Posted on April 30, 2026April 30, 2026 by alternativeblueprint

Choosing The Finest Analogue Mastering Hardware

Close-up of audio equipment featuring various knobs and meters, including SPL Passeq, Tegeler Audio, and other sound processing units.

At Fat As Funk we have always preferred the sound of top-grade analogue hardware for our mixes & masters. They really do make a difference compared to plugins. I’ve been a fan of analogue processors & synths since 1995 (& I started Fat As Funk in 2006).

Don’t get me wrong, we use carefully selected plugins too for some aspects of the job. The precision of plugins is unmatched for some aspects, which is important, & I’ve tested so many to select the core few I do use regularly which stand head-&-shoulders above the rest. But the main tone of our mixes & masters is achieved with real valves, resistors, transformers, coils and metal. Kilograms of the stuff. Materials that get physically warm, channel audio through components that have been selected for their sound, not some fake version of them.

I’ve always thought of analogue hardware similar to fake ingredients in cooking – you can get away with a few bits used sparingly, but if everything is a substitute – sweetener instead of sugar, margarine instead of butter…. the end result just tastes…. wrong.

I’m also a believer in everything doing something different. I don’t need 3 different Vari-Mu compressors, I have the best one (the IGS Tubecore 3U has Mid/Side function & a wet/dry mix which are both game-changers & not found in other ones). The valves are chosen to be the highest quality, and it gives the sound such a lovely warm, rich quality. The wet/dry feature is so useful and means I can push it harder while letting some of the original transients though for a more natural thickness & chunk than available on other comparable units.

My SPL PassEQ is the most flexible passive EQ ever made, & weighs over 10 Kg – a solid chunk of sonic lushness. The build quality is unmatched, and each unit comes with a rigorous testing report included. Based on research & testing I have determined it is the best option. It subtly colours the sound beautifully, with rich deep bass & a high-end that can be described as “silky” or “creamy”. Phwoar.

My Bettermaker Mastering EQ brings a surgical precision, and is the most flexible analogue EQ I have found. It’s amazing for workflow too, as although it’s pure analogue it is controlled by a plugin (not sure how they do that, I think it may be actual magic). You can hear the components snap into place when adjusting the plugin. The most important thing is the sound of course, and that is clean but also rich and powerful. It manages to be transparent but also “fat” at the same time. The most subtle of colouration that is tough to pin down, but which just makes everything sound fantastic. It has a dedicated Pultec-style EQ section, plus several peak bands & high + low cut.

The latest addition is a Tegeler Magnetismus 2, which I just got yesterday and have been testing out. This brings a rich “tape-like” quality from the 3 selectable transformers, which colours the sound very subtly when used in mastering, but can also be used to give body & roughness to things like drums if desired when mixing. It also has a compressor which I feel could be more useful for mixing than mastering so far, but that’s not really why I got the device.

Equipment choice is among the most hotly debated topics in audio. All of these devices do something different & add a certain “something” to the sound without overlap. As a bit of a gear geek I’ve bought & sold tonnes of equipment over the years (including some very juicy vintage analogue synths) & I am always improving my studio.

You may see mastering engineers with multiple of the same types of pieces, & sure, it’s nice to have if you are a collector, but realistically they won’t be running your audio through 2 vari-mu for example, or 3 different Pultec-style EQ – there would be no point & this would probably do more harm than good, or just go back on itself in the workflow. This could also inflate their prices beyond what you think you get – you may be paying a premium for someone to have 20 different pieces & only have 4 used on your music. Food for thought.

Several years ago I had a bit of an epiphany – unless something is absolutely adding to my setup in a big way every day, I will get rid of it. I always keep an eye out on what else could replace it in a different AND better way, and if I see something I can’t resist I grab it.

My current setup is in my opinion among the absolute finest available for mastering. I am always looking to add new things IF it fills a gap AND is real quality based on, but as is the same with my attitude to life – nothing just for the sake of it.

Loz Gill Fat As Funk mastering — A young Loz of Fat As Funk about 20-ish years ago with the excellent Maselec MLA-2 & SPL Kultube. Both of which have been replaced now, along with some of Loz’s hairs for grey ones!

New to us? Upload your track here & ask for the FREE mastering demo!

Deluxe Release Packages:Tailored for Your Tone

If you’re releasing on Vinyl and Digital OR Digital-Only, we’ve got you covered.

Get the ultimate record release gravitas on all formats with MORE than just mastering, at an incredible price!

For the best professional-sounding results, masters need to be finished differently for Vinyl, Streaming and Download+CD, as these formats all have different technical requirements.

