Sylvia Massy

Sylvia Lenore Massy is a Grammy winning American record producer, mixer, and engineer. Undertow, a full-length triple platinum-selling debut for alternative metal band Tool from Los Angeles, was her major breakthrough. In addition she has worked with System of a Down, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and South Cry, a Brazilian rock band.

History Massy attended Chico State University, where she worked as a radio DJ at campus station KCSC and became interested in recording equipment and production techniques while also performing in local bands.

Massy's first project was in the mid-1980s as producer, engineer, and mixer for a compilation album titled Rat Music for Rat People, Vol. 3 on the CD Presents label. Acts featured included Adolescents, Raw Power, Doggy Style and Mojo Nixon. Next she produced the punk band Verbal Abuse for Boner Records, was an engineer on two projects for metal band Exodus, and co-produced the Sea Hags independent album with a young Kirk Hammett, a guitarist who had just finished recording the Master of Puppets album with thrash metal group Metallica. She also produced "Television, Drug of a Nation" by the Beatnigs, the former band of Michael Franti from the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's.

From Green Jellö to Tool In the late 1980s, Massy moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles and worked at Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard. At Tower she met the members of Green Jellö (later known as Green Jellÿ), a band from Buffalo, New York and recorded their debut album. After becoming a staff engineer at Larrabee Sound in West Hollywood, California, Massy was hired by Zoo Records/BMG to produce Green Jellö's major label debut album featuring members of a new Los Angeles group called Tool. On Green Jellö's Cereal Killer album, Tool's Maynard James Keenan sings on "Three Little Pigs", and Tool's drummer Danny Carey plays on the album. A relationship was begun between Massy and Tool leading to two recordings, Opiate and Undertow. Julio Iglesias, Seal, Skunk Anansie, Paula Abdul, Ryuichi Sakamoto and others. She worked with manager Gary Kurfirst on Irish rock band Cyclefly for Kurfirst's Radioactive Records. At Larrabee Sound, Sylvia connected with producer Rick Rubin and worked with him on several projects over seven years.

Sound City From 1994 until 2001, Massy's vintage Neve 8038 console and other specialized recording equipment occupied Studio B at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California. Besides Massy's work at Sound City, several other successful projects were recorded on her equipment during those years including albums by Sheryl Crow, Queens of the Stone Age, which won a Grammy award for Best Country Album in 1997. With Rubin, she recorded Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Slayer, Donovan, Geto Boys, the Black Crowes, Danzig, and System of a Down's debut album. In the '90s, Massy produced material for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sevendust, and Powerman 5000, which featured guest appearances from Rob Zombie and actor Malachi Throne and also newcomer Pauley Perrette. In 1997 Massy mixed the Beastie Boys' "Tibetan Freedom Concert" on Randall’s Island in Manhattan, New York with Adam Yauch and producer Pat McCarthy.

RadioStar Studios and international acclaim Beginning in 2001, Massy owned and operated RadioStar Studios in the Weed Palace Theater until it closed in 2012. She acquired the theater in 2001 in Weed, California, and operated it as a recording studio for 11 years with notable clients: Sublime, Dishwalla, Swirl 360, Econoline Crush, Cog, Spiderbait, Norma Jean, Built To Spill, and From First To Last (featuring Sonny Moore of Skrillex.) Several international hits have emerged from RadioStar Studios in conjunction with Massy. Notable achievements include Spiderbait's "Black Betty", which reached No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia in 2004, and Cog's debut album The New Normal, which received a nomination into Triple J's "Album of the Year" J Award in 2005. Additionally, Seigmen's "Metropolis" achieved No. 4 on Norway's sales charts, while Klepht was recognized as the "Best Portuguese Act" by MTV Europe. Econoline Crush earned a Canadian Juno nomination and their 1997 album The Devil You Know was Certified Platinum. Furthermore, Animal Alpha's self-titled EP attained Certified Gold status in Norway in 2005.

Artwork, writing and music festivals In the 2000s, she wrote a regular column in Mix Magazine called "Gear Stories" contrasting vintage recording equipment with modern equivalents. She wrote an essay about Thomas Edison's contribution to the recording industry which was included in the official Grammy Awards Program. In 2011, Massy co-founded the 4&20 Blackbird Music Festival which operated for two years in downtown Weed, California. The festival drew approximately 7000 people and featured 250 musical acts during its run.

