Alexandre began, like many other sound engineers, by playing an instrument. It was through turntables and turntablism that his musical adventure began more than ten years ago. He very quickly began to play several instruments, alongside the exercise of composition. Between the acoustic and electronic world he built a very strong musical culture supported by instrumental practice which allowed him to understand music in a more concrete way. In addition to the guitar and the piano, he developed a particular passion for sound synthesis, a great lover of synthesizers. The mixing place became for him the nerve center of all these musical fields. It was after several years of intensive mixing practice that the question of mastering, which today is still considered a mysterious field requiring a great deal of experience, presented itself to him as the completion of a research journey. and varied sound experiences. Now he is specialized in mastering for seven years.

 

Mastering presents itself above all as a destination that is, in my opinion, difficult to achieve the first time because it requires understanding the musician, understanding the composer. However, as a mastering engineer I am no longer entirely a musician and this fact is born from a very clear musical feeling: everything is equal. Indeed, I have developed a particular state of subjectivity and love for all genres and all musical choices. The problem is no longer in this area of music and sound. It sits on top, it covers any piece like its skin, like its texture or its nerve ending. A mastering engineer is a musician who plays the entire song in its entirety and at the same time. Using his knobs, he sculpts and works the skin of the piece. However, this surface is not superficial, each action he undertakes has an impact on the whole piece, so like a conductor he must have an ear focused on each detail. He thus penetrates the music as closely as possible to the microscopic details, deep into the entire thickness of its form in order to offer listeners a particular perception of it. Ultimately, for me, mastering determines our material perception of music, it works exclusively to construct a material perception of sound, it is the border between the piece of music and us.  

 

The Grand Hôtel Mastering offers an unusual working philosophy, it combines a mastering studio and an audiophile lounge. The union of these two universes gives an almost metaphysical priority to the sound. Nothing distracts attention between the engineer and the speakers. In addition, the absence of a desk greatly reduces reflections which harm neutral listening. This configuration allows an augmented critical approach. The engineer is no longer just an artist-technician but he can also put himself in the place of the customer, the listener, the audiophile. Indeed, from the smallest listening system to the most expensive Hi-Fi system in the world, the sound engineer must be able to satisfy all listening situations.

 

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