# Dave Collins (audio engineer)

Dave Collins is an American Grammy Award winning mastering engineer. He has worked with numerous artists and musicians, including Alice in Chains, Metallica, Soundgarden, Weezer, Grateful Dead, Madonna, Linkin Park, The Police, Porno for Pyros, Oingo Boingo, Alice Cooper, KMFDM, Sepultura, Puscifier, Chris Cornell, Bon Jovi, Buckcherry, Monster Magnet, Sting, Flogging Molly, Bad Religion, Black Sabbath, Blue Öyster Cult, Chevelle and Bruce Springsteen.
Collins has also mastered motion picture soundtrack albums such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Passengers, Jurassic Park, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Schindler's List, and Braveheart.

## Life and career

Dave Collins was born and raised in Hollywood Hills, California. Collins started his career in 1983 as an assistant to Armin Steiner, the American sound engineer and mixer. He worked with Steiner on the 20th Century Fox Scoring Stage until he was hired to work for Digital Magnetics, a new company created by Armin Steiner and his business partner Bruce Botnick, the American sound engineer and record producer. Collins worked as a recordist with the Sony Compact Disc Mastering System for Digital Magnetics in Hollywood from 1983 until 1988. In 1988, Collins was hired by Shelly Yakus, American recording engineer and mixer, to manage the mastering department of A&M Studios in Hollywood. In 1995, Dave Collins was promoted to oversee the four studios as Chief Mastering Engineer at A&M. Collins worked there as Chief Mastering Engineer for 14 years for until the studios were acquired by PolyGram Entertainment in 1999. After A&M’s closure, Dave Collins opened his own mastering studio on Western Avenue, Hollywood, California. In 2016, Collins moved to Pasadena after building two custom studios with Thomas Jouanjean by utilizing the principles of architectural acoustics. This location was also home to Hinge Studios owned by Craig Bauer the American mixing engineer. Collins is married to Christina Preston.

## Awards and recognition

During his career, Collins has worked on 9 Grammy award winning projects and over 30 Grammy award nominated projects. Recently, Collins received two Grammys at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards for his mastering of D’Angelo’s 2016 record Black Messiah which won the Best R&B Album and Record of the Year.

### Grammy awards

| Year | Artist | Album or Song | Category | Result |
| 1989 | Danny Elfman | Batman Movie | Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | Nominated |
| 1989 | Danny Elfman | The Batman Theme | Best Instrumental Composition | Won |
| 1991 | James Horner | Glory | Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | Won |
| 1991 | Danny Elfman | Edward Scissorhands | Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | Nominated |
| 1992 | John Barry | Dances with Wolves | Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | Won |
| 1993 | Danny Elfman | Nightmare Before Christmas | Best Musical Album for Children | Nominated |
| 1993 | Luther Vandross | How Deep is Your Love | Best R&B Male Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 1993 | Luther Vandross | Heaven Knows | Best Rhythm & Blues Song | Nominated |
| 1993 | Luther Vandross | Little Miracles (Happen Every Day) | Best Rhythm & Blues Song | Nominated |
| 1993 | Sting | Demolition Man | Best Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 1994 | Barry White | Practice What You Preach | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 1994 | John Williams | Jurassic Park | Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | Nominated |
| 1995 | John Williams | Schlinder’s List | Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television | Won |
| 1995 | Soundgarden | Spoonman | Best Metal Performance | Won |
| 1995 | Soundgarden | Black Hole Sun | Best Rock Performance | Won |
| 1995 | Barry White | Baby’s Home | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 1995 | Barry White | The Icon is Love | Best R&B Album | Nominated |
| 1997 | Bruce Springsteen | The Ghost of Tom Joad | The Best Contemporary Folk Album | Won |
| 1999 | Chris Cornell | Can't Change Me | Best Male Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated |
| 2006 | Buckcherry | Crazy Bitch | Best Hard Rock Performance | Nominated |
| 2010 | Barry Manilow | The Greatest Love Songs of All Time | Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album | Nominated |
| 2012 | Avett Brothers | The Carpenter | Best Americana Album | Nominated |
| 2016 | D’Angelo and The Vanguard | Black Messiah | Best R&B Album | Won |
| 2016 | D’Angelo and The Vanguard | Really Love | Best R&B Song | Won |
| 2016 | Seth Macfarlane | No One Ever Tells You | Best Traditional Pop Vocal | Nominated |
| 2016 | John Daversa | Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles | Best large Jazz Ensemble | Nominated |
| 2016 | John Daversa | Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds | Best Arrangement, Instrumental or a Cappella | Nominated |
| 2016 | John Daversa | Do You Want to Know a Secret? | Best Arrangement, Instrument and Vocals | Nominated |
| 2017 | Metallica | Hardwired | Best Rock Song | Nominated |
| 2017 | Metallica | Hardwired...To Self Destruct | Best Rock Album | Nominated |
| 2018 | Metallica | Atlas, Rise | Best Rock Song Nomination | Nominated |
| 2018 | Anita Wilson | Sunday Song | Best Gospel Album | Nominated |
| 2018 | Seth Macfarlane | In Full Swing | Best Traditional Pop Vocal | Nominated |
| 2019 | Alice in Chains | Rainier Fog | Best Rock Album | Nominated |

