The "Mastering" Master Leon Zervos has returned

Back to Overview

29th September 2009

Exciting news! After an over 20 year hiatus - a great number of which spent working in New York City and notably for the exalted Sterling Sound - The Master has returned to our shores and back home to Studios 301. Leon Zervos will be working out of both 301’s mastering suites in Sydney and a brand new mastering suite in Byron Bay. One of Leon’s first projects back with the 301 family is Powderfinger’s upcoming album, which was entirely recorded and mixed at 301 in Sydney and Byron Bay.

Growing up in Sydney, Australia in a household of music, Leon Zervos was exposed to every conceivable genre of music beginning with Salsa, Samba, Rock, Jazz, and Mediterranean styles. At the age of eight, he began sitting in on drums in his father's nightclub and on weekends, musicians would drop by the house for jam sessions. Perhaps that explains why he has gone on to become one of the world's most versatile mastering engineers. From Aerosmith to Anastacia, Maroon 5 to Tito Puente, Leon is equally at home. Leon began his career in 1983 at the cutting edge Studios 301 Sydney. By the late 1980s he had established himself as the top engineer in Australia, mastering worldwide hits for artists such as INXS, Keith Urban and Midnight Oil. In 1993, looking to expend his horizons, Leon moved to New York, where in a few short years, he established himself with a string of hits, including 'NSYNC, Aerosmith, Mobb Deep, Big Pun, Dream Theater, Eddie Palmieri, Santana and The Black Crowes. In 2003 Leon joined Sterling Sound, where his new, state-of-the-art stereo/surround mastering room won the 2004 Tech Award for studio design. Leon has mastered projects for Avril Lavigne, Rihanna, Duran Duran, Ben Folds and Citizen Cope as well as plenty of 5.1 projects such as Collective Soul, Three Days Grace and Branford Marsalis. He most recently mastered Kerli's "Love Is Dead", One Block Radius, the Academy-Award nominated soundtrack "Enchanted" as well as the latest Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis' "Two Men with the Blues". Leon has now returned to Australia and is living in Brisbane with his wife Melissa and their young daughter.

“I'm excited and honoured to welcome Leon to Studios 301 Australia. Leon has a long history with 301, dating back to the 80's when he joined the mastering team in Sydney, and we have always watched his career go from strength to strength since moving to New York. I consider him to be one of the world's best mastering engineers and we look forward to him working with our mastering team and continuing to provide a world class mastering service” ... said Studios 301 manager Anthony Garvin.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Leon back into the fold and are extremely excited about having a person of his calibre working alongside the team and artists that record with us.