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JOHN VESTMAN'S BIOGRAPHY - Master Sound Engineer
Great mastering makes music sound its best, and the engineer's background is the foundation for his or her decisions. Some engineers are master technicians who know every resistor in a piece of gear. Some engineers are musicians-turned studio-pros. Some engineers are producers in disguise who can hear a needle in a haystack - from intonation to serious groove.
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The best mastering engineer is a combination of all: technician, sound analyser, producer - with a broad base of sonic experience. Musical experience adds another dimension. When you know what music feels like on stage and you understand that passion, you can bring that dimension into an artist's project.
Key: Whether the mix is benefited by excitement or serenity, it's the point of reference from which any engineer bases his or her influence on your project. Grammy winners Bob Ludwig, Ted Jensen and Doug Sax are great examples of having a classical background as a significant portion of their reference.
Great engineers also have years of experience listening to monitors that are musical and revealing. While not all studios have accurate monitors, they can turn out great product because they've learned how to interpret their speakers relative to the real world. (What you hear in the recording studio is often not what you get.) In mastering, an excellent system is key to optimum sound.
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Add to that reference a daily diet of listening to hundreds of commercial cds, you should feel confident that your mastering engineer gives you a fresh, objective opinion when he or she hears your project.
So with all that said, here's John Vestman's experience:
* 10 Years classical violin. Including in the Orange Coast Symphony, in orchestras that performed in 11 European countries and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion - John has experienced Vivaldi to Stravinsky from both sides of the podium. John's classical background increases the potential for some surprising mastering enhancements.
* 10 years rock band playing lead guitar, electric violin and singing. His band opened for Fleetwood Mac (one time, but hey, it's a great name-dropper), appeared on TV (The Real Don Steele Show, Headshop, so now you know John's age...), recorded in platinum-winning studios, and played in night clubs in 6 states.
* 8 1/2 years of voice training from Andrew Boettner, a Seth Riggs trained teacher. Sang backup vocals on a hundred+ projects, very often doing multiple tracks, and engineering at the same time. Relentless in getting singers to sing great tracks, and his knowledge of technique is invaluable for great vocal sound.
* Performed in college choirs, jazz bands, along with knowing composition, theory, and ear training.
* Engineer and producer in his 24 track studios for over 21 years.
* Recorded thousands of various projects.
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