Evren Göknar - Major Label Mastering: Professional Mastering Process

First published 2020

by Routledge

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2020 Evren Gknar

The right of Evren Gknar to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Goknar, Evren, author.

Title: Major label mastering : professional mastering process / Evren Goknar.

Description: New York : Routledge, 2020. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019043697 (print) | LCCN 2019043698 (ebook) | ISBN 9781138058576 (hardback) | ISBN 9781138058583 (paperback) | ISBN 9781315164106 (ebook) | ISBN 9781351673143 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781351673129 (mobi) | ISBN 9781351673136 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Mastering (Sound recordings) | Sound recordingsProduction and direction.

Classification: LCC ML3790 .G644 2020 (print) | LCC ML3790 (ebook) | DDC 621.389/3dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019043697

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019043698

ISBN: 978-1-138-05857-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-05858-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-16410-6 (ebk)

Typeset in ITC Giovanni
by Apex CoVantage, LLC

Visit the eResources: www.routledge.com/9781138058583

For Esma and Milas

System is that principle of order by which confusion is rendered impossible.

James Allen, Eight Pillars of Prosperity

The first time I saw the Capitol Records building in person was in December of 1983. I was 17 years old, a senior in high school and had traveled west from my home in Detroit, Michigan to visit my sister in San Francisco for the Christmas holiday. We drove to Los Angeles to explore Hollywood. I still remember driving south on the 101 freeway and passing the iconic round tower. I became immediately transfixed by its unmistakable atomic-age architectureit appeared to float above a rectangular base like a Cold War-era rocket ready for launch. Capped with a needle-like spire and those massive letters (in case amnesia struck?) it was the definition of a head-turner.

I recalled numerous record albums, including my favorites by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Bob Seger, and others, all with the familiar oval logo printed on them. The rock radio stations in Detroit continually played recordings from artists on the Capitol Records label. I wondered if and when members of those bands had been there, and who might be there as we drove by. I wondered what the place was like inside. It possessed the mystical allure of a holy site, a mid-century curiosity on every Hollywood tour. We continued on with our sightseeing, but I couldnt know then that in 11 years, that building would become my second home, from where I would launch a career as a Mastering Engineer. For that matter, at this early juncture, I didnt even know that mastering existed.

After college, I moved to Los Angeles to write songs and play in rock bands. In so doing, I implemented the pragmatic idea of seeking work in recording studios, to expand my musical community and access inexpensive studio time for my bands. Over time, this led to learning recording engineering. By the mid-1990s, I had worked as a recording engineer for over five yearsprimarily at Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood, but also with producer Rudy Guess and independently at various Los Angeles studioswhen I began to develop an interest in audio mastering. The first mastering session I attended was in 1992 with Bernie Grundman on the Carole King album Colour of Your Dreams (produced by Guess) that I had assistant engineered. Through research into the prospect of mastering, many rsums mailed to mastering studios and networking, I was ultimately hired by the mastering department at Capitol Records.