After I recorded and mixed my first record in 1979, I handed over the master tapes to the record company. After hearing the final product, I discovered how important the mastering process was. The mastering engineer transformed my sophomoric effort into something that sounded professional. For the next twenty years, I attended every mastering session for every record I was involved in. I looked over the shoulders of some of the greats like Bernie Grundman, Bob Ludwig, and George Marino. I saw first hand the awkward transition from vinyl to digital in the ’80s, experienced the technology boom of the ’90s and later the surround debacle. I felt it was only a matter of time before I would want to try my hand at mastering and knew that my background as a recording engineer would give me a useful perspective on the process.
As early as ‘95, I was mastering CDs for demo projects using an early version of ProTools and a now-discontinued software program call Masterlist. In 2000 I had the opportunity to help design and engineer a mastering suite at the famous Plant Recording Studios in Sausalito, California. Over the next seven years, I crafted my mastering skills in a world-class setting. Because The Plant catered to major label artists, I was expected to be good the first day on the job. It was my perfectionism and attention to detail that served me well. I would check and double-check everything I did. Even after the client left, I would continue to work on their project until I was satisfied. It is a huge responsibility to master someone’s CD. As the years passed, I sharpened my skills, gained confidence, and developed my own approach to mastering. My reputation was growing, and I had many repeat clients. Although the mastering business continued to grow during my seven-year tenure, in January 2008, I was told The Plant Recording Studios was closing its doors after a thirty-five-year run.
In April 2008, I moved my mastering business to my home. I had already built a room for mixing and only needed a few more pieces of gear to maintain the high-quality mastering I was accustomed to at The Plant. Without the high overhead, I was faced with at The Plant; I can deliver as good a product at a much lower fee.
John Cuniberti
MASTERING DISCOGRAPHY
Selected Clients:
| Rouge Wave PJ Harvey Jerry Garcia Chickenfoot Dave Matthews Jesse Colin Young Lyrics Born Natasha James Tea Leaf Green The Stone Foxes The Rubinoos Life Savas |
Sound Tribe Sector 9 Thomas Dolby Aerosmith Dead Kennedys Blue Turtle Seduction Kevin Gilbert Neville Brothers Ray Manzarek Blackalicious The Grateful Dead Sonia Dada 20min. Loop |
Aaron Neville Tracy Chapman Basic Rock Outfit David Jacobs Strain Gift Of Gab Loop Station Marty Dread Ringo’s Allstar Band Joe Satriani The Funky Meters DJ Shadow Negramaro |
Incomplete Client List:
| Eddie & The Fire Eaters | 2 Face | 20min. Loop |
| 4 Minute Mile | 9 Red Sun | A. Kadence |
| Aaron Neville | Absent Society | Aeon Drive |
| Aerosmith | Ahia | Alanna |
| Alisa Fineman | Amadaye | Ambience |
| Amygdala Hijack | Ana Porter | Anatomix Comix |
| Andre Tonelli | Andrew Dice Clay | Andy Finn |
| Angel Corput Christi | Angel Face | Antihero |
| Antiproduct | Appleseed Band | Auto Punch |
| Autopilot | Autopunch | Axis |
| Babatunde Lea | Bacchus Brothers | Backlight |
| Bad Azz | Bag of Toys | Basic Rock Outfit |
| Beholded | Benjamin Cortez | Beth Waters |
| Big Bang Theory | Big Chill | Big Lou |
| Bill Noteman $ The Rockets | Billy Griffin | Billy Joslyn |
| Bing and the Bingtones | Bird Monster | Bix Weir |
| Blackalicious | Bleed The Day | Blu99 |
| Blue Turtle Seduction | Blueland | Bob Pokorny |
| Bob Stewart | Bobby E | Boomshanka |
| Breathe | Brian Wetzel | Brikk Atomz |
| Broken Dolls | Bryan Wright | Bully |
| Buttercup | Carl Lee | Cas Lucas |
| Case in Theory | Celly Cell | Charlie Horse |
| Charlie Manhattan | Chief X-Cell | Chow Nasty |
| Christopherussell | Chronic | Citizen Sage |
| Claire Fischer | Clara Bellino | Clayton J Foor |
| Cloud City Rejects | Colm Mulvey | Comix Flux |
| Concrete | Cornerstone Church | Cosmo |
| Count Salaz | Cousin Kevin | Cradle |
| Craig T Cooper | Critical Mass | Crosstops |
| Crucial Torque | Cryptobiotic | Cryptobiotic |
| Crypton | Curt Campbell | Curtis Clifton |
| D-Milli | Da Sakk is Fatt | DADA |
| Damaged Souls | Dan Mechem | Darcy Menard |
| Dark Side Of The Cop | Dave Matthews | David Jacobs Strain |
| David London | David M’ore | Day One Symphony |
| Dead Kennedys | Dead On Planet Earth | Debora Iyall |
| Deep Sea | Delmag | Delta Activity |
| Dena Cali | Detroit Disciples | Diamond Back |
| Diego’s Umbrella | Diggsville | DJ Shadow |
