Today we’d like to introduce you to Martina Albano.
Martina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always had a strong passion for music growing up. At 18, I moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music, where I studied Contemporary Writing and Production. I quickly realized that, while I loved to play music and singing, I had an even stronger interest in the production and engineering aspect.
In 2014, I spent time in Los Angeles assisting the film composer Nima Fakhrara. Here I had the opportunity to work on the creation of original sound libraries for the video game Resident Evil Revelation2.
This experience really pushed me to dive deeper into the engineering aspect of the production. I started recording, producing and mixing songs for myself as well as other artists. I stumbled into mastering and I fell in love with it. I realized that there was a huge need for it and that very few people were choosing this path as their career choice. I had access to a studio with great acoustics that allowed me to develop great ear training and practice good habits. I also was able to quickly develop a good client base that allowed me to establish myself as a mastering engineer. The process of mastering is extremely interesting and fun to me. I also really enjoy the opportunity I get with every project to truly help artists get their music heard in the best possible way. The mastering process allows for music to reach it’s the best form of presentation and for it to really connect with people. My goal with each record is to enable every listener to be drawn into the music and enjoy to the fullest the art that the music is expressing. It’s so incredibly beautiful to be part of so many people’s creation. As now I have worked on about 500 tracks for artists all over the world and I have many more lined up!
In 2015, I was elected Governor, serving on the engineer seat, of the Atlanta chapter of The Recording Academy. I have served on the board since then. I also serve on The Recording Academy Producer and Engineer Wing committee and Education committee as well as participating in their advocacy work with Georgia Music Partners.
I am currently in the process of building my own mastering facility and starting a new professional adventure. It’s exciting!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being a woman working in a male-dominated field hasn’t been the smoothest road. While I definitely ran into some issues, I also see many positive aspects of it. I was lucky enough to work with many many great male engineers and only meet a handful of unprofessional ones.
Starting with something that is unexpected in the industry, like being a woman doing mastering, opened up a great array of opportunity for me to create a truly unique brand. I realized that, like many women, I am very caring and love to help grow and develop any project I believe in. This is something that really characterizes the way I conduct business and the quality of my services. It also makes me stand out more and people remember me better. This is something that, at first, used to bother me quite a bit. I didn’t want to be hired just because I was a woman. Yet I realized that this uniqueness provided me a foot in the door. If I followed up with great work, then it was worth it! I made it a point to always do my best – always be prepared, well informed and dedicated at the maximum. I try to inspire as many young women interested in audio engineering as possible. I was lucky enough to meet and learn from great women in audio such as Chrissy Tignor, Susan Rodgers, Patricia Sullivan and Daniela Rivera. It has been so important to meet people that inspire and mentor me, in the development of my career.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I run my own business for Music Mastering. It is the last process in the production of music and audio for films as well. In a nutshell, in my opinion, there are two goals of mastering. First, I make sure that the music I receive translates well to every system it is played on: home stereo systems, car, phone, club and anything in between. There are many elements that can get in a way of that and it is my job to ensure the best possible translation. Secondly, I try to create the best experience for the listeners. I have to take into consideration some psychoacoustic factors of how humans perceive a sound, create a memory of it and recollect it. I also have to understand the intention of the music and help it achieve its best presentation.
I am proud of the fact that I not only help artists achieve a high-quality product but also that through the past years I have been able to inspire artists to discover how they can improve their music and be more knowledgeable about how to best realize their art. I love the possibility to create a community of artist that creates quality work because ultimately it will create a better community of listeners as well. I love music and believe it has an incredible ability to connect and communicate with people. Being able to influence the communication between artists and listeners is incredible and I am very honored to be part of this process.
I have a fresh approach to mastering and being a musician myself gives me a particular perspective on mastering that other engineers may not have. I understand the process of writing, producing and performing music and I have great respect for musicians and their creation.
What were you like growing up?
I have always had a passion for both mathematics and artistic expression, whether it was music, visual art or other any expression media really.
I did gymnastics for about ten years and developed a great sense of work ethic and self-discipline. It really serves me well today. Being self-employed can get pretty hard at times.
I also am an older sister and have always loved to help my sister as much as I could. This also stuck to me as I love being able to motivate people and help them become the best version of themselves. I really like to be able to grow with people around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.martinaalbano.com
- Phone: (617)455-8944
- Email: martinaalbanomusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: martinaalbano_m
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marti.albano
Image Credit:
Vanessa Hamb
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
