Reflecting on my Grammy Nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

It is coming up on a year since my Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for mixing and mastering Baynk’s Adolescence. When it happened, I was attending the Audio Developers Conference in London on November 12th, 2022. I was meeting new people in the audio technology and plugin industries and getting excited about finishing Gold Clip. At the keynote address, a New York Times article with my name on it popped up on my phone. I started getting congratulations texts from people I had not heard from in years. I was confused. I had checked the Grammy nominations list an hour prior, and for whatever reason, I did not see my name. I said, "Oh well, maybe next year" and moved on. I kept getting congratulations texts and was generally confused. I thought people were joking with me, but then I looked at that article again and saw my name at the very end — in the Best Engineered category!

I jumped out of my chair, ran out of the keynote address, and screamed my ass off in the lobby. People wondered if I was okay. I was shook, and better than okay. A nomination in this category was something that I had always aspired to but never thought was achievable. Because of the genres of music I worked in and because I made music in a bedroom, not a fancy recording studio, I didn't think it was possible. Best Engineered Album is one of the hardest categories to get nominated in because the submissions span every musical genre except classical. It was the pinnacle of success as a mixing & mastering engineer, and I was humbled.

Ironically, the artist Baynk was living in London at the time and we went out and did a proper celebration together. It was only the second time we met in person. The first was when he was on tour through the US and came through Philadelphia. We made countless songs and records together from other sides of the earth. Baynk in London or New Zealand and I in West Philadelphia.

That experience was one of the most humbling and exciting moments of my life. Awards and accolades are not the reason we get into music, but when they happen, they can reinvigorate your purpose and excitement for your work.

A year later, Gold Clip is out to the world, I continue to mix and master records every day, and I am developing new software tools for next year. I am headed back to the Audio Developers Conference, but this year as a sponsor. Who knows what Grammy nominations await and for who, but my day last year was more than I ever expected.

Thank you for all of the support as a plugin maker and music engineer. I truly appreciate everyone who believes in my ideas and engineering work.

Here is an audio story done by NPR shortly after my nomination.

Be well,

Ryan Schwabe

Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum mixing & mastering engineer

Founder of Schwabe Digital