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Steve Smart is regarded as one of the most respected mastering engineers in Australia, and one of the few engineers working today who can faithfully master specifically for the vinyl medium.

  • Steve Smart x Masalec MEA-2

    Steve Smart x Masalec MEA-2

    With a continuing commitment to quality, we are excited to announce the recent installation of a Prism Sound MEA-2 Precision Mastering Equalizer into Steve Smart’s Mastering Room.

    The MEA – 2 is a four band stereo Mastering EQ with shelves on each band, offering a rich golden silky sound.
    The Equalizer can easily be switched into M/S or Stereo configuration with the push of a button.

    Steve’s other collection of Mastering EQs are (Abbey Road, EMI) TG 12412 and the API 5500, as well as the Amtec (Pultec) Tube Programme Equalizer PEQ-1A (Mastering Pair).

    For more on Chief Mastering Engineer Steve Smart please visit https://studios301.com/online-mastering/mastering-engineers/steve-smart/

    “It’s a really nice Equalizer to use and compliments the well established (& legendary) Sontec Mastering Equalizer”


    Steve Smart
  • May – Recording Studios & Mastering Highlights

    May – Recording Studios & Mastering Highlights

    Studio & Recording

    Dean Lewis recording The Green Room podcast with Neil Griffiths

    Events

    • MusicNSW and 301 hosted the Levels Masterclass series in the studios on the 18th of May. This featured 4 x studios with over 50 students working across songwriting, production and mixing techniques with Milan Ring, Mookhi, Sparrows and Rebel Yell.
    • SIMA and ABC Classics hosted a live album recording for Julien Wilson‘s jazz quartet in Studio 1. There were over 110+ in attendance, with Owen Butcher facilitating a live record and stream to ABC radio.

    “Thank you so much for a seamlessly successful event for our Sydney Symphony Vanguard members program. I was so impressed by your professionalism, friendliness and accommodation of all of our requests. The event was well staffed and the team went out of their way to make us feel at home. […] It was a huge honour to hold an event in such an iconic space and we are so grateful for your hospitality at all stages of event planning.”

    Mihka Chee
    Sydney Symphony Orchestra

    Mastering

    • Leon Zervos has been working on new releases for The Veronicas, Jess Mauboy, Stan Walker, Jungle Giants, Montaigne, Slum Sociable, Cyrus, Sahara Beck, JEFFE, Fergus James and Dawn Avenue (Mexico).
    • Steve Smart has mastered music for Dean Lewis, Vance Joy, Spookyland, No Frills Twins, Oh Reach, Lakyn, RedHook, Abi Tucker, Danielle Spencer, Dande and the Lion, PLANET, and Ivey.
    • Andrew Edgson has worked on tracks for The Lulu Raes, The Laurels, Yeevs, Foreign Architects, Merpire, Black Aces, The Paddy Cakes, Noah Dillon, Jack Botts and Fatin Husna (Malaysia).
    • Ben Feggans has been mastering for Luboku, Oh My My, Emma Hewitt, Love Deluxe, Nick Cunningham and remixes for Alison Wonderland and Owl Eyes.
    • Harvey O’Sullivan mastered singles for E For Echo and Sarai.
  • Studios 301 October Mixtape

    Studios 301 October Mixtape

    A SELECTION OF SONGS WORKED ON BY THE STUDIOS 301 MASTERING & RECORDING TEAM.

    • Donatachi – Precious Metal {Ft. Rromarin} (NSFW) – Mixed by Jack Prest, Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Lupa J – Drift – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    • Amy Shark – All Loved Up – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Tia Gostelow – Strangers – Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • Tia Gostelow – Phone me – Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • I Know Leopard – Landmine – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • The Gooch Palms – Marfa Lights – Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • Moaning Lisa – Comfortable – Mastered by Steve Smart
    • Daryl Braithwaite – Horses (remastered) – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Thundamentals – I Miss you – Vocal Produced by Simon Cohen
    • Thundamentals – All i see is music – Vocal Produced by Simon Cohen
    • Atlas Franklin Alexander – Valis – Mastered by Steve Smart
    • Wharves – Mo’s Desert Clubhouse – Mastered by Steve Smart
    • Feelds – Kill The Moon – Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • The Money War – Hollywood – Mastered by Steve Smart
    • Benny Nelson – Talk – Mastered by Steve Smart
    • Morning Harvey – With The Pinstripes – Mastered by Steve Smart
    • Eso (Bliss & Eso) – Wide Awake Stefan Du Randt – Engineer, Vocal Production
    • Paces ft Clypso – Going Mad – Stefan Du Randt – Engineer, Vocal Production
    • Clypso – Pop Roll Flow – Stefan Du Randt – Engineer, Vocal Production
    • The Hideaways – I’ll Try – Stefan Du Randt – Engineer, Mixing and Production
    • Jayteehazard – Ugh.100 – Mixed and Mastered by Jack Prest
    • Someone – Urple – Mixed by Jack Prest
    • Future Love Hangover – Blue Sky (Na Na Na) – Written, produced and mixed by Jack Prest
    • Jackie Brown Jr – Best Friend – Mixed by Tom Garnett, Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • I know you’re ready – Bek Jensen – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    • Without you – Luboku – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    • All night – Neon Cassettes – Mastered by Ben Feggans
  • AUGUST – Studios & Mastering Wrap Up

    AUGUST – Studios & Mastering Wrap Up

    August was our biggest month this year in the studios!

    We were visited by global pop sensation Katy Perry and renowned DJ/Producer Zedd on the Australian leg of Katy’s ‘Witness World Tour.’ Katyand Zedd locked out Studios 1 and 2 for 10 days, recording some new material and working with our senior engineer, Simon Cohen and assistant team. Both artists got to hang out with our new studio puppy, what a treat!

    While on tour, Katy Perry’s band members Tony Royster Jr & Chris Paytonhit a midnight session with MXXWLL and Deutsch Duke. Our engineers Stefan Du Randt and Jack Garzonio say it’s one of the best sessions they’ve ever been a part of.

    US R&B artist Pleasure P (Pretty Ricky) hit the studio with producer Willstah to work on music for the upcoming season of VH1 TV series Love & Hip Hop.

    Guy Sebastian and Jess Mauboy hung out in the studio with over 10 local and international songwriters and producers for a 4 day writing camp. Other writers and artists included Graace, The Orphanage, Thief, Tushar and JOY.

    Jess Mauboy
    Jess Mauboy
    Delta Goodrem with studio puppy @sircharlesbarkley_
    Delta Goodrem with studio puppy @sircharlesbarkley_

    Australian songstress Delta Goodrem locked out our flagship room studio 1 for 3 days, bringing her whole band for a jam session! Delta invited some lucky fans to come and watch her rehearse in the studio, and laid down some tracks for a new release with our engineer Stefan Du Randt.

    David Campbell and Chong Lim have been busy recording a project with our very own engineer, Jack Prest. Stay tuned for more updates on this new project.

    ARIA Award Winning singer-songwriters Amy Shark and Samantha Jade spent the day writing and collaborating in Studio 1, with the help of our engineer Jack Garzonio.

    Leon Zervos mastered Amy’s most recent album ‘Love Monster’ which debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts.

    Amy Shark and Samantha Jade
    Amy Shark and Samantha Jade

    Masterclasses

    Anna Laverty Masterclass
    Anna Laverty Masterclass

    August saw the launch of our masterclass brand with two great sessions. Anna Laverty and Simon Cohen ran masterclasses on production and mixing, both of which sold out within days. We had a huge waiting list of applicants eager to attend, so due to popular demand we will be running a series of future masterclasses.

    Check out studios301.com/masterclass to stay updated.

    Mastering Engineer Highlights

    Steve Smart mastered soundtracks for the original animated Netflix series Beat Bugs 2 and Motown Magic, featuring music from The Beatles & Motown catalogue. He also mastered live albums for Gang of Youths MTV Unplugged, and Paul Kelly Live at the Opera House.

    Leon Zervos has been working on releases for Starley (Central Station Records), GLADES (Warner), Owl Eyes (Liberation), ALTA (Soothsayer), Harper Finn (NZ) and Cyrus (Sony).

    Andrew Edgson mastered music for The Kite String Tangle (Warner) and Thelma Plum (Warner)

    Ben Feggans worked on tracks for SAATSUMA (Grenadilla Sounds) and Jordi Ireland (Casablanca Records).

    Beat Bugs Netflix Movie
    Beat Bugs Netflix Movie
  • Studios 301 September Mixtape

    Studios 301 September Mixtape

    A SELECTION OF SONGS WORKED ON BY THE STUDIOS 301 MASTERING & RECORDING TEAM.

    • Siren – Paces Guy Sebastian – Engineered by Stefan Du Randt
    • All Loved Up – Amy Shark – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Undecided – JEFFE –  Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • 1995 – Johnny Hunter – Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • Riptide – Vance Joy – Mastered by Steve Smart
    • Dark Corner Dance Floor – Phantastic Ferniture – Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • Here We Go Again – Sahara Beck – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Hazard Perception Test – NOT A BOYS NAME – Mastered by Steve Smart
    • If I knew – Riley Pearce – Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • Swish  – Bin Juice – Recording Engineer Stefan Du Randt Mixed by Tom Garnett
    • Lights Out – Omijah – Mixed by Tom Garnett
    • Paradise Lost – Lonely O.T. & Versailles – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    • Say Nothing – MUTO & Emerson Leif – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    • Haunted, Dreamless, Restless, Sleepless – Polarheart – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    • Lady Powers – Vera Blue (Slumberjack Remix) – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    • She – Kid Fiction – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    • Chains – Nyxen – Produced, mixed, recorded & engineered by Francis Xavier
    • Burial – Made In Paris – Mixed & Engineered by Francis Xavier
    • Communicate – Set Mo – Mixed & engineered by Francis Xavier
    • Falls – Yska and Guy Burns – Mixed by Jack Prest
    • In Bloom – Jannah Beth  co-written mixed and produced by Jack Prest
    • Ashes – Kid Fiction – mixed by Jack Prest
    • Awomen Amen – Vocal Produced by Simon Cohen
    • Nasa ft. Trill Sammy – Yung Dready Mane – Recording and mixed by Stefan Du Randt
    • Mewuded Lemejemer – Dereb the Ambassador – Engineered by Stefan Du Randt, Mixed by Tom Garnett
    • Sleepin on Money (Extended Version) – Mossen – Recording and Additional Production by Stefan Du Randt
    • Smoothie – DYAN TAI – Produced, Mixed and Vocal Produced by Jhay C
  • Studios 301 August Mixtape

    Studios 301 August Mixtape

    A selection of songs worked on by the Studios 301 team.