| Djizoes | Dolly Rocker | Doug Doppler |
| Dreamachine | Drisnit | Dryspell |
| DustHamilton Field | Earl Zero | Easystreet |
| Echo Of Souls | Eddy Bee | Edmund Simental |
| Einstoned | Elephone | Elias Negash |
| Elisa | Ella & Julien Vaught | Elvis Jackson |
| Ember | Emekhet | Esbee Aka Baby Cougnut |
| Essence | Estradasphere | Eve Shahoian |
| Event Cell | Evolution Eden | Eyeque |
| Fall In March | Fam-Cyrk | Flinch |
| Florent Atem | Foreign Legion | Forget About Boston |
| Fragile Massy | Francesca Sortino | Frank Acosta |
| Frankie Boots | Free Lunch Line | Fugitives |
| Fujimoto | Furia | G Cell |
| G-3 | G-Man & L-Chedda | garageband.com |
| Garaj Mahal | Gene Viale | GHS-3 |
| Gift Of Gab | Gimbo | Girl Named T |
| Glimpse | Glitter Mini 9 | Global Funk |
| Gmoney | Goodword | Gozosa |
| Grand | Graziano Romani | Greg Blatman |
| Gregg’s Eggs | H2O | Handsome Devils |
| Harmonic Tribe | Harvey Cartel | Hectic Watermelon |
| Henchman | I Am Empire | II Big |
| Industrial Strength | ING | Issue Ten |
| James Blade | James Blonde | Jan White |
| Janie Byrd | Jason Schimmel | Jennie De Voe |
| Jennings Radio | Jerry Garcia | Jesse Colin Young |
| Jim Curry | Jimmy Leslie | Joey Curtin |
| Johannes Linstead | John Czajkowski | John Grassadonia |
| John O’Brian | John Swerdan | Johnthan Bruke |
| Jolie Holland | Jon Robin | Jon Stiles |
| Jordan | Josh Fix | Josh Levy |
| Joyo Velarde | Julian Summerhill | Julie Shubert |
| Junkshen | KAO TAO | Kaolin Core Sonic |
| KARMA | Kaye Bohler Band | KD Brosia |
| Keith England | Kevin Gilbert | Kevin Kern |
| Kingcrow | Kiss The Girl | Kobby |
| Kultur Shock | Lateef and the Chief | Lauren Murphy |
| Lean | Lee Maj7 | Legion Of Mary |
| Leslie Cheung | Life Savas | Lil’ Brian |
| Linda Arceo | Linda Imperial | Little Roger & The Goosebumps |
| Loop Station | Loose Acoustic Trio | Love Trio With Uroy |
| Low Fat | Low Poster | Lowki |
| Lyrics Born | Man Made God | Mankind Obsolete |
| Marcia Juell | Marco Minnemann | Mark Allen – Piccolo |
| Mark Dobrin | Mark Smotroff | Maroons |
| Marty Dread | Marty Rudnick | Mechanizm |
| Melissa Ludwig | Michael Joy | Michael Smith |
| Michelle Abby | Mike Relm | Ming Fai |
| Mink | Mister Loveless | Mistonocivo |
| Mofonics | Monkey Ska | Monkey |
| Moonstack | Mud | My New Life |
| Myloekoe | Mynis | Mystery Feet |
| Natasha James | NDV | Negramaro |
| Neville Brothers | New Mastersounds | Next Phaze |
| Nobody | Nothing But Heat | Nova Vox |
| Nuclear Rabbit | Nuralisis | Omar Sosa |
| One Day Symphony | One Tribe | Outlawz |
| P’taah | Pat Downing | Pat Nevins |
| Patrick Curtin | Paul Phillips | Peter Coward |
| Phobalo | Phoenix Ash | Picket Line |
| Picket Line | Pimp Talk 2001 | PJ Harvey |
| Planet Hell | Pleasure Trip | Priscilla Ederle |
| Problem Child | Prozack | PTP |
| Push | Rappin-4 tay | Raw Sun |
| Ray Manzarek | Reaction 31 | Red Eye Express |
| Red Means Go | Renderfly | Renee Sabastian |
| ReRunner | Revolution | Rex 84 |
| REX84 | Richard Fariña & Eric Von Schmidt | Rick Kellogg |
| Rider Life | Ringo’s Allstar Band | Roberta Donnay |
| Roger Smith | Rogue | Rouge Wave |
| Rubber Side Down | Rudy Ray Moore | Rusty Squeezebox |
| Ruthos | Ruthost | Saint |
| Sargon | SDS | Second Set |
| Send For Help | Shannon Bryant | Shine Like Stars |
| Short Bus | Siclo | Silver Griffin |
| Sky Machine | Slender | Slender |
| Slience Chair | Sloppy Meat Eaters | Smoov-E |
| Snowboy | Sofa Kings | Something Else |
| Sonia Dada | Sound Tribe Sector 9 | Sparrows Point |
| Spearhead | Splyt | Staple |
| Stellavision | Steve Holbrook | Steve Judkins Band |
| Steve Smith | Still | Stone Cutters |
| Stone Foxes | Stu Hamm | Suite 304 |
| Surrounded By Ninjas | T-Double | Tea Leaf Green |
| Teri Falini | Terry Ashkinos | The Arcadists |
| The Attachments | The Attachments | The Bellyachers |
| The Blacks | The Brodys | The Crosstops |
| The Funky Meters | The Girlfriend Experience | The Grateful Dead |
| The Howlers | The Jimmys | The Mike Metz Band |
| The Moving Picture | The New Up | The New Up |
| The Night Crawlers | The Pine Cones | The Quince |
| The Rubinoos | The Servents | The Stone Foxes |
| The Struts | The Supernova | The Thang |
| The Vox | Thin Acid Angel | Think 13 |
| Thomas Dolby | Thrillville | Thunderbugs |
| Tincture | Tommy Osuna | Tommy Thomsen |
| Topadahill | Toppadahill | Torque Twins |
| Totem Park | Toy Matinee | Tracy Chapman |
| Trip Device | Tripavon | Ubiquity |
| UDI | Valerie Jay | Van Solkov |
| Vanessa Van Spall | Vapor Tank | Vegas De Milo |
| Veronica Lustre | Vickie Frelow | Virgin Suicide |
| Vital Information | Wide Hive Records | Will Bernard |
| Worlds Apart | Zero |