Rare Tone Mastering
Hi I’m Ben and I’m a musician, audio engineer and analogue nerd. Ever since I bought my first 4 track cassette recorder from the classified ads in the back of the local newspaper (Yes, you read that right, before the internet) I’ve been hooked on turning dials, flipping switches and patching cables to record, produce and master music. I completed years worth of academic studies, going up to Masters level in music & sound recording but it was running a record label that really got me hooked on mastering. With the pressure of getting our releases radio ready I turned to any videos, books and online content that I could find (scarce when I was starting out) to hone the dark art and also completed several mastering courses in person at various studios around the UK. The subsequent releases on our tiny label got some amazing press and radio play so friends started asking me to master their music. Then friends of friends. Then strangers.
Over the years I've spent mastering I've also been fortunate to acquire 2 disc cutting lathes which allow me to cut vinyl records in my studio. I've spent years working on, upgrading and adapting these machines and am now really happy to be able to offer one-off and short runs of records for my mastering clients.
I think my years spent as a working musician, running a record label and learning how to build outboard, fix and make records have really honed my mastering skills but more importantly my people skills. The more I do and the longer I do this for, the more clear it becomes that amazing gear is only half the equation - really listening and talking to people about their music is the absolute most important factor in bringing music to life. Not everything needs to be loud and in your face, and some artists still crave dynamics over loudness and 'competing on Spotify' (a phrase I hate, don't get me started). And conversely, some music needs aggression, presence and for that visceral energy to pull you up out of your chair. The more we talk, the better understanding we all have. The better we can make decisions. And the better we can make you music.
So if you've got music that needs to be released out into the world, let's talk.