Behind the Music: Cicely Balston of AIR Studios
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- Опубликовано: 4 сен 2024
- New treat for you Buddies on this latest 'sode of Vinyl Community Podcasts. On our 100th episode of VCP, we feature a conversation taking us behind the music: specifically, I'm speaking with Cicely Balston of AIR Studios in London. Earlier this year Cicely was awarded the 2023 Music Producer's Guild "Mastering Engineer of The Year" honor - and for good reason! With over a decade in the field, she began to develop her trade back in 2013 at Gearbox Records, an all-analog shop known for cutting on a vintage Skully lathe. She moved on to AIR Studios in 2016, with a detour at Alchemy Mastering (later acquired by AIR) in between her return to Sir George Martin's enterprise in 2020. She's been involved in some terrific releases of late courtesy of Vinyl Me Please, including the exciting recent release of Chalino Sanchez' "15 Exitos 15". She's been part of working on projects from artists like David Bowie, to Young MC, Busta Rhymes, Witch Fever, Sun Ra and a litany of artists across many genres and styles. We touch on that, as well as navigating mastering from digital files and analog both for today's hungry vinyl consumers. As the "vinyl resurgence" continues to go full speed ahead, the mastering side of things is in great hands with Cicely and other mastering engineers taking the baton from their predecessors. This episode has it all: science, music, laughs, and some name dropping (mostly by me). Let's jump into this terrific conversation now on Vinyl Community Podcasts!
#vinylcommunity #podcast #mastering
For more information on host Concert Buddie:
/ @concertbuddie
For more information on guest Cicely Balston c/o AIR Mastering (London):
www.airstudios...
For more information on Vinyl Community Podcasts:
vinylcommunity...
THAT was a great interview dude! She is lovely person and awesome to see new generations shaping our music.
Your kindness is always appreciated Buddie, thank you! Means a lot to hear that. 🙏
It’s great to see such young talent in the industry! Much respect to Cicely!! Well done Chance!
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Great that you featured Cicely on this video. Not the usual mastering engineer we always see and hear talked about. Extra points because she worked in the Bowie catalog, one of my faves. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
You know me - when people zig, I zag. 😁 Thanks for giving this one a listen/watch!
Congrats on this one! A great interview :)
Thanks David! 🙏🏻
Excellent interview brother! ❤❤❤
Dude, appreciate that sir! Thanks for giving it your time, and sharing these kind words here. Rock on!
This was superb. Great work buddie.
Thanks man! Hope more people check it out. 👀
Another great interview Chance on a topic I know very little about. Looks like the mastering of future music is in very safe hands. I only have one VMP release Gang Starr - No More Mr Nice Guy and was hoping to see Cicely in the runout but I dont see it. My question would be does someone who has mastered the vinyl have free reign to inscribe anything they like in the runout groove ie quirky little messages or would that be considered unprofessional 😊. I know I have quite a few 80s hip hop 12s where that is the case but perhaps that was at the artists request? Cheers again...Nigel
Honestly that's a great question Nige - one I too would be curious to hear a mastering engineer speak on. Good news - I should be talking to another one before too long (#deeptease) so I can ask them 🙂 Always great to hear from you my friend - Cheers!
@@ConcertBuddie Haha, glad it wasn't too crazy a thought or question. Excellent, look forward to the next instalment mate 👍. Cheers Nige
Very mixed on Alchemy. Bazza specifically, I don't have any records cut by Cicely.
But I've got some serious duds from them, Outkast Atliens comes into mind. Very very sibilant, and that's common with most of their HipHop records, Bazza seems to have a hard time cutting bass and keeping that upper end from distorting. With that said the TV On The Radio VMP is the definitive version of that record.
Thanks for the kind words on the GB stream! Speaking for myself, the albums I have that she mastered are really, really good, esp the VMP hip hop (non OutKast stuff). It led to to learn more about her, her work, and this interview. I’ve long wondered about the next generation of great mastering engineers once the current crop gets out - we are in good hands with her leading the pack, IMO.
@@ConcertBuddie I look forward to seeing her name on future pressing i pick up!
:: phun shtuph 👍
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