In January 2015, Massy began to write a book called Recording Unhinged for Hal Leonard Publishing. The book was published in March 2016. Interviews and contributors for the book include Hans Zimmer, Geoff Emerick, Bob Ezrin, Bruce Swedien, Michael Franti, Bob Clearmountain, Al Schmitt, Elliot Scheiner, Linda Perry, Ross Robinson, Matt Wallace, Ross Hogarth, Shelly Yakus, Paul Wolff. Massy also illustrated the book. The cover of the March 2016 issue of Electronic Musician features Massy's illustration of a dinosaur and a robot battling. As an educator In 2015 and 2018, Massy was a visiting professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In 2018 she taught a workshop at the Abbey Road Institute in London. In 2016 she lectured at SAE Institute's audio engineering schools in London and Munich, Germany. She has presented periodic recording workshops in Dresden at Castle Rohrsdorf and at Mix with the Masters in Les Studios de la Fabrique in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the south of France. In 2017 Massy conducted a workshop and lecture at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Gilbert, Arizona and a workshop at Tecnólogico de Monterrey in Mexico City for several hundred students. She has conducted workshops in Sardinia, Oslo, Gdansk, Poland; and Rome. In 2017, Massy and co-author Chris Johnson began a collaboration for a professional recording course at Berklee based on their book, Recording Unhinged.

In 2019, Massy toured and conducted workshops for Abbey Road Institute locations in Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, and London.

Recent

Massy lives in Ashland, Oregon and works in a private studio. She continues to work as an independent producer, educator, and music promoter. She has appeared on an episode of Pensado's Place, an industry video program with producer/mixer Dave Pensado and was nominated for "The Big Award" at the Pensado Awards in 2014. Massy is a member of NARAS and served on the P&E Wing Steering Committee and Advisory Boards. In 2009, she traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for musicians' performance rights and is involved with musician, producer, and educational advocacy work on behalf of NARAS. In February 2016 Massy won the Music Producers Guild's "MPG Inspiration Award" at the MPG Awards in London. The award was presented by John Leckie.

In 2015 Massy mixed for Cage the Elephant and Soilwork. In late 2015 and early 2016 she oversaw the production of Avatar's album Feathers & Flesh. In 2016 she recorded Seattle all-woman noise band Thunderpussy in an abandoned nuclear power plant's cooling tower for the song "Torpedo Love". She recorded singer-songwriter Sarah Brendel in the underground venue at the Merkers Show Mine, a retired salt mine in Merkers, Germany. In early 2017 she produced and engineered the Melvins at the Village studio in Santa Monica, California while being filmed by Mix with the Masters. She produced albums by Econoline Crush, Far From Alaska and Dishwalla, and was hired to re-work the recordings of Grey Daze, a side project by Linkin Park's frontman Chester Bennington. In early 2018, Massy produced the MTV Unplugged television broadcast (and then album release) of Molotov, a Mexican rock band in Mexico City. In the summer of 2018 she gained access to the abandoned London Underground station at Aldwych to record British band God Damn on the subway platform.

In 2019 Massy produced and mixed the follow-up to Life of Agony's River Runs Red album, named The Sound of Scars. Tracks were recorded at Studio Divine in Ashland, Oregon. Later in 2019 Massy mixed a solo album for Taylor Hawkins (drummer for Foo Fighters). The album features performances by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Joe Walsh (Eagles), Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders), LeAnn Rimes, Nancy Wilson (Heart), Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction, Porno For Pyros), Roger Taylor (Queen), Chris Chaney (Porno For Pyros) and Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses).

Discography

Massy has worked on the following projects:

Year Artist Project Title Producer Engineer Mix Note 2023 Snailbones Single Leave the Scene 2019 Taylor Hawkins LP Get The Money Republic Records 2019 Life Of Agony LP The Sound Of Scars Napalm 2018 God Damn LP God Damn One Little Indian label 2018 Molotov LP/Video El Desconecte MTV Unplugged performance 2017 Turbonegro LP Rock & Roll Machine 2017 Far from Alaska LP Unlikely 2017 Melvins Single "From the Heart / Not a Leech" 2017 Dishwalla LP Juniper Road Co-producer 2016 Red Sun Rising Single "Uninvited" (Morissette) 2016 Thunderpussy LP 2016 Avatar LP Feathers & Flesh 2016 Justin Kawashima EP 2015 Die So Fluid Single 2014 Pink Grenade with Johnny Depp LP Fear of a Pink Planet 2014 Cage the Elephant Single 2014 Soilwork Single 2011 Dead Sara Singles 2011 Molotov Jive Album Storm 2011 Showbread Album Who Can Know It? 2011 Air Dubai EP Day Escape 2011 One-Eyed Doll Album Dirty 2011 Lillian Axe Album XI: The Days Before Tomorrow 2010 The Cliks Album Dirty King 2010 Kaura Album That Which Defines Us 2010 Distortion Mirrors EP Circle of Wolves 2010 South Cry Album Blue Moon 2010 Sublime with Rome EP Yours Truly 2010 Shrub Album Senorita 2010 The Crash Album 2010 81db Album Impressions 2009 Lucky Lew Album Beauty in Aggression 2009 The Grand Single 2009 Showbread LP The Fear of God 2009 The Dollyrots LP A Little Messed Up Co-mixer 2009 Seven Years Past LP 24 Days in May 2008 Lax'n'Busto LP Objectiu: La lluna 2008 Godhead Single from LP At the Edge of the World 2008 Belladonna LP The Noir Album 2008 The Cliks LP Dirty King 2008 Johnny Cash Songs from The Legend of Johnny Cash Certified platinum 2008 Econoline Crush LP Ignite 2007 COG LP Sharing Space 2007 Mankind Is Obsolete LP Trapped Inside 2007 Savoy LP Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 2006 Mt. Helium LP Faces 2006 Annie Mac LP Ignition 2006 Apex Theory EP Lightpost 2006 Showbread LP Age of Reptiles 2006 Silver Griffin LP Here in the Night 2006 Five Star Iris LP Five Star Iris 2006 Major Parkinson LP Major Parkinson 2006 P.T.P. LP Drop of Ink 2006 Tripdavon LP Enlightened Operative 2006 Atomic LP 2006 Furia LP 2005 Animal Alpha LP Pheremones Certified gold 2005 Staple LP Of Truth and Reconciliation 2005 Re:Ignition LP True Love 2005 Scott Huckabay LP Secret Portal Co-producer 2004 Spiderbait LP Tonight Alright Certified platinum 2004 Showbread LP No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical 2004 Dishwalla LP 2004 COG LP The New Normal 2004 Mnemonic LP Co-producer 2004 Bigbang LP Bigbang 2003 Zed LP This Little Empire 2003 Sophie B. Hawkins Singles Wilderness 2003 Fighting Jacks LP The Dying Art of Life 2003 Seven Mary Three Singles Dis/Location 2002 Acroma LP Orbitals 2002 Lustra EP Left for Dead 2001 Lollipop Lust Kill LP (debut) My So Called Knife 2000 System of a Down Single "Störagéd" – Heavy Metal 2000 2000 Loudermilk LP The Red Record 2000 Powerman 5000 Single "Get On" – Scream 3 2000 Sevendust Single "Fall" – Scream 3 2000 System of a Down Single "Spiders" – Scream 3 2000 Powerman 5000 Single "Nobody's Real" – End of Days 2000 Shivaree LP I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump 1999 Second Coming Single 1999 The Deadlights LP (debut) The Deadlights 1999 System of a Down Single "Marmalade" 1998 Powerman 5000 LP Tonight the Stars Revolt! Certified platinum 1998 Cyclefly LP Generation Sap 1998 Melissa Etheridge Singles 1998 Dig Singles Life Like 1998 Firewater LP The Ponzi Scheme 1998 System of a Down LP System of a Down Certified gold 1998 The Smashing Pumpkins Single Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music 1998 Kula Shaker Single K 1998 Reef LP Rides 1998 Cowboy Mouth Singles Mercyland 1997 Kula Shaker Remix from K "Hush" 1997 The Outsiders LP Viper Room 1997 Porno for Pyros LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Alanis Morissette LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Foo Fighters LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Blur LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Bjork LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Lee Perry LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Patti Smith LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Beck LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Rage Against the Machine LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 The Smashing Pumpkins LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Fugees LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Cibo Matto LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Pavement LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Sonic Youth LP Tibetan Freedom Concert Co-producer 1997 Econoline Crush LP