    • I Said Hi – Amy Shark (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Frame By Frame – Wallace (Engineered & Mixed by Simon Cohen, Mastered by Andrew Edgson)
    • Unspecified Place – Future Love Hangover (Written, Produced & Mixed by Jack Prest)
    • Fuckn ‘n’ Rollin – Phantastic Ferniture (Mastered by Andrew Edgson)
    • Clumsy Love – Thelma Plum – (Vocal production by Simon Cohen)
    • Never Ever (ft. Sarah) – The Rubens (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Slow Mover – Angie McMahon (Mastered by Steve Smart)
    • Come Undone {Ft. Wren} – Laurel Laxxes (Mastered by Ben Feggans)
    • Think About You – Delta Goodrem (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Two By Two (Ft. Royce Drixhen) – Omijah (Mixed by Tom Garnett, Mastered by Andrew Edgson)
    • Are You Ready To Go – Morning Harvey (Mastered by Steve Smart)
    • Feel the way I do – Jungle Giants (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Bubblegum – Confidence Man (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Cherry Blossom – Horrorshow (Vocal Produced by Simon Cohen)
    • Made of Breath Only – sleepmakeswaves (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • If I knew – Riley Pearce (Mastered by Andrew Edgson)
    • Twin – Voiid (Mastered by Andrew Edgson)

    • Wish You Were Here – Charlie Collins (Mastered by Steve Smart)
    • Changing – Future Jr  (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Show Love – Jupiter Project (Mixed by Simon Cohen, Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Sweet Days – Lakyn (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Save.Sold – PLANET (Mastered by Steve Smart)
    • Pop Roll Flow – CLYPSO (Mastered by Ben Feggans)
    • Where The City Meets The Sea – The Belafontes (Mastered by Harvey O’Sullivan)
    • Awomen, amen – Genesis Owusu (Vocal produced by Simon Cohen)
    • Tessellating (Ft. Oliver Dibley) – MUTO (Mastered by Ben Feggans)
    • Busy Bleeding (Ft. Kelly Jansch) – The Gooch Palms (Mastered by Andrew Edgson)
    • Good – Moaning Lisa (Mastered by Steve Smart)
    • Ocean Alley – Confidence (Mastered by Steve Smart)
    • Tremble – Nicole Millar (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Golden – Ribongia (Additional Mix by Jack Garzonio)
    • Shameless – Lucy Neville (Mastered by Leon Zervos)
    • Era Kin– Posterne Out – (Mixed by Jack Prest)
    • Scene of the Crime – Gaspar Sanz (Mixed by Tom Garnett, Mastered by Andrew Edgson)
  • Updated: 12th Annual AIR Awards

    Updated: 12th Annual AIR Awards

    UPDATE: The 12th annual AIR Awards were held on Thursday 26th July in Adelaide to highlight and recognise the growth and development of Australia’s independent recording sector.

    Studios 301 would like to extend a big congratulations to all of the nominees, and give a special shout out to our amazing independent clients who were up for awards this year.

    Extra special congratulations to winners on the night The Jungle Giants (‘Quiet Ferocity’ album mastered by Leon Zervos) who tied for the Best Independent Album or EP with Methyl Ethel (‘Everything Is Forgotten’ album).

    The Jungle Giants – Used To Be In Love (OFFICIAL)

    Below are the nominations for AIR AWARDS worked on by our team.

    Best Independent Album or EP

    https://studios301.com/our-work/quiet-ferocity/
    Album mastered by Leon Zervos

    Best Independent Single

    https://studios301.com/our-work/feel-the-way-i-do/
    Album mastered by Leon Zervos

    Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year

    Presented by PPCA

    https://studios301.com/our-work/quiet-ferocity/
    Album mastered by Leon Zervos

    Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year

    Presented by PPCA

    Angie McMahon – Slow Mover
    Single mastered by Steve Smart

    Best Independent Hard Rock, Heavy or Punk Album

    https://studios301.com/our-work/made-of-breath-only/
    Album mastered by Leon Zervos

    Best Independent Dance, Electronica or Club Single

    https://studios301.com/our-work/bubble-gum/
    Single mastered by Leon Zervos

    Best Independent
    Hip Hop Album

    https://studios301.com/our-work/bardo-state/
    Vocal tracking by Simon Cohen
  • 2017 ARIA Award Nominations worked on by Studios 301

    2017 ARIA Award Nominations worked on by Studios 301

    A big congratulations to all our wonderful clients whose work has been nominated for a 2017 ARIA Awards!

    We’re proud of our talented engineers; Leon Zervos, Steve Smart, Simon Cohen, Jack Prest, Dan Frizza and Owen Butcher, who have contributed to a number of this year’s nominated works.

    Projects our team have worked on include music by Amy Shark, Jessica Mauboy, Starley, Illy, Tash Sultana, Thundamentals, Bernard Fanning, The Preatures, Pete Murray, Kasey Chambers, David Campbell, The McClymonts and Sleepmakeswaves.

    We look forward to the winners being announced at The 31st ARIA Awards in Sydney on November 28.

    Below is a full list of award nominations worked on by the Studios 301 team.

    2017 ARIA AWARD NOMINATED ARTISTS

    Apple Music Album Of The Year

    • Amy Shark for “Night Thinker” (Wonderlick Recording Company) – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Illy for “Two Degrees” (ONETWO/Warner Music Australia) – Vocal Production by Simon Cohen

    Best Male Artist

    • Illy for “Two Degrees” (ONETWO/Warner Music Australia) – Vocal Production by Simon Cohen

    Best Female Artist

    • Amy Shark for “Night Thinker” (Wonderlick Recording Company) – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Jessica Mauboy “The Secret Daughter (Songs from the Original TV Series” (Sony Music Australia) – Mastered by Leon Zervos

    Breakthrough Artist

    • Amy Shark for “Night Thinker” (Wonderlick Recording Company) – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Tash Sultana for “Notion” (Lonely Lands Records/Sony Music Australia) – Singles “Jungle” and “Synergy” mastered by Steve Smart

    Best Pop Release

    • Amy Shark for “Night Thinker” (Wonderlick Recording Company) – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Jessica Mauboy for “Fallin’’ (Sony Music Australia) – Mastered by Leon Zervos

    Best Urban Album

    • Thundamentals for “Everyone We Know” (High Depth/Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia) – Vocal Production by Simon Cohen, Mastered by Leon Zervos excluding singles “Never Say Never” and “Think About It (feat. Peta & The Wolves)”
    • Illy for “Two Degrees” (ONETWO/Warner Music Australia) – Vocal Production by Simon Cohen

    Best Rock Album

    • The Preatures for “Girlhood” (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia) – Additional Vocal Recording & Production by Jack Prest

    Best Independent Release

    • Tash Sultana for “Notion” (Lonely Lands Records/Sony Music Australia) – Singles “Synergy” and “Jungle mastered by Steve Smart

    Best Adult Contemporary Album

    • Bernard Fanning for “Brutal Dawn” (Dew Process) – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Pete Murray for “Camacho” (Sony Music Australia) – Mastered by Leon Zervos

    Best Country Album

    • Kasey Chambers for “Dragonfly” (Essence Music/Warner Music Australia) – Mastered by Steve Smart, Vocal Recording/ Production on “Romeo and Juliet” – Owen Butcher
    • The McClymonts for “Endless” (Island Records Australia/Universal Music Australia) – Mastered by Leon Zervos

    Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album

    • Sleepmakeswaves for “Made of Breath Only” (Bird’s Robe Records/MGM) – Mastered by Leon Zervos, Assitant Engineer; Dan Frizza.

    Best Blues & Roots Album

    • Tash Sultana for “Notion” (Lonely Lands Records/Sony Music) – Singles “Jungle” and “Synergy” Mastered by Steve Smart

    PUBLIC VOTED AWARDS

    Apple Music Song Of The Year

    • Illy for ‘Catch 22 (feat. Anne-Marie)’ (ONETWO/Warner Music Australia) – Vocal Produced by Simon Cohen
    • Jessica Mauboy for “Fallin” (Sony Music Australia) – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Starley for ‘Call On Me (Ryan Riback Remix)’ (Tinted Records/Universal) – Mixed by Simon Cohen

    2017 FINE ARTS AWARDS

    Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album

    • Australian Cast Recording feat. David Campbell “Dream Lover” (Sony Music) – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Jessica Mauboy “The Secret Daughter (Songs from the Original TV Series)” (Sony Music) – Mastered by Leon Zervos

    Mixed by Studios 301 Spotify Playlist

     

  • Mastering Engineer Focus: Steve Smart

    Mastering Engineer Focus: Steve Smart

    Steve Smart is one of Australia’s most respected mastering engineers; he is also one of the few engineers working today who can truly master the vinyl medium. Despite his rock star resume, Steve’s real passion lies in mastering records that help launch and define the careers of independent artists.This year Steve has kept busy working on releases for the likes of Tina Arena, Midnight Oil, Vance Joy, Kasey Chambers, Lisa Mitchell, The Pierce Brothers, Cub Sport, Dean Lewis, Ocean Alley and triple j’s ‘Like A Version’ amongst others.

