Artist's Page

This section is devoted to selected recording artists mastered by Bob Katz at Digital Domain

Bob does not like to be "typecast". Versatility is the name of his game
as you will notice from the wide variety of musical styles represented below.

Afro-Cuban All-Stars. Step Forward, a virtuosic release by the Afro-Cuban All-Stars, pays homage to classic Cuban styles like the danzon and the contradanza while simultaneously being totally contemporary. Produced by Juan De Marcos González, the arranging/producing/and performing genius behind the Buena Vista Social Club. JDM is the conductor you see in the Wim Wenders film..

Bill Allred's Classic Jazz BandLean Mean Swing Machine, is probably their best-sounding record, recorded and mixed by Andy DeGanahl, produced by Charlie Bertini.

Apple Jazz Records, for whom I have mastered some fine jazz albums, including: Bertini, Morris And Gannett, traditional jazz trio of trumpet, tuba and piano, which I recorded and mastered in purist audiophile style, Herbicide by Herb Bruce, Head To Head with John Allred and Wycliffe Gordon (Arbors Records), Focused (John Allred), and Richard Drexler's solo album.

Lucecita Benitez. Renacer, the Latin release by Lucecita Benitez, Puerto Rico's "ambassador" of song.

Mississippi Charles Bevel's heartrenching voice, original blues compositions, accompanied by full band and singers, is available on the album "Not Of Seasons". Produced by his broadway compatriot Danny Wheetman and engineered by Daniel Protheroe, the album is available at Amazon.

Bob has mastered both of Bombay Dub Orchestra's albums. The first album was excellent, and both albums are infectiously musical, but the second one, called "Three Cities", has taken the quality of music, performance and production up several notches to an A+++. The integration of a real string orchestra and Indian classical instruments with modern electronic beats is magical. Add an ethereal virtuoso vocalist in some numbers and virtuoso soloists along with soaring roller coaster trips "through the cities", this album demonstrates the power of music to move you.

Alain Bradette. Virtuouso Jazz Saxophonist Alain Bradette performs his compositions with quartet on his CD State of Mind, mixed by my Mix Doctor Robert Wawoe.

Broken City The leader of this group, Keith Cornelia, dubs them a group of "blue collar musicians from Boston", but it's far more than that, as you can see from their website they're something much more. On their attractive album Arms are Falling, mixed and co-produced by David Minehan and mastered by Bob Katz, the band shows off their feverish guitar and drum work along with their crafty arrangements, ambient textures, and harmonies.

Chi Pig Classic punk rock from the 70's lovingly restored by Bob Katz and the original engineer, Bruce Hensal. An all-woman's group, engineered by Bruce Hensal in Miami in the 70's. More.

Foghat Foghat specialized in a simple, hard-rocking blues-rock, releasing a series of best-selling albums in the mid-70's. While the group never deviated from their basic boogie, they retained a large audience until 1978, selling out concerts across America and earning five gold albums, as well as two platinum. More.

Glass Hammer is that unique Progressive rock band that truly cares about sound quality as well as musical quality. One in a thousand! More.

Leela and Ellie Grace are two contemporary folk musicians whose sound is acoustically warm and beautiful, politically edgy, inspiring, and emotional. I cried listening to their song "America" (also known as "Another Drop of Blood") about the situation in the Iraqi war. In Where The Waters Run, mixed by Pete Szkolka, the mastered sound by Bob is rich and punchy and deep, warm and clear all at the same time.

Martin Harley Band Of all the juke joints and smokey bars, you chose ours. And that's great, because the new album "Grow Your Own" by the Martin Harley band is smokin'! With a combination of acoustic and electric sets, the charismatic British blues singer and slide guitar virtuoso is accompanied by his kickin' band. In Digital Domain's Studio B, Bob's assistant and mix doctor Robin Reumers mixed the acoustic tracks naturally and beautifully and the electric tracks "down and dirty". Bob added the finishing touches (mastering) in Studio A. Highly recommended.

