Mastering Bliss

Posted by on Dec 20, 2013 in Studio Secrets |

playground-mastering-cleversleyI knew the upgrading my recording studio would be a lot of fun, but I never imagined how much fun it could actually be. (See more photos on the photo page of The Playground Recording and Mastering Studio) With a list of essential gear I always wished I had to work with, the new Control Room quickly took shape, and ended up not only looking sleeker than ever, but with more capabilities than the Playground ever had in the past.

We started with how we capture sound by acquirung a few favorite mic pre-amps that include Avedis, Neve, Shadow Hills, and API’s. We then added a few favorite processors such as the Manley Massive Passive, Pultech, and Avalon. From there, we went completely modular for patching and now everything in the studio connects via neat-and-tidy DB-25 connectors. Now our analog 2″ 24-track and ½” ATR-102 to the SSL Matrix console that has changed how I think about recording (See my interview HERE), to the actual speaker outputs; we’re rock solid and completely hum free.

We upgraded our speaker setup with a mindset of focusing on mastering but still being able to knock bands against the back wall if need be when listening back to takes. The clarity of our custom-built monitoring setup has to be heard to be believed; I never knew such clarity was possible in sound reproduction.

And then my Pro Tools rig was upgraded to a Mac Pro with a Pro Tools HD3 Accel system, with every non-cracked version of every plug-in that any proper audio mastering geek would love to play with as often as possible. Coupled with our dual oversized screens, the new Playground is a visual and audio wonderland, even more capable of continuing the tradition of helping you to walk away with something that was better than you expected or thought possible.

The best part of all, though, is that now, more than ever, we’re able to choose only the recording and/or mastering projects that excite us. I can proudly The Playground a mastering house now as well. The music industry, even though I was frustrated by it, was very kind to me, and as a result, the Playground is exactly what I had always wanted it to be. So, visit Wavefront Mastering to see all we’ve got to offer.