W3: The Changing Role of the Mastering Engineer

Chair:
Bob Katz, Digital Domain, Orlando, FL, USA

Panelists:
Dave Davis, QCA Mastering, Cincinnati, OH, USA
David Glasser, Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO, USA
Glenn Meadows, Emerald Entertainment, Nashville, TN, USA
Alan Silverman, Arf! Digital, New York, NY, USA
Jonathan Wyner, M Works, Cambridge, MA, USA

Technology is moving ahead faster than humans can think, and acronyms are accumulating at light speed. The computer has also changed the way we work. Six experts in the art of digital mastering discussed the history of audio mastering, the sociological impact of the technological changes of audio to the art of mastering, the changes in the techniques of mastering caused by techno-logical advances, and how the twenty-first century mastering engineers are approaching their art and science. Specific mastering techniques with new technologies, such as DVD-A, 5.1 and SACD, were also presented.