four decades, Leslie Ann Jones has pushed the boundaries of recorded music by engineering and producing more than a hundred orchestral and chamber music recordings, jazz and pop albums and film, video game and television scores. She has also worked with a diverse group of artists, including Rosemary Clooney, Herbie Hancock, BB King and Dee Dee Bridgewater. And as Director of Music and Scoring at Skywalker Sound, Leslie Ann has recorded everyone from the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra to Dianne Reeves and Kronos Quartet

In the world of music production, there’s a select group of recording engineers who have strived throughout their career to deliver the highest quality listening experience possible. Chuck Ainlay has spent more than 30 years engineering albums for such major artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Sheryl Crow, Steve Earle, Mark Knopfler, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Taylor Swift and Lee Ann Womack