There is no “best” Mastering Engineer, just as there is no one “best” band or Singer, but there are many who have left their mark on the art form and quite a few who are dominating the field today. There have been countless successful Mastering Engineers whose work should be studied if this is the business you want to get into. Here are a few very well-known names who have worked on some of the biggest titles of the last decade or so:
Randy Merrill. At the 2022 Grammys, Randy Merrill was nominated against himself in both Record and Album of the Year, with a pair of nods in each field. Throughout his career, he has worked with stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
Emily Lazar. At the 2021 Grammys, Emily Lazar made history by earning three nominations in the Album of the Year category. Yes, three at the same time. She was nominated for serving as the Mastering Engineer on Haim’s Women in Music Pt. III, Coldplay’s Everyday Life and Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 3.
Tom Coyne. Before passing away in 2017, Tom Coyne was perhaps the most adored Mastering Engineer in the music industry. Throughout his career, he earned an unbelievable 11 Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, winning four times. That remains a record among those with his job description.
Bob Ludwig. After decades as a working Mastering Engineer, Bob Ludwig has worked on more than 1,000 projects, and the list of artists who have hired him is too long to write. He has been nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy nine times, winning for Mumford & Sons’ Babel, Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories and Beck’s Morning Phase.