Square Cad: A Mastering Podcast

Michael Romanowski spends a lot of time thinking about music. Aside from mastering in San Francisco for over 18 years, he's also chairman of the San Francisco Producers and Engineers wing of NARAS (the GRAMMY people), one of the minds behind The Tape Project, a live sound engineer, and co-producer of the Bay Area music podcast Renee and Romo.

Michael and I spoke in his studio about the consequences of devaluing music, why he's adding a live tracking room to his business, and how the role of a mastering engineer has changed in the past 20 years.

Music: Magnetic Fields "Come Back From San Francisco"

If you've never heard of Fred Forssell it's very likely you've heard his handiwork. For over 35 years Fred has used his discerning and critical ear to design pro audio gear for a slew of manufacturers. He also designs and manufactures for his own company, Forssell Technologies, producing ridiculously transparent converters, preamps, channel strips, and upgrades for the Millenium NSEQ-2.

Fred shares his thoughts about the importance of design simplicity, and why he doesn't know how his converters handle clipping.

Music: Cee-Lo "I Am Selling Soul"

Timothy William Walsh is a songwriter and musician, well known for his solo work as well as his time in Pedro the Lion and The Soft Drugs. He's also an engineer with an impressive discography, having worked with some of the most creative names in independent music. His credits include artists such as Sufjan Stevens, The Caribbean, Cold War Kids, Deerhoof, David Bazan, 50FootWave, Mynabirds, Kristin Hersh and many more.

TW spoke with me about the challenges of approaching mastering from an artist's perspective, managing client expectations, the mechanics of revisions, and why he no longer masters his own work.

Music: TW Walsh "Modern Age"

There's a lot to consider when making your critical listening area just right, and that includes furniture. A poor choice of desk can create problems in an otherwise excellent acoustic space.

Jim Maher of Sterling Modular has spent years sweating the details, and creates acoustically transparent consoles that are used in studios all over the world. Jim spoke with me about important factors to consider when placing furniture in your studio and why there is no such thing as a perfect room.

Music: Stereloab "Miss Modular"

Larry Crane took a break from his day jobs as editor of Tape Op and Owner/Engineer at Jackpot! Recording to offer a mix engineer's perspective on mastering.

Larry and I critique a mix, and discuss the value of a collaborative dynamic between mixing and mastering engineers.

Music: Sleater-Kinney "Far Away"

Tony Dawsey's career started in the mailroom at Masterdisk in 1980. By 1983 he was assisting and by 1987 he mastered his first multi-platinum record: the soundtrack to La Bamba. Since then he's worked with pop music legends such as Nine Inch Nails, Jay Z, Ronny Jordon, Moby, Diddy, RZA, and many more.

Tony spoke with me about being known for hard rock and rap, the differences between home taping and file sharing, and why you can't just 'add disco'.

Music: Ghostface Killah "The Champ"

Carl Saff has been mastering records for bands of every strata since opening Saff Mastering in 2000. Throughout his development as an engineer, first in tracking and later in mastering, he's always made sure that his clients are treated to the type of experience he would appreciate as a musician.

Carl speaks about starting out on a shoestring budget, opening/closing/opening his business, and why learning as you go is great.

Music: Sufjan Stevens "Chicago"

For the last 9 years Dave Greenberg has run Sonopod Mastering in St. Petersburg Florida, but before that he was a tracking and mixing engineer in studios on both coasts. Since the mid 80s Dave has thrived in high-pressure studio situations and counts the lessons he learned about dealing with artists in a professional setting as among the most valuable.

Dave spoke with me about learning a hard lesson about etiquette, never letting communication go off the rails, and Taco Bell.

Music: Arcade Fire "Ocean of Noise"

The pedigree of Crane Song gear is indisputable in the world of mastering. Studios around the world rely upon the STC-8, Ibis, Avocet, and HEDD as well as other gear designed by the man behind Crane Song, Dave Hill.

Dave spoke with me about the importance of treating analog and digital design as a creative art, what makes the biggest impression when you first hear a piece of gear, and the new Titan compressor released under the Dave Hill Designs brand.

Music: The Decemberists "The Crane Wife 3"

Despite being one of the biggest names in Canadian mastering since 1975, Lacquer Channel has to deal with the challenges of being outside the largest music markets in North America.

I spoke with mastering engineer and co-owner Noah Mintz about how he came to Lacquer Channel, the peculiarities of the Canadian music industry, and the sometimes difficult job of differentiating yourself from other studios.

Music: Broken Social Scene "Canada Vs. America"