A mastering engineer's life can be pretty lonely

A mastering engineer’s life can be pretty lonely. Even if you live in a big, loving family like me, the many hours spent alone in the studio daily is an enormous mental game — just you with your ears, your brain, your room, your speakers, and your decisions. Being literally the last person who touches the music before it reaches the public, the responsibility is remarkable. I’ve learned to deal with my fears. I’ve accepted that music can be composed, produced, recorded, and mixed in infinitely different ways, and I’ve learned to adapt to any kind completely. I’ve reached a point where my growth lies in building deeper collaborations. Co-mastering and co-mixing with people I love, respect, and trust, learning from them, accepting what they hear (and I may not), and communicating, mediating opinions effectively and positively leads everyone to better-sounding masters. I’ve been thinking about different frameworks for months now, and — since I’m not a hierarchical person and don’t believe in complete centralization — it brings up many challenges to solve. I’m on it.