Using the same masters for every format leads to compromises between streaming or download, and worse – problems with a vinyl cut (even getting rejected by the plant!).

These extra mastering costs can mount up, so we have created these great-value packages saving 25% so you don’t have to compromise on your release.

Choose the package that fits your groove: Vinyl & Digital or Digital-Only, and get perfect sound across every format.

“In my 25 years within the Music Industry as an A&R man, producer, songwriter, record company owner, lecturer and consultant I’ve had the opportunity of working with some excellent Mastering Engineers. Lawrence I can safely say is one of the best. His understanding of mastering coupled with his easy going approach, flexibility and quality of work at a decent price make him an absolute treasure to work with in his particular field. I can’t recommend him enough.” – Richard Rogers – Ex Head of A&R for Warner-Chappell

“Loz, it turns out you were the best to my ears, including people in multi-million dollar mastering facilities.” – Augustine Leudar

“When we were preparing our first album, two of the biggest pressing plants recommended Loz to sort out our digital and vinyl masters. We were so impressed with his work that we asked him to mix and master our second album. Communicating our ideas for each song was so easy and enjoyable, and we are delighted with the results. Loz’s calm, zen-like approach, combined with his expertise and knowledge, makes him a pleasure to work with. Highly recommended!” – Olly, Bobsled Team

“I had my band’s tracks mixed and mastered by Loz after trying over 15 studios for mixing and mastering, but no one could get the sound I was looking for on my songs like Loz! The end result was amazing and the sound came out exactly how I wanted it. The attention to detail was great and I’m really happy. I highly recommend this studio to anyone looking for top quality mixing and mastering.” – Bill Sam, Nightsteel

Since 2006, we’ve been making records rise above the noise, full-time.

Your dream release? It starts here.

best online mastering studio fat as funk mixing analogue

Pick Your Package:

1: Vinyl AND Digital release

Lush analogue masters. Individually optimized for the best vinyl cut, streaming, CD, cassette, and download – ultimate sonic gravitas for your release.

Plus get everything sounding amazing before the final mastering stage including:

Mix Evaluations: Refine your mixes at home with detailed advice before we master them
OR Mixing + Mastering: We handle everything for pro-level polish and an easy life for you!

2: Digital-only release

Lush analogue masters crafted for streaming, download, CD (and cassette too!) – zero compromise.

Plus get everything sounding amazing before the final mastering stage including:

Mix Evaluations: Tweak your mixes at home with detailed advice before we master them
OR Mixing + Mastering: Full-service sound from the ground-up for best results, and an easy life for you!

Does that sound like the record you’ve been dreaming of? Achieve it AND save 25%

Deluxe Vinyl + Digital Release Packages

Price range: £272.00 through £1,904.00

Select options
Deluxe Digital Release Packages

Price range: £212.00 through £1,936.00

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Your Music – Sounding Incredible, Lasting Forever

Fat As Funk has been the “in house” mastering engineer for 3 of the biggest UK pressing plants for many years and have shaped the sound of vinyl releases for thousands of artists, from household names to independents.

“We’ve been working with Fat As Funk for over 10 years and Loz is my go-to guy for pre-vinyl mastering. His expertise is always on point, and he knows how to get any masters sounding great on vinyl. It’s always a smooth ride with clear communication and quick turnaround.” – Graham Worsfold, Key Production (a top pressing plant)

“We have used Loz and Fat As Funk mastering as our ‘In House’ mastering engineer for some years now and we have absolutely no intention of changing that any time soon. Loz’s versatility and attention to detail when mastering across all genres and for all physical media and digital media outputs is second to none in the business. Fat As Funk is a genuine 5 star service.” – Adam M – Director: Cram Duplication & Vinyl (a top pressing plant)

“We have been using Loz/Fat as Funk Mastering through Breed Media for years and always receive a friendly, timely and quality service/results from him for vinyl mastering, as well as level checking and DDP conversions for CD work. We have trusted him with projects ranging from household name artists to customers putting out their first release and would gladly recommend his services whenever we can.” – Ben Ward, Breed Media (a top pressing plant)

“Always a pleasure to work with Loz. Turns jobs around quickly for me when time is of the essence! And what he does is always amazing – Top job!” – Liz Brown, Key Production (a top pressing plant)

The Package Details

1: Vinyl + Digital Release:

Option 1A: Analogue mastering for vinyl + digital release, with pre-mastering mix optimisation advice

