Masterdisk
545 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tel.: 212/541-5022
Fax: 212/265-5645
www.masterdisk.com
Email: [email protected]
Masterdisk has established itself as a true brand in the field ofaudio mastering, an instantly recognizable name that is associated withquality. It is also constantly and organically evolving, adding threenew core competencies to its audio mastering specialties: 5.1 surroundmastering, a dramatically expanded DVD compression/authoring division,and Enhanced CD creation.
Masterdisk has six mastering suites, manned by an award-winninggroup of veteran and musically diverse mastering engineers: ChiefEngineer Andy VanDette, Leon Zervos, Roger Lian, Howie Weinberg, TonyDawsey and Drew Anderson. “The music market has become incrediblydiverse,” says Zervos. “But from rock to rap, orchestral to Latino,we’ve covered every genre out there.”
The unifying factor at Masterdisk’s audio mastering operations isthe custom-built equipment: mastering consoles and monitoring systems,tailored by Masterdisk Technical Director Don Cuminale, working withinput from each engineer. The result is highly personalized masteringenvironments in which the technology is reliable and consistentlyaccurate.
The facility pioneered the still-burgeoning realm of 5.1 surroundmastering, which commenced with Drew Anderson’s studio in 1998. Sincethen, Masterdisk has taken a leadership position in the multichannelmusic market, which many expect to see blossom this year as majorlabels announce plans for scores of new and catalog surround musictitles.
That same desire to stay at the leading edge of new technologies andformats, and to influence the directions that pro audio takes, were atthe core of Masterdisk CEO Doug Levine’s decision two years ago toimplement DVD authoring. What began as a single Sonic Solutionsworkstation has grown to a multiroom, multifaceted new departmentoccupying a floor adjacent to the audio mastering division. Scheduledto open in Q3, 2001, the new division will also feature Avid onlinedigital editing services. And what had been the original DVD suite hasbeen converted into a high-end theatrical playback environment,complete with surround audio and a large projection screen. StatesMasterdisk Chief Engineer Andy VanDette, “The key to success for thenext 25 years is the same as it was the last 25 years: Provide clientswith the right tools and expertise to complete their creative vision ina comfortable, relaxed environment.”
Over the years, Masterdisk has proven its ability to carefullymonitor larger market trends and adapt to them. The facility staysahead of the technology curve by being proactive with the formats andplatforms it believes will become the most successful–thendeveloping expertise in those areas. “Both 5.1 audio and DVD authoringare perfect examples of exactly that approach to the business,”observes Levine. Though Masterdisk has developed into a true multimediaentity, audio mastering remains at the heart of the business. “There’smore music coming out than ever before, and it’s being made under allsorts of circumstances, with multiple producers and multiple engineersworking at multiple studios on a single project,” Zervos comments.”Mastering, as the last opportunity for quality control in thisprocess, has never been more critically important than it is now.”
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