AUDIOSIEGE

Happy new year y’all! I’m a couple days behind schedule right now, as I work through emails and a stacked week. LFG!!!

What a great way to end another productive year… Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein’s original score for the final season of Stranger Things is out today, and I’m proud to have been entrusted with mastering it. Thanks to Kyle, Michael, and Lakeshore Records for bringing five seasons of this characteristic original score into the world, and for helping it become such a massive part of my work as a mastering engineer.

Given the fact that I’ll be seeing them tonight, I’ve been waiting to post this one until today. Thank you so much to Buick and Jerry from Friendship Commanders for sending a copy of their wonderful new album, “Bear”, which is out now on Magnetic Eye Records. I’ve worked with Friendship Commanders on several records now, and it’s always an absolute joy. Also, thanks to Kurt and Zach for keeping my job easy. Fun additional fact: I save every handwritten note with every record I’m sent. They’re little reminders of how lucky I am to collaborate with so many brilliant people.

Calibratin’

Been keeping this passion project quiet... I'm so happy to help bring these dusted off releases back in to the world!

The LIPCREAM discography, mastered at Audiosiege, will be released by Relapse in December.

To me, the perfect equalizer isn’t one that lets you do everything down to multiple decimal points. It’s one that isn’t overly technical or deep-one that allows me to make moves that I know will sound musical. This is, absolutely, my favorite EQ for revisions. Need a touch of high shelf? No problem. Need the kick reinforced at 85 Hz? Done. Need a little more midrange, maybe more on the sides than the center? You got it. Need clean but not sterile? Natural color without dirt? The Sontec MES-432D9D from Make Believe Studios and Metric Halo will do it, and it does it here daily. A little goes a long way, I’m still amazed with it.

Huge thanks-albeit a bit overdue on my end-to Portland’s Hard Pill for sending a copy of their new LP “Confusion Range” on vinyl. I love working with these fine folks, and this album really takes a new step musically for the band, with a dynamic listening experience that invokes emotions and themes for the listener. I thoroughly enjoyed mastering it, and I hope you’ll enjoy listening to it!

Sometimes good old black vinyl is the best choice… The “Thorns” LP by Guiltless arrived last week, and this is one I’m proud of on multiple levels. I first worked with Josh Graham in 2013, mastering an album for A Storm Of Light, and the first full length by his new project features a team of people on the production with whom I have an equally long history. The drums were recorded by Travis Kammeyer, with additional tracking by the band, and mixing by Kurt Ballou at God City. “Thorns” is available through Neurot Recordings, and is a fantastic piece of work from start to finish. Thanks y’all!!!

Another great one from this year, courtesy of Relapse, which I mastered. “Life Is Violence”, by Idle Heirs is a masterpiece both in and out, with beautiful packaging and artwork to accompany the stellar sounding vinyl. Thank you so much for everything y’all!

The folks at Relapse were kind enough to send me a care package of recent albums I mastered. Let’s start with this one from earlier this year, which I’m quite proud of. Deadguy need no introduction, and their stellar “Near Death Travel Services” is as good of a comeback album as you could want. I’m honored and thrilled to have mastered it. Thanks to the band for their trust, to Steve Evetts for making my job easy, and to Relapse for always being awesome.