    His work has achieved multi-platinum sales, received numerous ARIA and Golden Guitar Awards, and was even shortlisted for an Oscar nomination. We took a dig deeper into Steve’s discography to explore some of his favourite projects and some credits that have defined the sound of Australian music over the last 30 plus years.

    THE LIVING END – State of Emergency

    After releasing Modern ARTillary through Capitol Records in the US, Australia’s most famous punkabilly trio, The Living End, left their American label and returned home to Melbourne in fine form to debut at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA charts. State of Emergency, released in February 2006 through EMI, and in 2007, achieved double platinum status in Australia.

    A word from Steve:

    “This album was recorded and mixed by Nick Launay at Studios 301 Byron Bay. I recall on the day of mastering, Nick couldn’t attend the mastering session, but the guys from The Living End dropped in, and we had a chat. They liked the way American Idiot by Green Day sounded, so we went in that direction. It’s got some killer songs on it, a real high-energy album from an amazing band.”

    PARKWAY DRIVE – Killing with a Smile

    Released in 2005, Killing with a Smile is the debut album by metalcore outfit Parkway Drive. Absolute Punk website called the album a “true genre-defining” record. With ripping guitar work, vicious screams and growls, the band delivered their brand of hardcore to the scene. It was certified gold in Australia.

    A word from Steve:

    “My favourite Parkway Drive Album, not because I mastered it, but because it was like nothing else at the time. I didn’t know what to expect when I got the tapes; I mastered this with no-one else in the room. By the time I got to the chorus of the first track, I knew that this record was going to change everything in its path.”

    EVERMORE – Dreams

    Kiwi trio Evermore recorded three EP’s over a nine-month period (spanning 2002 – 2003), before unleashing their first full-length debut album, Dreams, in September 2004. The album peaked at No. 15 on the Australian ARIA albums chart and achieved platinum certification. The first of their three platinum-selling albums, Dreams cemented Evermore’s brand of dreamy pop music. The album received four ARIA Awards nominations in 2005.

    A word from Steve:

    “Recorded at The Laundry Room Studio in Seattle. The production team was Barrett Jones, John Alagia and Jon Hume. The mixes were sensational, and the songs are truly mesmerising. It was a pleasure to work on this album – it’s an enjoyable listen.”

    MACHINE GUN FELLATIO – Paging Mr Strike

    Paging Mr Strike is the second studio album by Machine Gun Fellatio; Australian’s rock equivalent of the Theatre of the Absurd with stage shows that were more like burlesque carnivals than traditional rock concerts. With their second album, Machine Gun Fellatio took a step away from the electro madness of their first album, Bring It On!, and added more radio-friendly rock guitar. Paging Mr Strike debuted at No.6 on the Australian albums chart, spent a total of 27 weeks in the top 50, and was certified platinum by ARIA. The album featured the singles “Rollercoaster” and “Girl of My Dreams.”

    A word from Steve:

    “I was a little concerned about how this mastering session was going to go, after all, I had seen the band live. As it turned out, it was an enjoyable record to work on. My favourite track is “All Of Them Ladies”.”

    YOTHU YINDI – Birrkuta – Wild Honey

    Birrkuta – Wild Honey is the fourth album from one the most successful and internationally recognised Indigenous Australian bands, Yothu Yindi. Featuring the single “Superhighway”, the album continued the Yothu Yindi tradition of combining ancient ceremonial songs with cutting edge rock. The album was released in August 1996 and nominated for an ARIA for Best Indigenous Release.

    A word from Steve:

    “Being involved with any Australian Indigenous artist is an absolute honour. This particular band is one of the more internationally recognised. The album features a brilliant collaboration with Mandawuy Yunupingu and Andrew Farriss (INXS) for the track “Superhighway.”

    HUNTERS & COLLECTORS – Juggernaut

    Juggernaut is the ninth and final studio album by Australian rock legends Hunters & Collectors. The album peaked at No. 36 on the ARIA albums chart and No. 48 on the New Zealand albums chart. Juggernaut was released in January 1998, and features singles “True Believers”, “Higher Plane” and “Suit Your Style”. With its release, Hunters & Collectors announced they would disband after the Say Goodbye Tour, giving their final performances in late March 1998.

    A word from Steve:

    “The last album from an iconic band, produced by Hunters & Collectors, Kaju Tonuma and Mark Opitz. Not much to say about the mastering session on this one, but quite simply THANK YOU. It’s what you would expect having a band by the likes of Hunters & Collectors, Kalju and Mark on board. One of my all-time favourite bands.”

    THE SUPERJESUS – Eight Step Rail

    Led by frontwoman Sarah McLeod, The Superjesus’ debut EP Eight Step Rail, spent over a month at the top of the Australian independent charts. It peaked at No. 47 on the Australian album charts and won the band Best New Talent at the 1997 ARIA Awards. Its feature track, the guitar-driven “Shut My Eyes”, received high rotation on triple j, and was listed at No. 81 on the station’s Hottest 100 for 1996.

    A word from Steve:

    “Dan Hennessey (Aloha Records / Band Manager) walked into the mastering suite with the tapes and a huge grin on his face. He didn’t say much, but I do remember him commenting, “Steve, I think you’re gonna like this”. He wasn’t wrong – I loved it. It was pure, unapologetic kick ass rock. Sarah McLeod commands your attention on this EP, and “Shut My Eyes’ is a song you just don’t forget.”

    28 DAYS – Upstyle down

    28 Days held the potentially dubious title of being ‘Australia’s premier rap-metal band’, which they nevertheless turned into a lucrative ten-year career. By the time their second album Upstyle Down was released, their popularity was peaking, and the album entered the ARIA albums chart at No. 1 and was subsequently certified platinum.

    A word from Steve:

    “This record blew out of the speakers even before I started to master it, and no doubt because of producer Kalju Tonuma. Kalju captured the punk/rock band perfectly. I used the EMI TG Mastering Console on this record to bring that unique colour to the mixes.”

    SKUNKHOUR – Feed

    Named after the poem “The Skunkhour” by Robert Lowell, the Australian rock band’s second album Feed, spent 14 consecutive weeks in the top 50 of the ARIA albums chart, peaking at No. 21. According to Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, it “featured a more adventurous and varied sound”. The band signed an international deal with U.K. label Acid Jazz, which issued the Feed album in Europe.

    A word from Steve:

    “Feed was one of the many albums that I mastered from the Studios 301 Mixing Room M, at the opposite end of the corridor from mastering. Mixed & co-produced By David Hemming. I was already a fan of their previous releases, so before mastering, I have to admit I was a little nervous, but once we got going, I found that they were a great bunch of guys. ‘Up To Our Necks In It” is an all-time classic song.”

    REGURGITATOR – Tu-Plang

    Tu-Plang is the first full-length album released by Australian band Regurgitator. After being offered a deal with Warner Music, the band travelled to Bangkok to record their debut album. They named it “Tu-Plang”, the Thai word for “jukebox”. A couple of the album’s tracks contained actual samples of the street sounds of Bangkok.

    Released in May 1996, the album made the top 10 in Australia and achieved platinum status. The album won Best Alternative Release and Best Debut Album at the 1996 ARIA Awards.

    A word from Steve:

    “I mastered the first two EP’s for Regurgitator, but nothing could have prepared me for ‘Tu Plang’. Produced by Magoo and Regurgitator, it took two long days to master this monster. The first reason was that they wanted every song to be completely individual, as well as all fit together as an entity on the album. Each song was mastered with the EMI TG Console after we finished we cleared of all the previous settings ready for the next song. I mastered each song without comparing it to the previously mastered songs, which was done to give it a jukebox quality. The second reason it took almost a full day to complete was the multitude of edits throughout the record.”

    JEBEDIAH – Slightly Odway

    Slightly Odway is Jebediah’s debut studio album. In 1995, the band won a national campus band competition having played only thirteen times together. Six months later they signed to Sony subsidiary Murmur, home to Silverchair and Ammonia. Signed on the strength of their live shows alone; there were no demo recordings.

    After establishing themselves on the indie charts with an EP and single, the group’s debut album Slightly Odway arrived in September 1997, achieving national top 10 and platinum sales status. It peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA albums chart and appeared in the top 50 for non-consecutive runs totalling 54 weeks. The album placed at No. 15 in a list of the greatest 100 Australian Albums compiled by triple j.

    A word from Steve:

    “The mastering session started around 6 pm with John O’Donnell (Murmur Records) arriving with the band to the studio. We all sat down and had a brief chat about the record and then they all left to go out for dinner, leaving me to have all the fun on my own. Neill King produced this incredible record, so there wasn’t much to do here. By the time they got back, I had most of it done, so we had a listen to what I had, and they left me to finish it off. I utilised the EMI TG Console once again. From the first track “Leaving Home” right through to “La Di Da Da”, it doesn’t miss a beat.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LADdnqNejtI

    THE WHITLAMS – Torch the Moon

    Torch the Moon is the Whitlam’s fifth studio album, released in July 2002. It debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA albums chart. It featured the singles “Fall for You” (June 2002, No. 21), “Best Work” (September, No. 35), “Royal in the Afternoon” (July 2003, No. 66), and a cover version of Icehouse’s “Don’t Believe Anymore”.

    A word from Steve:

    “Another record from Studios 301 Mixing Room M. This time from The Whitlams and producer Daniel Denholm. Working with Tim Freedman is always enjoyable, he has a great vibe. The mastering session was smooth mostly because Daniel Denholm tends to give you a great sounding product. All the mixes were printed to half-inch analogue tape, so they had this great silky tone. The album went together effortlessly – it was a dream gig.”

