“Michael is the most professional and talented mastering engineer that I’ve had the pleasure to work with.
His studio is precisely tuned, and his mastering skills are spot on. The entire session flowed easily
and the final product was of exceptional quality. I definitely look forward to working with him again!”

—Alex Theory–

“When I was ready to have my album mastered, a talented musician friend of mine recommended Michael to me and stated simply that his rates are reasonable and his work is first rate, which I found to be absolutely true. Since I am also an engineer, it can be easy to be much too close to the trees to see the forest when composing, recording, & mixing your material. It’s also easy to make huge mistakes with too much limiting and compression for the immediate gratification of boosted gain. After a consultation with Michael to discuss my project he recommended an alternative method of mixing that allows for the natural transients and timbres of the instruments to be preserved in the finished product, which are typically lost when over-limited or compressed. After I remixed one track according to his method and could get a relative comparison it was clear that I needed to remix all 12 songs before I went in to master. I have now adopted this approach as a standard in my mixing process and have learned to listen effectively to the material in each stage of its development. Since I am a perfectionist I can definitely be a nightmare client. I found Michael to be patient and accommodating to my neurosis as well as someone that cares deeply about his craft and is a pleasure to work with.”

—Victor Etienne (Midilove)–

“Michael’s work utterly transformed my recordings, stepping them up to pro-level, ready for release. He’s very sensitive to the musical material, and his choices are just right – not too much, but not timid. The end result is completely transparent and natural sounding – I’ve never felt as confident of my recordings as this!”

–Jack Perla, composer & pianist

“I have always thought mastering was Voodoo. You bring an engineer a final mix that you’re still wringing your hands over and they spit out a new an improved version that is louder and somehow better?? Hopefully, that is. Working with Michael is different. He sits with you smiling patiently as he answers all your questions and doesn’t flinch in the slightest as you butcher sonic vocabulary attempting to explain yourself. Michael put me at ease, made me laugh and took my record to the next level. Mastering is still sort of voodoo to me, but Michael is the best witch doctor around!”

- Victoria George

“Mastering, a dark art….,or is it?….. If you want the mixes you’ve just slaved away at for God knows how long to be louder but basically suck when you compare it to your comtemporaries, I can highly recommend any number of pieces of software that you can simply insert into a DAW of your choice and do-it-yourself.
If however you’re remotely serious about your music and want it to take on another level of polished dimensionality and just pure “wow” factor then I highly recommend giving Michael a call, someone who’s absolutely at the top of their game. And hey, he’s a super nice dude to boot. Yup, it’s a dark art and only some guys can do it right.

- Sean Bearsford

“If you spend three years recording and mixing a record, you can’t just give it to anybody to Master. Mastering can really make or break a record, and not only did Michael Romanowski “make” my record, he helped bring it to life.”

- Megan Slankard

“I loved Michael’s work on Peter Walker disc, as well as Chris Gallagher disc. I thought they were loud, punchy , full but most importantly natural. Michael found a way of keeping the original intention of the sound and mixes but filling it out and making them come alive. The discs sound competitive level wise but not overly processed or limited. Great work, I’d gladly do more with Michael!”

- Joe Chiccarelli

“SIMPL3JACK finished tracking their first album, and they needed to make the important choice of where they would have their tracks mastered. It seems like these days everybody has a piece of software that does mastering. We had offers from dozens of people who claimed to have “mastering” studios. Some people had a piece of rack gear in their garage, and some really tried to create a real mastering studio. SIMPL3JACK chose Michael Romanowski Mastering. Not only does Michael Romanowski Mastering have the absolute best hardware, but they have incredible people turning the knobs. Michael was very careful to ask all of the right questions about our project. After several phone conversations and email exchanges, Michael encouraged me to be present (in the room) for the mastering. Because so much mastering is done via the internet, having someone from the group present is becoming more rare. During our mastering session, Michael was making adjustments and making sure that the adjustments were in line with what we wanted. The end result was a true sonic transformation. When it came time for duplication, Michael was super reliable and quick. Our duplicator got the data without a single glitch in no time at all. Not only did we thoroughly enjoy our last session, but we are already planning to be back this coming year for SIMPL3JACK’s sophomore release. If you are serious about your project, a place like MIchael Romanowski Mastering will make the total difference.”
- Scott Cermak

“Before mastering, my album sounded great, but it lacked the sort of 3-dimensional quality we are used to hearing in commercial/broadcast music, and it did not translate the same on all speakers. Now it sounds tremendous no matter where I listen to it, and I can hear every subtle nuance in the songs perfectly! During mastering, we also set the song order and the amount of time between tracks which are big-picture details that absolutely influence a listener’s experience of the album as a whole. Michael worked many long hours with me to achieve the desired effect I wanted from my project. His exacting professionalism, passion for making great music (and for making music great!) and buoyant personality make him a delight to work with, and I would heartily recommend him as an engineer on any music project!”

- Kate Van Horn

“I took an album to Michael to be mastered recently for the first time. His work is leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else I’ve used in the Bay Area as well as being an absolute joy to work with.”

- Nic Pope

As an independent artist, 90% of my recording funds come from loading in, three hours of performing, two breaks and the glory of loading out. So, I have to make every cent that I spend on recording count. I needed someone who would complete my project and treat my recordings with the professionalism, dedication, and the attention to detail that the music, and my hard work, deserve. Michael Romanowski Mastering made that happen for me. Now, I have a CD that makes me smile and all the sounds ring true.

- Butch Rice, Singer/Songwriter
Louisville, KY

Michael Romanowski is a sonic magician. For the 2-disc Government Cheese anthology, he took tapes of every format and vintage and made them all work as a seamless whole without sacrificing any of the music’s essential spirit. It fits that they call it ‘mastering’ because Michael’s a master.

- Tommy Womack

Jonathan Bright and I asked Michael Romanowski to master our “Treatment Bound-A Ukulele Tribute To The Replacements” project. Since this was an all ukulele record (with the exception of percussion and voices) we were in unfamiliar territory especially when it came to low end. After listening to our concerns, Michael gave us some great advice, sent us back to do a bit of remixing and then nailed it. Michael got the very best out of what we recorded. Thanks Romo!

- Tom Littlefield

It was a total pleasure working with Michael. His sonic sensitivity is as impeccable as his affinity for making albums come to life. I’ll be working with him for a long time.

- Blake Langdale

I had the great pleasure of having my CD mastered by Michael- and I was literally stunned by how much better my music sounds now! He is so enjoyable to work with, and his efficiency helps keep the cost down. Of all the different tools I’ve spent money on in music production, there has not been anything that improved the sound as much as having Michael bring out the best in my mixes!

- Chris Robinson