Influential Mastering
As a mastering engineer there are a handful of albums that have influenced my work, as well as opened my ears to what really good sound — in specific genres — is. Here’s a short list…
Dr. Dre: The Chronic 2001
David Chesky: Area 31
Sheffield Records: Leinsdorf Sessions
Richard Leo Johnson: Fingertip Ship
Incubus: Morning View
Miles Davis: Kind of [...]
Going on Record
I’m going to go on record, here and now, and say that I was THE FIRST person I knew to watch Arrested Development. I remember seeing the advertising for the series and think I started watching it on the second or third episode of Season 1.
I turned every person I know that watches it onto [...]
Digital: The Marriage of Quality and Convenience
I received this question via my Web site yesterday:
“If analog has better resolution than digital (and HD), then why is the U.S. going thru the DTV transition? Also, with analog having better resolution than digital in pictures from a camera, then why in the world are people purchasing digital cameras and taking digital pictures?”
Interesting question. [...]
The Power of Sound
Hearing is one of our most powerful — and sometimes overlooked — senses. Our ears are constantly picking up information for our brains to process. Even after our eyelids shut and we fall asleep, our ears are wide open…taking in sound.
People often have strong sensory experiences. The smell of a certain food being prepared can [...]
ZenMastering Upgrades to Lipinski Loudspeakers
We’re proud to announce that ZenMastering recently upgraded its main studio monitors to Lipinski L-707s. Lipinski’s are widely regarded as the most accurate loudspeakers made (at any price) — garnering great reviews in Stereophile magazine as well as from pro audio engineers — and have quickly become the defacto standard for many of the world’s [...]
Working in an Unfamiliar Environment
Yesterday I mastered a track for an eastern European musician. He was lamenting the fact that while mixing the track, he was working in several different studios…none of which had monitors he was familiar with.
This isn’t an uncommon situation, and even in studios with good playback systems a musician can be fairly disoriented as to [...]
BlackBerry vs. iPhone
I own a BlackBerry Pearl. Believe it or not, it was my first-ever cell phone. I kind of hate talking on the phone, so it really took a smartphone to get me to buy one. The push e-mail, Web access, and applets are the thing I really wanted, not the phone.
So, I’ve had the BlackBerry [...]
Creating Controlled Chaos
I had a meeting with a San Diego-based studio owner the other night. Good studio that has a good reputation, and also offers mastering. Not so much a networking meeting as just finally getting to sit down and meet the owner/engineer (and his mastering guy) to talk shop and get acquainted.
The meeting covered various topics, [...]
All One
As a forty-year-old mastering engineer, I have enough perspective to appreciate the analog world (reel-to-reel and vinyl), the early digital world (CDs), and the current digital formats (compressed-format downloads and high-res. stereo and multi-channel). I also have enough professional drive to be involved in whatever the future of audio holds. This is one of the [...]
Political Perspective
My main focus on the blog is audio, but I’ll veer away here and there when I feel the urge.
I’m going on record, here and now (in a time-dated, Internet posting), to say that our current president, George W. Bush, will be remembered as “the reactionary president.” His terms in office have largely been defined [...]
About This Blog
From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
We welcome comments from readers...pro or con!
