My Story
When I graduated from college I knew that I wanted to be a mastering engineer. My interest in mastering started when I was attending the Art Institute of Seattle for a BS in Audio Design Technology. It was a very special day in my Digital Audio III class when the instructor gave an introductory lecture about mastering followed by a demonstration on how to “safely” master the projects our class had been working on that quarter.
I was hooked from that point on. I wanted to know every aspect of mastering and what it would take to get good at it. Unfortunately, the Audio Design Technology program did not include mastering in the curriculum because of how complex the process is. Determined to learn more, I did my own studies on mastering. I read every book, watched every video I could find, and even enrolled in several online mastering classes. After a year of research, I felt confident about the basics and began searching for an internship so I could get a fully immersive experience on the mastering process.
Sadly, I was turned down for every internship I applied for. Nobody would give me the time of day because of my lack of experience. I then turned my efforts to searching for a few mentors who could give me the guidance I was needing. I was lucky enough to be connected with a mentor who was a veteran of mastering in the area. Not only did he give me guidance, he invited me to his studios to show me his process. After meeting with him several times I finally felt like I had the confidence to take the leap into freelancing on my own.
Freelancing was not my original idea. I wanted to work in an already established mastering studio, but that never became a reality for me. Some of the best advice I have heard is: “if you want to get your foot in the door, build your own door and put your foot through it…”
…So on Labor Day of 2014 I founded Matthew Wolk Mastering.