Address: New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Fiounder: Gilbert Kong
Current Status: Active
Masterdisk is one of the most respected mastering studios in the world, renowned for its exceptional sound quality, engineering expertise, and legacy of landmark recordings. Founded in 1973 in New York City, the studio quickly became synonymous with top-tier audio mastering for vinyl, CD, and digital formats. Its name has appeared on thousands of gold and platinum albums, reflecting decades of work by some of the industry’s most influential mastering engineers, including Bob Ludwig, Scott Hull, and Howie Weinberg. From classic rock and jazz to modern pop and metal, Masterdisk has defined the sound of generations of recorded music.
Notable Recordings from Masterdisk
Masterdisk was originally established by engineers from Mercury Records after the label’s mastering department was spun off as an independent company in 1973. Among the early staff was Bob Ludwig, whose technical innovation and artistic mastery helped turn Masterdisk into the premier mastering facility of the 1970s and 1980s. Under his leadership, the studio developed an international reputation for clarity, dynamic range, and musical accuracy.
During this golden period, Masterdisk mastered many of the best-selling albums in history, including Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run, Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms, and Peter Gabriel’s So. The studio’s reputation was further strengthened by the work of engineers such as Howie Weinberg, who handled heavy-hitting releases from Nirvana, Metallica, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Scott Hull, who became the company’s chief mastering engineer in the 1990s and later its owner.
Through changes in recording formats, from vinyl to compact disc and now digital streaming, Masterdisk has remained a leader in mastering innovation. Today, under Scott Hull’s direction, Masterdisk continues to serve artists worldwide, offering both classic analogue mastering and cutting-edge digital services from its New York facility.