When a Mastering Engineer explains why he's doing something to music and how that can change things, it's gold. Gary has tons of experience and he came well recommended to us by a re-issue label. He has mastered many projects for us and we are ALWAYS pleased with the results. Audio is not a job to Gary. it's his craft. He is a true artist and understands the dynamics in music. We had a discussion about vinyl recently. Rubber on a needle does not necessarily mean that it's better. I have a Roky Erickson and the Aliens album from the 80's that is soooo fuzzy. it really sounds like crap at times. So, why is vinyl considered "better" by just about everyone? The main reason being that it's usually mastered in a different way. Unlike the cd's we've all come to hear on the radio where everything is squashed and as loud as possible, vinyl allows for greater dynamics, with less compression and limiting. Gary is the kind of engineer you can say...."i want it this way" and he'll do it. He might help you and respond with something like "well, if you are making this kind of medium, then i think you might want to adjust this, or that....to allow for xyz." i really like it when someone explains to me what they are doing and how that's effecting the overall sound. With affordable rates and an excellent location (just off the 101 or 280 in SF), it's no wonder why you'll see "mastered by gary hobish" on many Birdman Records most recent releases. just a few of the projects he's worked on for us: -Apache "Boomtown Gem's" - all mastered versions are different. different master for lp vs cd vs digital. -Lou Lou and the Guitarfish "S/T" - CD -Spectrum Meets Captain Memphis - CD -Mahikari - CD and LP read more

Every band I've ever been in has used John Golden in Ventura and let me tell you he is great and he masters a lot of records. But when I tried to book him to master our new record that was due to the label on June 11 I got the bad news that he was booked out until July!!! That's when I did some searching around San Francisco, could there possible be someone in town with a great set of ears, who's actually worked on some real records, who would make our record some rad? The answer...YES! Enter Gary Hobish. I am not going to list all the big time folks Gary has worked with because there's too many to list but do yourself a favor and check out his resume on his website. We recorded on pro tools, used lots of tambourine and 12 string so there was a good amount of treble in the mix, it really needed to be warmed up. Sonically, he took our mix and gave it a great big warm tone. It sounds like a good record should sound. It's loud, but he didn't over-compress it like a lot of albums are mastered these days. You know...compress the shit out of it and raise the level...ok compress it some more and raise the level. Oh cool now we sound like Good Charlotte. None of that crap...he gave us a great sounding record. We are very happy. If you are looking for Professional Mastering in San Francisco give Gary a call. read more

I came across Gary Hobish's information via Yelp, and was super skeptical to go to someone based on internet reviews, even though they were all outstanding. I was particularly skeptical because my project wasn't simple: it was a recording project that often involved 70+tracks, and a huge instrumental range including both orchestral instruments and rock instruments. We met with Gary and were absolutely sold after speaking to him. He did a short pre-production meeting, where he listened to our music and was able to (practically instantaneously) identify all of the core problems associated with our tracks, as well as how he would go about resolving those issues. He was equally amazing in the mastering session. He has an incredible ear, is incredibly professional, a has a great depth of experience in orchestral indie rock genres. Plus, he has an edge of raw talent that few attain. Gary is outstanding in listening to his clients' needs; he really listens to you before going into the mastering project. In addition, if there's anything you're unhappy with, he's extremely accommodating in helping to solve the issue. Great mastering engineers are a very rare breed, and I would highly recommend any band - including those of the absolute highest calibre - contact him for mastering work. read more

Gary recently mastered our full-length album project- he was recommended by our producer, David J of Bauhaus/Love and Rockets. The album was mixed with a lot of dynamic space, and I feared that mastering would crunch the life out of it. Nope. Gary understood the approach we had taken and was more than accommodating in preserving the sound. He was very quick about his work, yet didn't let the details get lost- He was able to pick out different kinds of guitars and amps and commented on the use of the various sounds on the songs. He also was listening very deeply to the sound of the lead vocals- he had some great comments and comparisons. There were a couple of songs on which he put some fairly detailed work- some really subtle but necessary EQ work. He worked quickly and efficiently and the project was complete in a very short amount of time. The album tracks sound amazing! I thought it was good before mastering, but Gary was able to really make it all sound so great. And his rates are very good as well. Great guy, amazing pedigree, good rates- overall a top-notch experience. read more

[NOTE: I am reposting my January review again as it seems to disappear at times from the Yelp site. Please excuse the possible repetition of the review. Thanks! Joel] I went to Gary to have him master an audio backing track I had created for an upcoming performance of an electro-acoustic concert piece I had written. It's not my 1st time working with Gary, and it certainly won't the last. Gary took my file and worked wonders. He's extremely knowledgeable, a lot of fun to work with, and very flexible in his approach and tools. He had wonderful ideas of how to enhance what I had done, his mix was terrific (well beyond what I could ever imagine doing myself!), and I really valued his contributions and artistic input. It was a complicated piece so the session went on will into the night and Gary was not only game to keep going, but he made sure that everything was done right before we moved on. If you need mastering, mixing, digital recording, or help with your computer system he's the man to go to! Oh, did I mention that he's affordable? Wow. Joel read more

Gary was mastering a series of Flipper recordings when we arrived for our session with him. Yeah, that Flipper. So we were already impressed before we even started. Obviously he has years of experience and an impressive client list behind him. But what makes Gary really great to work with is his relaxed yet very professional attitude. He makes you feel immediately comfortable with the knowledge of his craft and makes it quite clear that he is genuinely interested and personally invested in getting you the best sound for your recording. We had a challenging mix of somewhat disparate sounding music and Gary was able to help us sequence, level and weave together our album that now truly sounds like a coherent and flowing piece of music. We are really happy with the results and look forward to working with him again. Patrick -The Tunnel read more