Detailed Mix Evaluation on every track to refine your mix at home pre-mastering. Better mix in = better master out!
High-res masters optimised for digital use (& Cassette too!)
Pre-vinyl optimised masters for an unmatched quality vinyl cut
Streaming-optimized masters to stand out in the crowd
16 bit / 44.1 masters for CD (and some digital distributors)
Best-quality MP3s made from our 32 bit highest-quality files with metadata text included

£68 per track (usually £91), 4 tracks minimum. Save ~25%

Option 1B: Analogue mixing + mastering for vinyl & digital Release

Pro mixing and mastering of up to 10 instrument stems per song (more stems are OK with a surcharge of £7 per stem)
High-res wav masters optimised for digital use (& Cassette too!)
Pre-vinyl optimised masters for an unmatched quality vinyl cut
Streaming-optimized masters to stand out in the crowd
16 bit / 44.1 masters for CD (and some digital distributors)
Best-quality MP3s made from our 32 bit highest-quality files with metadata text included

£136 per track (usually £181). 4 tracks minimum. Save ~25%

Deluxe Vinyl + Digital Release Packages

Deluxe Package

Clear

2: Digital-Only Release:

Option 2A: Analogue mastering for digital release, with pre-mastering mix optimisation advice

Detailed Mix Evaluation on every track to refine your mix at home pre-mastering. Better mix in = better master out!
High-res masters optimised for digital use (& Cassette too!)
Streaming-optimized masters to stand out in the crowd
16 bit / 44.1 masters for CD (and some digital distributors)
Best-quality MP3s made from our 32 bit highest-quality files with metadata text included

£53 per track (usually £71), 4 tracks minimum. Save ~25%

Option 2B: Analogue mixing + mastering for digital Release

Pro mixing and mastering of up to 10 instrument stems per song
High-res wav masters optimised for digital use (& Cassette too!)
Streaming-optimized masters to stand out in the crowd
16 bit / 44.1 masters for CD (and some digital distributors)
Best-quality MP3s made from our 32 bit highest-quality files with metadata text included

£121 per track (Usually £161), 4 tracks minimum. Save ~25%

Deluxe Digital Release Packages

Deluxe Package

Clear

Due to the extra workload, we can only do a few of these packages per month. Book now to secure your deluxe release package.

The Release You Always Hoped For, Delivered

“Loz! WOW. They sound beautiful. Kind of crying. Been 2.5 years to get here. Can’t believe it. That you got such round bottom-end with such depth to the mix as well, no loudness madness, is really impressive and everything I’d hoped for.” – Jung Jungle

“Fat As Funk has changed average recorded music into tracks suitable for national exposure on radio stations for me.” – Rob Saunders, Deuce Management

Nothing Quite Like Vinyl

Vinyl isn’t just a format—it’s a legacy. Your tracks deserve that warm, rich depth. Plus digital masters that cut through on Spotify and beyond. I’ve got the gear, the experience, and the pressing plant connections to make it happen effortlessly. There’s nothing like the feeling of unwrapping your first vinyl record! This is your shot to create something that stands the test of time and sounds as good as the best. Something to be truly proud of.

(From a client with his own vinyl cutting lathe) “I did a test cut of your demo master alongside a demo master from another mastering engineer and I can confirm your master was really good, translated to vinyl well and was far better than the other engineer. I liked the way that you didn’t slam the mix too hard and the integrity of my mixdown was still there but you just made it come alive more and made it sound nice & punchy and also louder without destroying the dynamics.” – Ben, I & I Musik

Getting Physical?

CD and Cassette releases are gaining popularity again, and our masters for digital use will sound perfect on these formats too. We can also give you a master Cassette for you to duplicate from for an additional fee.

“We’re delighted with those masters you sent us. They really are perfect and everyone on our end is happy.” – A Futurist Theatre

Your dream sound, elite and affordable

“These masters are phenomenal ! I still can’t get over how you can take a stereo stem and make it groove and move more with mastering… You’ve brought out details that I haven’t heard before and I’ve been obsessing over these mixes for two years. The vox sound front and centre without compromising the music. We love them and we’re delighted with the overall service – brilliant communication and a speedy turnaround without impacting the quality. All magic. We haven’t even considered trusting our music to another mastering engineer – that won’t change ! Thank you again.” – Strange Crazy

Reserve your package now!

Deluxe Vinyl + Digital Release Packages

Price range: £272.00 through £1,904.00

Select options
Deluxe Digital Release Packages

Price range: £212.00 through £1,936.00

Select options

best analog mastering online fat as funk

Posted on June 6, 2024June 6, 2024 by alternativeblueprint

Happy 18th Birthday To Us!