Paul Austin Kelly "Through Tenderwood" Not just another compilation of sung nursery thymes, this CD is a through-composed tone poem of sounds and songs. The instrumental wizardry of Richard Durrant and the multi-faceted vocal stylings of Paul Austin Kelly spin an enticing web of enchantment using well-known and less familiar rhymes to lead us o?n a musical journey from daylight to darkness and back again. You'll not have heard anything like this before! On the Walking Oliver Website. Mastered by Bob. The tone poem is wonderful...

Paul Austin Kelly with The Kenny Clayton Trio - The Song Is You. This album was mixed by Mix Doctor Robert Wawoe, and mastered by Bob. The sound is warm, natural, and impacting!

Lakefield is a Canadian indie pop quintet formed and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They have been recording and playing to audiences since 2008.  Lakefield’s first album, Sounds From The Treeline, has a very natural folksy feel and the mastered sound is as good as very transparent, warm and dynamic. Lakefield calls it "a testament to all that they love about music – as much a product of tears and tantrums as it is a sweet love letter to a cold Vancouver night."

Leah Larson, Bluegrass singer/violinist, was produced by Fred Forssell with a lifelike, transparent, three-dimensional and impacting sound on this swinging master CD called "Long Journey".

Laser's Edge. Over the years I've mastered a great number of fine progressive-rock records for Laser's Edge. Secret Oyster. Classic 70's and 80's Progressive Rock by celebrated Danish rock band Secret Oyster on Laser's Edge Records. We're doing a series retrospective for Laser's Edge, starting with the oft-requested album Vidunderlige Kaeling, lovingly transferrred and re-mastered from the original analog tapes.

Lizzard is an alternative metal band from Marval, France. The power, aggressive dynamics and depth is something to enjoy from the master that Bob made of "Out of Reach". You can find more information about this band on Facebook or at Lizzard's website.

Gunnar Madsen Best known as the founder of the acclaimed a cappella group the Bobs, vocalist/composer Gunnar Madsen became obsessed with music as a youth after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, and after giving up the piano after six months of lessons, as a teen he taught himself to play guitar. He later studied classical piano as well, attending UC Berkeley and even working briefly as a messenger for a singing telegram company. More.

Marley's Ghost. Spooked, the album by Marley's Ghost on Sage Arts Records, celebrates their 25th anniversary doing what I have to describe as acoustic/rock/folk/reggae/country/a capella/roots music. I am privileged to have mastered this album by the group with recording engineer Daniel Protheroe using all-custom analog gear by Fred Forssell and produced by the inimitable Van Dyke Parks. I've mastered several other Marley's Ghost records over the years as well as albums by solo artists John Wilcox, Ed Littlefield, and Danny Wheetman.

Mercedes Peon's album ...---...  (yes, that's the title, pronounced "S O S") has reached number 1 in World Music Charts Europe (Feb 2011), in the list of the most important broadcast European music. Mercedes is a very personal and expressive performance artist whose album is a journey with music, live sound from cities in her native Spain and particularly her native region Galicia. The sound goes from traditional folk through electronica. She's a true international artist and I'm proud to have produced this, her second album that I have mastered for Boa records, recorded by Mercedes and her engineer and mixed by the very talented and experienced Spanish engineer José Puga, also known as "Mare". Here's a review from the Guardian, UK.

The Miami Saxophone Quartet's album Midnight Rumba is a tour de force with guest artists Arturo Sandoval and Jon Secada and an all-star Percussion Section. Engineered by classy Eric Shilling, it is a latin-jazz delight. Visit them on line.

MIDIVal Punditz Based in New Dehli, India, the MIDIval PunditZ are among the contemporary Indian outfits that combine high-tech electronica with a strong raga influence. The MIDIval PunditZ are not traditional Indian classical music ˆ la Ravi Shankar, Bikram Ghosh or Ali Akbar Khan. However, their club-friendly electronic experimentation is heavily influenced by traditional Indian music. More.

Mighty J is a pop group with three very harmonious women singers! Three women from three of Hawai’i’s most popular musical groups have joined together to form MighTy J which equals Mai+T+J, short for their full names. These ladies are passionate about their music and because of their different backgrounds, create a sound that is unique enough to be called “World Music,” but also rooted in the soul of Hawai’i. The song at our website is infectious melodic pop. More.

