I've been recording other artists and bands professionally for over fourteen years now; prior to that I was recording my own bands on 4-track cassette decks. My interest and desire to pursue engineering as a career grew out of being disappointed with the sounds my bands were getting in studios helmed by "pro" engineers. I expected much more for the prices we were paying, so I decided that if our recordings were going to sound bad, it would be my fault and I would take the responsibility. I began devouring every book and magazine I could find about recording, and as luck would have it, one of the studios I recorded in was losing an engineer. I brazenly voluteered to fill the position, and was given the opportunity to prove my worth by the owner. I must not have let him down, because I was hired and went on to work there for the better part of the 90's.
In 1997, I was becoming burned out on the exceptionally long hours and tedium of year-long album projects, so I founded Gropius Mastering, and embarked on a new audio path. Mastering helped me fine-tune my ears and become even more particular about sound and the effects various pieces of equipment have over the final musical product. Mastering also helped me to realize that I truly enjoy the more creative side of producing, recording and mixing, so early this year, I decided to stop mastering as I had begun to become much busier with recording and mixing again (and enjoying it - even the long hours!). I didn't feel it was possible to be a "part-time" mastering engineer, so I thought it would be better left to those who devote their careers to it.