18 years today I registered my website & sent my first email as Fat As Funk.

I consider this the birth of my company.

I’d like to thank each of you for joining me on this quest for excellent audio.

Some of you have been working with me since right back in 2006. This is incredible, and a testament to how strong relationships can be in a very competitive & fickle industry.

People can stop making music for all sorts of reasons. Labels fold, managers retire, family life gets in the way. But the musical spark lives within.

So many times people come back several years later with a new project. “Remember me?” – of course I do!

Every record I’ve worked on has touched me in some way. I am extremely grateful, & especially that most new clients come to me from heartfelt recommendation (which is great as I’m rubbish at social media!).

18 years is a long time to be doing the same job, & I still love it every day. It’s always refreshing, exciting, fun, rewarding and interesting. I lost count years ago but must be up to about 16,000+ tracks mixed &/or mastered by me. That’s a lot of audio.

I love hearing your new music from literally all around the world.

Right now (6/6/2024) I am working on a returning client’s album from Russia. They asked if I was still working on Russian music – worried I would boycott them due to their government’s war. They don’t want it. They just want to live a good life & make tunes. Music transcends politics & policies. Of course I’ll work on it! It was a major hassle getting the money over, and eventually they had to send it via a friend in Kazakhstan, but we got there in the end. It’s a great album too, a little bit Nirvana / Pixies vibe. I’m on track to deliver it tomorrow.

I’ve made some good friends along the way, and had the pleasure of meeting quite a few of you in person. Seen babies born & grow up, marriages, divorces, deaths, wins & losses all soundtracked by authentic, visceral & interesting music.

It’s a real honour being a part of your musical journey, and I look forward to hearing your next material.

All the best,

Loz.

Posted on August 7, 2023August 6, 2023 by alternativeblueprint

17 Years Of Fat As Funk Mixing & Mastering!

They say time flies when you’re having fun. Never truer than when spending the last 17 years working on amazing music.

I don’t really talk about myself much at all (ever really), but 17 years is quite a while to be doing a job, so this post is a little bit about my journey so far.

Firstly, It’s been an absolute pleasure and privilege to work on all your amazing tunes over the years. I appreciate every one of you, from those just starting out in the game, through to some of the biggest independent labels, artists, sync agents, music libraries and pressing plants in the industry. I’m very glad to have made some real friends along the way too.

Far too many to name in this post without excluding others, but you can check out my (probably very incomplete) client list.

The Journey So Far

Fat As Funk was one of the very first mastering companies to offer a free taster back in 2006. This approach combined with trips to numerous music conferences and networking parties got me a lot of clients quite fast, and off we went. 17 years later and I’m not quite sure where the time has gone!

It’s really satisfying to help a new producer get their first release sounding as good as their inspirations, and hearing just how thrilled they are – wonderful! Take that enthusiasm forward and blow up your scene! Likewise when a band like Bilk drops their debut e.p. and it exceeds all expectations it’s great to have been a small part of it.

Also very satisfying seeing some tracks I’ve worked on getting major radio and DJ support all over the world, including several times the number 1 slot on Spotify for their genre, or a couple of times Radio 1’s “Hottest Record In The World Right Now” (Tommy Farrow “Let’s Just” and Prospa’s “Prayer”). Recently I noticed my regular client Lau.Ra did her first BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix. As a huge fan of the series growing up, this made me smile.

Occasionally walking into a shop and hearing something on the radio, like the ubiquitous “Another Lifetime” by Luxxury & Scavenger Hunt and”Keep It Together” by Kraak & Smaak which I keep on hearing in unexpected places a couple of years after their release.

Hearing my work in an A-List Hollywood trailer or movie is a buzz (especially when I’ve also helped land the sync placement, but more on that later).

A few times, artists have sent me a reference track to emulate for their mastering, and I come back to them saying “I mastered that one” and we have an instant “Ayyyyyyy!” Bro moment 🙂

I lost track of exactly how many tracks I’ve worked on a while back, but it must be well over 14,000 now. I’ve worked on music from literally every continent, and feel lucky to hear what’s cooking in the underground in some of the most far-flung corners of the world.

“The Underwater Hunter” by the Industrial Battle Orchestra. Mixed and Mastered by Fat As Funk.

Music S.O.S.