John Mock. Composer/arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist John Mock flew down from Nashville to produce the mastering of his masterwork A Day At Sea, a tour de force arrangement of original instrumental compositions evoking the sea chanteys of yore and the feel of the seafaring days. Employing a full string orchestar and John's talents as concertina and guitar virtuoso, the beautiful album flows like the sea and is a gem to hear. We spent two days mixing from stems (submixes) and mastering. Another work of John's that I have mastered is Christmas In New England, for Green Hill Music, with beautiful acoustic instrumentation ranging from traditional reels and dances to Christmas hymns. John's warm music feels so lifelike that you can smell the hot cider brewing in the air and feel the warmth of the fireplace. Highly recommended.

Los Mocosos San Francisco-based Latin rock band Los Mocosos made their debut in 1998 after signing up to Aztl‡n Records, releasing Mocos Locos, name based on El Mariachi's character El Moco. Playing a mixture of Latin ska, Afro-Cuban beats, urban hip-hop, and jazz-funk, soon, the band started getting involved in the local scene, later, having the opportunity to join 1999's. More.

Monochrome's new album "Cache", by this hardcore rock group on Stickman Records, is a real triumph. I think this is their fourth album as this group has been together a number of years making great music. This German group (which sings in totally idiomatic English) has attitude, sophistication, warmth, beauty, edge and message, all rolled into one! I was very impressed with the quality of the mixing and for the mastering they asked for a contemporary loudness. I delivered a master that has great dynamics and plenty of impact and space, fatness and depth, but also plenty of power and edge. The group's co-engineer, Marten, remarked: "Bob. We just had a critical listen of your mastering with recording engineer Thomas and mixing engineer Boeni in the studio. We all like it a lot !!! It is great that you preserved the dynamics within the songs, it's nice when the chorus kicks in and it just pulls you in! The tonality between the different songs is nice and it all comes together very homogeneously, but still leaves enough scope for the songs to have a distinct character. Bob, I like it like that, great work! We had a little discussion with the band, initially the other guitar player thought the record was not quite "loud" enough, but everybody loves the sound, so after explaining that these two things are directly connect to one another everybody agrees to this master reference!!" I wish all the groups I work with understood this simple fact, that the absolute loudness and the sound quality are tied together.

MOTIF was founded in the fall of -99 by Ole Morten Vågan, and have since that time been working hard with the creation of their own group sound. In that process, writing their own material has been an important part, something that led to Vågan’s recevial of the NOPA (Norwegian Composers Association) price for young composers during the Molde international jazzfestival 2000. Their music is inspired by various peers, ranging from Miles Davis to Kim Hiortöy, and is often described as a hybrid between the afro-american rythm heritage and european lyricism. The members all studied at Trondheim conservatory’s jazz department, and are currently working as freelance musicians in various bands.

Terry Myers Orchestra, A Tribute To Benny Goodman. Recorded by Gary Baldassari, mixed by Andy DeGanahl, produced by Charlie Bertini.

Necrophagist, heavy metal band from Germany, on Relapse records. The album I mastered is called Epitaph. Check it out!

New Tradition Chorus. Chicago's barbershop chorus The New Tradition Chorus has mastered two CDs here, For all Your Miracles, and Sentimental Journey.

Sinead O'Conner, Bob mastered her album titled "Theology".  This great work from Sinead includes some of her most favorite and deeply spiritual songs.

Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels Live. The sound is vintage but lovingly restored and mastered by Bob.

Doug Ploss. Christian country with an edge best describes Doug Ploss and his latest release "Tar City". Doug's unique blend of hard country, classic rock and bluegrass, coupled with hard hitting lyrics, definitley sets him apart from mainstream country/gospel artists. Doug presents a positive, inspirational message from a down to earth persective that hits you right where it counts. Please take a look at www.dougploss.com for mp3 clips, chords and lyrics to his original songs.