## Selected discography

* 2024: The Linda Lindas, No Obligation — Mastering
* 2023: Dethklok, Dethalbum IV — Mastering
* 2019: Anita Wilson, Here’s to Life — Mastering
* 2018: American Aquarium, Things Change — Mastering
* 2018: Alice in Chains, Ranier Fog — Mastering
* 2018: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 2018: Passengers-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 2018: Victoria & Abdul-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 2018: Bad Religion, The Kids Are Alt-Right — Mastering
* 2017: Brendon Small, Galaktikon II: Become the Storm — Mastering
* 2017: Seth MacFarlane, In Full Swing — Mastering
* 2016: Bruce Springsteen, Chapter & Verse — Mastering
* 2016: Metallica, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct — Mastering
* 2016: D’Angelo, Black Messiah — Mastering
* 2016: Chevelle, The North Corridor — Mastering
* 2015: Puscifier, Money $hot — Mastering
* 2015: Seth MacFarlane, No One Ever Tells You — Mastering
* 2015: Buckcherry, Rock 'n' Roll — Mastering
* 2014: Chevelle, La Gargola — Mastering
* 2014: Maleficent, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 2014: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 2013: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 2013: Nancy Sinatra, Shifting Gears — Mastering
* 2012: Avett Brothers, The Carpenter — Mastering
* 2012: Soundgarden, The Classic Album Selection — Mastering
* 2011: Chris Cornell, Songbook — Mastering
* 2010: Weezer, Death to False Metal — Mastering
* 2010: Toadies, Feeler — Mastering
* 2010: Gin Blossoms, No Chocolate Cake — Mastering
* 2010: Alain Johannes, Spark — Mastering
* 2010: Barry Manilow, The Greatest Love Songs of All Time — Mastering
* 2008: Sepultura, Against/Nation — Mastering
* 2008: Flogging Molly, Float;— Mastering
* 2007: Linkin Park, Minutes to Midnight — Mastering
* 2008: Weezer, Red Album — Mastering
* 2006: Superman Returns, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 2006: Pink Panther, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 2005: Blink-182, Greatest Hits — Mastering
* 2002: Sting, At the Movies — Mastering
* 2000: Alice Cooper, Brutal Planet — Mastering
* 2000: Mötley Crüe, New Tattoo — Mastering
* 1999: Chris Cornell, Euphoria Morning — Mastering
* 1999: Perry Farrell, Rev — Mastering
* 1998: Black Sabbath, Reunion — Mastering
* 1997: Duran Duran, Medazzaland — Mastering
* 1997: The Police, The Very Best of Sting & The Police — Mastering
* 1997: Soundgarden, A-Sides — Mastering
* 1996: Soundgarden, Down on the Upside — Mastering
* 1996: Porno for Pyros, Good God's Urge — Mastering
* 1996: Evita, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 1994: Soundgarden-Superunknown — Mastering
* 1993: Jurassic Park, Original Motion Film Soundtrack — Mastering
* 1993: The Nightmare Before Christmas — Mastering
* 1992: Batman Returns-Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering
* 1991: Luther Vandross, Power of Love — Mastering
* 1990: Edward Scissorhands, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack — Mastering