I get a special warm fuzzy feeling from rescuing old treasured recordings, sometimes for the families of people who have died, or an old-timer wanting to get their legacy in order and sounding great for their grandkids. They are so overjoyed to hear these wonderful memories restored, it makes me emotional every time. These jobs don’t happen very often, but they are always special when they do. I am currently cleaning up and augmenting some folk songs by a guy in the US which were recorded “on a $25 tape machine many years ago” including a song he recorded for his wife who died. There wouldn’t be a dry eye in the house if you heard it.

Likewise when the itch to scratch some vinyl comes around, but artists only have their masters pushed hard for digital use, and without access to the unmastered files we step in to solve the problem. Although people do sometimes risk pressing super-pushed masters on to vinyl, it is not recommended as they will often not translate brilliantly, and can even run the risk of making the needle jump if there are low frequencies out of phase. I have done a tonne of pre-vinyl rescue work over the years including for superstar Sophie Ellis Bextor and recently the controversial but critically acclaimed UK rapper Potter Payper.

We can optimise any tracks for the best vinyl results. Vinyl is so expensive to get pressed, there’s no point taking a risk at the last stage.

It’s a pleasure to make people so happy with their music. You can read some testimonials to see some nice things people have said.

Moving In Sync

I have also been working in the sync world for a while, visiting Los Angeles 6 times to hustle up direct connections in Hollywood and setting up a 3rd party licensing agency Rinse The Sync. This went pretty well, getting my artists music placed on many shows and films like Royal Pains (NBCUni), The Driver (BBC), A Hundred Streets, Spotless, The Five, Underworld:Blood Wars (trailer and movie) – all Fat As Funk mastering clients.

I have since moved away from 3rd party representation, and instead have set up a sync-focused music library Alternative Reality Music which has been picking up speed. It’s still fairly new, but I have a great sub-publisher based in LA, and we are starting to get placements on Netflix and other platforms. More of a slow burn, but also more sustainable.

I am looking to sign material in all genres for the library, and have signed up lots of tracks from Fat As Funk’s roster already for the catalogue. There is more chance of your music being noticed and pitched from a smaller library like ours than one of the huge ones with 6 million tracks. I am also gathering tracks for a different flavour library with a grittier, harder electronic edge. If you are interested, send me an email for more details (but use a different email address to the mastering one please: publishing (at) rinsethesync (dot) com )

I’m lucky to have had some of my own music placed too. Most notably landed some music and sound design in the international trailers for Alien:Covenant, Antlers, a Sprite advert, The Driver, had some of my sound design in the Logan trailer and music in The Book Of Boba Fett promo with a track I composed 50/50 with a buddy.

Some TV and Podcast Work

I came to the rescue for two series of wellness programmes on Sky TV “Feel Good Factor” on recommendation. The producers were having a nightmare as the sound recordist had ended the relationship on bad terms and left them with a load of extremely messy audio. Some of which was horrifically recorded, and they could not re-record the interviews due to Covid. I came in around part way though the first season and made the audio broadcast quality.

I have done various other TV mixing and post production, including remixing Ludacris’s tracks for the cool Netflix kids show Karma’s World for seasons 1 and 2. The same agency commissioned me to edit the music for a pilot cartoon show with Ronaldo and Messi called GOAT, which I don’t think ever came of anything, but was a fun job anyway.

I’ve recently been working on some spoken word audio including the excellent “Pitch Masters” podcast which is nominated for the MR2023 Podcast award. As a complete contrast, late last year I edited some rather fruity “adult” voiceover for the female-centered erotic story company Emjoy. Never done that before, but it was great fun! Never a dull day in the studio.

Final Thoughts

What I am most thankful for is the vast majority of my clients are regulars who come back time & time again, and most new clients come from their recommendations.

This means I have not needed to advertise at all for many years, and it also buffers against my rubbish social media presence haha (phew!). As I say every year… I must do better on the socials haha. Maybe this year will be the one…. Now that I mention it, If you would follow/like/share and all that stuff it would be appreciated. I often send out exclusive discounts on services to my email subscribers too.

As a lover of the countryside, I haven’t been tempted to move to London (although I do love visiting it), so have been able to keep my overheads low, and my prices extremely competitive. I truly feel Fat As Funk offers the best value:quality ratio in the business, and I’m very proud of that.

If I can help with mix evaluations, mixing, mastering, sync advice, vinyl optimisation, podcasts or anything along those lines, feel free to get in touch.

Likewise, if you have some excellent back-catalogue sitting around gathering dust consider sending it over for consideration into the library. Or you could write us something fresh!

So once again, thank you for being such awesome people. Keep the music coming! We’ll make it Fat As Funk together.

All the best,

Loz.