"I use my API 2500 compressor on a daily basis for mastering work as it adds a nice texture and musicality to a wide variety of mixes. One of the things I love about this compressor is its ability to keep drums punching through in a mix. It can be fast and aggressive in the feed forward (New) mode or less aggressive and more transparent in the feedback mode (Old). The knee options and THRUST® modes also help to tailor compression for a wide variety of compression styles. I also love the added 'smack' when running this unit in M/S, it can be ideal for electronic music to maintain a strong center image and slamming drums.
"The API 5500 is also in regular use, sometimes just passing signal through without any EQ can be nice just for the tone and color of this unit. Other times using a half dB here or there to help poke an instrument through a mix when it feels a bit weak or buried. My favorite aspect of this EQ is the low bands. It remains my favorite EQ for cutting and boosting low end because it sounds so tight and focused."
Founded in 2000, Gray brought his nineteen years of band experience full circle when he began focusing on mastering. With over 3,000 titles in his repertoire encompassing a multitude of genres, Gray has mastered for a plethora of international artists such as Pixie Lott, IM5, CJ Baran, Powderfinger, The Middle East, Emily Williams, Drawn From Bees and Daysend. Gray's studio balances vintage and modern mastering analog equipment alongside leading edge digital processors. This year he plans to build a new room in a commercial warehouse facility designed by Thomas Jouanjean of Northward Acoustics.
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