    GRINSPOON – New Detention

    New Detention is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Grinspoon. It was released in 2002 by record label Grudge and peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA albums chart. By December the same year, it was certified platinum. The album provided four singles: “Chemical Heart”, “Lost Control”, “No Reason” and “1000 Miles”. The singles had a strong showing in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2002, with the tracks listed at No. 2, 14, 15 and 47, respectively. The ballad “Chemical Heart” marked a change in focus for the band towards a more mature, mainstream sound.

    A word from Steve:

    “This album was produced by Phil McKellar and had a few different mixing engineers on it, pulling it together was a lot of fun. The track “Chemical Heart” took me by surprise when I first heard it; it was a different sound for the band. I’ve mastered a few records for Grinspoon, and they’re a great band to work with because they’re a great bunch of guys that love doing what they do.”

    LEE KERNAGHAN – Electric Rodeo

    After successfully reinvigorating Australian country music throughout the 1990s, Lee Kernaghan released his sixth album Electric Rodeo to continue his legacy as one of the pioneers of Australian country music. The album peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA albums chart and was certified platinum in 2003.

    A word from Steve:

    “Working with Lee was always great. He has a great work ethic and is the quintessential professional. Garth Porter, Ted Howard and Rob Feaster were the team on this particular record, so the final mixes were in excellent shape on lots of analogue tapes. Lee is a perfectionist but knows how to keep the session going smoothly with his great sense of humour.”

    SPIDERBAIT – Tonight Alright

    Three-piece thrash pop group Spiderbait is one of Australia’s most distinctive and famous bands of the 90’s and 2000’s. Their album Tonight Alright peaked at No.14 on the ARIA albums chart and became certified platinum in 2005. It featured the No. 1 Australian single; a cover of “Black Betty”, which by the end of the year received double platinum certification. In the US, it reached the top 40 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock singles chart. The song also made the soundtrack to the EA video games Need for Speed: Underground 2, and Need for Speed: Underground Rivals for the PSP.

    A word from Steve:

    “Recorded at Radiostar in Weed California, produced and mixed by Sylvia Massy Shivy. This album was a dream gig to work on; everything went so well. The songs were great, the mixes and production were excellent. One of my favourite songs (and film clip) of all time “Black Betty” is on it. I still love listening to this record.”

    KISSCHASY – United Paper People

    One of the most revered and beloved Australian rock acts of the 2000s, Kisshchasy’s debut album, “United Paper People”, is pop with a rock/punk core. The first single from the album was “Do-Do’s & Whoa-Oh’s”, which received heavy rotation on both commercial and alternative radio, and nominations at the ARIA Awards, as well as Channel V & MTV Awards. United Paper People reached certified gold in Australia.

    A word from Steve:

    “Phillip McKellar and Barrett Jones nailed this one. Fantastic songs and amazing production. Not much to do here just helped bring it together without getting in the way.”

    KASEY CHAMBERS – The Captain

    With the release of her solo debut album, The Captain, Kasey Chambers was prophetically touted to be the next major country music star to come out of Australia. Released in May 1999, The Captain initially won Kasey the 1999 ARIA Award for Best Country Album, then in 2000, earned her the ARIA Award for Best Female Artist. The album went on to receive double platinum certification in Australia and peaked at No. 49 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

    A word from Steve:

    “I had previously worked with Kasey on the ‘Dead Ringer Band’ with her father Bill and brother Nash. The Captain was Kasey’s first solo album, and what an album it turned out to be. Mixed at Studios 301, Mix Room M on the Neve. Nash Chambers brought an honest sound to the production; it’s such a great sounding record. I’ve always enjoyed working with the Chambers Family, just nice people to be around.”

    WASHINGTON – I Believe You Liar

    In 2010, Australian musician and songwriter Megan Washington, also known as Washington, released her debut album I Believe You Liar. The album peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA albums chart, and by the end of 2011, received platinum certification in Australia. Washington went on to win both the 2010 ARIA Awards for Best Female Artist and Breakthrough Artist, along with five further nominations for work associated with I Believe You Liar, and “How To Tame Lions”.

    A word from Steve:

    “I got sent the mixes for this album by John Castle, who made everything easy for me. The songs and mixes were pure magic. Megan popped into the studio at the end of the mastering session for a playback, and it was such a privilege to be involved in bringing this fantastic album out into the world.”

    THE CRUEL SEA – Over Easy

    In 1998, The Cruel Sea reunited with Tex Perkins to release album Over Easy, preceded by a single, “Hard Times”. The album peaked at No. 13 on the Australian albums chart and was followed by the Takin All Day National Tour throughout the rest of 1998.

    A word from Steve:

    “Working on this album was an incredible experience. The band, Daniel Denholm, Phil McKellar and Paul McKercher make up the ultimate dream team. It was mixed in Studios 301 Mixing Room M, just down the corridor from the mastering suites, so I would often pop into the mix session for a sneaky listen. When it finally came to mastering, I knew the album inside and out already. We mastered on the EMI TG Console, and it sounds amazing.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugGW7JS-go0

    For mastering bookings please visit here.

    For Steve Smart enquires please contact:

    Lynley White-Smith
    Mastering Manager
    mastering@studios301.com
    02 9698 5888

  • The Studios 301 Podcast – E03 A Steve Smart 2017

    The Studios 301 Podcast – E03 A Steve Smart 2017

    Steve: Since moving to Castlereagh Street there has been some great projects coming through. One recently was for Dean Lewis – tracks, he has got a couple of hits out on the radio, prior to that we had done a couple new singles for him. It’s been really good; he’s got a great voice. What is the other stuff we have been working on?

    Simon: I remember you were talking a little earlier about Tash Sultana and being quite wrapped with her.

    Steve: Tash Sultana blows me away, she needs to move to a bigger venue like The Enmore because every time I try and get this here at the Newtown Social Club it is fully booked out, you can’t get in. She’s incredible.

    Simon: I think I actually saw she was playing at the Metro the other night.

    Steve: She could easily pack that out.

    Simon: Someone has been listening to you.

    Steve: Yes.

    Simon: Have you considered having maybe like a management company or an A&R? Steve Smart A&R and Management? And just industry advice.

    Steve: That would be great, get some cash. But since moving to Castlereagh Street the changeover from the Alexandria studio is open to the new Castlereagh Street, or I should say the old Castlereagh Street

    Simon: It’s a homecoming

    Steve: I got to explain it. The original studio is where EMI Studios 301 started from. It used to be eight floors of EMI, the mastering studios were on Level 7, the recording studios were on Level 8. So we actually left that building when 301 was taken over. I think it was round about 2000 when they built new studios in Alexandria.

    Simon: I think the opening date that I saw on one of the plaques around was the end of 1999.

    Steve: Right.

    Simon: They were tracking stuff for the Olympics.

    Steve: Yes. They started building it I guess the beginning of 1999 or something. So they built those studios just to be a bit bigger, because Castlereagh Street… although you could do a full orchestra there, it needed to grow because the music industry was changing. People required the use of smaller studios, not necessarily large studios. Record company budgets were changing, so 301 built a larger complex with a large studio but also satellite studios or smaller studios around it, which proved to be quite successful.

    And then after the studio opened in 1999/2000 mastering still actually existed in Castlereagh Street for I think round about another possibly eight years or something, I would have to check on the numbers and the dates and stuff like that. So we were still on Castlereagh Street for quite some time, and then eventually the acquisition was made of a building next to Mitchell Road in Alexandria and then we moved mastering over there; this was round about 2000, 2008, I would have to check on that.

    So we have been there for quite some time. Now what’s happened is I guess the gentrification of Alexandria; as everything, it is going to be turned into apartments. So 301, relocating once again and building a brand new studio just down the road a bit in Alexandria in Ellis Avenue which is going to be phenomenal. And I’ve seen the plans and what they are actually starting to build. I mentioned it was 45%, 50% completed, so we should be there I think probably September, October.

    But in the interim I am actually back at Studio 301, well, what used to be Studio 301, Castlereagh Street, which is kind of weird I’ve got to tell you. I’ve got all my new equipment that I had had in Mitchell Road in Alexandria, but it’s back in my old room. At first I was a little bit nervous about changing rooms, I thought, “Ah, this is going to be a little learning curve again.” We did the changeover where I said, “Look, just don’t book me for about a month or a month and a half, maybe even two months. I just really want to move in, get settled…”

    Simon: Make the place feel like home again.

    Steve: Yes. Just kind of re-understand the room again. Prior to leaving there I had done so many successful records in there that I knew it was a sort of no unproven entity, so I wasn’t that scared, but you always sort of got to readjust, resettle yourself to feel comfortable. So when we were relocating all the equipment we had a look around the room and, unbelievable, the marks, the impressions of the speakers from when we previously located there were still on the carpet. So we brought in the Duntech speakers that we currently use and the Duntech sovereign, the mastery monitors. We put them onto those impressions in the carpet, did a little fine tuning on the room and boom, it felt like home; it felt like I had never left. It must be like a riding a bike, you get it, you just understand it.

    And the familiarity I guess was having my equipment there and the speakers I know so well in a room that I had previously worked in. So when we started doing some work, I just did some test mastering stuff. I had a really good listen to them, took them home, really happy with the results. So I said, “Look, okay, let’s just go ahead, let’s just start booking in some jobs.” So we did a few jobs and the feedback was incredible, it was like, “Wow! This sounds great. The stuff coming out of Castlereagh Street sounds incredible.”

