Writing for Apple, Bija Gutoff gets inside the work habits of mastering engineer Drew Lavyne in a new feature posted to Apple’s Web site called Mastering Elvis. Lavyne mastered the recent Elvis Presley hit “A Little Less Conversation” out of his own apartment/studio using Mac hardware and software.
Gutoff noted that the release of the single was headline news, because the song shot to #1 on the U.K. singles charts, breaking a tie Elvis had maintained with The Beatles for 30 years — it was Presley’s 18th number one hit single, released decades after The King’s death.
Drew Lavyne used a Power Mac G4 to put the song together, using BIAS Peak 3.2 and Waves Master Series plug-ins; he assembled the master using Logic Platinum 6. What’s more, Lavyne proofed the mix on his own iPod.
Lavyne talks about the technical and artistic elements of his work — editing songs to make them radio-friendly, for example, or equalizing a song to adjust the tonal range of the recording to bring out elements that otherwise might remain hidden.
Lavyne calls Macs “the de facto standard for music recording and mastering.” He works on a Power Mac G4 Dual 1GHz running Mac OS X v10.2.6, and he travels with a PowerBook G4. He’s also a self-described “iPod fanatic” and told Gutoff that he’s “first on the list” for a Power Mac G5. Lavyne also depends on a Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) 2408 MK 3 interface, Mackie HR 824 studio monitors, Panasonic SV 3800 DAT recorder and more.
Lavyne is also a musician and composer in his own right, and has helped edit music videos and more. To find out more, check out Apple’s feature article.