Dave McNair is a multiple Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer based out of Winston-Salem, NC, USA! In our conversation Dave and I go deep on the following:

His journey in audio and mastering
Why mastering engineers work so quickly
How bass and vocals are paramount in a mix
Mastering with mixing in mind and vice versa
Correcting a good mix made with bad monitoring
Dave’s journey in Hi-Fi
The relationship between Hi-Fi and pro audio
Moving the studio into his living room and his current set-up
When to go out of the box and when to stay put
Leaving lots of headroom out of the box
Staying healthy
Why you shouldn’t be afraid of failure
Work on music you like
Don’t give up
And so much more!

You can learn more about Dave at http://www.davemcnairmastering.com/styled-3/index.html

You can follow Dave on Social Media
IG - https://www.instagram.com/mcsnare/

***Thanks to our sponsors!***

Carl Bahner's resources for studio professionals - https://www.carlbahner.com/resources


Progressions with Travis Ference - https://www.progressionspodcast.com/listen

***Join the Secret Sonics Discord community here(!) - discord.gg/UP97b72W6t


***BRAND NEW!*** SECRET SONICS PATREON - patreon.com/benwallickmusic

References:
Episode on the Attack and Release Show - https://attackandreleaseshow.fireside.fm/135

Scott Hull - https://www.benwallick.com/podcast-episodes/2023/4/30/secret-sonics-182-scott-hull-mastering-stellar-records
Acora Acoustics - https://www.acoraacoustics.com/
Snarky Puppy - https://open.spotify.com/album/6a1HtLhd3zNccXRNUZ23ge?si=5El4fyDoQAGrnG9zkzjq4Q
Charlie Hunter - https://open.spotify.com/album/1PU5pGYM7iglfvhAPkdCou?si=DX_7Q1--Qf2dKwonMk8l_w
Bob Schneider - https://open.spotify.com/album/2FGW9TD4aWhdSIo0oQx6qu?si=vzKKHxWCQHO6yX-iTZ0Gkg

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Thank you to Zvi Rodan, Mendy Portnoy, and Yakir Hyman for contributing to the podcast theme music!

Thanks to Gavi Kutliroff for editing this episode!

You can find out more about Secret Sonics and subscribe on your favorite podcast app by visiting www.secretsonics.co

Have a great week, stay safe, and dig in!


-Ben