From the moment we met with Gary Hobish, it was obvious he really knows his stuff. Not to mention the list of artists he's done mastering for. Gary is simply an amazing mastering engineer. He put so much time and attention to detail into my album, and truly cared about making it sound as good as possible. We even had a couple mix issues he was able to fix completely. He's got just about every plug-in you can imagine! The whole session felt like watching magic happen. He has made the songs on this album (BeHeld, by Ayla Nereo), just pop out in that most gorgeous way. They're not just louder. They sound better, more full and rich. I loved his ideas for adding analog to the album too, gave it an amazing subtle warm tone. Gary truly puts his heart into his work. I really look forward to working with him in the future. read more

Just wanted to write a quick review on A. Hammer Mastering. First of all Gary has a ear for music and sounds. He was very easy to work with during our session and openly let me know step by step what we were adding to each track as we were working on them. I'm definitely a fish out of water when it comes to mastering as most musicians are but he made me understand it a little better as the session went on. He also gave me a few tips as to recording set ups and mixing for the next time around, and I personally value the honesty. Not only has he worked on great projects in the past but you can tell he has a sense and love for what he does. "30 Years of ears". For what its worth take your mixes to him and you won't be disappointed. The pricing is reasonable and you'll walk out with quality and a smile. read more

He did an amazing, amazing job on our new CD 'Skulls, Stars and Guitars'. Professional, talented, and an all around cool guy to work with. We've used other mastering engineers and he just blew them away, Fans, radio stations, and even casual listeners to the album noticed the difference. Not only was the quality immaculate, but the sound was fresh and modern, and he simultaneously enhanced it as an artistic statement and made it rock way harder than any sissy-ass hurricane. Mastering makes a HUGE difference in the quality, and quite frankly, the marketability of your CD. Don't mess around with the amateurs; just go to Gary. Jay Skyler RadioStar SF read more

Gary has become our go to mastering engineer for Career Records. He is equally skilled mastering for vinyl or CD. His detailed focus has made sure even the smallest flaw is detected and fixed. He will contact me if there are any questions. The results never fail to impress. Friends and reviews always mention the natural sound of our records. Gary is honest and straight forward to deal with. He always get the work done on schedule. No project is too small or too big. He's gladly taken on what ever we have to offer from singles to box sets. Highly recommended. read more

Gary has mastered my last two records and I am very happy with the results. He has obviously worked on just about every type of project in the course of his career and consequently brings a versatile sense of old school know-how to whatever project you present him with. One project of mine was relatively high-fi and the other was done on cassette four track. He treated them both with the same careful consideration and they both ended up sounding great on vinyl. He is thoughtful, concise, works quickly, and has good ears. Highly recommended. read more

I've released 5 albums and have used different mastering engineers for just about every release. Gary went over and beyond the call of duty to help me with a couple of troubled mixes even before the mastering stage. He mastered our latest releases for vinyl and CD and we couldn't be happier. The final product sounds warm and with just the right volume level. The dynamics of the album are preserved and we'll be going back to Gary for the next one! Highly recommend his professionalism and overall good karma! read more

Such a breath of fresh air! Gary mastered my newest album "Real World" and took it to a whole new level! He was able to manipulate some of the sound in order to make my vocals more in the front of the other instrumentation. He is professional and gets the job done in a timely manner. He even worked within the strict deadlines I needed to meet. Thank you Gary!!!! I will definitely use your services for future projects! www.myspace.com/blairhansen read more

Gary did a fantastic job mastering my first recording project. He improved some of the minor imbalances in the final mixes and had fun ideas about sequencing of some of the songs. It seemed like the more he needed to work on each song, the better and clearer the music sounded. His engineering is first rate, he has lots of "plug-ins" to use, and was easy to work with, plus his studio sound is very clean. Very pleased...definitely worth it. read more

If you are looking for a guy that really know mastering, Gary is your guy. What really stood out was his attention to every detail, in fact many things we hadn't even heard or noticed Gary found and fixed. He doesn't over compress the mix allowing for the songs natural dynamics to shine through. I've worked with several mastering professionals in the past and Gary sure takes the crown! Do your album a favor and call Gary. read more

Gary has great ears, and he's done a fantastic job on every project we've ever brought to him. He used to work at the old Fantasy Records in Berkeley, so he's a veteran with great stories to boot. I'd recommend his mastering work to anybody looking for a really full, strong-sounding final record. He has mad skills and great tools, plus he's right in the Mission -- walkable from 24th Street BART, even. read more

Gary's an even better mastering genius than he is a musician. I've seen this guy work magic in the studio before, but this time I was surprised at how much more jingle and jangle he was able to bring out of our music than I expected. And on top of that, he was very affordable. We'll definitely go to him for our future recordings. The Clutter Family, Los Angeles. read more

A. Hammer Studios is great! Gary is an excellent mastering engineer. He did an amazing job with the track that i sent him. He brought that song to life! Plus, he helped us out by reaching our release date, with the quickest turn around ever! I will definitely send more songs and clients his way soon. Thanks Gary! read more

Gary is great. He has mastered my last 4 albums and I send clients that I record to him as well. He knows what to do and what not to do. He is also a great musician which gives him a great feel for song spacing when mastering. -Michael Padilla (The Soft Bombs, dora flood, the soundport recording studio) read more