Emily Lazar
Emily Lazar | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Emily B. Lazar |
| Born | New York, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Mastering engineer |
Emily B. Lazar is an American mastering engineer.[1] She is the founder, president, and chief mastering engineer of The Lodge, an audio mastering facility that has operated in New York City's Greenwich Village since 1997.[2][3][4][5] She won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Beck's album Colors, becoming the first female mastering engineer to win in this category.[6]
Early life and education[edit]
Lazar was born and raised in New York. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Writing and Music from Skidmore College, graduating cum laude with honors distinction in her major. During college, she wrote music, played in bands, and worked as a freelance engineer, producer and mixer. After college, Lazar worked in some of New York City's most prominent studios.[7] Later she earned a Master of Music Degree from New York University's prestigious Music Technology program. While there, she pursued Tonmeister studies and was awarded a Graduate Fellowship. Lazar's thesis on Sonic Solutions, combined with an internship at Sony Classical, eventually led to a position at New York City based mastering facility, Masterdisk.[8][9]
Career[edit]
Lazar has worked on over 3,000 albums with such artists as Panic! At The Disco, Sia, Coldplay, Destiny's Child, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, The Prodigy, The Killers, Morrissey, Linkin Park, Vampire Weekend, Maggie Rogers, Depeche Mode, Dolly Parton, Angel Olsen, The Walkmen, Donald Fagen, Sky Ferreira, Alanis Morissette, Tiësto, The Shins, Lou Reed, Chainsmokers, Barbra Streisand, HAIM, The Raveonettes, Björk, Broken Social Scene, Cults, Boy & Bear, Goldfrapp, Moby, Paul McCartney, The Naked and Famous, Garbage, Sonic Youth, Nada Surf, Sinéad O'Connor, RZA, Wu-Tang Clan, Tegan and Sara, Sleigh Bells, Fucked Up, Chromeo, The Raveonettes, The Subways, Thievery Corporation, Death Cab for Cutie, Heffron Drive, BT, The Velvet Underground, Morgan Page, Armin Van Buuren, Jedi Mind Tricks, John Mayer, Anti-Flag, Third Eye Blind, Shiny Toy Guns, The Donnas, The All American Rejects, Vanessa Carlton, Jacob Collier and many more.[10][11][12]
Current articles on Emily Lazar include features in NPR,[13] Artist Pro (cover story), Bust, Electronic Musician (cover story), Home Recording Magazine, Mix Magazine, Billboard Magazine, Pro Sound News, Medialine, Remix Magazine, and Tape Op. She has been a featured panelist lecturing on college campuses and in numerous music business and recording conferences.[14][15][8] Lazar has also been awarded the prestigious Palamountain Award for Young Alumni Achievement from Skidmore College and has served as adjunct faculty of New York University in the Music Technology Department.[16] She is also a highly publicized product endorsee for Avalon Design (audio equipment), Apple Computer, Antelope Audio and Dangerous Music.[17][18] Emily resides in New York and presently serves as a Trustee of the Recording Academy. She also serves on the NY Chapter's Board of Governors for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and previously Co-Chaired the NY Chapter's Producer & Engineer's Wing. Currently Lazar serves on the Recording Academy's P&E Wing National Steering Committee, P&E Wing National Advisory Council, and the Recording Academy's National Advocacy Committee.
In 2019, Lazar became the first female mastering engineer to win the Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) Grammy, which she won for her work on Beck's Colors.[19]
In 2021, Emily became the first mastering engineer to land 3 Grammy nods for Album of the Year. [20] Leading up to the Grammy Awards, Chris Martin from Coldplay admitted that their latest album could have sounded terrible if it wasn't for one person — mastering engineer Emily Lazar. [21]
The Lodge[edit]
Lazar's studio, The Lodge, is an audio mastering facility, opened in 1997 in Greenwich Village in downtown Manhattan.[15]
We Are Moving the Needle[edit]
On March 8, 2021, Emily announced the launch of the We Are Moving the Needle foundation - aiming to create measurable change for women in the recording industry with the education, equipment and the mentorship needed to succeed.[22] Mentors for the program include Brandi Carlile, HAIM, Maggie Rogers and many others.
