Audio Mastering and Dvd Au T H O R I
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AUDIO MASTERING AND DVD AUT H O R I N G 740 BROADWAY SUITE 605 NEW YORK NY 10003 www.thelodge.net t212.353.3895 f212.353.2575 EMILY LAZAR, CHIEF MASTERING ENGINEER EMILY LAZAR CHIEF MASTERING ENGINEER At the for efro n t of a new generation of mastering engineers, Emily Lazar , fou n d e r of The Lod g e , reco g n i z es the integ r al role mastering plays in the creat i v e musical pro c ess. Combining a decisive ol d - s chool style and sen s i b i l i t y with an intui t i v e and you t h ful knowledge of music and tec h n o l o g y , Emily and her team cap tur e the magic that can only be creat ed in the right studio by the right people. Founded in 1997, The Lodge is located in the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village. Equipped with state-of-the art mastering, DVD authoring, surround sound, and specialized recording studios, The Lodge utilizes cutting- edge technologies and has attracted both the in d u st r y ’ s most ren o wned art i s ts and prom i n e n t newcom e r s. From its unique collection of outboar d eq u i p m e n t to it s sop h i st i ca t ed high-density digital audio wor k stat i o n s , The Lodge is furnished with specially hand- pi c k ed pieces that lure both analog afic i o n a d o s and digital audiophiles alike. Moreo ver , The Lodge is the only stud i o in the New York Metropolitan area with an in-house Ampex ATR-102 one-inch two- track tape machine for master playback, transfer and archival purposes. As Chief Mastering Engineer, Emily’s pas sion for integ r ating music with technology has been the driving force behind her success, enabling her to create some of the most distinctive sounding albums rel ea s ed in rece n t year s. Her part i c ular atten tion to detail and demand for arti s tic integ r i t y is evi d e n t th r ough her exte n s i v e body of work that spans genres and musical styl e s, and has made her a trai l b l a ze r in an industry notably lacking female representation. Rece nt l y , Emily has wor k ed with esteemed arti s ts such as: David Bowi e , Lou Reed, Jeff Buc k l e y, Sonic Youth, Thi r d Eye Blind, Natalie Merch a n t, Beyoncé Knowl e s, The All-Am e r i c an Rej e c t s, The Donnas, The Apples in Stere o , Sinéad O’Con n o r , Desti ny ’ s Child, Loudon Wai nw r i g h t III, El-P, Khia, Sol a n g e , Atm os p h e r e, Nada Sur f , Clem Snide, Gang Star r , Can n i b al Ox, Taj Mahal, and Brat m o b i l e , to name a few. In addition, she has master ed original sou n d t ra c k s for the fol l o wing featu r e films: Trai n i n g Da y, Pok emon: The 1st Movi e , Boys Don’t Cry, American Psych o , and Jesu s ’ Son, among many oth e r s. Recent articles on Emily Lazar include features in Electronic Musician (cover story), Mix Magazine, Billboard, Pro Sound News and TapeOp. Lazar is also a highly publicized product endorsee for Avalon Design (audio equipment) and Apple Computers. *** AUDIO MASTERING AND DV D AU T H O R I N G 740 BROA DWAY SUITE 605 NEW YORK NY 10003 www.thelodge.net t212.353.3895 f212.353.2575 THE LODGE : MAIN FOYER THE LODGE : MASTERING ROOM AUDIO MASTERING AND DV D AU T H O R I N G 740 BROA DWAY SUITE 605 NEW YORK NY 10003 www.thelodge.net t212.353.3895 f212.353.2575 Recent Client Photos DAVID BOW I E LOU REED, MICK ROCK, N ATALIE MERCHANT & ROB SA N TOS (BMG) TODD VOS (PRO D U C E R) SO N I C YOUTH VIA STEPHEN JENKINS TONY VISCONTI (PRO D U C E R) CY B E R S PAC E (THIRD EYE BLIND) & JASO N CA R M E R ( P RO D U C E R) T H E A L L-A M E R I CAN REJECTS E L-P (DEF JUX) & NASA T H E A P P L ES I N ST E R EO & TIM O’HEIR (PRO D U C E R) AUDIO MASTERING AND DV D AU T H O R I N G 740 BROA DWAY SUITE 605 NEW YORK NY 10003 www.thelodge.net t212.353.3895 f212.353.2575 AUDIO MASTERING AND DV D AU T H O R I N G 740 BROA DWAY SUITE 605 NEW YORK NY 10003 www.thelodge.net t212.353.3895 f212.353.2575 By Stephanie Jorgl “My interest in mastering has been driven by my passion