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I have a few from just this year alone that have been super special to me. The first is "Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations" by The Vaccines. One of the reasons I chose this is it charted really high even though I don't really pay attention to any of that stuff usually. I'd worked on it during a hectic and stressful period of my life and so by the time it came out back in January this year I felt like I got to experience it properly, as just a fan rather than an engineer, and I am incredibly happy with how it sounds. Working with bands that have a proper loyal fanbase is also such a cool experience. I saw someone on Twitter had bought the record in every single format possible just to support it which is wild.
That album also contains the single "Heartbreak Kid" which was mixed by David Fridmann. As a massive Flaming Lips fan who has "The Soft Bulletin" comfortably in my top 5 records of all time, to get to work on one of his mixes felt like a massive bucket list moment for me.
Another highlight is the Folly Group album "Down There!", released on the painfully hip label So Young Records. I've known Louis the guitarist since working on his first solo single back in 2016 so to see, and most importantly hear, his growth as an artist, engineer and person throughout the years has been very rewarding. It also helps that the album fucking rocks too!
Growing up with my dad being a Mastering Engineer and my mum having also worked in studios, I was lucky to basically be bombarded with great music from day dot. My dad was the biggest Bowie-head you've ever met, and also knew everything there was to know about all the Indie and Post Punk bands I was into growing up, like Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes. It was sometimes a bit of a nightmare trying to branch out to find and discover something new for myself as he had basically seen every band ever (and would constantly remind you of that fact!) but now looking back I can properly appreciate how great it was to have parents with such good taste!
I remember one time me and my dad had tickets to go see Fleet Foxes play the Roundhouse in Camden when they were touring their first record back in 2008. He had got me the tickets months in advance but on the day of the gig I wasn't feeling very well and although I loved the album basically told my dad I wasn't up to it and that he should go without me. Dad literally didn't take "No" for an answer and physically dragged me there and it was one of the best gig's i've ever seen to this day. So thanks Dad for that!
One of my favourite ever photos from that period is of me and my mate Robin at a house party sitting in the corner with our headphones plugged into our iPod classics, co-ordinating what we would listen to in protest of whatever late 00's song we found to be not worthy of our attention. As I've gotten a bit older I've learnt to be less dogmatic with the artists and genre's I listen to and now feel I can honestly say that I appreciate music a lot more than when I was a teen.
Thinking completely cynically I would surely have to say something like "Rumours" or "Sgt. Peppers" haha! An honest answer but one that is slightly cheating would actually be "The Pilgrim, Their God and The King of My Decrepit Mountain" by Tapir! that also came out this year on Heavenly Recordings. My dad mastered it but I got to cut the lacquers for the vinyl release and it's just such an amazing record, so it was amazing to come in and be involved at the very end of the process.
Just one? As someone that sets themselves extremely high standards there have been countless moments of frustration in the studio over the last twelve years. However, as I mature and get more and more projects under my belt, I find it is very important to remind myself that I am not a Nurse working in an ICU and at the end of the day, we are just making records and that ultimately the process should be fun!
If you think something doesn't sound right, and you are hitting a wall trying to fix it yourself, why not ask if you can go back to the source and solve it there? Clients are looking to us to spot issues or things that can be improved in their mixes so don't be afraid to actually point them out.
I am also super lucky to be working in a building with some of the best musical brains in the world. Just like how mastering engineers can give fresh perspective to our client's mixes, if I get stuck I can always ask a trusted friend down the hall for a second opinion.
I think nothing gives me more aural satisfaction than a unique, excellently recorded electric guitar tone. It does something magical to me that I don't think I could ever explain so I won't even bother. Gear wise, I love my Summit Tube EQ (EQF-100). Sometimes I run things through it flat because I just love its noise profile.
Digitally speaking, I am always so impressed with the Spectral Cleaning function in Sequoia when I need to remove clicks and pops. I call it Audio Photoshop! The same with the iZotope De-noise plug ins. I think it's good to have the ability to either rough something up or clean and polish, depending on what is required.
I have only been using headphones properly at work since I got my pair of Audeze LCD-2's in 2020. I got so obsessed with them that I took them everywhere with me and could be regularly seen cycling around with them on. The intimate feeling of a good pair of headphones is kind of like nothing else you can experience. I would be listening to records I have heard thousands of times before and be picking out all of these things i'd never noticed. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!
My current pair of LCD-MX4 are very useful when it's time for me to capture my final master in real time in my DAW. It's at that point I listen from start to finish wearing them so I can spot if there's any very last minute adjustments I need to make.
My Audeze's have made my life so much easier. Having a pair means I can give mix feedback to clients when I'm away from the studio and still feel confident that what I'm telling them is useful and accurate. It also means when I am in the studio I can put myself in the place of the listener at home, experiencing their new favourite song for the first time in an environment that more resembled real life than a swanky Mastering suite.
"Someone Else" by Sfven and "Problem Child" by SOMOH are two great examples of songwriters whose art really suits how close and personal the listening experience is on a great pair of headphones.