Awards and nominations[edit]
Grammy Awards[23]
- 2012 – Album of the Year for Wasting Light by Foo Fighters
- 2015 – Record of the Year for Chandelier by Sia
- 2016 – Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Recreational Love by The Bird and the Bee
- 2019 – (Win) Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) for Colors by Beck
- 2020 – Album of the Year for Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend
- 2021 – Album of the Year for Women in Music Pt. III by Haim
- 2021 – Album of the Year for Djesse Vol.3 by Jacob Collier
- 2021 – Album of the Year for Everyday Life by Coldplay
Latin Grammy Awards
- 2022 – Album of the Year for Deja by Bomba Estéreo[24]
Pensado Awards
- 2014 – Lazar was nominated for the Master of Mastering - Mastering Engineers Award at the first annual Pensado Awards show.[25]
TEC Awards
- 2012 – Lazar won the Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Award[26] in the "Record/Production Album" category for her work on Foo Fighters's Wasting Light.
- 2016 – Lazar won the Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Award[27] in the "Record/Production Single or Track" category for her work on Beck's "Dreams".
- 2019 – Lazar won the Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Award[28] in the "Record/Production Album" category for her work on Beck's Colors.
Billboard Magazine: Women in Music: Hitmakers from Behind the Scenes
- 2015 – Lazar was featured in the December issue of Billboard's Women in Music: Hitmakers from Behind the Scenes "Fine-tuned ears are the trademarks of these four creators. Emily Lazar's golden ears are in high-demand. Just ask clients like Foo Fighters, Beck and Coldplay, whose new album A Head Full of Dreams, tops Lazar's discography."[29]
Elle Magazine: The Women in Music Power List
- 2017 – Lazar was featured in the June issue of Elle's The Women in Music Power List highlighting 14 women as "the industry's most influential execs, producers and songwriters."[30]
Variety Magazine: Power of Women Impact List
- 2019 – Lazar was featured in the April issue of Variety's The Power of Women Impact List recognizing "women at the forefront of their fields."[31]
Credits[edit]
2010[edit]
2011[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Naked & Famous | Passive Me, Aggressive You | Polydor Ltd/Fiction |
| Brand New | Your Favorite Weapon (Reissue) | Razor & Tie/Triple Crown Records |
| The Raveonettes | Rarities/B-Sides | The Orchard |
| White Denim | D | Downtown Records |
| Foo Fighters | Wasting Light | SAM Records/Roswell Records |
| Morgan Page | In The Air | Nettwerk Music Group |
| Ben Lee | Deeper into Dream | Ten Finger Records/Gold Village |
| Cubic Zirconia | Follow Your Heart | Fool's Gold Records |
| Ólöf Arnalds | Ólöf Sings | One Little Indian |
| Against Me! | White Crosses/Black Crosses | Total Trebel Music |
| CANT | Dreams Come True | Terrible Records/Warp Records |
| Boy & Bear | Moonfire | Universal Music Australia |
| Fucked Up | David Comes to Life | Matador |
| Big Talk | Big Talk | Epitaph Records/ANTI Records |
| Thievery Corporation | Culture of Fear | ESL |
| Above & Beyond | Group Therapy | Anjunabeats |
| Tiësto | Club Life: Volume II - Las Vegas | Musical Freedom |
| Cults | Cults | Columbia Records |
| Against Me! | Total Clarity | Fat Wreck Chords |
2012[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| The Killers | Battle Born | Mercury Records |
| Alanis Morissette | Havoc and Bright Lights | Collective Sounds |
| Shiny Toy Guns | III | Five Seven Music |
| Santana | Shape Shifter | Starfaith Records |
| BT | If the Stars Are Eternal So Are You and I | Laptop Symphony |
| BT | Morceau Subrosa | Laptop Symphony |
| Garbage | Not Your Kind of People | STUNVOLUME |
| Tiësto | Club Life: Volume 2 - Miami | Musical Freedom |
| Sondre Lerche | Bootlegs | Mana Records |
| Diamond Rings | Free Dimensional | Astralwerks |
| Bush Tetras | Happy | Reachout International Records, Inc. |
