Tom Van Achte

A sound professional mastering engineer, active in the music industry for over 20 years, working in stereo, surround and immersive sound formats @Tom Van Achte is this month SoundGym Hero. 

So how long have you been on SoundGym? 

Not really sure, over 6 months, could be a bit longer too. I strongly believe in the importance of training your ears, whether you are new to the business or a seasoned professional. Compare it to athletes, they also train (a lot) to get peak performance. It is no different in audio, if you want to improve, train. Never give up, your learning curve will not be steep all the time.

What was your first connection to music?

Very early in life, listening to vinyl at home with the family, then starting to learn playing the piano at the age of 7, trumpet at the age of 9. That's where it all started. I come from a very musical family, so it must be somewhere in my genes.

Tell us about your work as a mastering engineer?

While studying music (several instruments, composition, counterpoint and music pedagogy) in music high school I already started my own business because of my absolute pitch hearing, transcribing scores for artists of major record companies very fast (I can do that on the fly without any reference). I became very interested in the production side of music too and decided to study that as well, meanwhile producing my first recordings that also needed to be duplicated. At that time (early 90's) duplication was either tape (cassette) of CD. So I also got into mastering on a natural way, developing it from there over the years. I ended up co-owning a pressing plant, mastering full time and supplying DDP masters for pressing around 1997 already.

About 12 years ago (because of love) I moved my business to another part of the country, close to one of my clients, Galaxy Studios, one of the last standing big professional high-quality studio complexes in Europe. 7 years ago I started collaborating as a freelancer with Galaxy Studios, as a mastering engineer/studio manager without actually applying for a job. At that time the company was getting actively into Immersive sound with the own brand Auro-3D. Currently, my official job description at Auro Technologies is Head of Creative Entertainment Division, Auro-3D Mastering & QC Engineer. I am still a freelancer, so I keep servicing my existing mastering clients from over the years as well.

How did you get into the field of Stereo and Surround?

I worked in stereo mostly until about 12 years ago, then 5.1 surround picked up (for me / my clients at least) and working at Galaxy Studios of opende the next step, working in Auro-3D Immersive sound (which has at least 10 channels, 9.1 / 5.1 + 4 height speakers above L, R, Ls and Rs). Of course, it is very exciting and challenging to be working in the birthplace of this innovative audio technology, that goes without saying.

 

What are some of your favorite tracks you mastered and why?  

This is a very difficult question … because I do not want to insult any of my clients. I always try to be better than ever before, so I would have to say my latest project is the best ever. IHowever,  do want to mention one of the more complex mastering projects I recently did : The BBB featuring Bernie Dresel, Live n' Bernin',  a live (all Ribbon mic) recording in Los Angeles of a Jazz Bigband featuring the band leader/drummer Bernie Dresel, mixed by my very talented colleague Tonmeister Patrick Lemmens at Galaxy Studios.

 I mastered the following output formats : stereo for CD, stereo HiRes mastered for iTunes 96kHz24Bit, stereo for CD Baby (digital files at 44.1kHz16Bit), 5.1 surround at 96kHz24Bit, 9.1 Auro-3D (immersive sound) at 96kHz24Bit, Pure Audio Bluray master with stereo, 5.1 (both PCM and DTS encoded) and 9.1, vinyl masters (for a double Vinyl edition, obviously in stereo), but also analog tape masters (stereo) as well and finally stereo + 5.1 FLAC files at different sample rates… All for one project. Keep in mind that every single delivery also needs to be QC'd fully (Quality Checked, that means listening to the entire audio stream for approval and sign-off). The total project took me and my team over a month to complete. Needless to say that this kind of work needs stamina, very good focus, very good file management and a lot of determination. You need to be trained, that is why I strongly believe in the need for training your ears.

Who have been the biggest influences on you and how do you think they've shaped your sound?

Anything that is well produced did catch my attention over time and is a big influence/sound inspiration to me. This exceeds musical genres and people, but of course, you see names returning. To name a few: Quincy Jones, Al Schmitt, George Massenburg, Michael Brauer, Morten Lindberg, Bob Katz, Darcy Proper, … Now funny enough (after more than 20 years of working) I get to know most of those people in person. The professional audio world is pretty small after all. One of the above in fact is also now my mentor, George Massenburg. 

George was one of the guys that inspired me to do what I do professionally anyway and I am very happy to be able to reach out to him if I have a specific question or need specialist advice. So I would recommend all of you: get yourself a mentor. Ask it personally, connect with people, talk (do not send out an e-mail anonymously and expect people to answer). You would be surprised how often people are willing to help out if they know you in person, certainly in the international music production business. I am the living proof that this works. Perhaps one day your mentor just walks into your mastering room while you are working, I had that experience too, that's how I got pictures of George Massenburg in the stereo and 5.1 mastering room at Galaxy Studios.

What have you been working on lately?

Music: Auro-3D Demo Disc Vol.2, featuring 28 music tracks by multiple artists in all genres, including some Grammy Nominated material in Auro-3D 9.1

Sound for film : Auro-3D 11.1 sound QC for international blockbusters for the big movie companies in the world. I  can only disclose some names of projects that are out already, like The Mummy, Fast 8, Inferno and many, many others.

Tell us a bit about your workflow at the studio and the presses of mastering in surround?

The workflows totally depend on the audio to be mastered. Could be all in the box, all analog or a combination of both (hybrid). Of course, the rooms at Galaxy Studios are equipped with the latest / vintage / best equipment, but also offer a choice of DAWs and audio cards, converters, … all for the best possible sonic quality.

What is your go-to plugin when is comes to surround?

You should listen to the Auro-Matic plugin from Auro Technologies when you have the chance to do so. It is a very musical up mixing algorithm that offers surprising musical and balanced sonic results. However, it will always be different from a native mix in the immersive Auro-3D format of course.

Which 3 plug-ins you can't live without?

TC Electronic brick wall limiter (not really a plug-in, but available in the TC System 6000)

Leaping Audio (great stuff from year life friends) you should check out  www.leapwingaudio.com

George Massenburg DesignWorks MDWEQ5 on the Universal Audio platform

One Free plugin that you recommend?

I have an old plugin that I keep going back to the free TC Electronic M30, released in 2009 for free, only for a few days. Very small footprint, very flexible and very good quality reverb from TC Electronic. I also do use quite a lot the System 6000 by TC Electronic by the way, which has, of course, more reverb algorithms with more parameters if you want to step up.

What is your secret plug-in that no-one knows about?

It would no longer be a secret if I reveal that of course. I do not have a secret plugin nor do I have voodoo capabilities as a mastering engineer. I do have a trained set of ears absolute pitch hearing, a very intensive music education and some rigid procedures to ensure top quality. That al combined beats any plug-in I am afraid…

What does the future hold for Tom Van Achte?

I hope to be able to continue mastering for a long time, exploring the limits of what is possible in high-quality audio, continue demoing immersive sound all around the world and continue to meet talented people everywhere in peace. 

Music is one of the most beautiful and peaceful things humans ever created. We should be thankful for that.

Last question, What is your favorite SoundGym Feature?

As a personal test case I focussed on 1 game, 'DB King' (at level 43 now) to get my current score/ranking, it got me the Golden Ears status pretty quickly, so it is possible.

Never give up, keep pursuing your dreams in music!  

I want to close this interview with my personal slogan: The art of music unites people.

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