INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS ZEMBOWER, INDEPENDENT MASTERING ENGINEER

Chris Zembower is a former mastering engineer out of M-Works in Cambridge, MA and also the bassist for

Boston’s The Everday Visuals and The Great Bandini.

These days, Zembower is working as audio post-production engineer The Criterion Collection, which is anorganization that restores and releases important classic and contemporary films on DVD and Blu-ray. Performer talked with Zembower about his mastering background and some mastering advice.

Q. When did you get into studio life?

A. As an engineer, about 5 years ago. I was the nerdy guy in the band who annoyed the hell out of the engineers, asking about all the gear. I started out college as a computer science major at a state university, but my girlfriend convinced me that I was much better off as a musician. I ended up studying music performance and production in Boston, and continued on to graduate school in New York. M-works was the first studio that I properly attended as an intern, then as an assistant engineer. I became the unofficial after-hours guy, but I mostly brought in all of my own clients.

Q. What made you move to NY?

A. I love Boston but there’s more work in the NY entertainment industry. There are only a select number of audio facilities in Boston, and it’s very competitive. Coming to NYC opened up a lot of doors for me, and provided opportunities that didn’t exist in Boston.

Q. What are some of your favorite records you’ve worked on?

A. Bleu/L.E.O., Bang Camaro, Hooray For Earth and The SnowLeopards come to mind, for mastering. For tracking and mixing, Jenn Taranto, who’s album was just finished. And of course the bands I play in.

Q. What kind of sound do you go for?

A. That depends on the style and the artist’s desired aesthetic. There are certainly instances where you can lend a helping hand to an idea already in motion, such as reinforcing the “juicy” factor in a hip-hop track, or supporting the edginess of a metal track. However, in mastering, the goal isn’t really to change the sound of the mixes. The stylistic choices have already been made, and the mastering engineer is simply shaping the songs into a cohesive presentation, in terms of loudness, spectral balance and overall impact. Also, a little EQ goes a long way. Mixing deals with the trees and mastering is concerned with the forest. Also, the mastering process is heavily focused on the sequencing of the songs and the flow of the album, and not so much on sonic alteration.

Q. Favorite gear?

A. Sontec mes-432 mastering equalizer. M-Works has one and it’s the bee’s knees.

Q. Advice for bands sending stuff in for mastering?

A. It’s been said a million times, but I’ll say it again, leave some headroom in your mixes. Don’t abuse limiters. It can’t be undone, and it’s the primary problem with projects coming in for mastering.

VENUE PROFILE: SOUTHPAW

Park Slope’s SouthPaw inhabits a one-time 99 cent discount store in on a stretch of Brooklyn’s once-rough 5th Avenue.

Since opening it’s doors in 2002 the venue has played host to a staggering line-up of luminaries, including (but definitely not limited to) Cat Power, KRS-One, Mogwai, Joan Jett, Yo La Tengo and The Reverend Horton Heat. With a reputation built by carefully collecting a wide range of acts that stretch from virtual unknowns and soon-to-be bigs to of-the-minutes and legends, the club has garnered the respect of the notoriously hard to please New York music community. Now approaching it’s sixth birthday, Southpaw shows no signs of slowing down. They have recently opened Down South, their second in-house bar which, in traditional New York fashion, is located below the main space. Down South will serve to augment the already massive 5,000 square feet that the club has at its disposal. Booking is selective but fair and local acts are welcomed. Overall, SouthPaw’s lovingly cared for space offers both bands and spectators a solid place to commune with one another over through a great sound system and very delicious beer.

Booking: doug@jellynyc.com, telstarrec@aol.com

Local acts should contact: dom@spsounds.com

Address: 125 5th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217

Phone: (718) 230-0236

Web: www.spsounds.com

STUDIO PROFILE:

AVATAR STUDIOS

Avatar Studios is one of the premier recording studios in New York, NY. Having an extensive repertoire of recorded artists and hi-end equipment, including Aaliyah, Aerosmith, Franz Ferdinand, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Neil Young, Anthrax, Ozzy, Panic! At the Disco, Iggy Pop, J-Lo, Stone Temple Pilots, David Bowie, Yo-Yo Ma and Meat Loaf, Avatar is experienced and ready for musicians. As an added honor, they have been noted in the album credits of other famous stars, such as Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Sting, Bjork and Dave Matthews. Avatar can drop some serious names. After having passed through the doorway of Avatar, one can only look in wonder at the six beautiful studios spaces, enormous and full of recording gear. Studio A is impressive enough, with a giant canopy ceiling used for recording drums and the like. Studio G is equipped with a small live room, for the occasional performance that goes on at the space. As far as music equipment goes, Avatar boasts the largest collection of Pultec Equalizersin the world. Included in their list of toys are the Fairchild 670 Stereo Tube Compressor, Telefunken V77 Tube Microphone Pre Amps, and the Weiss ADC2 A/D converter. All things considered, Avatar Studios stays true to their motto, “Your Sound, Above All.”