| The Cringe | Hiding in Plain Sight | Listen Records |
| Eleni Mandell | I Can See the Future | Yep Roc Records |
| Trust | TRST | Arts & Crafts Productions |
| Nigel Dupree | Up to No Good | Mighty Loud Records |
| Jeff Wayne | War of the Worlds: The New Generation | 101 Distribution |
| Shoes | Ignition | Black Vinyl Records |
| Matt Boerum | Cold Hearted Disaster | Matthew Boerum |
| Misstress Barbara | Many Shades of Grey | MapleMusic Recordings |
| Say Anything | ...Is A Real Boy | Doghouse Records |
| Indochine | Paradize +10 | Sony Music |
2013[edit]
2014[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Sia | 1000 Forms of Fear | RCA Records |
| The Reassure | Echoe | Örange Penguin Studio |
| Linkin Park | The Hunting Party | Warner Bros. Records |
| Linkin Park | The Hunting Party: Live From Mexico | Warner Bros. Records |
| Say Anything | Hebrews | RCA Records |
| Mimicking Birds | Eons | Glacial Pace Records |
| Garbage | 10" Single Record Store Day Release | STUNVOLUME |
| Hamilton Leithauser | Black Hours | Ribbon Music |
| Christina Perri | Head or Heart | Sony Records |
| Neon Hitch | 301 to Paradise | Warner Bros. Records |
| TRUST | Joyland | Arts & Crafts |
| Dive Index | Lost in the Pressure | Neutral Milk |
| La Dispute | Rooms of the House | No Sleep Records |
| Twofish | Zero Crossing | Self-released |
2015[edit]
2016[edit]
2017[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Beck | Colors | Capitol Records |
| Morrissey | Low in High School | BMG |
| Haim | Something to Tell You | Polydor Records |
| Rostam | Half-Light | Nonesuch |
| Dams of the West | Youngish American | 30th Century Records/Columbia Records |
| Ruth B | Safe Haven | Columbia Records |
| The Chainsmokers | Memories...Do Not Open | Columbia Records |
| Coldplay | A L I E N S | Parlophone |
| Coldplay | All I Can Think About Is You | Parlophone |
| Coldplay | Kaleidoscope EP | Parlophone |
| Mary Lambert | Bold | Mary Lambert Productions |
| Coldplay | "Hypnotised" (song) | Parlophone |
| Thievery Corporation | The Temple of I & I | Eighteenth Street/ESL Music/Ye |
| Baltimore | Summer Rain | Self-released |
| Ben Alessi | PRSSR[34] | Big House Recordings |
| Meresha | Enter the Dreamland | Sonic Dolphin |
| Ha*Ash | 30 de Febrero[35] | Sony Music Latin |
2018[edit]
2019[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Vampire Weekend | Father of the Bride | Columbia Records |
| Maggie Rogers | Heard It in a Past Life | Capitol Records |
| Coldplay | Everyday Life | Parlophone |
| Clairo | Immunity | Fader |
| Cherry Glazerr | Stuffed & Ready | Secretly Canadian |
| Jacob Collier | Djesse Vol. 2 | Hajanga Records |
| Goo Goo Dolls | Miracle Pill | Warner Records |
| Charly Bliss | Young Enough | Barsuk Records |
| Sara Evans | TBD | Born To Fly Records |
| Sour Widows | Sour Widows EP | Self Released |
2020[edit]
2021[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Angels & Airwaves | Lifeforms | Rise Records |
2022[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Maggie Rogers | Surrender | Debay Sounds, Capitol Records |
| Momma | Household Name[36] | Polyvinyl, Lucky Number |
2023[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Romy | Mid Air | Young |
2024[edit]
| Artist | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob Collier | Djesse Vol. 4 | Hajanga Records |
References[edit]
