What Marcussen Mastering does

Marcussen Mastering Studios is a high-end audio mastering facility located in Hollywood, California, providing professional mastering services to the music and film/TV industries. The studio is named for and anchored by founder Stephen Marcussen, with two additional named mastering engineers — Louie Teran and Stewart Whitmore — forming the core technical team. The firm operates as a private, single-location professional services business offering mastering across a comprehensive range of formats including CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, SACD (in both 2-track stereo and surround), 5.1 Surround for DVD and Blu-ray, and MFiT (iTunes Plus) mastering for digital distribution, plus dedicated film and television soundtrack mastering.

The studio's underlying technology combines high-end analog and digital audio processing chains, with engineers able to offer either approach or a hybrid of the two depending on project requirements. The facility is described as "state-of-the-art cutting-edge" with equipment described as the highest quality available. The stated value proposition rests on engineering expertise rather than proprietary software: the team is described as having full knowledge of recording, mastering, production, and manufacturing processes, with decades of combined experience serving leading artists.

Commercially, Marcussen Mastering operates on a direct-to-client, project-based professional services model. Clients — including artists, producers, managers, record labels, and film/TV productions — book sessions directly at the Hollywood studio. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires direct inquiry. The studio serves a horizontal mix of genres including hard rock, pop, jazz, R&B, inspirational, and international music. The go-to-market approach relies primarily on industry reputation and word-of-mouth referrals rather than active digital marketing, consistent with a boutique, premium-positioning professional services firm.

Name

Marcussen Mastering

Legal name

Marcussen Mastering Studios

Website

https://marcussenmastering.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marcussen Mastering Studios is a Hollywood-based high-end audio mastering facility providing professional mastering services across CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, SACD, 5.1 Surround, and MFiT formats to artists, producers, record labels, and film/TV productions, using analog, digital, and hybrid processing chains delivered by three senior engineers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audio Mastering Services

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (51224)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Engineering Services (Tracking, Mixing, Mastering) (MPAIAHAD)

Keywords

• Audio mastering services
• Music mastering studio
• Surround sound mastering
• CD and Blu-ray mastering
• Analog digital mastering

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Audio Mastering Services: Professional mastering services billed per project/session for artists, producers, record labels, and other music industry clients seeking to maximize sonic quality of recordings

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Marcussen Mastering is a high-end audio mastering studio located in Hollywood, California, providing professional mastering services for the music industry. The studio offers mastering across multiple formats including CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, SACD, 2-track stereo, and 5.1 surround, with both analog and digital processing options, serving artists, producers, managers, record labels, and film & TV productions.

Product overview

Marcussen Mastering is a high-end audio mastering facility located in Hollywood, California, offering a comprehensive suite of mastering services. The studio provides mastering for multiple formats including CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, and SACD, with both traditional 2-track stereo and 5.1 surround sound options. The core service portfolio includes CD Mastering, DVD Mastering, Blu-Ray Mastering, 5.1 Surround Mastering (available for both DVD and Blu-ray), SACD Mastering, MFiT Mastering for digital distribution, and Film & TV Soundtrack Mastering. The studio offers both analog and digital processing, or a combination of both, and is staffed by engineers Stephen Marcussen, Louie Teran, and Stewart Whitmore. The studio specializes in serving artists, producers, managers, and record labels across genres including hard rock, pop, jazz, R&B, inspirational, and international music.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CD Mastering Audio mastering service specifically for Compact Disc format releases, serving artists, producers, and record labels.
• DVD Mastering Audio mastering service for DVD format releases, including 5.1 surround sound configurations.
• Blu-Ray Mastering Audio mastering service for Blu-ray disc format releases, including 5.1 surround sound configurations.
• 5.1 Surround Mastering Multichannel surround sound mastering for 5.1 configurations, applicable to DVD and Blu-ray formats, serving music and film/TV soundtrack clients.
• 2-Track Stereo Mastering Traditional stereo mastering service for two-channel audio output, suitable for standard music releases.
• SACD Mastering Super Audio CD mastering available in both 2-track stereo and surround formats, supporting both analog and digital processing approaches.
• MFiT Mastering Mastering for iTunes Plus (MFiT) format optimized for digital distribution through Apple's iTunes store.
• Film & TV Soundtrack Mastering Audio mastering services for film and television soundtrack productions, leveraging the studio's multi-format and surround-sound capabilities.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• iZotope: Audio software company whose Ozone mastering suite and RX restoration tools are widely used by engineers. Adjacent rather than directly competitive: iZotope supplies the tools that many mastering engineers (including potentially Marcussen) use, and represents the software-driven shift that pressures traditional studios.

Broad incumbents

• Abbey Road Studios: Iconic London-based recording and mastering facility offering mastering alongside recording, mixing, and post-production. Broadly comparable to Marcussen in providing high-end mastering services, but operates at significantly larger scale and across a wider portfolio of audio services including recording and film scoring.
• Universal Music Mastering: Major-label-affiliated mastering division serving UMG releases at scale. Comparable in delivering professional mastering services, but operates as part of a global major-label infrastructure rather than as an independent boutique competitor.

Emerging players

• LANDR: AI-driven automated mastering platform targeting independent artists and budget-conscious creators. Comparable in addressing the mastering step of the production workflow, but competes at the opposite end of the market (low-cost, software-delivered) versus Marcussen's premium human-studio model.

Direct peers

• Gateway Mastering: Independently owned mastering studio serving a broad roster of major and independent artists. Directly comparable in being an independent, reputation-led mastering facility offering analog and digital mastering services to similar artist/label/producer clientele.
• Dave Collins Mastering: Independent mastering engineer with a long-standing reputation serving major-label and high-profile independent releases. Closely comparable to Marcussen in operating as a single-engineer-led boutique mastering practice serving premium-label clientele with per-project billing.
• The Lodge Mastering: NYC-based high-end mastering studio with multiple engineers serving major-label and indie clients. Directly comparable in offering premium mastering services with a roster-based engineer model targeting the same label and artist segments as Marcussen.
• Sterling Sound: Premier NYC mastering studio serving major-label artists and independent labels across multiple genres. Directly comparable to Marcussen in service mix (stereo mastering, multi-format work), customer base (artists, producers, labels), and reputation-driven positioning at the top of the mastering market.
• Bernie Grundman Mastering: Hollywood-based, high-end audio mastering studio offering stereo and surround mastering to major-label artists. Operates in the same premium tier of the music mastering market as Marcussen, with the same project-based services model and direct competition for the same Hollywood/LA clientele.
• Masterdisk: Long-established NYC mastering studio with a multi-engineer roster serving major-label artists. Closely comparable to Marcussen in business model (project-based mastering, multiple named engineers, reputation-led demand from labels and producers).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marcussen-mastering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marcussen Mastering