    I was pretty surprised that we were able to do the changeover pretty quickly and pretty seamlessly. All credit due to the technical staff that we’ve got; we’ve got Greg Cameron and Mo, and those guys just made the transition so smooth, it was pretty much just… And Harvey Sullivan, Mastering Coordinator Assistant, he went above and beyond the call of duty to make it as smooth a transition as possible. So I pretty much walked out of Alexandria, had Christmas, came back, sat down on the chair and started getting back into it again.

    Simon Cohen: It sounds like you sort of gave yourself the best opportunity to really make the transition smooth, again going to a familiar room and equipment-wise not really kind of changing too much.

    Steve: Yes.

    Simon: Did you find that… so obviously over the years between being there last time and being back there, would you say that your sort of go-to tools or the equipment that has become your kind of staple now, has it sort of changed over that interim or was it kind of familiar pieces returning home as well?

    Steve: No. Since first working at Castlereagh Street and then relocating to Mitchell Road, Alexandria, I have acquired a couple of more little tasty bits that I do kind of enjoy using.

    Simon: Anything you’d care to share?

    Steve: One of them would have to be my favourite, my go-to equalizer. It’s the Sontec Mastering Equalizer. It is pretty much a world standard in any quality mastering studio around the world; everyone’s got them. They have this incredible sound, they bring so much to the table as far as sweetening the song, bringing character into the song. All that said, I still have my trusty EMI TG EQs which are fresh out of… They were the EQs that were used on Abbey Road on quite a lot of the famous recordings of bands that worked out of that studio in the 60s. I can’t quite recall what the name of the band was, but it was a big one then. I still got the classic TG EQs, running some great converters there.

    I think a good mastering studio really needs just a really good set of speakers, good equipment, but most importantly a good mastering engineer. You’ve really got to understand the product; experience sort of brings a lot to the table there. We’ve got, I think collectively the mastering engineers at Studios 301 have over 100 years experience or something like that, which is a pretty awesome sort of calculus when you think about it. Both myself and Leon combined I think we’ve got over 60 years together as mastering engineers. We must have worked on… I guess if you are doing a record every day or an album every day sometimes you’re not. We probably have done hundreds and thousands of records.

    Simon: I suppose compared to the things that a lot of producers get a chance to work on, where it is days or weeks or even months spent on a single project, the idea of the mastering gig of sort jumping between projects kind of on a daily basis. Is there anything that you kind of do to keep, not so much standardised, but I guess feel like you are not all over the place, but keep a certain element of consistency across all of that?

    Steve: Well it is true Simon, on numerous occasions I have worked on albums that have taken anywhere between up to… I think I worked on a couple projects over the past that have been in the works for five years. It started with the rhythm tracks and then they brought in some extra musicians and some of the songs might have changed and they have replayed parts and they had it mixed by some engineers and possibly remixed it. You know, something that might have started in 2008 and gets finally brought onto the mastering engineer’s table in 2017 is going to have a few variables in there.

    Particularly if there has been a lot of studios used – say the drums were tracked somewhere and the bass was done somewhere else and the vocal elsewhere and keyboards were overdubbed. So I have done quite a few records where they have been international like the drums are being done in say Nashville and the bass is being played in England by some ringing session or something like that and the keyboards might have been overlaid on the kitchen table at the band’s house or their home studio.

    And then the vocals might have been, you never know, possibly even done by yourself at Studios 301. When you bring that to the mastering table I guess there are slight inconsistencies you might say between the tonal balance or the production balance or the artistic nature of each individual track. But in saying that each track, each song has its own personality, it’s own little beasty if you know what I mean. I think the job of the mastering engineer is just not to get in the way of that, not to kind of put a personality on the whole thing to make it oh so uniform and take away all the character

    Simon: This is a Steve Smart master..

    Steve: Oh yes, to over stipulate the fact. The true purpose of a mastering engineer to work out any abnormalities I guess or any discrepancies that might be I guess sort of potentially problem solving. Say if one track has got way too much tonal balance and low frequencies, perhaps if one song throughout the whole mixing stage, the guitars have perhaps been left a little bit quiet, mastering can bring that up. Even in the cases of perhaps if the vocals are a little bit too loud, in the mastering stage they can be brought down a little bit. But overall a mastering engineer will bring something to the table.

    Where there is a good strong consistency of level between the tracks they will all sound within a certain uniform balance of each other. It’s like when you are listening to the album you won’t have to get up off your backside and go up and turn the treble up and down or adjust the volume control all the time. But I believe each song has its own personality, each song has a character. When you listen to a song it is almost like it speaks to you; it tells you what it needs, it tells you what it is, even down to the finer details of it. Like I have a choice of quite a few different equalizers, compressors and limiters. You’ll put on song and you’ll think “Aahh, this really deserves going through the classic EMI TGs” for that particular character, that sound. Or you might think, “No, no, actually this is going to go through the Sontec.” Or you may say, “This is going to go through the GML, the mastering EQ, the GML”, for a little bit more of an aggressive sort of nature. It’s really difficult to explain mastering in a nutshell but…

    Simon: This is a question that I find comes up quite often particularly with less established artists working on their first EP or single or something like that – do I need mastering or what should I expect a mastering person to do? I think that the song sounds good now, what is it that I’m hoping to achieve with that? It’s kind of easier to explain to them that if we are doing a multiple song project, be it an EP or an album, that we are looking for a sort of a song to song consistency. Do you approach kind of mastering a song as a one-off in any kind of different way to what you would in terms of trying to balance it if it came in as part of a package like that?

    Steve: Most definitely. When you are talking about a single, there is a particular approach to mastering a single.

    Simon: Make it loud.

    Steve: Well it doesn’t necessarily come down to the loudness thing because in some cases if you make it too loud and it is going to radio station broadcast processing, the radio station broadcast processing can actually work against it. If it is overly compressed and overly limited in the first instance, the multitude of compression and limiting that the radio station will add to that may in fact actually be detrimental, increasing factors like distortion, clipping factors and stuff like that.

    Simon: And presumably a lot of their kind of station settings were set up quite a few years ago when masters were a little less…

    Steve: No. They constantly adjust their processing to stay abreast of current technology or current musical styles. In particular I guess you are looking at the hip pop sort of genre of music where they had sub drop bass notes which are just phenomenal, they have to accommodate and be aware of the fact that these songs are actually going to contain that sort of extreme low frequency content. And it is part of the music so it has to be allowed to go through. So I think if you are going back say 10 years ago, that sort of content would have been quite heavily limited, therefore taking away what the track is…

    Simon: A little bit of the excitement about that.

    Steve: Absolutely. So getting back to mastering for radio for a single, essentially what you are really looking for, I hope it’s not taken out of context or meant in the wrong way, but a single is an ad. It’s basically an advertisement of the band – this is who we are, this is what we do, if you like this check out the rest of the stuff that we’ve got because it’s probably similar-ish but better. Like an advert, you have to hear what the product is about. So when you’re mastering particularly for a single, it’s the vocal; it’s all about making sure that the vocal is clean, clear, everything is heard. You can’t be kind of searching for like, “Oh, what’s he singing about in the chorus? I’m not quite sure.” You have to be able to sort of clearly hear all of the instruments, you’ve got to let the song pop a little bit, you’ve got to be aware of the fact that it’s going to be listened to, say on a building site, play it out of a little ghetto blaster or something. It’s also going to be played in cars, it’s also going to be heard in shopping malls and so. So you have to take your reconsideration into the fact that it has to be clean, clear and decipherable on a multitude of formats, or a multitude of playback environments. So there is particularly possibly a little bit more control I might say that goes into the mastering stage of a single. There is definitely I guess a focus placed on both limiting and compression in order to get it through those broadcast compressors. I’ve always tried to achieve a musical sense of compression and limiting into a single so that it is controlled but it still sounds very musical, it still retains the feeling of dynamic, and it still speaks to you, it still sort of does something. It’s just not like a piece of glass, it’s just not sort of just flat. The reason I do that is I like to have the track dynamics in control so the station compressors or the station limiters at the broadcast side don’t over work, don’t have too much of a challenge to try and sort of squeeze this stuff out onto the airwaves. I guess in clarification the single job of the radio compressor or the station processing compression and limiting is to bring consistency throughout all of the songs that they play from many, many different places around the world.

    Simon: And many styles too.

    Steve: And many, many different styles, absolutely. But essentially they are there to protect the transmitter. Anything that potentially may cause damage or harm or overloading of the transmitter, it’s there to protect it, it’s there to make sure nothing squeaks through. So I tend to sort of try and get to it before that, but with a musical hand, a musical ear, try and make it all sort of work so that it basically gets through to the masses where it should be, to the people.

    Simon: And so presumably then with releases that there is becoming a prevalence, a sort of mastered for iTunes and things, things that are specifically designed for an online or digital release that it’s assumed are not going to go through these sort of broadcast extra bits and pieces. I know from some people there is a little confusion about sort of, they see the little mastered for iTunes thing. Is that sort of part of the philosophy behind that approach to things, knowing that what comes out there is going to be what it is and it’s maybe perhaps a little closer to a CD master rather than like going straight to radio kind of thing?

    Steve: Well it is true. They are two different styles. The streaming content of music at this particular point is increasing every day. CD sales are declining, interestingly enough vinyl sales are increasing, but streaming is leading, that seems to be the forefront of where people are listening to music mostly. It’s convenient, in some cases it is free, but you’ve got the pick, you’ve got the plethora of anything that you want at your fingertips with Spotify and iTunes. With the mastered for iTunes that’s a particular sort of… I think it’s a registered trademark of Apple. What they are really saying is that it is lossless, it is not compressed data, it is not an mp3 as such. In order to stream the music and in order to I guess best utilize storage space, Apple first started out accepting music and streaming it as a compressed file. It goes through a thing called a codec which compresses the data on the way in and then when played back it expands the data. And those codecs have been changing and developing with I guess the increase in knowledge of codec algorithms in mathematics, so they are getting better and better and better. The other thing that is offered with other streaming companies is lossless, so they basically they are not compressing the data.

