Meet Gene Williams | Mastering Engineer, artist and producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gene Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gene, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
There are two parts to this answer. The first part guides so much of what I do in business but also in life is a quote/philosophy from the great Bruce Lee, “Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own.”

And second, which should simply be a default setting in my opinion… Be kind. Full stop. Of all the business advice, specifically business advice in any creative field, be kind. It’s really that simple. Check your ego at the door and really align with where the artist or client is coming from. Listen closely, give your full attention to a project. Always be open to suggestions, you will absolutely miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. (paraphrased Wayne Gretzky quote).

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Life is short, live it loud.

My mastering business has been shaped by my experience as an artist and producer. I have intimate understanding of what makes great art and what makes artists tick. Armed with that knowledge I make the process safe and easy to to navigate. I take serious responsibility in the trust that people put in me to finish their records. I always have my sights set on giving the art the best chance to shine and remain competitive in a hyper-competitive playing field.

I want people to hear the sound, but feel the music. The sound is the delivery medium, the music is the feeling. Great sound without feeling, that’s a canned music experience. Great sound AND great feeling, that’s music magic. That’s what I do, I provide exceptional sound and I enhance to emotional content and audience connection with a record. I want a record to be listened to thousands of times because people are in love with it. I help the music to be its best version of itself.

I got where I am today by delivering great masters, but also, and maybe more importantly, every client is a real person to me. I actively want to help them have the best mastering experience possible. I want their music to have the best opportunity to reach its fullest potential. Making a record can be very complicated and involves a lot of hard work, time, sacrifice, money and more…. I build trust with my clients by always going the extra distance and always having their back at every turn.

I invest in the highest quality tools, room acoustics, listening monitors, and ongoing education and improvement of my professional skills. I serve the the client much as I serve the music, 100% commitment to excellence.

The majority of my work comes from underground and independent artists and labels. Often budgets are tight and I work with them to finish their records and not go broke. There are always creative ways to sort things out. That creativity isn’t exclusive to making music, it can be applied to financing a project, too.

All of the above goes into really being in service to the art. I often think of mastering and what I do as being the intersection of the artist, the art, the audience and the marketplace. I am that intersection. I am that crossroads.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
On the food front, I love Mexican food, so El Compadre is top on my list. Like, I could have every meal here. Love the atmosphere, great staff and excellent Mexican food. The 101 Diner is my breakfast place of choice, super glad to hear they have reopened after closing down due to the pandemic. Outside of that, I mean it’s LA, so if you have a craving, you can probably find its cure. =)

The Mint is another spot I like, great place to catch new artists and a bit off the typical beaten path.

For a real LA/Hollywood visit, I’d want to show off the incredibly rich history of the music scene. The Capitol Records building and studios is a must see. Truly iconic to this day. Of course I’d want to hit some “hit factories” like Westlake Recording Studios, Sunset Sound, Paramount Recording Studios, The Village Studios, Henson Recording Studio and Mix Recording Studio, but there’s so many great studios in the LA area it’s hard to choose.

Being a mastering engineer, I’d also suggest a visit to Brian Lucey’s Magic Garden Mastering, Bernie Grundman Mastering Hollywood and Oasis Mastering at a minimum.

No LA trip would feel complete without visiting the Sunset Strip, still a ton of great shops, venues and novelties to inspire and entertain you on every level. Again, the history is rich here and is so worth taking a stroll or three to check out the offerings.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The list is long as it includes everyone I’ve ever met and interacted with and a host that have influenced me greatly but I’ve not actually met. So many wonderful people have mentored me, helped me, inspired me and I give credit to all of them.

I would like to recognize one person whose philosophy and accomplishments were huge in the shaping of who I am and how I run my business, the late Bruce Lee. By extension, that would include Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee’s daughter, who is carrying on and adding to the legacy that her father started.

I also want to shoutout to Glenda Benevides, an exceptional artist that has long encouraged and inspired me on so many levels, both personal and professional. She inspired a fire that has never went out.

Website: https://mindspawnmastering.com

Instagram: @mindspawnmusic

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gene-williams-a10388199/

Twitter: @mindspawnmusic

Image Credits
Michael Van Auken