- ^ The Lodge Mastering. "The Lodge Mastering wraps up 2007 with the Grammy's | PRLog". Prlog.org. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Music: Fran Healy Masters 'Wreckorder' at The Lodge | Mixonline". Mixonline.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "The Lodge Masters The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Tiësto, The Raveonettes & More | SonicScoop - Creative, Technical & Business Connections For NYC's Music & Sound Community". Ssonicscoop.com. March 29, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Emily Lazar | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Emily Lazar Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "A day in the life of Emily Lazar, Grammy-winning mastering engineer". CBC Music. February 11, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ "Major in Music Technology at Skidmore College". Skidmore.edu. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ a b "Ears, Passion, and Patience". Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- ^ "BT Remakes Mastering at The Lodge with "These Hopeful Machines" | SonicScoop - Creative, Technical & Business Connections For NYC's Music & Sound Community". Sonicscoop.com. February 2, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Emily Lazar | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ The Lodge Mastering. "Vampire Weekend Master Debut Album with Emily Lazar at The Lodge | PRLog". Prlog.org. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "The Lodge's Emily Lazar & Joe LaPorta Master "Massive" New Foo Fighters Album | SonicScoop - Creative, Technical & Business Connections For NYC's Music & Sound Community". Sonicscoop.com. January 5, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "The Woman Behind The Curtain, Making Good Songs Sound Great : The Record : NPR". Npr.org. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 30, 2000. p. 62. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ a b "The Lodge". Archived from the original on February 5, 2005. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Emily Lazar - Selected Alumni Bios - NYU Steinhardt". Steinhardt.nyu.edu. Archived from the original on November 22, 2007. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Hummingbird Media. "Antelope Audio Brings Back Popular OCXmas, Offering Special Discounts on OCX Master Clock and More | PRLog". Prlog.org. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Avalon New Users". Avalondesign.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Courtney E. Smith (2019). "Emily Lazar, First Woman To Win Engineering Grammy". Refinery29.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
- ^ Paul Grein (2021). "Emily Lazar Is First Mastering Engineer to Land 3 Grammy Nods for Album of the Year". Billboard.com.
- ^ MESFIN FEKADU (2021). "Who really had the album of the year? Emily Lazar did". apnews.com.
- ^ "The Change Makers". Sound On Sound. September 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Emily Lazar | Artist". The Recording Academy. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- ^ "23rd Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards®" (PDF). The Latin Recording Academy. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- ^ "PENSADO AWARDS - JUNE 28TH, 2014 LOS ANGELES, CA". Pensadoawards.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "The TEC Awards". The Tec Foundation. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ "The TEC Awards". The Tec Foundation. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ "The TEC Awards". The Tec Foundation. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ^ "Women In Music: Hitmakers from Behind the Scenes". Billboard.com. December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
- ^ "ELLE's Women In Music Power List". Elle.com. May 22, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
- ^ "Variety's Power of Women Impact List". Variety.
- ^ Emily Lazar, "Emily Lazar", Music Brainz
- ^ Ben Alessi, "Ben Alessi", Music Brainz
- ^ "Ben Alessi Is a Serious Force of Creativity on Debut 'PRSSR' EP: Premiere — via Billboard". Big House Publishing. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ 30 de Febrero (liner notes). Ha*Ash. Sony Music Entertainment México, S.A. De C.V. 2017. 889854908225.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Polyvinyl Records - Artists, News, Music - Shop Vinyl, Merch, Music and More". Polyvinyl Record Co. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
