Dave Collins (Sting, Metallica, Soundgarden)

Dave Collins is a Grammy-winning mastering engineer located in Pasadena, California. With more than 30 years of experience, Collins built a new state-of-the-art facility ‘from the sound up’ in consultation with acoustician Thomas Jouanjean of Northward Acoustics. Collins’ credits include Sting, Metallica, Soundgarden, D’Angelo, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna, as well as numerous major film soundtracks.

As an experienced mastering engineer, how can you help aspiring mixers and producers improve their mixes?

I’d say the most important thing would be to focus on the song and the arrangement. Try to ignore the visual distractions of spectrum analyzers, the DAW, and so on. No one ever says, “I can’t believe how great that mix looks!”

As a mastering engineer, I’m hearing the song for the first time and responding to how it makes me feel. That impartiality and ability to listen to the song holistically - as the listener will - is the critical job skill. While there is an excessive emphasis on equipment and processing today, the fan does not care how you achieved the result, just that you did, and the music touched their heart. Taste and musical communication are really what I’m providing to a client.

Referencing your mixes in several environments can be helpful; everyone has a favorite place, be it the car or a small system - which frequently points out things you missed on the fancy monitors!