Sylvia Lenore Massy is an American record producer, mixer, engineer, instructor and author. Massy is renowned for her multifaceted production/mixing and engineering skills, with her first major breakthrough occurring with 1993's '' Undertow'', the full-length triple platinum-selling debut for Los Angeles alternative metal band Tool as well as her work with System of a Down,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Brazilian band South Cry.

History

Massy's first project was in the mid-1980s as producer, engineer, and mixer for a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

titled ''Rat Music for Rat People, Vol. 3'' on the CD Presents label. Acts featured included Adolescents, Raw Power,

Doggy Style Doggy style is a sex position in which a person bends over, crouches on all fours (usually on hands and knees), or lies on their abdomen, for sexual intercourse, other forms of sexual penetration or other sexual activity. Doggy style is ...

and Mojo Nixon. She followed this with producing the punk band Verbal Abuse for

Boner Records Boner Records is an American independent record label in Berkeley, California owned by Tom Flynn. It has released recordings by Fang (Flynn's band), Verbal Abuse, MDC, Boneless Ones, Duh, Steel Pole Bath Tub, Melvins, The Warlock Pinchers, ...

, engineering two projects for metal band Exodus and co-producing the Sea Hags independent album with a young guitarist Kirk Hammett, who had just finished the '' Master of Puppets'' album with thrash metal group

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

. She also produced "Television, Drug of a Nation" by the Beatnigs, the former band of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's Michael Franti.

From Green Jellö to Tool

Towards the end of the 1980s, Massy moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles and worked at Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. At Tower she met the members of a Buffalo, New York, band named Green Jellö (later known as Green Jellÿ) and recorded their debut album. After becoming a staff engineer at Larrabee Sound in West Hollywood, she was hired by Zoo Records/

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations * Music publishing companies: ** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 *** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...

to produce Green Jellö's major label debut album, which featured members of a new Los Angeles group called Tool. On Green Jellö's '' Cereal Killer'' album, Tool's Maynard James Keenan sings on " Three Little Pigs", and Tool's drummer Danny Carey plays on the album. This began a relationship Massy would have with the band Tool that would span two records: ''

Opiate An opiate, in classical pharmacology, is a substance derived from opium. In more modern usage, the term ''opioid'' is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonis ...

'' and '' Undertow''.

Los Angeles and Larrabee Sound

In Los Angeles, Massy was an engineer, producer or mixer on recordings from artists including

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

, Babyface,

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...

, Bobby Brown, Prince, Julio Iglesias, Seal, Skunk Anansie,

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...

, Ryuichi Sakamoto and many more. She worked with manager Gary Kurfirst on Irish rock band

Cyclefly Cyclefly were an alternative rock band (music), band from Cork (city), Cork, Ireland, and Antibes, France. The band toured on both sides of the Atlantic many times, including headline and support tours with Bush (British band), Bush, Live (ban ...

for Kurfirst's Radioactive Records. At Larrabee Sound, Sylvia connected with producer Rick Rubin and would work with him on several projects spanning seven years.

Sound City

From 1994 until 2001, Massy's vintage Neve 8038 console and other specialized recording equipment occupied Studio B at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California. Besides Massy's own work at Sound City, several other successful projects were recorded on Massy's equipment during these years, including albums by

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...

, Queens of the Stone Age, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club,

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Art, ...

, the Black Crowes and

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...

. Massy's equipment is visible in many scenes of

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

's film '' Sound City''.

Rubin and beyond

Massy engineered and mixed several projects for producer Rick Rubin on his label American Recordings, including

's album '' Unchained'', which won a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

award for Best Country Album in 1997. With Rubin, she also recorded

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...

Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earning ...

, the Black Crowes, Danzig, and System of a Down's debut album. In the '90s, Massy produced material for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sevendust, and

Powerman 5000 Powerman 5000 (also known as PM5K) is an American rock band formed in 1991. The group has released ten albums, gaining its highest level of commercial success with 1999's ''Tonight the Stars Revolt!'', which reached number 29 on the ''Billboar ...

