David Glasser Comes Down From The Mountain

An award-winning engineer discusses what’s going on in his mastering world

The Editors admit to being a little bit biased when asked about our ‘favorite’ mastering engineers. For example, Paul leans heavily on Justin Perkins, whose reviews appear in this issue, because of his easy accessibility in the Milwaukee area, not far from Paul’s own room.

Mike, whose albums have been mastered by engineers like New York’s Don Grossinger in the past, has a soft spot for Boulder’s Airshow Mastering—which moved to the Rockies in 1997, less than a year after Recording relocated there. Headed up by two-time Grammy® winner David Glasser, Airshow has a decades-long reputation for thoughtful and musical mastering in many genres, including the very demanding fields of folk, blues, bluegrass, modern Americana, and more. In its new facility high in the mountains overlooking Boulder, Airshow continues to hold a place of respect in the mastering world, with ongoing remasters of the Grateful Dead catalog as just one jewel in its crown.

For all that, David remains a friendly and approachable fellow, balancing his mastering work with his hobby (?) of fighting fires in the mountains. It was great to sit down with him over lunch recently and talk about what’s new and what’s enduring in the world of mastering.—MM