Bringing your music to life through the Art and Science of Mastering since 2008.
"I thought 'Landline' had already raised the bar in retrowave, but, like their last EP 'Glossy', this release was mastered by Steve Gillson, ensuring we hear every note and instrument clearly, complimented and distinct." -Neon Fawkes, Nightride.fm
"It sounds amazing, wide, lush, punchy, warm and loud without feeling over compressed or harsh, it was just what I was looking for. "
​-Andre, OUTRUNNER

Pre/Post Mastering Audio Example

 When you are listening to mastering examples, if you notice the master is louder than the pre-master, your brain is being fooled!  As humans, we perceive louder as being better.  Mastering engineers know this, and sometimes take advantage of this trick of human perception.  In order to truly and fairly compare before and after mastering examples, both files MUST BE level-matched to the same perceived loudness level.
Listen to Milosh Armas - "Hiding In The River" on Spotify

Steve Gillson

Owner and Mastering Engineer

I have been what you would call a music nerd since before I could walk.  MTV was born just a couple of years after me, and we grew up together, so you can imagine my musical background is pretty firmly rooted in the 1980s.  In the 90s, I discovered the "rave scene," and began producing electronic music.  Sometime in the early 2000s, music producer friends and acquaintances began asking me how I made my music so "clean sounding."  Soon enough, I stopped trying to explain the nuances, and began mastering their music for free.  Around 2008, my first word-of-mouth customer contacted me and became my first paying client.  I operated entirely word-of-mouth until 2018, when I created Gem City Mastering.

Selected Work