    Simon: And we should make it clear when we say compression here we are talking clearly about data compression, not audio compression.

    Steve: That’s correct, that’s absolutely right. Instead of it being in a gigabyte they are slamming it down into megabytes to make it easier to store, take up less room on your iPad controller or your playback device. So I guess to clarify with that lossless streaming is that if you are recording a project on a say digital work station and you’re recording it at a sampling frequency of say 96 kilohertz, which takes up quite a bit of room, and your bit depth is say 24 bit, you can actually have that mastered at say whatever sampling frequency, be it 96 kilohertz, 24 bit or even 88 kilohertz, whatever format you choose, you can have it mastered at the original sampling frequency and then loaded up onto the server of the streaming service and it plays back at 96 24. So you are not actually losing anything, you’re getting it as the artist. The benefits of, I guess just to clear it up for those who aren’t quite sure about things, the higher the bit rate and the higher the sampling frequency, it allows you to have a little bit more digital headroom to play with, a little bit more clarity, a little bit more definition. Probably I am thinking back too far, but if you remember those old 8 bit games that you used to play in, the sound was hilarious, very truncated, very artificial.

    Simon: Probably hugely back en vogue now.

    Steve: Almost alien. Yes, well, I think it is. So the higher the bit depth, the higher the sampling frequency, the more accurate the recording detail of the actual music itself.

    Simon: Do you see a sort of topping out at some point with that where your average rock and roll band is going to be able to discern a difference beyond a certain point? It seems that from going up to 44, 48 and then once we got to 192 there was at some stage there was the talk of going to things like DSD that was supposed to be sort of hugely over sampled and it seemed that it kind of got to that 192 and everyone sort of said that seems to be about as much as we’re interested in pushing for the moment.

    Steve: Yes. I think, not really professing to know a great deal about the mathematics of digital recording itself, I think 192 can be a little too revealing. I have heard some classical music at 192 that, let’s just say it didn’t sound quite natural, it sounded a little artificial. And I have heard the same recording that was done at 88 kilohertz and that sounded more natural, it sounded a lot nicer, a lot smoother, a lot rounder, a lot more character. The producer of the project was asking me which one I liked and to be honest I didn’t want to get too roped into it, but I asked him to just… I set up an AB button, it was playing back and button B was another and I asked him just to select one himself, and 11 times out of 10 he kept selecting 88, he thought that that was the best sounding one; so we went with the 88. I mean 192 takes up a hell of a lot of space. If you are recording a rock band I’m not exactly sure if you really need all that space, that much detail.

     

    To download the full transcript click here:

  • Steve Smart Remasters Midnight Oil!

    Steve Smart Remasters Midnight Oil!

    If you’re a Midnight Oil fan, you’re probably thrilled at the recent announcement of the legendary Australian band’s first World Tour in over two decades. You’ve also likely had your interest piqued by the three new retrospective box sets due for release in early May, particularly that unreleased and rare material.

    So how did the remasters come to be? We got the scoop from our very own legendary senior mastering engineer Steve Smart, who has been diligently chipping away at the project since 2011.

    When Nick Launay, now based in L.A. and one of the world’s most sought after producers with albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave, landed in Sydney on a much deserved holiday, he decided to look into something that had always bothered him; the original CD version of Midnight Oil’s 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 a record he and the band co-produced in 1982.

    Launay had the original analogue masters brought up from Midnight Oil‘s archives, and sent them off to Steve Smart at Studios 301 for evaluation against with the original CD. Upon comparison, Launay and Smart felt that the tape and original vinyl record sounded considerably better than the original CD. The band agreed, and the decision was made to remaster the album for CD and Digital release from the original half inch analogue tapes.

    The result proved to be of significant benefit, with digital technology having improved immensely since much of the Oil’s back-catalogue original releases. Consequently, all of the back-catalogue was given a ‘freshen up’, and during the process a few gems were discovered in the vaults, some having never before seen the light of day. Along with the rest of the material, these received what Smart likes to refer to as “a bit of a loving cuddle in the mastering room”.

    Pre-order the Boxset Collections, Deluxe LP, CD & Rarities now . Out May 5.

    The Full Tank” CD set features all of Midnight Oil’s existing albums and EP’s; a new four-CD/eight-DVD set called “The Overflow Tank” will include over 14 hours of previously unreleased and rare material. Both are housed in minature replicas of the water tanks the band have used as stage props over the years.

    There’s also a vinyl box set with 11 LP’s and two 12″ EP’s, all remastered from the original analogue tapes by Steve Smart at Studios 301, Sydney, and cut for vinyl at Abbey Road Studios, London.

    steve-smart-image-3

    Steve Smart is a senior mastering engineer at Studios 301

    To book Steve for your mastering project, please contact Lynley on 02 9698 5888 or mastering@studios301.com.

    To read more about the Midnight Oil Vinyl Boxset please follow this link:

    http://www.midnightoil.com/midnight-oil-announce-the-great-circle-2017-world-tour/ 

  • 2016 ARIA Nominations

    2016 ARIA Nominations

    It’s that time of year again with the 2016 ARIA Awards just around the corner. We’d like to extend a huge congratulation to all of this year’s nominees, and give a shout out to the amazing artists we have worked with who’ve made the list. We’d also like to give acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our Studios 301 engineers who worked on many of those projects.

    Below is a list of nominees and their works that our Studios 301 engineers have contributed to;

    Senior Mastering Engineer Leon Zervos leads the pack mastering NINE nominated projects:

    • Troye Sivan ‘Blue Neighborhood’ – 7 nominations (album master)
    • Bernard Fanning ‘Civil Dusk’ – 4 nominations (album master)
    • Delta Goodrem ‘Wings of the Wild’ – 3 nominations (album master)
    • Montaigne ‘Glorious Heights’ – 3 nominations (album master)
    • Guy Sebastian ‘Black & Blue’ – 2 nominations (single master)
    • Gang Of Youths ‘Let Me Be Clear’ – 2 nominations (EP master)
    • Olympia ‘Self Talk’ – 1 nomination (album master)
    • Joe Chindamo & Joe Black ‘The New Goldberg Variations’ – 1 nomination (album master)
    • Bob Evans ‘Car Boot Sale’ – 1 nomination (album master)

    Nominated credits by our Studios 301 producers and recording / mixing engineers:

    • Illy ‘Papercuts (Feat. Vera Blue)’ (Best Pop Release)

    Vocal production – Simon Cohen. Recorded in studio 6.

    Illy was also nominated for Best Male Artist & Best Video

    • Peter Garrett ‘A Version of Now’ (Best Alternative Album)

    Assistant Engineer – Dan Frizza

    Mastering Engineer – Steve Smart

    • Urthboy ‘The Past Beats Inside Me Like A Second Heartbeat’ (Best Urban Album)

    ’Second Heartbeat’ feat. Sampa The Great and Okenyo

    Vocal production – Simon Cohen

    • Emma Pask ‘Cosita Divina’ (Best Jazz Album)

    Recorded and mixed by Simon Cohen in Studio 1

    • Stu Hunter ‘The Migration’ (Best Jazz Album)

    Recorded in Studio 1. Assistant Engineer Simon Cohen and Owen Butcher

    Finally, a MASSIVE shout out to our on-again-off-again tenants and buddies RUFUS for being nominated for Telstra Album Of The Year, Best Australian Live Act, Best Dance Release, Best Group and Best Cover Art!

    For the full recap visit the Aria Awards website:

    http://www.ariaawards.com.au/nominees/2016/Aria-Awards/Album-Of-The-Year

  • September Mastering Highlights

    September Mastering Highlights

    • Tom Stephens ‘What Lies In The Difference’ –  Album mastered by Andrew Edgson
    • Shannon Noll ‘Who I Am’ – Single mastered by Steve Smart
    • Jack River ‘Palo Alto’ – Single mastered by Steve Smart
    • Gretta Ray ‘Unwind’ – Single mastered by Steve Smart
    • The Bobby Darin Musical (Australian Cast Recording) [feat. David Campbell] ‘Dream Lover’ – Album mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Tash Sultana ‘Jungle’ & ‘Synergy’ – Singles mastered by Steve Smart
    • DZ Deathrays ‘Pollyanna’ – Single mastered by Steve Smart
    • Anthony Callea ‘Backbone’ – Album mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Confidence Man ‘Boyfriend (Repeat)’ –  Single mastered by Leon Zervos
    • The Pretty Littles ‘Soft Rock for the Anxious’  – Album mastered by Leon Zervos
    • British India ‘I Thought We Knew Each Other’ –  Single) mastered by Steve Smart
    • Maribelle ‘Say It For Me’ – Single mastered by Leon Zervos
    • Laurel Laxxes feat. Holly Tapp ‘Impasse’ – Single mastered by Steve Smart
    • Kasey Chambers  ‘Ain’t No Little Girl’ – EP mastered by Steve Smart
    • Babaganouj ‘Hard To Be’ –  EP mastered by Steve Smart & Andrew Edgson
    • Jinja Safari ‘Crescent Sun’ & ‘Crescent Moon’ – Albums mastered by Andrew Edgson

    Shannon Noll – Who I Am

    TASH SULTANA – JUNGLE

    Pollyanna · DZ Deathrays

    British India – I Thought We Knew Each Other

    Babaganouj – Sorry

     

  • I Am Indie – Winners

    I Am Indie – Winners

    The “I Am Indie” music competition has been the biggest competition we have ever run! With a record number of entrants, the team have been overwhelmed listening through the barrage of awesome music you guys have sent through. A big thank you to everyone who entered their music and we wish sometime in the future to be working with all of you! So… after much deliberation we are finally ready to announce a winner.

