Mastering Engineer Chris Potter Joins Electric Mastering

Renowned mastering engineer Chris Potter has joined the staff of London-based Electric Mastering, a facility with a strong reputation for tackling producer-led projects that demand the highest sonic quality.
Chris is now working alongside internationally acclaimed mastering engineer Guy Davie, who joined Electric Mastering in 2008 from The Exchange.
Chris Potter began his career as a recording/mixing engineer at Mayfair Studios before moving to Sony Music Studios in London where he spent 12 years working with many of the biggest, brightest and best artists/engineers/producers in the music and film industries.
In 1997, he moved into mastering, bringing his love of guitar music and his unique mastering style to many prestigious projects for artists such as Primal Scream, Little Barrie, Fightstar, The Metro Riots and Sons And Daughters.
After leaving Sony Music Studios, Chris joined Alchemy in London, where he remained until its demise last year. His clients cover a broad spectrum of music and he attracts work from both major record labels and independents who appreciate his good taste and down to earth style.
Commenting on his new position, Potter said: "After leaving Alchemy I spent some time freelancing maintaining and building up a steady client base, which I hope to bring to Electric Mastering with me. This is an interesting move for me because the equipment at Electric Mastering is very esoteric and I find it absolutely fascinating to be working on vintage gear because it brings an entirely new dimension to the sound. Much of the modern equipment that you see in other mastering facilities doesn't allow you to be this hands-on and I' m really enjoying this new found freedom and opportunity to be experimental."
Electric Mastering, established by Peter Hutchinson and Phil Vernol who also run the label Peacefrog, offers the perfect marriage between state-of-the-art and vintage technology.
The facility is equipped with a 1970s EMI desk, which was shipped in from EMI's studio in Lagos, Nigeria. This is the only vintage EMI mastering desk currently in use outside of Abbey Road - and the only unmodified one in use in Europe. Described by Peter Hutchinson as 'a classic as opposed to an antique', it is an extraordinary versatile piece of equipment that adds distinctive colouration to high-end digital recordings and faithful reproduction of analogue studio masters.
Hutchinson said: "We take a purist approach to the desk, favouring simple signal lines with no patch bays to interfere with the clean, unadulterated sonic throughput. In recent months we've added more equipment, including EQs and compressors from Esoteric Audio. These compliment the sound of the desk and bring a new dimension to solid state projects."
Other vintage pieces installed at the facility include a Fairchild compressor and a 1950s EMI mono 1/4 inch tape recorder. The studio also has the latest digital mastering kit, high end Prism Sound ADA-8XR multitrack converters, a Pyramix digital workstation and Meyer X-10 monitors that offer a neutral, linear playback sound balanced and tailored to the room's acoustics.
Chris Potter's most recent mastering credits include Duffy's Rockferry; The Horrors' Sessions; Cajun Dancce Party's The Colourful Life; Tommy Reilly; Gossip's Standing In The Way of Control; Cut Off Your Hands' You & I; Danananakroyd's Hey Everyone; The Metros' More Money Less Grief; James' Hey Ma'; The View Live and Findlay Brown.
Guy Davie has also been bust in recent months, working on projects for Little Boots, Jamie T, Doves, Bloc Party, Titus Andronicus, Little Dragon, Wave Machines, Esser, Golden Silvers, Magic Arm, Kid Sister, Fryars, Graham Coxon, Kid Harpoon and the Foals. Alongside these he is also finding time to remaster the entire St. Etienne back catalogue.
(KMcA/JM)