America's top mastering engineers have extremely defined opinions on the best equipment for delivering master-quality audio.
Interested in what DAWs, converters, EQs, compressors, speakers and amps were making the grade in 2002, Audio Media checked in with some select mastering engineers. While everyone polled agreed that the music and their listening abilities were key components in the process, there was an equal consensus that their audio tools are crucial to getting great results.
"A big part of a good mastering engineer is your choice of equipment," says Bernie Grundman. "You've got to have the kind of equipment that you feel will give you what you want when you're looking for something. Equipment has always been a big thing with me, to such a degree that we build our own."
"If you don't have the upper-echelon gear, people don't want to even talk to you about the big projects," notes Mark Christensen, founder of the new NYC facility Engine Room. "Having good ears and knowing what you want to accomplish are the main things, but there's obviously a big difference between mastering on a Pro Tools rig and doing it in a fully-outfitted facility."
As the final stop in the audio production process before duplication, a mastering suite is the ultimate high-stakes listening environment, meaning that EQs, compressors and other units specifically built for mastering are held up to a higher standard. "I call them the audiophiles of the pro industry," says EveAnna Manley of Manley Laboratories. "Mastering engineers keep us on our toes. If we can please them with our professionalism, precision and sonic performance, then everyone else will be happy."
According to Michal Jurewicz of Mytek Digital, there are two key qualities that will differentiate a piece of gear purpose-built for mastering, as opposed to tracking or mixing. "Sound quality and precision," he states. "This comes down to audiophile circuit design or, for example, detented potentiometers that a mastering EQ would have. This dictates design requirements - mastering gear is much more expensive and has more "professional" functionality."
The Deal With DAWs
Systems from SADiE and Sonic Solutions predominate in the digital audio workstation area. Christensen had several reasons, besides just sound quality, in selecting the SADiE 24/96 DAW for Engine Room. "Most of the pros I spoke with said that SADIE's tech support was stellar, which I found to be true," he says. "I also like that it's a proprietary system; they utilize Windows, but all Windows does is drive the graphics. A lot of the purist guys -like Bob Katz and Bob Ludwig - have talked about how accurate SADiE is, and from what I could determine, it really was the most pure in terms of number crunching."
At Classic Sound Mastering, Joe Lambert uses both the new SonicStudio HD (now a product of Sonic Studio LLC) and the more established Sonic Solutions USP system. "I'm really happy with the HD, although most of what I do is done in the analog