In the Studio Who is the Master?
posted by on April 28 at 12:55 PM
Suppose it’s time to get a CD mastered - who’s the person to go in this town? Who is the actual Audio Master of Seattle? Seattle has several engineers that claim that title, but when it comes to choosing who’s going to get your business there can only be one. Like the Highlander. When an engineer has earned the title of “Master,” what then sets them apart from other Masters? Price? Efficiency? Ability to master all genres of music with equal skill?
Geoff Ott - London Bridge.
Kevin Suggs.
Ed Brooks (RFI) seems to be the name that pops up most; he's definitely very well regarded. I took my last record down to PDX for the ears of Jeff Stuart Saltzman, and was very happy with it.
Tom Pfaeffle: The Tank
-raeh!
Chris Hanzsek. He's in Snohomish, not Seattle- but that's close enough. Great price, fast, and does an amazing job. http://www.hanzsekav.com/
a definite second to the masterful Chris Hanzsek.
ed brooks @ rfi. love that guy.
I've had great experience with Ed Brooks at RFI. World class service, and a fun guy to hang out with.
If you're looking to get something mastered for fairly cheap Jeff, I recommend Carl Saff at Saff Mastering (www.saffmastering.com). He mastered the Police Teeth record and records by several of my friends' bands. He works in Chicago, but he'll send you lossless files when he is mastering, and do a number of passes until you and he are both happy with the end product. Can't recommend him enough.
Too bad there is nobody in Seattle (or the rest of the northwest) that can cut vinyl lacquers.
chris hanzsek
I recommend Barry Corliss of Master Works, in the Interbay neighborhood.
My bands have used Mark Guenther at Seattle Disc Mastering and Ed Brooks at RFI. Jack Endino handled mastering duties on the first Key Note Speaker record, but I don't know if he does mastering jobs as a regular thing. (The second KNS disc was done by Alan Douches at West West Side in NYC.)
We haven't used Geoff Ott for mastering, but he's a hell of a nice guy.
Mark Guenther at Seattle Disc Mastering is da bombdest.
Chris Hanzsek, for sure. Yes.
Barry Corliss for Masterworks is definitely among the very best as far as hip hop goes. He mastered our (The Physics) album and there were songs we recorded in our dorm room in college that sounded like shit that he was able to make sound dope. He's expensive but its worth it.
My bands use Ed Brooks at REI. Cool guy w/ lots of expensive equipment. No joke, if you ask him stuff like "What's that do?" he'll be like, "That's an RF2000 doinker that I had custom made inside Mt. Vesuvius by some virgins using candlelight who used to work for the pope and snoop dogg. It cost $9 million for just the slider knob." Maybe not that detailed, but it's fun to listen to his stories.
Rick Vaughn at Noc on Wood Studios is NOT recommended. Shitty work, unprofessional attitude, acts like a child. Not sure why there are 5 Russian guys guarding the entrance either.
All in all, a real sketchy operation.
As a professional audio engineer for over 10 years I can tell you that Ed Brooks at RFI is well regarded as the best in the biz in Seattle. He's worked with a long list of major/indie label acts in the PNW. He also has an amazing history as an engineer and studio designer. Go see Ed. He will make your music better than it is now. Yes, anyone can buy great gear, Ed has the skills and talents to make them do his dirty work. On top of it all he's honest, genuine and just generally has a very good vibe.
I like Mark Guenther.
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