The Engineer: Michael Romanowski

Michael Romanowski is a 9-time nominee, and 5-time Grammy winning mastering engineer based in Berkeley, California. He is the owner and chief mastering engineer of Coast Mastering, and co-founder of the analog tape label The Tape Project. Michael has been in the vanguard of, and is a pioneer in immersive audio, starting with designing and building his first surround studio in 2001, and adding the height channels in 2015. His first Atmos music releases were completed in 2016, before Dolby Music was a separate entity. Building on those early releases he has been involved in early testing and consulting work as an advisor and expert with companies such as Dolby, Sony, Fraunhofer, and others. His contributions have helped to build and refine tools for creativity, and to push the boundaries of immersive audio production. Michael has been a early adopter and pioneer in immersive audio and continues to advocates for the necessity on mastering in immersive audio, and was one of the very first engineers to do so. He is one of the very first Immersive Audio Mastering engineers on the planet.

Michael is a current Trustee of the Recording Academy and the co-chair of the National Awards and Nominations committee, co-chair of the P&E Immersive Committee, and serves on the National Advisory Council to the Producers & Engineers Wing. He is the former chair of the Planning and Governance Committee and the National Presidents council, and serves on the National Advisory Council to the Producers & Engineers Wing; where quality, credits, Hi resolution audio, Immersive audio and hearing education initiatives have been a particular focus.

Since 1994, Michael has worked to support the tradition the diverse diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area sound, and has become a national expert in the art and science of mastering. He’s written articles for ( Mix Magazine, and Electronic Musician, and has spoken / presented at AES, NAMM, SXSW, Tape Op, Potluck Con, AES Mexico, and AES Europe). Michael started His audio career began as a musician and live sound engineer in Nashville, where he quickly progressed to recording and mixing pop, rock and alternative acts. In 1994, he relocated to the Bay Area to apprentice at Rocket Lab with Paul Stubblebine, learning the art and craft of the mastering engineer. In 1999, he became the chief mastering engineer for Sausalito’s Plant Mastering in Sausalito. In 2001 he reunited with Paul Stubblebine and together they built two new mastering rooms at the former location of Coast Records. In 2007, Michael acquired the business and continued to expand the facility, with the re-launching of Coast Recorders as a tracking space in addition to having the two Mastering rooms. In 2015, Coast Recorders closed its doors, and the mastering business expanded as Coast Mastering in the historic Studio C in the Fantasy Studio Complex in Berkeley CA. Most recently, Coast Mastering has expanded one more time, with one of the first immersive mastering facilities purposefully designed and built from the ground up. Receiving a TEC nomination in 2020 for studio design. The mastering room was designed to be 9.1.6, Sony 360RA, Auro-3D and future format capable.

Michael’s extensive credits include Alicia Keys, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle, Lovett, Earth Wind & Fire, Kane Brown, Grateful Dead, Tom Petty, The Bee Gees, Al Green, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Peter Frampton, CyHi, George Strait, LVCFRT, Star Wars Soundtracks, Fantastic Negrito, Dr Strange 2 Soundtrack, The Eagles, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lyle Lovett, Selena, Old Dominion, Megan Marooney, Dune Soundtrack, Mr. Big, America, Third Eye Blind, G-Love, Pat Monahan, Devotchka, Jeffrey Gaines, Sea of Bees, Chuck Prophet, Train, Peter Case, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Los Amigos Invisibles, Pentatonix, Craig Carothers, Laura Pausini, Matt Nathanson, San Quinn, Jacqui Naylor, Pete Ham, Will Kimbrough, Sutro, The Dynamites, Thompsonia, Megan Keely, Bobby Walker, Jinx Jones, Sun Monks, Ant Banks, SF Jazz, Norton Buffalo, Too $hort, Colorado Symphony, Chanticleer, Dredg, The Devil in California, !!!, Junior Toots, Diegos Umbrella, Daddy, Bill Martin, Brendan Smith, Richard Howell, Alexander String Quartet, Bad Finger, Keith Greeninger, Dan Wolf, Antonio Iturrioz, Pfife Dawg, Sara Lovell, Raelyn Nelson Band, Megan Slankard, Chanticleer, Media Hyperium Surround, Sting, Cheryl Crow, Marvin Gaye, Tears for Fears, Soundgarden, Pink, Evanescence, Seal, Yes, Lady Gaga, Alanis Morisette, Matchbox 20, James Blunt, Jeff Larson and Jeff Foskett, Gerry Beckley, Brother Ayouba and several thousand more.