Karl Bischof, VP and technical director at Bernie Grundman Mastering, died on November 17, 2001, after a long battle with cancer.
Bischof’s first pro audio gig after serving in the military was as a technician for Stereodyne Tape Duplicating. In 1971, he met Tom May, then head of A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood, and joined the technician staff, where he was soon heading design teams to build custom devices, as well as redesigning and improving existing equipment, including a custom 32-channel mixing console in 1977. In 1979, Bischof’s team designed and built three mastering consoles, and in 1980, he became technical director of the A&M maintenance staff.
In 1981, Bischof teamed up with Bernie Grundman, who was also working at A&M, and built their first mastering console in Bischof’s garage at night and on weekends; it took three years to complete. According to Grundman, this persistent effort was indicative of Karl’s personality, a man who strove to improve the performance and flexibility of the studio.
He is survived by his wife, Joannie, a sister in Michigan, and his kitty, Abigail.
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