Telegraph Mastering

Telegraph Mastering is a modern full-service mastering studio located in Portland, OR owned and operated Adam Gonsalves. Telegraph offers stereo mastering for CD and download and vinyl mastering/lacquer cutting. Telegraph Mastering Adam Gonsalves

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Reference acetates are an important quality control step in the vinyl production process.  Essentially they are cuts hot off the lathe.  They allow an artist to hear how a release will sound on vinyl before sending parts to the plant.  This can save time and money if anything needs to be changed.

I advocate for acetates on every vinyl project that comes through Telegraph because I believe they are important and can potentially save everyone involved lots of trouble and stress. 

Check out some acetates seen in the wild.  The first is from Allen Farmelo's studio for the Graph Rabbit album Snowblind.  The second set are from Man In Decline Records for a pair of upcoming releases from Concrete Cross and Sarabante.  Acetates for all!

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The self titled album from Portland's MidLo is out today.  A collection of spirited and feral live recordings that pull you out to a campfire in the woods.  The video for Moonlight is sweet accompaniment to the song, contrasting winter wilderness with the warmth of togetherness. 

MidLo was recorded and mixed by Pete Bosack and mastered at Telegraph. 

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Check out the new video for John Carpenter, one of  the infectiously creepy Wrye cuts from This Is Grindhouse.  The menacing beat and eerie melody go great with the suspenseful (and surprising!) video treatment. 

This is Grindhouse was mixed by Wrye and mastered at Telegraph. 

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The new Aan 7" Mystery Life is out now on Cool Summer Records!  It's is a great two-song preview of the upcoming Amor Ad Nauseum full length with bombastic rock melodies & stuck-in-your-head-forever songwriting.  The video for the title track doubles as a guide on how to cheat death.  These guys have your well being in mind. 

Check out a preview of another song from Amor Ad Nauseum over at Stereogum. Mystery Life was mastered at Telegraph

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This is my first year voting, definitely fun filling out the ballot.

Good luck to all the nominees on Sunday!

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The new Y La Bamba EP Oh February is out now.  It's packed to the brim with breathtaking melodies and amazing songwriting.  Available on iTunes now and in physical form soon. 

Oh February was produced by The Decemberists' Chris Funk, mixed by Graeme Gibson at Search Party, and mastered at Telegraph.

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The Slants have released another video from The Yellow Album.  This time it's Love Letters From Andromeda, a beastly blast of electro-rock.  The song has landed on the soundtrack of the new martial arts / sci-fi film Tai Chi Zero and the video features plenty of action.  The Slants and fight scenes are a match made in heaven!

The Yellow Album was mixed by Scott Craig at Ripcord Studios and mastered at Telegraph. 

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Check out this short video tour of Telegraph Mastering to see some shot of the studio and hear my thoughts on why mastering matters to music. 

The video was directed, shot and edited by Andrew Sloan.  The background music is Sophia in Gold (Phantom Kicks Remix) by Letting Up Despite Great Faults and a new track from the forthcoming Radiation City album.  Both mastered at Telegraph. 

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Vice just premiered the new video Y La Bamba's Michoacan.  It's a raw and emotional performance that showcases the bands unique songwriting and the once-in-a-generation vocals of Luzelena Mendoza.  

This should whet your appetite for the forthcoming Y La Bamba release Oh, February.  I had the sincere pleasure of mastering Oh, February, and you'll have the even greater pleasure of listening to it!

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Tape layback is now available at Telegraph!  Reels of glory!

Tape layback is the process of transferring digital mixes onto tape to capture some of the natural warmth and depth tape lends to music. 

With the use of one of the most legendary tape machines in the history of recorded music, the Ampex ATR-102, your mixes can pick up some of the benefit of tape even if they were tracked  completely digitally.  Quantegy GP9 and ATR Magnetics 1/2" tape ensure that the superior sound of this Mike Spitz restored ATR-102 (with Alan Garren modifications) is capture in pristine detail.  

Check out the rates page for info on layback pricing or email with any questions. 

~Adam

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San Francisco's Phantom Kicks just released a great video with wonderful shots of bay-area streets and beaches.  Definitely makes me want to head down there for a visit.  The song, Cut From A Different Clay, is the opening track from their critically praised debut Tectonics.  Layers of hazy guitars and vocals combine with electronic percussion is the best way possible!

Tectonics was mixed by Eli Crews and Jay Pellicci and mastered at Telegraph. 

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The debut 12" from Wrye has come back from the plant and it sounds amazing!  This Is Grindhouse recasts dance music through the prism of horror movie soundtracks, lush synthesized melodies, and pitch perfect beats.  It looks killer (ha!) on slasher-themed blood splatter vinyl.  The cover art is insane!

This Is Grindhouse was mixed by Wrye, mastered for vinyl at Telegraph, and released by Phantom Wave Records. 

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I'm proud to announce that Telegraph Mastering now offers in-house vinyl mastering and lacquer cutting!  Now vinyl projects can be cut by the same engineer that masters your tracks, ensuring that your finished records will sound fantastic.

I cut on a fully restored Scully lathe (I call her Dana) with a customized Westrex 1700 cutting amplifier system.  This exact lathe and system were used for decades at MCA Records cutting some of the iconic albums of the 20th century!

You can find answers to common questions about vinyl mastering HERE.

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Thanks so much to everyone I worked with in 2012.  I'm honored and humbled to master for some of the most passionate and talented artists around. Here's to another year filled with fantastic music!

-Adam

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The Slants have a new video, and it premiered on IFC!  Con Kids is the opening track from their latest release The Yellow Album.  These guys have been touring so relentlessly in support of this record I'm not sure when they had time to do a video.  They got some help from martial-arts exhibitionists from the Summit Wushu Academy.  Nice sword play!

The Yellow Album was mixed by Scott Craig at Ripcord Studio and mastered at Telegraph.

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The new Farabequah split 12" from folk metal titans Aranya and Speed of Darkness is being released tomorrow!  Fans of Witch Mountain will recognize the otherworldly melodic howl of Uta Plotkin, as she fronts both bands.  Speed of Darkness takes heavy and fierce tone to the next level on their side.  Rejoice in the riffage.

Check out this advance review.  "Bouldered slabs of hard-rock" has to be the best description for guitars I've ever read!

Farabequah was mastered for vinyl at Telegraph.

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Check out the killer new video for Radiation City's Hide From The Night over at Team CoCo.  That worm will eat anything!

Hide From The Night comes from the critically acclaimed Cool Nightmare EP.  Cool Nightmare was produced and mixed by Cameron Spies and Randy Bemrose and mastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph.