ANTELOPE Amari Mastering Converters (reference-grade AD/DA with 24-bit/384 kHz conversion, and 64bit algorithms using proprietary oven-based crystal oscillator Atomic Clocking)

Analog Tape Saturation by HRK (handmade for me in Poland, with Stereo Matching, also done meticulously by hand by ex-Rupert Neve Hardware Engineer)

Stereo Image Enhancement by SPL (handmade in Germany)

PULTEC EQ and Compression by IGS (very high quality parts handmade in Poland, hand-signed by CEO and Limited Edition units)

500 Series Bento 8 PURE ANALOG by Fredenstein (German/American Engineering)

PreSonus ERIS E8XT with T10 Temblor Sub for incredibly accurate Reference Monitoring

SoundCraft MTK 22 Analog Console with USB Return, routing, mixing, and supplementary recording capabilities.

Cables are MOGAMI GOLD (from their website: “Every foot of Mogami cable is made in Nagano, Japan under the direct supervision of the company founder who continues to work every day.“)

Power conditioning by FURMAN, with dedicated electrical signal for Mastering by professional electricians, sound treatment and room design by professional acousticians.

I use an approximately 99% ANALOG Mastering Chain, but I do have countless digital plug-ins by Waves, Arturia, etc. I use these plug-ins mainly for Monitoring, and VERY small adjustments, if necessary. Otherwise, this is an ENTIRELY ANALOG Mastering Chain. Why? Because I’m AN ANALOG PURIST. Especially during The Mastering Process. I believe it is VERY IMPORTANT.

Digital Tools, specifically for Monitoring, are essential; or for making super microscopic changes- but I do not believe a 100% digital mastering chain will EVER come close to achieving The Absolute Majesty in sound that can ONLY come as a result of using ANALOG Gear. If it were possible to achieve the same results with Digital that Analog provides, you would not see 100’s of thousands of dollars of analog gear littered throughout professional mastering studios… nor would we be spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on these Analog units! If they were worthless, or not important, we’d of sold them long ago and instead put the money on a down payment for a house!

As for Mastering done by Artificial Intelligence, even if it’s done using REAL Analog Equipment… I’ve heard so many audio samples done by A.I. that fall so totally short in result; they lack “an ear“ for good sound, tonal balance, they lack musicality- in many instances, sucking the literal life out of a song, and definitely DO NOT POSSESS the Emotional Intelligence necessary to process Emotional Content. The second Artificial Intelligence ever becomes that advanced, I would be more worried about Artificial Life as a threat to Life Itself than a mere tool that could replace a human Mastering Engineer. But until that day comes, you’d only do yourself a disservice thinking that A.I. can produce a quality higher than An Experienced Human Mastering Engineer.

Mastering Engineers have Such A Meticulous Ear, we can detect these subtle things and in many cases, musicians trust us to make these changes that enhance their songs; but unfortunately, many musicians, unless they’re exceedingly ear-trained and can detect the sound of certain keys or notes on command, have trouble telling very simple things like this. All I can say is, Thank God there are many Audiophiles and experienced Human Mastering Engineers WHO CAN clearly hear the difference for those who can’t.

As a child I would stay up all night and experiment with tape by cutting it, putting it back together with scotch tape, making my own recordings and edits.

In my teen years, I discovered the world of DAWs and this only accelerated my path into the world of Recording, which eventually led to an interest in Mixing, and eventually led into the decision to specialize in Mastering. I can do each of these very well, just like I can play a saxophone, a guitar, or a piano; but I chose to focus on Mastering for clients specifically, because I found it to be the most interesting path of all.

I realized how freakishly good I was at Mastering when I was able to do two key things…

1) restore super lo-res audio recordings, and make them sound as if they came right out of a professional studio.

2) when in contact with Grammy Winning Mastering Engineers I began to ask questions they didn’t already know the answers to.

…when I was able to do these two things, it occurred to me that I should focus on specializing in Mastering. As a result, I’ve developed my own techniques, some of which I consider highly proprietary; even secretive. I myself used to laugh at the secrecy involved in this Craft, but the more I got into it, and the more secrets I traded with some of these Award Winning Engineers, and the more they shared with me- I realized how similar the secrets of this Craft were shared in the olden days where trades were only taught on a very need to know basis. There are things some Mastering Engineers know that not 99% of the population knows. While the basics are known to many, there are indeed some very secret techniques that set some of them among the others in terms of Skill & Craft.

Without hoping that I’m not sounding too ridiculous thus far, I’m a very humble learner, constantly learning. I’m both Practical, and Theoretical. I study, study, study this field, and this is where THEORY comes in. Then, there is PRACTICE, this is where all the Theory is put to the test, where techniques are discovered, where theories fall apart, or a particular skill becomes enhanced.

Always refining my craft, is what sets me apart. As a tinkerer, an experimenter with audio in all it’s diverse forms, and a lifelong musician; I make sure that all songs not only retain, but ENHANCE their Musicality. Sounding much, much better after I’ve processed them then when you first sent them to me.

Despite the utter, breath-taking superiority of ANALOG Devices in the Mastering Process, there are areas where Digital dominates- particularly, in the realm of microscopic adjustments that can make a great difference to the overall sound, as well as from a purely Forensics standpoint.

As a self-proclaimed Analog Purist, using a 99.9999% Mastering Chain, I have to admit there are certain things Digital CAN do better, specifically when it comes to Forensics, Audio Analysis.