Address: 441 West 53rd St.New York, NY

Phone: (212) 765-7500

Email: tino@avatarstudios.net

Website: avatarstudios.net

IN THE NEWS

The GoStation, a New York City based Indie Pop band, are offering a limited number of free copies of their debut album Passion Before Function. The album was released in September 2007 but fans who get people to sign up for The GoStation’s OurStage fan page will receive a free copy of the CD.

www.thegostation.com

Randall Shreve, the New York City musician who released The Cure for Yesterday in 2006, is working on his sophomore album titled The Entertainer. The album is slated to release in early summer, after having been postponed from a May release. A pre-release version of the song "Hollywood" is available through Shreve’s newsletter.

www.randallshreve.com

Powerpop group the Kung Fu Girls are on tour with The Plain White T’s and Mae and will be hitting the east coast near the end of June. The vocalists, Mia and Ava Koo, are scheduled to play in Philadelphia, Long Island, Atlantic City, Providence, Hartford, Newport, RI, Hampton Beach, NH and Hyannis, MA throughout June and July.

www.thekungfugirls.com

Coming off a Europe tour opening for Alicia Keys, The Ruling Party will be in studio until June working on new material. Their melodic brand of pop-rock gained recognition in Europe during the tour and they released a three track CD featuring their single “No Place to Hide.”

www.therulingparty.com

New York duo The Ropes will be touring England in June, but will return for a benefit concert in Rochester, NY near the end of the month. Their pop and new wave tinged rock was showcased most recently on the EP Cry to the Beat, but they have plans for a full length album in 2008.

www.theropesonline.com

Recently re-christened Gabriel the Marine, formerly known as The Farewell Effect has switched musical routes in order to incorporate more of their backgrounds of blues, jazz and classical into their indie rock music. Gabriel, a character created by the band, symbolizes their experiences and personal stories, reflecting their evolution as band members and humans. The band will be playing shows throughout New York in June and July.

www.myspace.com

/gabrielthemarine

British folk artist Will Knox will be strumming his way through the NY/NJ/PA area during his summer tour. He will be in New York City August 6th playing at the Rockwood Music Hall for the Rebel Spirit Music series.

www.myspace.com/

willknoxmusic

Moving Mountains, an indie rock band from Westchester, NY, will be wrapping up their summer tour by playing at Fontanas in New York City on August 1st.

www.myspace.com/

movingmountains

Three New York City electronica experimental rock bands, Battles, Black

Dice and Gang Gang Dance, will come together to play at the Central Park Summer Concert Series on August 16.
www.summerstage.org

NY label World’s Fair is releasing a vinyl treatment of the Dandy Warhol’s first

EP, Earth to the Dandy Warhols on August 19. This will be the sixth LP for Portland, OR’s psych-rock veterans.

www.worlds-fair.net

Local artists from all over New York and Brooklyn such as The Felice Brothers, Grizzly Bear, Alberta Cross, The Virgins, Forro in the Dark, Nicole Atkins, Earl

Greyhound and Ben Jelen will come together with headlining artists Radiohead and Jack Johnson and many others in this summer’s All Points West festival in Jersey City, NJ on August 8, 9, and 10.

www.apwfestival.com

Brooklyn’s Trash Bar is celebrating its fourth anniversary by producing its first CD. The disc will be comprised of live recordings of 15 of the venues’ favorite NY rock and punk artists.

www.thetrashbar.com

On August 1 Wolf Parade will be playing Terminal 5 on 56th St. It will be an all ages show, $20 in advance and $22 at the door.

www.subpop.com/artists/

wolf_parade

Architect, a grindcore band out of Syracuse, is recording their second album, Ghost of the Saltwater Machines. It will be available at the end of the summer, or early fall.

www.myspace.com/

architectkills

The Melvins and Big Business will be stopping in NY on August 13 and 14, playing at the Music Hall Of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom.

www.themelvins.net