After 30 years making great records for hundreds of musicians, I remain focused on elevating both the sounds and the substance of every album I work on. My flexibility, sonic sensibility, and attention to detail have paved the way for multi-album collaborations with a number of world-class musicians who consider my touch essential for their music.
With a producer’s commitment to the art of the music, a musician’s sense of emotion, and a mastering engineer’s ears for sonics, I work carefully to get the most out of every piece of music entrusted to me.
I have been producing albums since 1993, and mastering professionally since 2001. Work includes two GRAMMY nominated albums in recent years, multiple national and international award winning albums, and more than 50 top ten charting albums on the Zone Music charts, including more than 15 #1 albums.
If you're in need of a trusted set of ears to put the final polish on your work, please drop me a note!
tom caufield
"Tom understands that the technical side is always and forever secondary to the music. It exists for one reason only: to enhance the emotion, the vibe, the feeling, and what's interesting in the music."
Jeff oster
"Insight and vision? Definitely. The ability to hear the album as complete? Absolutely. Impeccable ears? Without a doubt. If you want someone to put that sweet deep finish over your hard fought music, to cast it in amber for the ages, Tom is the MASTER."
michael whalen
"Tom is a great engineer by any measure. However, it is his commitment to making every single project he touches excellent that puts him at the top of the list for me."
david wahler
"I’m thrilled with what you did with my music! Absolutely outstanding! I couldn’t be more pleased! I feel that you really connected with my aesthetic on this, highlighting the subtleties and correcting what I wasn’t able to achieve on my end."
Alise Ashby
"Whether it's capturing the soul of acoustic instruments or weaving his magic in post-production, he delivers with mastery. Working with Tom is not only productive but also incredibly enjoyable. Looking forward to embarking on many more projects together.”
masako
"I've been working with Tom for over a decade. During this long period, I've been just amazed by his passionate and sincere approach to his work in the studio. Without Tom's outstanding ability to concentrate, his well-balanced decisions on music, his patience and kindness, I wouldn't be where I am now. He brings out the best in you."
The control room at Sounds & Substance was custom built for critical listening. It's a non-environment room with no speaker reflections to speak of reaching the sweet spot and extensive acoustic treatment and trapping. Acoustic guidance and measurements by Lou Clark of Sonic Space.
Monitoring is via a four-way system with Genelec 8361 three-way mains and stereo Genelec 7360 subwoofers tuned with the GLM system and controlled by the Genelec 9320a. The 8361 monitors are a concentric design with a tweeter and 5" midrange driver mounted on the face, and two large oblong bass drivers (each equivalent to an 8.5" circular driver) hidden behind the aluminum face on either side of the central drivers. The compactness of these 70 pound aluminum oddballs belies their performance. With 1000 watts of power on board each speaker sound reproduction is effortless, and with the subs frequency response reaches 20Hz flat, and is down 6dB at 16Hz. Genelec's technology here is brilliant. I spend all my time on the Genelecs but when a very different perspective is needed I have Reftone Cubes, and my trusty Audeze LCD-X headphones are always a button push away..
Software tools are by DMG, GoodHertz, and others. The iZotope RX spectral editor is essential to the end result as well.