Lazar received a Master’s Degree and a graduate fellow- for story telling,” says mastering engineer Emily Lazar. ship at New York University’s Music Technology Program, “People and music are really similar — both yearn for as preparation for becoming a mastering engineer. Soon meaningful connections. So, a big part of that connection after she began working for other mastering engineers, is being able to tell stories that deeply resonate within an she knew she wanted to run her own show. audience.” Lazar owns The Lodge, a New York City-based mastering house that polishes the final mood on recordings such as David Bowie’s “Heathen,” and on movie soundtracks — including work on a track for the latest Austin Powers film, “Goldmember.” “One of the most exciting aspects about being a master- ing engineer is working with artists and helping them to be better storytellers by helping them find their album’s unique voice — that defined sound,” she adds. She Da Master. Emily at work. The Mastering Process The first step in mastering is to assess the source recording. Some of the sources provided to Lazar are already in dig- ital format — for example, on a 16 or 24-bit CD, in the form of Pro-Tools session files, .WAV/.AIFF files or a DAT (digital audio tape). However, analog tape is still preferred by many of her clients and is one of Lazar’s favorite Lazar’s Central Think Tank. mediums. Mastering the greats from the heart of New York City. Precision adjustments in frequency, equalization and/or compression are then made. “There’s no frame or template Music In Her Roots for mastering, as each mix will always be different and all “Some of my earliest memories of music are of playing need to be approached individually,” says Lazar. and singing with my mother. Having grown up in a very After the recording has been mastered, it then travels musical household, I played a lot of instruments. into the hi-resolution Macintosh-based digital audio I learned guitar, piano, flute, voice and violin. workstation for sequencing and editing. At the completion “Although my personal music has taken a back seat for of that process, Lazar’s newly-made production part can the time being, I’ve been writing and recording for over be delivered on an assortment of formats, such as 3/4” 15 years,” she says. “Being a musician has given me a U-Matic, DDP Exabyte, DVD, DLT, PMCD, Vinyl Lacquer strong sensitivity and appreciation for the artist’s role, and SACD. This final master goes directly to the CD which has added perspective and affected my work as a manufacturer. From this medium, the CD manufacturing mastering engineer. facility creates a glass master for replication. AUDIO MASTERING AND DV D AU T H O R I N G 740 BROA DWAY SUITE 605 NEW YORK NY 10003 www.thelodge.net t212.353.3895 f212.353.2575 Balance Is Critical So what goes into good mastering? “In my experience, “One recent personal highlight — for me — was the respect for the integrity of the music is vital, but equally re-mastering job we just finished for Clem Snide’s first important is the ability to add something completely unex- album, ‘You Were A Diamond.’” she says. “This is a record pected to a project,” she says. “I think finding this ba l a n c e very dear to my heart — a collection of unbelievable treas- is critical to the work of a great mastering engineer. ures that never really had a proper mastering job before.” “My goal is to always be a subtle innovator. All in all, I think that I have been able to recruit top name acts to The Lodge because of the quality of my work and my rep- utation as someone an artist can rely on,” she explains. Macs Run The Lodge “We use Macintosh computers for everything we do here — from administrative databases, spreadsheets and budgeting, to graphic design and highly technical digital audio editing,” says Lazar. “In a creative environment like ours, there is nothing else that compares. “We pride ourselves in the ability to produce the best quality product in the world,” she adds.