The Devil You Know Certified platinum 1997 Reef Single "Don't You Like It" – Glow 1997 Luscious Jackson Remix "Naked Eye" 1997 Flea / Jewel Singles Co-producer 1997 Glueleg LP Clodhopper 1997 Deftones Single "Can't Even Breathe" – Escape from L.A. Soundtrack 1997 Mary Beats Jane LP Locust 1996 Red Hot Chili Peppers Alt. mixes One Hot Minute 1996 Red Hot Chili Peppers Single "Love Rollercoaster" – Beavis and Butt-Head Do America Soundtrack Certified gold 1996 Johnny Cash LP Unchained 1996 R.E.M. Road Movie 1996 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers "Climb That Hill" – She's the One 1996 Donovan LP "Eldorado" – Surtras 1996 Love and Rockets LP Sweet F.A. 1996 Pigmy Love Circus Single "Drug Run to Fontana" 1996 Horsehead LP Onism 1996 Oingo Boingo LP Farewell 1996 Bigelf LP Closer to Doom 1995 Skunk Anansie LP Paranoid and Sunburnt Certified gold 1995 Machines of Loving Grace LP Gilt 1995 Seigmen LP Metropolis Certified gold 1995 Brutal Juice LP Mutilation Makes Identification Difficult 1995 Slayer LP Divine Intervention 1994 Luscious Jackson Single "Deep Shag" – Natural Ingredients 1994 Babes in Toyland Single "Say What You Want" – S.F.W 1994 Seigmen LP Total 1993 Tool LP Undertow Certified multi-platinum 1993 Greta LP No Biting 1992 Green Jellö LP Cereal Killer Certified gold 1992 Tool EP Opiate Certified platinum 1992 Patti LaBelle Single Assistant engineer 1992 Ingrid Chavez Single "Crystal City Cry" 1992 Carmen Elektra Single 1992 Louie Louie Single Assistant engineer 1991 Prince Remix "Cream" Assistant engineer 1991 Prince LP Diamonds and Pearls Assistant engineer Certified multi-platinum 1991 Fishbone LP The Reality of My Surroundings Assistant engineer 1991 Kate Bush Single Assistant engineer 1991 George Clinton Single Assistant engineer 1991 Green Jellö LP (vinyl) Cereal Killer 1991 Elton John Single "Nobody's…. " Assistant engineer 1991 Tom Jones LP Assistant engineer 1991 Jefferson Starship LP Assistant engineer 1991 Paul Schaffer Band Single Assistant engineer 1991 Enuff Z'Nuff LP Strength Assistant engineer 1991 Sheena Easton Single Assistant engineer 1991 Kylie Minogue Single Assistant engineer 1991 Paula Abdul LP Spellbound Assistant engineer 1991 Ziggy Marley Live 1991 Eric Burdon LP Assistant engineer 1990 Prince "New Power Generation" Assistant engineer 1990 Prince LP Graffiti Bridge 1990 Junkyard LP 1990 Wendy & Lisa Single "Waterfall" – Wendy and Lisa Assistant engineer 1990 Mavis Staples Single Assistant engineer 1990 Rosie Gaines Single Assistant engineer 1990 Paula Abdul Single Assistant engineer 1990 Aerosmith Remix "The Other Side" Co-mixer 1990 Seal Single Assistant engineer 1990 Babyface Single Assistant engineer 1990 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark LP Assistant engineer 1989 Big Daddy Kane Single "It's a Big Daddy Thing" – It's a Big Daddy Thing Assistant engineer 1990 Young MC LP Brainstorm Assistant engineer 1990 Bobby Brown Single "The Freestyle Mega-Mix" Assistant engineer 1990 Queen LP Assistant engineer 1990 New Edition Single Assistant engineer 1990 Teddy Riley Single Assistant engineer 1990 Spandau Ballet LP Heart Like a Sky Assistant engineer 1990 BeBe & CeCe Winans (featuring MC Hammer) Single "The Blood" – Different Lifestyles 1990 Danzig LP Danzig II: Lucifuge Assistant engineer 1990 Geto Boys LP Assistant engineer 1990 The Time Remix "Chocolate" (remix) 1990 Apollo Smile LP 1990 Black Crowes LP Shake Your Moneymaker Assistant engineer 1990 The Jacksons LP 2300 Jackson Street Assistant engineer 1990 Ryuichi Sakamoto LP Soundtrack to Black Rain Assistant engineer 1989 Green Jellö LP Triple Live Möther Gööse at Budokan 1989 The Big F LP (debut) The Big F Assistant engineer 1989 Trouble LP Assistant engineer 1989 Julio Iglesias LP Starry Night Assistant engineer 1989 Jermaine Jackson LP Assistant engineer 1989 Barbra Streisand LP The Broadway Album Assistant engineer 1987 Exodus LP Pleasures of the Flesh 1987 Joe Satriani LP Surfing with the Alien Assistant engineer 1987 Femme Fatale Single "I Need a Date" 1987 Adolescents "All Day and All of the Night" (Ray Davies)- Rat Music for Rat People Vol. III 1987 Mojo Nixon / Skid Roper "I Ain't Gonna Piss in No Jar" (Mojo Nixon)- Rat Music for Rat People Vol. III 1987 Raw Power "We Shall Overcome" (traditional)- Rat Music for Rat People Vol. III 1987 Doggy Style "Janitor Man" (Gary Hobish)- Rat Music for Rat People Vol. III 1986 Sea Hags LP (debut) Sea Hags Co-producer 1986 The Beatnigs Single "Television" 1986 Tuxedomoon Live LP 1985 Verbal Abuse LP Rocks Your Liver 1984 New Riders of the Purple Sage Single Assistant engineer 1984 Bobby Hutcherson LP Color Schemes Assistant engineer