By Marianna Nash

“Who’s your favorite musical artist?” is a pretty common question. “Who’s your favorite mastering engineer?” not so much.

But mastering engineers like Emily Lazar (an old friend who's been working with us for 10 years) are essential to the making of a record. Lazar made headlines last year when she became the first female nominee for the prestigious Record of the Year Grammy Award. This year, she is nominated for Best Engineered Album.

Lazar has worked on over 2,000 albums since founding her studio, the Lodge, at age 25. Her clients have included Sia, the Foo Fighters, the Killers, Björk, Lou Reed, David Bowie and many more. In an interview with Billboard, she talks, among other things, about punking a chauvinist audio shop:

“Flash forward a few years to my own career: I went into an audiophile stereo type of store to buy some speakers, converters, equipment for the studio for listening. Again I walked in and approached these guys, and they were like, ‘You've gotta be shopping for someone, like your boyfriend, your husband.’ I was like, ‘No, I'm an engineer, I'm shopping for my studio.’ They're looking at me like I'm insane.”

Read the full interview: Grammy-Nominated Mastering Engineer Emily Lazar on 2,000 Records, Women in Music & Pranking Audio Stores

We're a big supporter of women in music at The Foxgrove, come for a class in our friendly space to see for yourself.

This gem is brought to you by The Hunt, The Foxgrove's blog that looks into the electronic music and DJ world in the lenses of fashion, lifestyle, art and culture. If you'd like to contribute, find us at info@thefoxgrove.com.