Demystifying Mastering

Description:
Mastering has evolved greatly since the days of analogue recording! Learn about uncovering the art and craft of audio mastering from the experts. From the tools we use to the practices we deploy – everything is on the table, as we take a deep dive into this discipline.

With Jonathan Wyner (Education Director iZotope, professor – Berklee College – M Works Mastering)
Michael Romanowski (Chief Engineer, Coast Mastering)
Jessica Thompson (Mastering and Restoration Engineer; Archiving Specialist,Coast Mastering)

Coast Mastering holds a maximum of 18 people, so we will be hold two sessions of the same program. (Update: the 1pm seating is full, tickets still available for the 4pm seating.)

Session 1: Doors open 12:30pm, Event 1:00-3:00pm – FULL
Session 2: Doors open 3:30pm, Event 4:00-6:00pm

Parking on the street. Please do not use Fantasy parking lot.

Speaker Bios:

Jessica Thompson: Grammy-nominated mastering and restoration engineer and archiving specialist  Jessica Thompson  has digitized, restored and revived historic recordings from the Bottom Line, Caffe Lena, Erroll Garner and Woody Guthrie Archives and the Newport Jazz and Folk Festival, including performances by Pete Seeger, Roger McGuinn, Dave Von Ronk, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Doc Watson, Miles Davis and Jean Ritchie. Her remaster of Erroll Garner’s iconic recording  The Complete Concert By The Sea (Sony/Legacy) was nominated for the Best Historical Album Grammy, 2016.

She has cleaned, digitized and restored rare vinyl and cassette recordings for Awesome Tapes From Africa and many Numero Group complications. (She wrote about restoring Ata Kak’s cassette  Obaa Sima  for  Pink Noise.)

In her previous career as a radio producer, she interviewed drummer Max Roach and the organ player at Fenway Park for WGBH. She has spun records and CDs on the airwaves of WGBH, WFMU, WZBC and WESU.

Jonathan Wyner is Education Director of iZotope in Cambridge, MA, Chief Engineer of M Works Mastering, and Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston.  He’s mastered and produced more than 5000 recordings during the last 34 years.

Mastering, recording and mixing since 1983, he established M Works mastering studios in Cambridge, MA in 1991.  Among the artists’ projects he has worked on are:  James Taylor, David Bowie, Aerosmith, Kiri Te Kanawa, Aimee Mann, London Symphony, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen and Nirvana. His project Invention and Alchemy received a Grammy Nomination in 2005.

Jonathan has conducted seminars around the world and presented with George Massenburg, Doug Sax and Bob Ludwig among others.   In January 2017 he presented the keynote talk for the NAMM TEC Tracks.   He’s authored a book,  ‘Audio Mastering: Essential Practices’ published by Hale Leonard/Berklee Press. With the iZotope team he authored and developed ‘Pro Audio Essentials’, an online ear training site that garnered a TEC award in early 2017.

Jonathan hosts ‘Headroom’, an online webcast series archived on iZotope’s website.

Michael Romanowski is a Grammy nominated mastering engineer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is owner and chief mastering engineer at Coast Mastering and co-owner and founder of the analog tape label The Tape Project. Michael is currently a Trustee of the The Recording Academy San Francisco Chapter (NARAS), Chair of the National Presidents Council, former president of the SF Chapter and serves on the National Advisory Council to the Producers & Engineers Wing.

Since 1994, Michael has worked to support the tradition of the diverse San Francisco sound and has become a national expert in the art and science of mastering (Mix Magazine, Electronic Musician, AES, NAMM, SXSW, Tape Op, Potluck Con, AES Mexico, AES Europe). Michael started his audio career as a musician and live sound engineer in Nashville, where he quickly progressed to recording and mixing pop, rock and alternative acts. In 1994, he relocated to the Bay Area to apprentice at Rocket Lab with Paul Stubblebine and Ken Lee, learning the art and craft of the mastering engineer. In 1999, he became the chief mastering engineer for Sausalito’s Plant Studios, in 2001 he reunited with Paul Stubblebine and built two new mastering rooms at the former location of Coast Records. In 2007, Michael acquired the business and continued to expand the facility.

He teaches at San Francisco State University and is a guest lecturer at other regional colleges. Michael’s extensive credits include America, Third Eye Blind, Pat Monahan, Devotchka, Chuck Prophet, Train, Alasdair Fraser, Los Amigos Invisibles, Laura Pausini, Matt Nathanson, America, Jacqui Naylor, Will Kimbrough, The Dynamites, Ant Banks, Norton Buffalo, Too $hort, Colorado Symphony, Chanticleer, Dredg, !!!, Junior Toots, Bad Finger, and several thousand more.