Kelsey Mastering on SoundBetter

I've had the privilege of mastering thousands of songs since 2003 - including work for groundbreaking artists like Bongeziwe Mabandla, Eddie Kenzo, Culoe de Song, aKing, Van Coke Kartel, Taxi Violence, Black Coffee, Sun-El Musician and Tresor.

From Pop, Rock, Rap, Jazz, Gospel and Musical Theatre to traditional and emerging African genres like Maskandi, Gqom and Amapiano, I have helped shape the sound of South African music since 2003. I've never wanted to be part of any musical 'scene', rather, the search for each song's unique mysterious aesthetic has always been at the centre of the joy mastering brings me. I've been lucky enough to make a few friends along the way.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Rogan Kelsey

Jethro Tait
King Hannah
Vusi Mahlasela
The Soweto Gospel Choir
Dirk Van Der Westhuizen
Scheppel
Nicky Schrire
Ariella Caira
Loufi
Loufi
Jan Bloukaas
Loufi
Caroline Grace
Rooksein
Neil Sandilands
Scheppel
Stiaan Reynierse
Jethro Tait
Dawie De Jager
Chilu Lemba
Loufi
Wynand Strydom
Ruan Josh
Robbie Malinga
Neil Sandilands
Cheree
Bella-Joy
Taylor-Hope
Rooksein
Pieter Smith
Franja Du Plessis
Deon Groot
Ruiter Piet
Scheppel
Zahara
Zahara
Bone
Neil Sandilands
Lloyiso
Ross Jack
Justin Vega
Scheppel
Ruiter Piet
The Soil
Scheppel
Scheppel
Ruiter Piet
CRC Radiation

2 Reviews

Endorse Kelsey Mastering

by Daniel N.
Verified
I needed one of my band’s new songs to be mastered, and Rogan was very helpful and knowledgeable about the mastering process. He works fast and has a great ear for mastering! I am very happy with how he mastered our track. Highly recommend
by Tim B.
Verified
If u wanna have a Master, that stands out from the rest - Rogan is your man.
Highly experienced, tasteful and on top a super friendly dude.
Absolutely recommended.
I‘ll be back.

Interview with Kelsey Mastering

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Evaluate the logic in your choice of engineer critically. What do you think you're buying? Don't play roulette. Find someone experienced and teach them to give you what you want.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Pop, Rock, House, Afro-Pop, Kwaito, Maskandi, Gospel, RnB.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Bob Ludwig mastered a huge percentage of the CDs in my collection (yes I still listen to CDs). He's so humble, and his exacting standards place him in a league of his own as a once-in-a-lifetime figure whose immense talent, which emerged with new consumer formats, was matched only by the demand for it. I love the work of Clearmountain, O'Brien, Brauer, Marroquin, Ghenea...the usual list of mind-blowing talent.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Laptop, Headphone DA and my music collection. I'd pray that Acustica and Plugin Alliance never went out of business.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: 18 years. I left the corporate telecommunications field, married a great woman and she gave me the courage and permission to follow my dreams.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Warm, musical.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: John Mayer. I think he'd be fun to talk to.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Imitate well first, then find your voice.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. I like to say that mastering is turning sonic moments into musical moments.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I listen to the song, then I decide what tools will work best, and let the results guide me from there.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Over the years I've had everything from Manley's tube gear to SSL's classic G384 (1997 build). I still have some of it, but work exclusively in the box now. I'm trying to bring myself to actually sell the hardware but letting go is hard.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: My work mirrors the market. I do a lot of Pop, House and Rock and the rest as it comes up.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: aKing, the album called Dutch Courage. It was the rock album that got it all started for me.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Qadasi, a South African Maskandi artist.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Not yet.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. Because you can't beat the flexibility, the choice of sounds, the sonic integrity of digital.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: If you present me with work that reflects your passion and make me part of the story, you'll get the very best possible outcome for your project.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The occasional single that sucks me in and gets me singing along.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: "how long will it take?"
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Mastering is easy money.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Are you happy with your mix?
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Attention to detail.