Dylan Ray

Remote Mastering

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22 Reviews (16 Verified)
Dylan Ray on SoundBetter

Nashville-based Indie Rock / Pop & Shoegaze Specialist

Howdy there, my name is Dylan Ray and I own & operate Gratitude Audio in Nashville. I specialize in bedroom pop, indie rock, and shoegaze. If you’re an independent artist looking for a professional to guide you, you’re in the right place. I’ve been where you are before, and I wanna be on your team.

My philosophy is that anyone who wants to make music should be given the means to do so. Because I own a separate tracking / rehearsal space, I can afford to offer budget-tailored mix and flat-rate mastering services to independent artists who are ready to take their sound to a professional level. My goal will always be to give you more value than you bargained for. If you're in need of a reliable, experienced engineer at a reasonable rate, let's talk. I want to make your music as good as it gets.

Send me a note through the contact button above.

22 Reviews - 5 Repeat Clients

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  1. Review by Rf
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    by Rf
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    Dylan did a great job bringing my song to life. He added a nice airy quality that captured my intent perfectly. He also got the snare sounding snappy and the dynamics of the arrangement were left intact while keeping the overall volume and sound consistent.

  2. Review by Blair K.
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    This man was VERY patient with an absolute beginner! Everything sounds great!

  3. Review by Rob M.
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    by Rob M.
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    Great master - would 100% work with Dylan again

  4. Review by Monica G.
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    Dylan is my go-to mastering engineer. He is kind, punctual, and professional and will go the distance for you to make your tracks shine! Can’t recommend him enough.

  5. Review by Will R.
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    Dylan’s master was excellent. He was super professional, quick to respond, and very kind. Best experience I’ve had with a mastering engineer.

  6. Review by parker
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    by parker
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    he’s the beez neez:)

  7. Review by A Little Room Studio
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    True professional with a quick turnaround. Knows his stuff on the audio side, and overall really gives a shit. highly recommend.

  8. Review by Monica G.
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    Dylan was responsive, friendly, and turned out a wonderful master. 10/10 would work with him again and will also recommend him to other artists who need mastering done!

  9. Review by Ludovick L.
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    Not only is Dylan great at what he does, he's also respectful and does the job at a good pace as well. I recommend him if you need your tracks mastered.

  10. Review by Alexis O.
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    Wow, perfection. Dylan was professional, kind, and efficient. I am more than pleased with the finished product and will definitely reach out to him for future projects.

  11. Review by Joe D.
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    by Joe D.
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    Dylan was an absolute joy to work with mastering my record. His enthusiasm for shoegaze shows through in the tracks. He enhanced everything in a way that was unobtrusive and the original mixes shine through just the right amount. I’ll be coming to Dylan again for any mastering I need in the future.

  12. Review by L M.
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    by L M.
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    Dylan is a consummate professional and open communicator who brought my self-produced track to a higher plane of polish and "shimmer". He was attentive to my wants and seemed to formulate and pursue a clear vision for my song. I will definitely be working with him again in the future.

  13. Review by Ben U.
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    by Ben U.
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    Great with communication, quick turnaround, great work. 5/5.

  14. Review by Ben U.
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    by Ben U.
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    Dylan did a great job. We were struggling to get the low end of this song to sound right. He quickly helped tame it down and get a better overall tone. 5/5. Would recommend.

  15. Review by Christopher G.
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    Got exactly what I was looking for working with Dylan. Amazing price, incredible speed in delivering the final products and a total pleasure to work with. Would recommend to anyone looking for an engineer for mastering and will be working together in the future again.

  16. Review by KR
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    by KR
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    Dylan is a pleasure to work with. He is an excellent communicator, eager to go above and beyond, and he is a truly talented mastering engineer. We are grateful to have connected with him, and believe he will bring excellence and beauty to any project he works with.

  17. Review by Ford
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    by Ford

    Dylan is an extremely professional engineer to work with. He helped me understand some concepts of mastering that I was not yet familiar with and was able to communicate back and forth with me to get my mix sounding right before I even sent him the track to be mastered. He then delivered the master in less than a day sounding perfect right out the gate. He even told me to reach out to him in the future offering to help me out by giving me advice about the music industry and with mixing. Highly reccommend I will be using him in the future for mastering for sure!

  18. Review by Charlie O' Brien
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    by Charlie O' Brien

    Dylan was extremely prompt and professional. On top of this, he has very personable manner. He mastered a track for me recently and I was very happy with the results. I can definitely recommend Dylan.

  19. Review by Josh
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    by Josh

    Dylan mastered a track for me and completely turned it around into a killer song. I will definitely be working with him in the future. Highly recommended!

  20. Review by Monty Johnson, Altar of Profanation
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    by Monty Johnson, Altar of Profanation

    Working with Dylan Ray is always a great experience. His intelligence and innovation when it comes to the engineering process is unmatched. Ever since our first time working together, he has become and integral part of the process in producing an album that truly captures our vision. With unique ideas and varied approaches, he can transform any piece of music into a sonic masterpiece. Regardless of what genre of music you play, or what type of atmosphere you want to convey in your art, I highly recommend Dylan for production.

Interview with Dylan Ray

  1. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  2. A: For mixing and mastering I use my main Logic Pro X rig and typically begin work on my Avantone MP1 Mixphones. I check mixes (and especially masters) on sources going from my JBL monitors to my own car stereo to AirPods to make sure the final product sounds great anywhere. Plugins include iZotope’s Ozone, RX-7, Nectar, Neutron (full suites), countless Waves plugins (easily 50+), multiple pitch correction plugins including Melodyne, and a handful of other fun plugins like RC-20 Retro Color and ANIMATE.

  3. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  4. A: Fiona Apple is my god. Everything she’s ever done is perfect, that’s the music I dream about working on. If you sound like Fiona, I’m your man. I gravitate towards sincerity, artists who make music not for money or attention but because they have songs in their hearts that they need to let out. Jonathan Richman is the king of this style, but of course I admire anyone with a unique voice or a dream they’re chasing. My favorite artists include Fiona Apple, The Modern Lovers, LCD Soundsystem, Sonic Youth, Black Sabbath, The Velvet Underground, Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail... I listen to a lot of music.

  5. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  6. A: I do a lot of mixing indie songwriters, bedroom pop artists that are making an upgrade in fidelity. During non-pandemic times, I operate 500sqft fully-equipped tracking and rehearsal space, open on an invite-only basis.

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Phase for You by YSA

I was the Mastering Engineer in this production

Terms Of Service

Turn-around time varies by project, but I’m always early; never late. All services include 2 revisions, further revisions $35 each. I am unable to start work until project has been funded entirely.

GenresSounds Like
  • Soccer Mommy
  • The Strokes
  • High On Fire
Gear Highlights
  • Warm Audio EQP1-A
  • WA-2A
  • WA-76
  • Logic Pro X
  • JBL Monitoring System
  • Pro Tools HD
  • large collection of microphones
  • large collection of guitar pedals
  • re-amping system
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