The Real Tuesday Weld British singer/songwriter/producer Stephen Coates seems like a man caught in a time warp. He idolizes and frequently emulates the great songwriters and bandleaders of yesteryear, but he uses the latest technology to do it. He wears vintage suits but admits to listening to Ministry. More. Omar Sosa. Ballads, the new album by Omar Sosa on Ota Records, shows that Sosa has the unique ability to grab your emotions with only a single note. I was mezmerized by his performance, from spareness to virtuosity.

The Red Stick Ramblers The Red Stick Ramblers are a diverse group of six men who can play the haunting and heart-tugging traditional Cajun music of generations past and make it just as enjoyable and memorable for today's youth as it is for their grandparents. They intersperse the traditional tunes with fare they call "Cajun gypsy swing." More.

Mykal Rose. Reggae superstar Mykal Rose (aka Michael Rose) album Tip Of The Iceberg on Love Injection Records.

Rumba Jams, Latin artists. A number of exceptional Latin-Jazz artists, including Percussionist Georgie Delgado, produced by "Dr. Dave Feliciano", Traditional Salsa artists Los Soneros Del Barrio, with Frankie Vazquez, Keyboardist/composer/salsa artist Rickie Gonzalez and The Big 3 Palladium Orchestra.

Six Degrees Artists... San Francisco's Six Degrees Records is an Indie label with great tastes in "different" music, ambient, adventurous, Latino, world. I've mastered, among others, The Bombay Dub Orchestra, Bathtime In Clerkenwell by The Real Tuesday Weld, Salsa artists Los Mocosos, African Tassou Ma Kan, French singer Dierdre, Midival Punditz, and Shrift "Lost In A Moment".

Son Of A Wanted Man. A tour-de-force dramatization of Louis Lamour's Son of A Wanted Man, with gunshots so real you'll be ducking and performances so poignant you'll be crying. Here's a bit about the making of this complex drama that's as rich as any film.

Omar Sosa. Ballads, the new album by Omar Sosa on Ota Records, shows that Sosa has the unique ability to grab your emotions with only a single note. I was mezmerized by his performance, from spareness to virtuosity.

Thadeus Project, a Chicago-based band hit #1 for the second week in a row, on the AC Top 30 Indie Chart with their single "Rivertown". For more information, go to www.thadeusproject.com or www.myspace.com/thadeusproject.

Theodozia (pronounced:Thē'ə - dō' - zhə) was formed in 1994 by Brian Gallagher (Bass), Mark James (Vocals), Ian Smith (Guitars), and Peter Turner (Drums) in suburban Philadelphia, PA. Brought together by their shared interest in music, the band's sound is eclectic and intense, ranging from songs thick with layers of sound to simple arrangements with acoustic guitar and vocals. This sound is evocative of a diverse range of genres and influences cited by the band including Rock, Indie, Alternative, Brit-Rock, Folk.

Bob is very happy with the sound that came out for the album "Years" (remixed by our mix doctor Robert Wawoe and mastered by Bob Katz).

Toxic Audio is an Orlando, FL based A Capella group that merges their considerable talents for an explosion of vocal acrobatics, unstoppable rhythm and improv comedy in a show which takes the audience on an unforgettable musical journey which defies definition. Bob mastered their 2003 album release titled, "Chemistry", which won the 2003 Contemporary A Capella Recording Award for best Pop/Rock album of the year!

U-Ka is a band formed by Australian singer/Songwriter Naomi Louise Warne, featuring Charles Neville on Sax and other virtuosos. We must not "Pigeon-hole" this album into any category, though it is officially "adult contemporary rock", ignoring the simple fact that Naomi's voice and these performances are spine-tingling, among the most uplifting that I have ever heard. Naomi is an angel, an earth-mother. She's on my Ipod everywhere I go, I never get tired of the album, though I got to hear it many times while mastering the sound. Their newest album is called "Solu Khumbu" and is nominated for the Grammy's, it's No 228 in Category 11 Best Pop Vocal Album. You can go to the website www.ukamusic.comthen go to the STORE page & click on the CD. This will take you directly to the Listening page.

David Wilson, formerly Henry Mancini's violinist, produced a stylistic album literally reinventing the violin, called "Dream Violin", available on Mill City Music.