Brian Newell: Mastering Engineer

10/04/2021

⚠️ Exciting News! ⚠️
Hey everyone! I’ll be operating under a new name, Lucky Cat Mastering. Much of the internals will be the same, but now the outward presence of my mastering business will be going under that moniker.

Now why the name change? Well that’s for a few reasons.

Firstly, I loved using , but it was kinda confusing. To be honest, it was a working name I came up with in high school and stuck with ever since. I’ve grown a lot not only as a person, but also as an engineer so I have decided to narrow down and focus solely on mastering. The name change also helps differentiate my outward facing business and then myself as a person. The good news is the same person is behind the helm at Lucky Cat and my benewmusic.com presence will be archived for the future.

Secondly, I’ve always wanted to operate a mastering studio and have a name that resonates with me. I love cats, just in general and I fell in love with the maneki neko years ago knowing it brings good luck. It’s one of those things that I instantly fell in love with. I want the logo and the ideals of Lucky Cat Mastering to be rooted in that same luck and tradition as I embrace the heritage of Audio Mastering and combine it with my own workflow.

New opportunities also allow for new ways to give back. 50% of every master will be donated to the AAPI Community Fund (link in bio). Have a song mastered, and give back to a community in need.

Happy to have you here on this journey with me and as always, super excited to bring your music to fruition!

07/03/2021

🪴Growing🪴 Taking some time to read today and grow a little more. Growth doesn’t happen over night (as much as we wish it would), but through the time we dedicate to understanding. I know I’m still learning and have plenty of room to grow!

06/02/2021

⚡️Power Protecion⚡️
Shout out to the gear behind the gear, this APC UPS has been on my wish list for a while. Having your data backed up is a no brainer. But to have a power reserve to keep sessions and hard drives afloat, even if it’s only enough time to save properly, can be critical!

What’s your favorite “behind the scenes” gear in the studio?

30/01/2021

🚀2021 Update🚀

Hey friends, it’s been a while. A lot has happened in the last year and I never expected to be where I am today. All things considered, I’m extremely fortunate to say I’m still here, still mastering, and still honored to put the final touch on artists work.

Here’s a photo from now and 5 years ago 🗓 So much has changed, but I’ll always continue to evolve and adapt as time goes on.

@ Brooklyn, New York

29/01/2021

OUT NOW!

It was my pleasure to Master Olivia's EP. Absolutely honored to be a part of the process and to bring her artistic vision to fruition.

Link and Credits below, please give a listen and a share!

Olivia Mancuso · Single · 2021 · 4 songs.

12/12/2020

🎄Out Now!🎄

Ready to get into the Christmas spirit with something new? Suzie Chism has you covered!

It was my pleasure to master this song!

This is the official music video for Suzie Chism - It's Christmas Time, a Christmas card for Harry Styles. Merci! (lyrics below)///It's Christmas Time is wri...

02/06/2020

11/05/2020

🎧Hearing is Believing🎧 I’ll never forget my first time listening to a real mastering rig. Amazingly tuned room, phenomenal speakers, no expense spared for the integrity of the listening experience. The kind of sound that is microscopic, detailed, but unobtrusively fun at the same time.
Being able to hear minute differences accurately at all levels and through the whole frequency spectrum is imperative to audio mastering. These Audeze LCD-X’s deliver and then some to a degree I haven’t heard since being back in the room. I can’t wait to get some hours on these cans!

08/05/2020

🎓Masterclass🎓
This is the ~*only slightly edited*~ Masterclass I gave to Students and Alumni of SUNY Fredonia on April 30, 2020. In this video I discuss the process of Audio Mastering, everything from receiving files, techniques and tips, all the way to delivery. It’s broken up into 2 parts, a slideshow and a demonstration to visualize and hear the techniques in action. This is a very broad overview of my process and workflow, so you’ll notice some topics are presented but not discussed in depth due to time, but if there’s something you want to know more about, let me know below!
Some parts are edited to improve clarity, and audio during the demonstration was added due to not being recorded.
Link to video in my bio, and to the FREE PDF on my website!

02/05/2020

I had the pleasure to lead a masterclass for current Sound Recording Technologies students at my Alma Mater, SUNY Fredonia!

I discussed Mastering Techniques and Workflow, guiding students through mastering a song from receipt, to processing, to delivery. This is the finished song, and it was a pleasure to show my process to aspiring engineers.

Take a listen to the song below and be on the look out for some highlights from the class!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2890636497678726&id=100001972120698

28/04/2020

⚙️Gear Appreciation Post⚙️ My 250EQ is truly one of a kind. Paying homage to the venerable Sontec 250EQ, this one is similar but with some slight modifications.
1) It is in a 500 series format (and first in the chain to leave it plenty of headroom).
2) The gain pots are modded where each line is *roughly* 1db, not 3 to provide more subtle boosts and cuts.
3) Incorporates Pier Paolo’s APP992 v2 DOA’s on input and output, sounding nothing short of phenomenal.
4) It is used almost exclusively in MS mode.
Keeping Un-stepped gear in MS provides amazing phase matching with super tight tolerances. Notice in the next graph the gain applied and yes, those are two lines representing the L and R channels are matched perfectly. @ Brooklyn, New York

25/04/2020

🔥Crunch Time Music Video, Out NOW!🔥
I had the pleasure to master this song for the wonderful Ken Nai! Super fun and upbeat 🏀

the single has now gone from an everyday anthem, obtaining high streams and daily spins to a full for your viewing pleasure. I had to...