    The winner of the I Am Indie music competition is……

    Massive congratulations to Phantastic Ferniture who win a whopping prize package from Studios 301 and Ditto Music including;

    • Two days studio time at Studios 301 with ARIA Award winning, multi platinum selling producer and engineer Tim Carr (Matt Corby, Julia Stone, Urthboy, The Herd)
    • Mastering by legendary 301 engineer Steve Smart (Vance Joy, DZ Deathrays, DMA’s, Flume, Midnight Oil)
    • An exclusive in-studio music video recorded and filmed at Studios 301
    • Intimate in-studio playback session at Studios 301 to showcase your new music
    • Chart campaign (worldwide digital distribution to all partnered stores, chart registration, pre-order setup on itunes)
    • One-hour in-person or skype meeting with Ditto to discuss release strategy
    • Choice of social media starter package (instagram promo assistance and posting schedule with design work) or PR starter package
    • Vevo channel setup and music video uploaded to Vevo

    Thank you once again for everyone who entered and looking forward to rocking out with Tim Carr and Phantastic Ferniture in the Studios!!!

  • Triple j Hottest 100

    Triple j Hottest 100

    Another Australia day, another triple j Hottest 100 done and dusted. In what has become a national pastime, Studios 301 along with the rest of the worlds J’s listeners tuned in to hear where our favourite tracks would land in the countdown.

    This marks the third year in a row that an Australian artist has taken out the coveted #1 position, with local band The Rubens in the #1 spot for Hoops.

    As a dedicated supporter of homegrown talent, Studios 301 would like to extend a massive congratulations to The Rubens, and all of the Australian artists featuring in the Hottest 100 this year. (You can check the full list here: http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/15/countdown/)

    We’d also like to give a special shout out to those artists we’ve worked with recently and our 301 engineers who’ve contributed to their songs that made the list, including;

    Dynamite {Ft. Allday}- Asta – Vocals recorded by Simon Cohen
    Monday – Matt Corby – Mastered by Andrew Edgson
    Foolish – Alpine – Mastered by Leon Zervos
    Run – Alison Wonderland – Mastered by Sameer Sengupta
    Once – Ngaiire – Mastered by Ben Feggans
    Suddenly – British India – Mastered by Steve Smart

    Last but definitely not least, a huge congrats to all the bands who’ve made magic sounds out of one or more of our studios or production suites including, The Rubens, RÜFÜS, Flight Facilities, What So Not, Chvrches, Hermitude, Meg Mac, Birds of Tokyo, Alpine and Tuka.

    Links:

  • Producer Insight: Nick Launay – PT. 1

    Producer Insight: Nick Launay – PT. 1

    Producer Insights – with Nick Launay – PART 1

    We have just completed a very special interview with none other than producer extraordinaire, Nick Launay. Nick is a veteran of the tape medium, and having had a long standing relationship with both 301 and Steve Smart, he was very kind to offer us his time to share his insights and some hilarious (read: outstanding) stories over a mammoth talk we had with him.

    For those that may not know, Nick is an English music Producer, Engineer, and Mixer who has worked with everyone from Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Midnight Oil and INXS, to Grinderman, Kate Bush, Phil Collins and Talking Heads – basically, he’s a bonafide legend, and an awfully nice chap to boot.

    The focus for our discussion with Nick was to learn about his appreciation of tape – that being, everything from tape splicing, his techniques, the technology, right through to its glorified sound.

    To begin the series, he reveals his philosophy on “Analogue vs Digital”.

    301: Do you find yourself going back & forth between mediums? For example there are artists like Lenny Kravitz who have gone and bought famous old desks and tape machines, only to dive into large ProTools systems, then later gone back to tape.

    Nick: I don’t go back and forth. I would say I go forth only.

    301: And what direction is forth?

    Nick: Well, I record through vintage equipment all the time, always and only.  I capture onto digital through the best A/Ds [analogue to digital convertors] I can find, which are Lavry or Prisms.  Those are the two I like the best.

    301: Are you going through pre-amps of any sort?

    Nick: The studio I use in LA is one my friend owns, but I use all the time. There’s an API desk on its knees over there, and I have a rack of 16x Neve 1081s, so it’s half of a Neve and half an API that totals 48 channels. So I’m going through the best analogue that was ever made. I’m also using vintage tube and ribbon mics.

    301: Do you go to tape?

    Nick: I don’t print to tape anymore, I used to though. The thing with that is that I’ve worked out other ways of getting that same feeling. And let’s be very clear about one thing… Music primarily is about feeling.  That’s what it’s about. The difference between a record that people like or don’t like is the feeling. So the whole romantic thing about analogue tape is, “what feeling is it giving you”?  And I think once you recognise that and hone in on that… Is it then about the saturation of the tape?  Is it about the distortion of the tape?  Is it about the hiss?

    It is about all of those things, and those are the names that we can identify, and put onto these things that are important to us. But it’s the feeling that it gives us, versus the incredibly stark nature of digital – which is just this kind of square box instead of it having curves. So I think that there are ways of creating the feeling of analogue tape by cleverly using analogue equipment, and there are also lots of plug-ins that are actually very good.

    301: In that case, what is your view of tape emulation plug-ins?

    Nick: I think some of them are good. I haven’t used a lot of them. I, again, have different ways of doing things. I think a lot of the great feeling that we used to get from analogue was actually the saturation and distortion. So I use distortion a lot.

    301: What about analogue distortion?

    q2

    Nick: Well, I use Decapitator.  Decapitator’s great. I also use Radiator. The thing, I think, the good thing that I have is that I have this very, very strong memory and experience of analogue. So I know what I want to hear and I achieve those sounds and those feelings by using various plug-ins to create it.

    301: So when you are using plug-ins, you are referencing your hardware experience?

    Nick: Yes, in my mind.  I’m trying to get back that feeling and I think I managed to achieve it by using various plug-ins. I put things through Amp Farm and Sansamp. The Decapitator is my favourite because you can really vary it a lot.  I haven’t used lots of tape simulators like HEAT. I think there are a lot of clever people out there, inventing things within the digital domain now. And I think they’ve got it right. A big round of applause to them because they’ve kind of worked out….  ‘What is it about this analogue thing?’.

    For many years, I avoided digital. And then it came – when Pro Tools started being a tool, a very, very sophisticated editing tool, I couldn’t ignore it and I wanted it.  So what I ended up doing was recording my backing tracks to tape and my overdubs to Pro Tools. Bear in mind that whenever I work with a band, I always record the whole band together.  So let’s say with your average band, you’ve got your bass player, drummer, and two guitar players.  So I would do my backing  track, i.e. drummer, bass player, and two guitar players all playing at once, playing the song, and then record that onto analogue tape…. that’s 24-track tape. Then I got

    q3it and edited the tape to get the arrangement. Once I was absolutely certain that the arrangement of the song on the tape was brilliant, I would then stripe it with code, and I would then sync it up to Pro Tools and transfer everything into Pro Tools. Then I would continue all my overdubs in Pro Tools. So I’d do all my vocals and vocal comps and guitar takes – and then once I finished, I would sync it up again. When I came to mixing, I would sync up the original 24-track analogue up to Pro Tools and I would mix.  So about 50% of what I was mixing was absolutely analogue, analogue, analogue, all original. So the drums, bass, and main guitars were the analogue and all my guitar, keyboards, overdubs, vocal comps, backing vocals, and strings sections would be on digital. I did that for many, many years, probably ten years.

    And then about six years ago, I stopped doing that.  And the reason for that was when we went to 96kHz. I could hear the difference and it was satisfactory – it was because of two factors.

    Pro Tools got better sonically. The A/D converters got better.  Prisms suddenly existed and also this whole thing of using Pro Tools A/Ds with a library Clock or Big Ben made a huge massive difference.  Suddenly, digital didn’t sound quite as bad as it used to.  That’s one factor.  The other factor which I think you cannot ignore, is that iTunes suddenly became the main way that people are listening to music.  In iTunes, most people were listening to MP3s.  So in my mind, I just could not justify the little bit of difference that was now the difference between analogue and digital in ‘good digital’.

    Screen Shot 2014-03-19 at 12.26.44 PM

    On top of that, there’s also the expense of tape, which now costs about $400 a reel. And the tape machine lining up and realigning, and then the copying time – It was just eating up so much studio time.  For one album, you had to add almost two weeks of studio time just for tape transfers and rewinding.  The other thing that I started realising, is that young bands that were not used to analogue. Suddenly the singer would be in the mood, they’d do a take, they’d do a great take, and they want to do another one. No. With tape, you have to sit there and wait for the tape to rewind.  And then the vibe’s gone.  So suddenly I was like, “Hang on.  I’m weighing up this tiny bit of romantic-ness of tape versus the reality that most people are gonna listen to an MP3 on iTunes.” … it doesn’t add up.

    So that’s when I stopped using analogue recording.

    Come back soon for the next part in this series, where Nick discusses tape splicing.

    In the meantime, you can also read an interview with Nick in the latest issue of Audio Technology.

  • From the Desk of Steve Smart: Vinyl interview on 2UE radio

    From the Desk of Steve Smart: Vinyl interview on 2UE radio

    Just before christmas, Steve Smart was interviewed on 2UE radio by Mike Jeffreys. He was asked for his opinion on the vinyl and mp3 mediums:

    Have a listen to that interview here:

    Update: Sorry, the interview is not available anymore

    To book Steve for your mastering project, contact Lynley on 02 9698 5888 or mastering@studios301.com

  • From the desk of Steve Smart: Mastering for Vinyl – Part 3

    From the desk of Steve Smart: Mastering for Vinyl – Part 3

    To book Steve Smart for your mastering project, click here or contact Lynley on 02 9698 5888 or mastering@studios301.com

    This is the third of a three part series:

    Steve with Vinyl
    Steve with the Vinyl cutting lathe.

