Peter Mew
Encyclopedia
Peter Mew is a British music audio engineer at Abbey Road Studios
where he is now senior mastering engineer
. He came to Abbey Road in 1965 as a tape operator and has since worked with many artists at the studio. Kevin Ayers
of Soft Machine
has called Mew "the best engineer I’ve ever worked with".
He has criticized the loudness war
of dynamic range compression in CD recording, but also said that it is necessary to sell as many records as possible.
, Pink Floyd
, and recording engineers such as Alan Parsons
. He was involved on the historic Syd Barrett
solo recordings, and remastered his compilation albums.
He started his career at Abbey Road as a tea boy, then tape-op, and finally as a recording engineer, on Pretty Things
' S.F. Sorrow
, in 1967. He was responsible for not deadening the studio, keeping its multidimensional sound, thereby allowing the installations to be used for orchestral sessions, and giving the studio its trademark sound.
He joined the studio in 1965, and worked his way to the top of the facility. During the early 1980's he pioneered the CD preparation installation in the studio, while working on several outstanding projects.
He now works as a Senior Engineer, mastering records in stereo and surround, on CD, DVD
, and SACD
. Working with the Sonic Solutions
suite, he has restored albums by a very considerable number of artists (basically most of those who have used the Abbey Road facilities at one point or another.)
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
where he is now senior mastering engineer
Mastering engineer
A mastering engineer is one skilled in the practice of taking audio that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distribution, whether by physical media such as a CD, vinyl record, or as some method of...
. He came to Abbey Road in 1965 as a tape operator and has since worked with many artists at the studio. Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
of Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
has called Mew "the best engineer I’ve ever worked with".
He has criticized the loudness war
Loudness war
The loudness war or loudness race is a pejorative term for the apparent competition to digitally master and release recordings with increasing loudness.The phenomenon was first reported with respect to mastering practices for 7" singles...
of dynamic range compression in CD recording, but also said that it is necessary to sell as many records as possible.
Biography
Mew has had a prolific career at the Abbey Road Studios, home base of groups like The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, and recording engineers such as Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
. He was involved on the historic Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
solo recordings, and remastered his compilation albums.
He started his career at Abbey Road as a tea boy, then tape-op, and finally as a recording engineer, on Pretty Things
Pretty Things
The Pretty Things are an English rock and roll band from London, who originally formed in 1963. They took their name from Bo Diddley's 1955 song "Pretty Thing" and, in their early days, were dubbed by the British press the "uglier cousins of the Rolling Stones". Their most commercially successful...
' S.F. Sorrow
S.F. Sorrow
S.F. Sorrow is the title of the fourth LP by the British rock group The Pretty Things, released in 1968.One of the first rock concept albums, S.F. Sorrow was based on a short story by singer-guitarist Phil May. The album is structured as a song cycle, telling the story of the main character,...
, in 1967. He was responsible for not deadening the studio, keeping its multidimensional sound, thereby allowing the installations to be used for orchestral sessions, and giving the studio its trademark sound.
He joined the studio in 1965, and worked his way to the top of the facility. During the early 1980's he pioneered the CD preparation installation in the studio, while working on several outstanding projects.
He now works as a Senior Engineer, mastering records in stereo and surround, on CD, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, and SACD
SACD
SACD, founded as Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques on 7 March 1829, is a French collecting society, undertaking collective rights management for authors...
. Working with the Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions
Sonic Solutions, acquired by Rovi Corporation in 2010, was a computer software company headquartered in Novato, California. In addition to having a number of offices in the U.S., the company also maintained offices in Europe and Asia.-History:...
suite, he has restored albums by a very considerable number of artists (basically most of those who have used the Abbey Road facilities at one point or another.)