Oct 1, 2001 12:00 PM

Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs
130 West 42nd Street, Ste. #1000
New York, NY 10036

Tel.: 212/302-8300
Fax: 212/764-3466

www.frankfordwayne.com
Email: tlsteele@ix.netcom.com

If the soul of New York is its diversity, then Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs mirrors the eclectic essence of the city. And like New York itself, Frankford/Wayne has been around for a long time–35 years, to be exact–which, in the volatile media and entertainment industry, is more than a lifetime.

Tom Steele started Frankford/Wayne's mastering operations in 1966, first as part of the Philadelphia recording institution Sigma Sound Studios–home of the famous Philly Sound and the writing/production team of Gamble & Huff. There, he gained a firm footing in the rootsy music that endures today, and soon after, he opened his own facility nearby. It was at Frankford/Wayne that the heroes of East Coast soul, including the O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass and Lou Rawls, among many others, came for their mastering. Philadelphia was also where Steele began a lifelong affinity with independent record labels, which positioned the facility well for the future. In 1973, Steele opened a branch of Frankford/Wayne in Manhattan, which is now home base.

Today's Frankford/Wayne facility is a serendipitous combination of the facility's heritage and the pro audio industry's cutting edge. Staff mastering engineers Duncan Stanbury, Michael Sarsfield and Greg Vaughn work out of Studios A, B and C, respectively, with a technology collection that spans the generations, from tube compressors and analog equalizers to the latest in SADiE digital audio workstations and other systems, including the Sony DAE-3000, Harmonia Mundi consoles, Sony 1630 with Apogee modifications, and the Lexicon LFI-10 controller.

Frankford/Wayne has established itself as the premier mastering facility specializing in urban music, and regularly masters for the leaders in rap, hip hop, dance and house, such as Dr. Dre, Erykah Badu, Lost Boyz and Bone Thugs. But the staff covers all genres, with work for artists such as Elton John, Deborah Gibson and Joe Jackson. "Rock, pop, gospel, even Irish clogging music–we've seen and heard and done it all here," muses Tracy Steele, daughter of Frankford/Wayne's founder and the facility's general manager.

Frankford/Wayne's expertise has also made it one of the leading facilities in the world for vinyl mastering. Artists and producers from Tokyo to London, and all points in between, rely on Frankford/Wayne as the definitive mastering solution for vinyl dance mixes. Roots that extend back to the Philadelphia Sound have remained alive and vital, and manifest themselves today at Frankford/Wayne in records that top the charts of the lingua franca of global entertainment–dance and club music.

And as you might expect from a family business, the studio has a family feel about it, from the warmth of its analog sound to the large, comfortable and inviting lounge area, complete with (very analog) pinball machines."

"When you've been in business this long, you learn a few things about what the music needs and how people want to be treated," says Steele. "And in the music business, being in business for over 30 years truly does speak for itself."

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