Get to Know Inspirational New Audio Mastering Tutor Conor Dalton

Award-winning founder of Glowcast Audio Mastering and previous Catalyst guest lecturer, Conor Dalton, recently joined our team as a regular audio mastering tutor. Get to know him in this interview.

You might just recognise Conor Dalton’s face. In fact, it seems that the masterful mastering engineer hasn’t been able to stay away since he visited Catalyst back in spring for an inspiring Guest Session. Either that or we just didn’t want to let him go (we didn’t want to let him go). The founder of world-renowned Berlin-based studio Glowcast Audio Mastering, he has a star-studded client base that’s as impressive as his musical ear – and his wonderful teaching skills.

On that note, you’re about to see Conor’s face a lot more often. He’ll be joining us as a regular audio mastering tutor in just a few days’ time, as we kick off the super-exciting new school year. In the meantime, we caught up with the collaboration coveter to get to know him a little better.

Welcome! What are you going to be doing at Catalyst?

I’m going to be discussing audio mastering with the second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering students twice a week in the brand-new K13 mastering suite in the Funkhaus. We’re going to cover the techniques and principles of the technical requirements for modern mastering. But perhaps more importantly, we’ll be talking about the strategic and philosophical mindset required to work with audio in this way.

What were you doing before you came to Catalyst?

I master music for a range of producers and record labels from all over the world – different genres, different personalities, different capabilities and desires. In 2019, my company Glowcast Audio Mastering will celebrate its 10th anniversary. The highlights include working with Jeff Mills, Daft Punk, Ostgut Ton and many others; mostly within the sub genres of electronic music (although all genres are welcome). I’m a tutor at Berklee in Valencia and Shoogle Studios in Glasgow, as well as being a musician in the band Island People.

Why us?

After teaching international mastering workshops and crash courses, I realised that the reward I had from teaching was beginning to draw me further into education. The feeling of being part of a community and ‘giving something back’ appeals to me; to challenge myself and be surrounded by inquisitive, passionate musicians. I find the environment inspiring and rewarding; to explain concepts to hungry minds. Catalyst seems to have a great approach to communication and thinking creatively. The general atmosphere at the school is open and encouraging. It’s a warm and welcoming place.

What impact do you hope to have at the school this year?

I’m hoping to meet great people and learn how to become a better teacher with the students’ help. I hope to offer insights on the day-to-day reality of mastering music. It’s not just about teaching the techniques, but teaching my personal experience of what I’ve learnt through exhaustive research and studio time. I hope to integrate into the Catalyst community and find ways to encourage and support the students and their needs.

What do you recommend we watch, see or listen to this weekend?

That’s really impossible to answer for me. There are overwhelming options in Berlin. This would have to be a personal taste question to whoever is reading, but I recommend trying something new regularly here. This city offers a lot of things that other places don’t so make the most of Berlin before the winter comes rolling in. The city is infamous for its nightlife, but that’s only one side of Berlin. It’s always good to balance things out with some park time or exercise and not get too lost in the club life.

Click here to find out what fuels Conor Dalton’s creativity, and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and his website.