Square Cad: A Mastering Podcast

Hi folks. Calling in sick for the first time ever. See you for a new episode on May 21st.

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

Pressing plants - the vinyl frontier. What happens at the plant, and how do the decisions made in music production impact the quality of the record you'll receive?

To find out I spoke with Matt Earley from Gotta Groove Records. Gotta Groove has been producing high quality vinyl records since 2009, and Matt has been there since day 1. I spoke with Matt about starting up a pressing plant, expanding into plating, and the best thing an artist can do to prepare their music for vinyl.

Music: Jackie Mittoo "Dancing Groove"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

To check the hype on DMG Audio's EQuilibrium I spoke with my friend and colleague Brad Boatright of Audiosiege. Brad has used a hybrid digital/analog setup to master records for Sleep, OFF!, Pierced Arrows, Dresden, Nails, Guantanamo Baywatch, and many more. We discuss the good and bad of this digital EQ and then provide examples of EQuilibrium in use.

Music: Summer Cannibals "Handle This Love"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

George Graves has had an amazing career that spans close to half a century. First at RCA, then at The Mastering Lab, and finally as Chief Engineer at Toronto's Lacquer Channel he has distinguished himself through a fierce work ethic and golden ear.

George spoke with me about his career, why having a mentor is crucial, and the necessity of patience.

Music: Kate Rusby "Unquiet Graves"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

Chris Gehringer, a senior engineer at Sterling Sound, is a hit mastering machine. He's worked on albums for Naughty By Nature, NAS, Rihanna, Drake, Lady Gaga, Madonna, 50 Cent, The Wu Tang Clan, Kelly Clarkson, Nicki Manaj, T.I., and many more.

I spoke with Chris about the benefits and challenges of working at the biggest mastering facility in the world, and staying competitive.

Music: Purity Ring "Crawlers Out"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

Jaakko Viitalähde of Viitalähde Mastering in Finland doesn't call himself an electrical engineer, but he's being modest. He's built equalizers, compressors, monitors, and tackles every project with DIY verve.

I spoke with Jaakko about lessons learned from some of his builds, and why thinking about individual pieces of gear, isolated from the chain as a whole, makes no sense.

Music: Brainstorm "Flat Earth"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

In 2009 the cutting room at Masterdisk in NYC experienced a renaissance, and one of the main people behind it was Alex Deturk. Alex is an young engineer at Masterdisk who took an interest in all things vinyl and since then has cut for Sting, Lou Reed, Ted Leo, Skip James, The Melvins, and many more.

Alex and I spoke about how he became 'the cutting guy' at Masterdisk, differences between Scully and Neumann systems, and connecting with a new generation who are discovering vinyl for the first time.

Music: The Legends "Breaking Time, Breaking Lines"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

For over 40 years Len Horowitz has been working on lathes and cutting electronics. First at Western Electric, then as a part of his studio tech company History Of Recorded Sound.

Len spoke with me about the genesis of lacquer cutting systems, what it takes to maintain them, and why he thinks vinyl remains so popular.

Music: Telekinesis "Dirty Thing"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

With the Grammy Awards just around the corner I decided to catch up with Maureen Droney, Senior Executive Director of the Producers and Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy to talk about what the P and E does aside from the Grammys.

Maureen spoke with me about her engineering career, as well as P and E initiatives advocating for improved sound quality of digital audio, and attaching album credits to digital recordings.

Music: A.C. Newman "Most Of Us Prizefighters"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!

Mistakes the major labels made when transitioning from the CD era to the digital age are often discussed. Steve Knopper wrote a terrific book about what was happening behind the scenes that puts those mistakes in context and illuminates some universal truths about the music industry.

I spoke with Steve about the pivotal moment when most major labels screwed themselves, why the challenges artists face today are so similar to those they faced in the CD heydey, and why he's optimistic about artists making a better living in the near future.

Music: Wolf Parade "Little Golden Age"

Square Cad is Sponsored by Dangerous Music. Check out all the indispensable mastering tools at dangerousmusic.com!