George Massenburg, the parametric equalizer and a lot more

George Y. Massenburg (born Baltimore, Maryland, 1947) is a Grammy award-winning recording engineer and inventor.

Working principally in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Macon, Massenburg is widely known for his paper to the Audio Engineering Society (in 1972) where he explained the basic ideas under his main invention: the parametric equalizer.

Biography

At 15, Massenburg worked part-time both in the recording studio and in an electronics laboratory.

He attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Johns Hopkins University, majoring in electrical engineering. After a while he left the University and never returned.

Massenburg authored a technical paper entitled Parametric equalization which was presented at the 42nd convention of the Audio Engineering Society in 1972.

He is regularly published in professional journals and trade magazines worldwide.

In 1973 and 1974, he was chief engineer of Studio Europa-Sonor in Paris, France, and helped Gerhard Lehner install the expanded Neve 80-series console at Barclay Records studio on Avenue Hoche.

During those years, Massenburg also did freelance engineering and equipment design in Europe.

Massenburg participated (individually and collaboratively) in over four hundred record albums over the past 45 years.

His work includes recordings of Earth, Wind & Fire, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Toto, Dixie Chicks, Journey, Madeleine Peyroux, Little Feat, Weather Report, Randy Newman, Valerie Carter, Lyle Lovett, Aaron Neville, Kenny Loggins, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Linda Ronstadt, Herbie Hancock, The Seldom Scene and many more.

He has designed, built and managed several recording studios, notably ITI Studios in Hunt Valley, Maryland, Blue Seas Recording in Baltimore, and The Complex in Los Angeles.

In addition, he has contributed to the acoustical and architectural design of many other studios, including Skywalker Sound and The Site in Marin County, California.

In 1982, he founded George Massenburg Labs, a pioneering audio electronics company that has released an extensive range of innovative console automation devices, analog signal processors, microphone preamplifiers and power supplies, all based on his original circuit designs.

Among GML’s most venerable products is the GML8200 Parametric Equalizer and the GML8900 Dynamic Range Controller, which reacts to loudness like our ears do, rather than to voltage levels.

Massenburg is also an Associate Professor of Sound Recording at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the University of Memphis in Memphis, TN.

Awards

He won the Academy of Country Music award for record of the year in 1988, the Mix Magazine TEC Awards for Producer and Engineer of the year in 1989, the TEC Awards Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Engineer of the year award in 1992.

He won a Grammy in 1996, and the Special Merit/Technical Grammy Award in 1998. In 2005, Massenburg was inducted into the TECnology Hall of Fame for his 1969 invention of the ITI ME-230 Parametric Equalizer.

In 2009, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music by Boston’s Berklee College of Music. In 2008 he received the AES Gold Medal.

George Massenburg Labs

In 1982, Massenburg founded GML Inc, which produces equipment for specific recording applications.

At the GML they work under following principles:

All-Discrete Circuitry: discrete-transistor designs provide more headroom, less noise (i.e. more dynamic range), wider bandwidth, increased stability, resistance to high-frequency oscillation and the influence effects of out-of-band signals on audio.

DC-Servo Stabilized Throughout: highly stable DC servos correct DC offsets to sub-millivolt levels throughout. No audio-in-line electrolytic capacitors to age.

High Quality Passive Components: precious metal XLR connectors and internal interconnections. Highest quality carbon-film potentiometers (not conductive plastic), metal-film resistors, polystyrene and Mylar capacitors, tantalum capacitors.

Transformerless Throughout: the audio input for each module is precision electronically-balanced. Outputs are direct-coupled, with no electrolytic capacitors to deteriorate.

Road Tested Designs: GML products are used on a daily basis by the most demanding professionals in the recording industry.

The design principles are meant to guarantee the lower possible distortion and the highest possible dynamic range for every device.

GML also consults and does independent design for several major audio electronics manufacturers.

All the products range from GML it is widely used in professional recording studios. The 8200 Parametric Equalizer is probably the most famous in the family.

Blackbird Studios

The facility is one of the world’s most prestigious recording venues. Blackbird Studio almost needs no introduction. The incredible multi-studio complex has a stunning range of top-spec rooms for every purpose.

Blackbird Studio C is simply the finest immersive mix and playback environment in the world.

The room’s open floor plan was designed by George Massenburg and Dr. Peter D’Antonio, founder of RPG Diffusor Systems, Inc.

The design focuses on sound diffusion and is created from a 10,000-page Excel spreadsheet based on acoustic diffusion algorithms.

The result is a mix of art and function: 138,646 individual sticks of formaldehyde-free MDF wood in four-foot-by-eight-foot sheets, with no two being the same size or length.

The studio contains slightly more than 100,000 lbs. of wood on the walls.

It has recently being configured to support Dolby Atmos mixes with following devices and softwares:

• 3x ATC SCM300s for the LCR
• 12x ATC SCM100s for the surrounds and overheads
• 6x ATC SCM0.1-15s for the LFE and bass management
• Avid MTRX with Sonnet Chassis and 2x Avid HDX cards for 128 channels
• Antelope 10MX Rubidium Atomic Clock
• AVID S6 Control Surface
• Mac Pro con Pro Tools Ultimate 2022.7
• Mac Mini running Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite

Massenburg says that, given the specific configuration of the room diffuser, every mix engineer can use the room with confidence being sure that the final mix will be as expected since the first release.

Massenburg Design Works

George Massenburg is providing solutions also in the digital domain. He believes that distortion is something to be avoided in audio production (also his analog products are among the cleanest on the market).

This leads to the fact that he supports mixing in the box more than using analog consoles and outboards.

Massenburg DesignWorks designs high-resolution software plug-ins for Pro Tools, VST, AU, Sonnox, Universal Audio and TC Electronic platforms. The Company was founded by George Massenburg.

Watch the man himself to introduce his software parametric equalizer MDW EQ6:

Conclusion

George Massenburg is one of those men capable of outstanding technical solutions as well as artistic results.

He is the inventor of the parametric equalizer and, at the same time, the man beyond the sound of artists as Earth, Wind & Fire, James Taylor, Billy Joel and Toto just to name a few.

He is an engineer who prefers clean and clear sound leaving to the performers the chance to add distortion if required. Given his big success, the opinion must be taken into account by everyone!

Sources

The information and data reported in this post have been collected from following sources:

Wikipedia
Audiofader Magazine
SOS Magazine
Blackbird Studios
Funkstuff - Thruth in Rhythm
GML
Massenburg Design Works