Sam Kumar Tandon

still growing, still learning 🌹♥️ thank you

Today we’d like to make a very special shoutout to @samkumartandon from @rosequartzmastering Sam and his team have made every dream of ours possible through their absolutely incredible mastering work. Never have we ever known an engineer as creative, understanding, innovative and kind as Sam. He is a secret, yet essential, member of T H R O N E. We love this dude, as a fellow artist (engineering at his level IS an art) and as a dear friend. Thank you Sam and thank you @rosequartzmastering

sounds great in here

Happy Release Day @carolineonthego !! A 12-song LP recorded live in one take with Caroline’s Music City family. When @nicholaskenton.wav sent over the mixes for mastering, I was hooked after hearing song 1! Here’s a short clip from a few months ago, taken during the analog print session for the LP. The analog treatment comprised the @undertoneaudio UnFairchild 670II and nothing else. Caroline, Nik, and the whole team have managed to put other a record that I’m certain will outlive us all. Grateful to be a small part of it 🌹

RA. - IT’S NOT FAIR always a pleasure to finish records with @ra.band_ mastered with might! #analogmastering

I’ve been writing quite a bit about topics in which I’m interested. This week’s musings came to life because @bradtuller sparked an interesting conversation and I could not leave it alone until I had collected all of my thoughts. Mastering and mix bus processing are frequently conflated, contributing to messy situations late in the production process or worse, a degradation of confidence in said process. In this long-form craft essay, I explore the amorphous lines between refining and redesigning as well as mastering and mix bus processing. There is a sonic demonstration, as well. Much more is in store for the RQ blog. Stay tuned 🌹🤘🏾

Girls Got Nerve - Tired GGN is the only band in town actively kicking ass and making banger DIY punk rock for babes & baddies (I am both a babe & a baddie) Production & Mix: @skydeci Bass: @_averynelsonn_

A few years ago, backpack rap records comprised a rather large portion of the masters here at RQ. I was beyond stoked when @solhefetz and @sev.nth hit me to finish up a nostalgic, generous, and thoughtful LP tiled Across the Seven Seas. Vocals & Lyrics: @sev.nth Features: @deadpanpr @farrockfoley @jackdicee @yuvalkaplan_ @omer_kochba @jake_fonda @corey__dunn Production: @solhefetz Mixed: @_heather.grey Album cover: @zoharzis_art The production team absolutely crushed this record, so it was truly a joy to help bring it to listeners.

Some clips and pics from this weekend @knifaudio Eksa has arrived. It’s been about 2 days and so far the hype is real! Sounds sublime and my EQ woes have seemingly been resolved. If you don’t already know, Jonte Knif and his gnomes in Helsinki, Finland design and build the absolute best analog processors available today. There is nothing available that comes close to the measured and audible performance of these processors. The “default” analog chain now: DA -> Knif Eksa -> Knif Soma -> Knif Vari Mu II -> AD Simple, transparent, and all-Knif. Other units are patchable as desired - Hendyamps Michelangelo, Undertone UnFairchild 670II, Rupert Neve Shelford 5254, Chandler Curve Bender, 1178, various stereo preamps. But the core and default chain will likely remain entirely in the hands of Knif. Also recalibrated the DA and AD on the @lynxstudiotechnology Hilo. The AD was still perfectly L/R matched, but the DA had drifted by a non-insignificant amount, something for which I was compensating via the front end trim pots on the Michelangelo. Seeing as we’re now going straight from DA to Eksa, recalibrating to the thousandth of a volt was non-negotiable! Expect a long-form write-up about Eksa on our website in the next few weeks after I master a few dozen records with it.

mission control, or a comfortable room for finishing records? #masteringstudio

SAN DIEGO FRIENDS Attended sessions have become my favorite way to finish records. It’s fun, it moves fast, and it just feels better when the artist/producer is in the room with me. If you’ve ever been curious about the analog mastering process, come spend a little time at the studio to taste the best chai in town (& to hear the best masters in town!). Song by San Diego’s finest @ra.band_

ramon! - just like me Stoked to have been a small part of Ramon’s second release! Relevant & vulnerable lyrics, bouncy pop production, + brolic drums. I think we’re going to be hearing a lot more from Ramon! Lovely vocals by @heyramon_ Production & Mix by @skydeci Drums by @jake.richter21 Mastered here by @samkumartandon