    Going back to your time as a vinyl cutting engineer, what was the day-to-day process?

    First of all, when the engineer finished mixing, either they or the assistant would put together the many different takes of the mixes onto two reels of tape – for side 1 and side 2 of the LP. They put the gaps the way they wanted them, but there would be discrepancies between the individual tracks – the volume level and the individual sound/tone – which affected the continuity of the album. And that’s where the first mastering engineer truly was a master engineer. He would get the master tape, play the reel through, make some notes, set-up some equalisers and compressors for each individual track and then, with those settings in mind, and in real time, transfer or cut that tape on to a disc by means of a cutting lathe.

    Would you change the settings on the mastering gear between songs or would you do a quick patch to other units?

    Well, we had the luxury of four equalizers, where two equalizers were used for the operation of each song. One equalizer being for the music that went to the cutter head, the other equaliser being for the music that went to the brains of the lathe. This “brain” was called the preview, because the lathe had to mechanically know what was coming up at the same time as what was going into the groove itself.

    So there was one bank of EQ (two units) for one song, and while that song was actually cutting, you’d set up the second bank of EQs. During the crossfade or the gap between songs, you’d simply crossfade between one batch of EQs to the other. Then, while that next song was travelling along, you’d set up the next bank of EQs for the song following.

    It was very attention grabbing.  You had to set up your EQs and your compressors and you had to also drive the lathe at the same time. Fortunately, everything was on remote control to the central desks so you could keep it all within hand-grabbing distance.  But it was quite fast and furious and if anything went horribly wrong, that whole cut just simply went in the bin – it was ruined.

    Custom Mastering Room

    What would be the success rate for cuts generally?

    Well, a good cutting engineer knew exactly what to do – he could play a tape, knew what potential problems may be laying in the music itself, and note the corrections that had to be made.  Let’s just say if there was a ballad followed by a big rock track, a cutting engineer would guesstimate how much real estate would be consumed by the various amounts of “energy” in each song. The ballad would take up less room, the rock track requiring a lot more, so you’d plan your consumption of the side of the record to accommodate. If you had, say, 25 minutes per side, you could get away with cutting that at -2dB, or -1dB if you are lucky, depending on what sort of music it was.

    But you also did little test cuts of each track just to make sure that it translated to the actual lacquer and played back as you intended, because it was also the slight change of the physical playback of the groove itself that influenced it greatly.

    How does the audio content affect the grooves on a record?

    If it’s a mono signal, the groove remains at the same depth, but moves from side to side, known as a lateral excursion. If it’s in stereo, and the content of that groove exceeds a certain degree of phase, the groove depth (known as vertical excursion) can change anywhere between 10 to 50 microns. It’s always noted that in record cutting, a groove is half as deep as it appears wide (by physical design). So when you’ve got stereo information in low frequency content, you don’t really have a lot of depth to play with before you actually end up with a groove that’s so small, that it’s smaller than the point of the playback stylus on the turntable. So, that stylus will want to force itself towards the centre of the groove.

    Conversely, if you’ve got a groove that’s too deep, then when in the cutting process, it can actually cut so deep that it can go into the aluminium substrate of the lacquer itself. That will completely sever the tip of the ruby stylus, which is very costly.

    Essentially, the thing that dictates the depth/width of the groove is the amount of time that the music runs for, versus the song volume levels that you wanted to cut the record at.

    CBS DISComputer Lathe

    Is there anything to bear in mind with the high frequencies when cutting?

    It’s interesting because I think it begins when you are recording an actual track itself.  If you recorded a kick drum onto a tape machine at excessive level, it would start to overload, distort and bleed into the other tracks on the multi track tape. Also, there was a very strict level of what you could record a hi-hat at. The medium of tape itself dictated at what level you could record. Interestingly, by the time you push the mix up, you generally find that those things were all in context. Things were, I guess, forced to be where they were.

    If the mixing engineer or producer decided that he just wanted the hi-hat a little bit brighter or louder on the day, it was then up to the cutting engineer to decide whether he could get away with that or not. If the high frequencies were too excessive when cut to the lacquer, it would saturate and distort when played back. Also, high frequency grooves on lacquers are very jagged and would physically tear when you separated the metal from the lacquer (during the subsequent plating process).

    So you had to, through experience, make an educated assumption of how much you can get away with.  On some lathes, particularly the one that I’ve used and (I’ve still got a piece of the equipment from it), there were high frequency limiters installed for the sole purpose of protecting the cutting amps and the cutter head from overloading on high frequency. This is because the high frequencies demand the most amount of electric current from a cutter head.  It has to generate – it has to resonate – that stylus at an incredibly high rate for it to carve that high frequency signal into the lacquer.

    But, you know, the art of a good cutting engineer was just how much you could get away with.

    What other roles were involved in the process?

    There was a whole team of people and excellent manufacturing facilities required.  I mean you had to have great quality lacquers, a great cutting lathe, a plating department…. And top quality silver, top quality nickel, and great quality vinyl to press records from…. Plus all of the fitters and turners that looked after the pressers and fed the steam lines. If everybody got it right, that whole company could produce a really high quality record.  And there were companies, for example, like Deutsche Grammophon who used to be just be renowned for cutting fantastic classical records. They used to have it down pat, you know, they just really knew their stuff. It became an art form and engineers / producers who mixed records sought out specific cutting engineers, because they knew that they could get a really, really good sounding result on to the record at a really good level.

    Part of the level thing was in order to cheat the surface noise, which was the biggest drawback of vinyl.  It was that increasing surface noise each time you plated it, it just got louder and louder. And each time the dog sat near the record collection, you know, it just got dirtier and dirtier.

    What about the vinyl wearing out?

    The vinyl wearing over continual playing is an issue,  as is the static dust that accumulates on a piece of black plastic like vinyl. They just got worse and worse over time and so, you know, major record companies used to make a killing out of just repressing.  I think while I was working at CBS, I had to cut Bat Out of Hell  by Meat Loaf more times than I’d care to remember!

    301 Neumann HF Limiter
    301 Neumann HF Limiter

    People kept buying it because it kept wearing out?

    Well, it kept selling and it also kept wearing out and, you know, you can only get so many records pressed off the metal stampers (that pressed the vinyl) before they physically wear out.  They just get blunt, you might say, and the cut sounds distorted and noisy.

    You know, with all that said that vinyl records are great, they’re possibly one of the most environmentally unfriendly music carriages of all time. They are a petroleum based extract.  The waste products that come from manufacturing a vinyl record are insurmountable.  Getting rid of a bad bath of nickel and silver isn’t cheap these days. Apart from that, they’re hardly portable and they’re noisy and obtaining a vinyl cutting lathe, obtaining the nickel and the silver and the processing that goes with it, the presses, it’s no easy avenue to get into. It’s quite expensive accumulating all of that sort of equipment and putting it all back together and having enough work to – supplied to you – to meet your demands.

    Once you’ve mastered something for vinyl, what is the process to actually get it onto vinyl?

    In our vinyl mastering process, we aim to have the clients totally happy with the sound of that song, and possibly with some information garnished from us, go to a reputable vinyl cutting house.

    Once the master leaves 301, the complete process of vinyl pressing is a series of stages.  When something is mastered at 301, we supply the file, and the vinyl cutting engineer then uses a digital workstation to play that file back. He can simply lower the cutter head on to the lacquer and cut one side. This is the lacquer – well the record is actually two lacquers – Side 1 and Side 2. Those lacquers are then dipped in to a large chemical bath, which is charged with electricity, called an electrolysis galvanic plating process. The lacquer is dipped into the bath and coated with silver, then with nickel, growing the “plate” on its surface. This plate is then separated from the lacquer and is called a “father” (The lacquer is rendered useless and destroyed). The father is plated again, producing a “mother”, which can be played and checked. The mother is then plated again to produce a “stamper”. This whole process is repeated for the second side, then the two stampers are finally loaded into the pressing machine for bulk manufacturing of the vinyl.

    People sometimes shortcut the three step plating process simply by generating a plate straight from the lacquer and putting that into the press. This is most commonly known as DMM cutting (Direct Metal Mastering).

    The father and mother plating process is deemed necessary to mass-produce a record into thousands.  If you are only doing a 500 run, you can go for the single plating process where you simply grow the metal stamper straight on to lacquer and then bolt that metal stamper into the press and press from that.  That saves a lot of money, as it saves time and cuts down on waste.

    I’ve noticed some records are heavy and some are light, why is this?

    It depends on what sort of press is used. There were three pressing plants in Australia – EMI, Festival and CBS, and they used various methods for pressing (the CBS press where I worked was steam-rammed). You can hold the pressings from different plants up and you can definitely tell the difference between where they were pressed, just by physically looking at them.

    Was one better quality than the other?

    No, just different.  Absolutely just different.  Different ways of pressing the same thing. the CBS records were thinner and more flexible. The EMI and Festival records were much heavier.

    What about coloured vinyl?

    Standard vinyl is pressed using black plastic and the coloured vinyl can be whatever the client orders. When CBS was pressing coloured vinyl, they would have to change the bag of vinyl (that was feeding to the presses) to a particular colour. It would take a few attempts to get the colour to run clean (eliminating any black residue).

    I used to like sneaking into the pressing factory when they were doing this, because the first records that were pressed were useless due to the remnants of the black vinyl in there.  So, the first twenty or so had streaks of black and you always ended with really cool designs in them. I souvenired a few of those in my time!

    To book Steve Smart for your mastering project, click here or contact Lynley on 02 9698 5888 or mastering@studios301.com