, which featured guest appearances from

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

and actor Malachi Throne; and for newcomer

Pauley Perrette Pauley Perrette (born March 27, 1969) is an American retired actress and singer. She played Abby Sciuto in the television series '' NCIS'' from 2003 to 2018. Early life Perrette was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised throughout the so ...

. In 1997 Massy mixed the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

' "

Tibetan Freedom Concert Tibetan Freedom Concert is the name given to a series of socio-political music festivals held in North America, Europe and Asia from 1996 onwards to support the cause of Tibetan independence. The concerts were originally organized by the Beast ...

" in New York with Adam Yauch and producer Pat McCarthy.

RadioStar Studios and international acclaim

Starting in 2001, Massy owned and operated RadioStar Studios out of the Weed Palace Theater until its closing in 2012. She acquired the theater property in 2001 in Weed, California, and operated it as a recording studio for 11 years, with notable clients having been

Sublime Sublime may refer to: Entertainment * SuBLime, a comic imprint of Viz Media for BL manga * Sublime (band), an American ska punk band ** ''Sublime'' (album), 1996 * ''Sublime'' (film), a 2007 horror film * SubLime FM, a Dutch radio station dedic ...

, Dishwalla, Swirl 360, Econoline Crush, Cog,

Spiderbait Spiderbait is an Australian alternative rock band from Finley, New South Wales, formed in 1991 by bass guitarist and singer Janet English, drummer and singer Kram (musician), Kram, and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004 the group's cover version o ...

, Norma Jean, Built To Spill and From First To Last (featuring

Sonny Moore Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ and music producer. Growing up in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he joined the post-hardcore band From First to Last as the lead sing ...

of Skrillex.) Several international hits came out of RadioStar Studios with Massy, including

's " Black Betty" which reached No. 1 on Australia's ARIA chart in 2004; Cog's '' The New Normal'' album received the Australian Triple J "J Award" in 2005; Seigmen's "Metropolis" which reached No. 4 on Norway's sales charts; Klepht was named "Best Portuguese Act" by MTV Europe; Econoline Crush received a Canadian Juno nomination and Platinum sales status for their ''The Devil You Know'' album; and

Animal Alpha Animal Alpha was a five-piece Norwegian rock group formed in 2002 and disbanded in 2009. History The band spent much of 2004 playing shows around Norway. Their performance at Oslo's Øya Festival received 8 out of 10 points in the British magazi ...

's EP reached Gold sales status in Norway in 2005.

Artwork, writing and music festivals

In the 2000s, she wrote a regular column in '' Mix Magazine'' called "Gear Stories" which discussed vintage recording equipment versus modern equivalents. She wrote an essay about Thomas Edison's contribution to the recording industry which was included in the official

Awards Program. In 2011, Massy co-founded the 4&20 Blackbird Music Festival which operated for two years in downtown Weed, California. The festival drew approximately 7000 people and featured 250 musical acts during its run. In January 2015, Massy began to write a book called ''Recording Unhinged'' for Hal Leonard Publishing. The book was released in March 2016. Interviews and contributors for the book include Hans Zimmer, Geoff Emerick, Bob Ezrin, Bruce Swedien, Michael Franti, Bob Clearmountain, Al Schmitt, Elliot Scheiner, Linda Perry, Ross Robinson,

Matt Wallace Matt Wallace is an American record producer. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley,Shelly Yakus, Paul Wolff. Massy also illustrated the book. The cover of the March 2016 issue of '' Electronic Musician'' Magazine features Massy's illustration of a dinosaur and a robot in a battle.

As an educator

In 2015 and 2018, Massy was a visiting professor at

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

in Boston. In 2018 Massy taught a workshop at the Abbey Road Institute in London, UK. In 2016 she lectured at SAE Institute's audio engineering schools in London and Munich. She has presented periodic recording workshops in Dresden at Castle Rohrsdorf and at Mix with the Masters in Les Studios de la Fabrique in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in the south of France. In 2017 Massy conducted a workshop and lecture at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Gilbert, Arizona, and a workshop at Tecnólogico de Monterrey in Mexico City for several hundred students. She has also conducted workshops in Sardinia, Oslo and Gdansk and Rome. In 2017, Massy and co-author Chris Johnson began a collaboration for a professional recording course at Berklee based on their book, ''Recording Unhinged''. In 2019, Massy toured and conducted workshops for Abbey Road Institute locations in Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and London.

