Ted Jensen

Secondary Skills: Recording Engineer, Mixing Engineer, Producer

Active: 1970s to Present

Ted Jensen is one of the world’s most respected mastering engineers, renowned for his precision, musicality, and ability to enhance the emotional impact of a mix without sacrificing its integrity. Over five decades at Sterling Sound, Jensen has mastered hundreds of gold and platinum albums spanning rock, pop, metal, and R&B. His clients include The Eagles, Madonna, Billy Joel, Green Day, Norah Jones, and Metallica, making his name synonymous with sonic excellence.

“Mastering isn’t about changing a mix. It’s about understanding it, respecting it, and helping it reach its full potential.”

Notable Recordings by Ted Jensen

Ted Jensen Biography

Born in Connecticut in 1954, Ted Jensen began his career in the early 1970s at Sterling Sound in New York City, apprenticing under legendary mastering engineers Lee Hulko and George Marino. Jensen’s background in both electronics and musicianship gave him a unique technical and artistic sensibility that soon made him one of the studio’s most sought-after engineers.

By the late 1970s, Ted Jensen was mastering major releases for artists such as The Eagles and Billy Joel, establishing his reputation for clean, dynamic, and natural sound. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the defining figures of the CD era, mastering some of the most influential albums of the time including Madonna’s Vogue, The Eagles’ Hotel California (reissues), and Green Day’s American Idiot. His meticulous approach balanced loudness, depth, and tone in a way that retained musicality while meeting the evolving demands of contemporary production.

In the 2010s, Ted Jensen relocated with Sterling Sound to Nashville, continuing his legacy in a facility designed for both analogue and high-resolution digital mastering. He remains one of the industry’s most in-demand engineers, known for his commitment to detail and his long-term artist relationships.

Preferred Studios

Ted Jensen is associated with the following studios where he carried out much of his most influential work:
Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen is one of mastering’s true masters, a figure whose work bridges the analogue warmth of the vinyl era with the precision of digital production. From Hotel California to Vogue and American Idiot, his sonic fingerprint can be heard on many of the most successful and best-sounding records of the past fifty years. His dedication to transparency, musicality, and technical perfection has made him a cornerstone of modern audio mastering.