Douglas Beck - Alumni Spotlight

Douglas Beck (’06) is a Junior Mastering Engineer with Disc Makers in Pennsauken, NJ. Doug got started with Disc Makers immediately after graduating from OIART in the glass mastering department, where he was responsible for making glass masters and stamper molds for CD replication. In 2009, Doug was promoted to an engineering position in Disc Makers in-house mastering facility, The SoundLAB. He has been working in audio mastering ever since.

Doug explains, “My job is to take the clients’ finished songs and turn them into a finished album. In addition to mastering duties, I am also responsible for preparing vinyl projects for lacquer mastering and Quality Checking the test pressings. I’m the resident analog tape guru. If it comes in on tape, it goes through my hands and onto the eloquent Ampex ATR-102! Additionally, I regularly freelance as a recording/mix engineer out of my home based studio.”



Of his OIART experience, Doug says, “OIART was the springboard that launched me into my career in audio mastering. OIART taught me how to navigate the world of audio. All the Pro Tools knowledge in the world won’t keep you in a job if you aren’t professional and know how to handle yourself around clients and other professionals. I learned to be open minded and always think outside the box. I also learned a ton of technical information that I use every day – but the single most important lesson I learned at OIART was to simply listen. Your ears are your most valuable tools!”