Current status

Massy lives in Ashland, Oregon and works out of her private studio. She continues to work as an independent producer, educator and music promoter. She has appeared on an episode of ''Pensado's Place'', an industry video program with producer/mixer Dave Pensado and was nominated for "The Big Award" at the Pensado Awards in 2014 . Massy is a member of NARAS and served on the P&E Wing Steering Committee and Advisory Boards. In 2009, she traveled to Washington D.C. to lobby for musician's

Performance Rights Performing rights are the right to perform music in public. It is part of copyright law and demands payment to the music's composer/lyricist and publisher (with the royalties generally split 50/50 between the two). Performances are considered "pu ...

and continues to be involved with musician, producer and educational advocacy work on behalf of NARAS. In February 2016 Massy won the

Music Producers Guild The Music Producers Guild (MPG) (UK) promotes and represents all individuals in the music production and recording professions. It is a professional organisation that embodies collective and individual creative contributions to the production and ...

's "MPG Inspiration Award" at the MPG Awards in London. The award was presented by John Leckie. In 2015 Massy mixed for Cage the Elephant and

Soilwork Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. They are signed to Nuclear Blast. Formed in late 1995 by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers, originally under the name ''Inferior Breed'', the band changed their name in late 1996 to S ...

. The latter part of 2015 and early 2016 saw her overseeing production of Avatar's album '' Feathers and Flesh''. In 2016 Massy recorded Seattle all-woman noise band

Thunderpussy Thunderpussy is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2014. The group is composed of vocalist Molly Sides, guitarist Whitney Petty, bassist Leah Julius, and drummer Lindsey Elias. The band draws inspiration from the sound of 1 ...

in an abandoned nuclear power plant's cooling tower for the song "Torpedo Love". She recorded singer-songwriter Sarah Brendel in the underground venue at the Merkers Show Mine, a retired salt mine in Merkers, Germany. In early 2017 she produced and engineered the Melvins at the Village Studios in Santa Monica while being filmed by Mix with the Masters. She also produced albums by Econoline Crush, Far From Alaska and Dishwalla, and was hired to re-work the recordings of

Grey Daze Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter who was best known as the lead vocalist of rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead vocalist of the bands Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise, a ...

, a side project by

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...

's frontman Chester Bennington. In early 2018, Massy traveled to Mexico City to produce the MTV Unplugged television broadcast (and subsequent album release) of the band Molotov. In the summer of 2018 she gained access to the abandoned London Underground station at Aldwych to record British band God Damn on the subway platform. In 2019 Massy produced and mixed the follow up to Life of Agony's ''

River Runs Red ''River Runs Red'' is the debut studio album by American alternative metal band Life of Agony, released on October 12, 1993 by Roadrunner Records. It is a concept album, telling the story of a teenager, from a troubled household, who ultimately ...

'' album, named ''The Sound of Scars''. Tracks were recorded at Studio Divine in Ashland, Oregon. Later in 2019 Massy mixed a solo album for Taylor Hawkins (drummer for

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

). The album features performances by

(

, Nirvana), Joe Walsh (

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

( Pretenders),

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chris ...

, Nancy Wilson ( Heart), Perry Farrell ( Jane's Addiction,

Porno For Pyros Porno for Pyros is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1992, following the break-up of Jane's Addiction. The band currently consists of former Jane's Addiction members Perry Farrell (vocals) a ...

), Roger Taylor ( Queen), Chris Chaney (

) and Duff (

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

Discography

Massy has worked on the following projects:

References

External links

*
Sylvia Massy
on The Producer Series on Triple J *
Sylvia Massy Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2021) {{DEFAULTSORT:Massy, Sylvia Record producers from California Living people American audio engineers People from Flint, Michigan People from Weed, California People from Ashland, Oregon Women audio engineers Engineers from California American women record producers Year of birth missing (living people)