Oct 1, 2001 12:00 PM

Masterdisk
545 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036

Tel.: 212/541-5022
Fax: 212/265-5645

www.masterdisk.com
Email: traci@masterdisk.com

Masterdisk has established itself as a true brand in the field of audio mastering, an instantly recognizable name that is associated with quality. It is also constantly and organically evolving, adding three new core competencies to its audio mastering specialties: 5.1 surround mastering, a dramatically expanded DVD compression/authoring division, and Enhanced CD creation.

Masterdisk has six mastering suites, manned by an award-winning group of veteran and musically diverse mastering engineers: Chief Engineer Andy VanDette, Leon Zervos, Roger Lian, Howie Weinberg, Tony Dawsey and Drew Anderson. "The music market has become incredibly diverse," says Zervos. "But from rock to rap, orchestral to Latino, we've covered every genre out there."

The unifying factor at Masterdisk's audio mastering operations is the custom-built equipment: mastering consoles and monitoring systems, tailored by Masterdisk Technical Director Don Cuminale, working with input from each engineer. The result is highly personalized mastering environments in which the technology is reliable and consistently accurate.

The facility pioneered the still-burgeoning realm of 5.1 surround mastering, which commenced with Drew Anderson's studio in 1998. Since then, Masterdisk has taken a leadership position in the multichannel music market, which many expect to see blossom this year as major labels announce plans for scores of new and catalog surround music titles.

That same desire to stay at the leading edge of new technologies and formats, and to influence the directions that pro audio takes, were at the core of Masterdisk CEO Doug Levine's decision two years ago to implement DVD authoring. What began as a single Sonic Solutions workstation has grown to a multiroom, multifaceted new department occupying a floor adjacent to the audio mastering division. Scheduled to open in Q3, 2001, the new division will also feature Avid online digital editing services. And what had been the original DVD suite has been converted into a high-end theatrical playback environment, complete with surround audio and a large projection screen. States Masterdisk Chief Engineer Andy VanDette, "The key to success for the next 25 years is the same as it was the last 25 years: Provide clients with the right tools and expertise to complete their creative vision in a comfortable, relaxed environment."

Over the years, Masterdisk has proven its ability to carefully monitor larger market trends and adapt to them. The facility stays ahead of the technology curve by being proactive with the formats and platforms it believes will become the most successful–then developing expertise in those areas. "Both 5.1 audio and DVD authoring are perfect examples of exactly that approach to the business," observes Levine. Though Masterdisk has developed into a true multimedia entity, audio mastering remains at the heart of the business. "There's more music coming out than ever before, and it's being made under all sorts of circumstances, with multiple producers and multiple engineers working at multiple studios on a single project," Zervos comments. "Mastering, as the last opportunity for quality control in this process, has never been more critically important than it is now."

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