Magic Garden Mastering is a boutique facility in Atwater Village, Los Angeles, run by accomplished mastering engineer Brian Lucey. Credits include Michael Bublé, Elvis Costello, Shania Twain, Chet Faker, Lucinda Williams, Depeche Mode and The Black Keys, as well as the soundtrack to many hit movies and streaming series. Last week his client Juanes won the Best Latin Rock or Alternative Grammy for “Origen”, which is the 7th time he’s mastered a Grammy winner.
Recently, Lucey upgraded his room to Dolby Atmos capability, making Magic Garden the first analog dominant Atmos-capable mastering studio in the world. The overhaul included the addition of ten speakers to create a 7.1.4 system as well as extra amplifiers, digital-to-analog converters, audio interfaces, an advanced speaker optimization system and dozens of analog EQs.
We got a chance to talk shop with Lucey and get the inside scoop on his history in the industry, his thoughts on the developing art of Dolby Atmos mastering and what it took to create this setup.
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