Mastering is the final part of the album-making process – where the songs are fine-tuned and all the elements are shaped into a cohesive whole. Cicely Balston is one of the UK’s breakthrough young talents. They’ve worked across leading London studios like Gearbox, Air and now the legendary Abbey Road, with its iconic zebra crossing out front.
Cicely has a hugely varied list of credits and has put their finishing touches to everything from punk to alt-pop to UK jazz, and from up-and-coming bands like Witch Fever to legends like David Bowie's back catalogues, as well as some of the most memorable film soundtracks of the past few years.
Cicely’s ear for detail has been numerous times at the UK’s Music Producers Guild Awards. They won Mastering Engineer of the Year in 2023 and 2025, and also this year, they were part of the team that took home the award for Best Original Score Recording for their work on the very memorable thriller-comedy Saltburn. Cicely’s approach to listening goes way beyond the technical. Their finely-tuned intuition can elevate a track from great to unforgettable.
Studio Radicals is a new podcast series that meets the musical visionaries who are shaping the sounds of today, from leading artists and producers to composers and engineers.
For more information and to see portrait photography, videos and playlists from the series, visit dcsaudio.com/studioradicals and instagram.com/dcsonlythemusic.
CREDITS
Studio Radicals is co-produced by dCS Audio and host Kate Hutchinson.
Audio production, editing and sound design: Holly Fisher.
Video: Sophie Fisher.
Theme music: Anna Prior.
Photography: Olivia Sofia Ferrara.
Video editing: Jess Vincent.
Thanks to: Lucy Launder and Peach Kazen.
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30:15
7: Suzanne Ciani
This time we’re heading to the California coast with electronic visionary Suzanne Ciani. Her home studio overlooks a stunning bay, and has inspired many Grammy-nominated albums of meditative analogue synthesizer and neo-classical piano music. In the 1970s, she pioneered electronic music with her trusty Buchla modular synth, envisioning bold new horizons for where the sound could go, and designed inventive sounds for the advertising world, such as Coca Cola’s infamous “pop, pour and hiss”. She has returned to her Buchla in recent years, and uses the stage like a studio: she performs innovative shows in quadraphonic sound, manipulating and live mixing sound in real time.
In this episode, Ciani talks to host Kate Hutchinson about the Buchla’s counter cultural beginnings, breaking through as a rare woman in early electronic sound, sleeping on Philip Glass’s floor, why she never became a Warhol Superstar, the importance of risk, the sensual slowness of sine waves and what drives her as an artist and innovator now.
Studio Radicals is a new podcast series that meets the musical visionaries who are shaping the sounds of today, from leading artists and producers to composers and engineers.
For more information and to see portrait photography, videos and playlists from the series, visit dcsaudio.com/studioradicals and instagram.com/dcsonlythemusic.
CREDITS
Studio Radicals is co-produced by dCS Audio and host Kate Hutchinson.
Audio production, editing and sound design: Holly Fisher.
Additional recording: Lusen Mendel.
Photography and video: Poppy Lynch.
Video editing: Jess Vincent.
Theme music: Anna Prior.
With thanks to Rachel Aiello.
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35:55
6: Maria Elisa Ayerbe
In this episode of Studio Radicals, host Kate Hutchinson is in Miami, Florida, with Maria Elisa Ayerbe, who Billboard magazine named one of the songwriters, producers and engineers who is “Blazing New Paths for Women in Latin Music”.
Bogotá-born Maria Elisa relocated to Miami 10 years ago and has been part of the musical productions for some of the best-known singers in Latin pop and rock, including Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Juanes. She has received multiple US Grammy and Latin Grammy nods, notably for her work with Colombian powerhouse Paula Arenas, and a Latin Grammy win for the album Ancestras by Petrona Martinez.
Maria Elisa’s wide-ranging CV also boasts string ensembles like Kronos Quartet, R&B superstar Mary J Blige and even American boyband New Kids on The Block. But she is also dedicated to uplifting breakthrough Latin talent and runs an indie record label, South Mountain Music, where she produces and develops more alternative artists who don’t necessarily fit the mainstream mold.
Whatever she’s working on, Maria Elisa notes the importance of staying connected to her roots and of challenging the narrow lanes that Spanish-language music is often funnelled into.
Studio Radicals is a new podcast series that meets the musical visionaries who are shaping the sounds of today, from leading artists and producers to composers and engineers.
For more information and to see portrait photography, videos and playlists from the series, visit dcsaudio.com/studioradicals and instagram.com/dcsonlythemusic.
CREDITS
Studio Radicals is co-produced by dCS Audio and host Kate Hutchinson.
Audio production, editing and sound design: Holly Fisher.
Additional recording: Vanessa Montillo.
Video and photography: Alejandra Romero.
Theme music: Anna Prior.
Video editing: Jess Vincent.
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34:42
5: Ramera Abraham
Ramera Abraham is an award-winning vocal producer, recording engineer and songwriter who really gets great pop music. She has created arrangements and/or engineered for the likes of Victoria Monet, Little Mix, Jade Thirlwall, Arya Starr and Ivy Queen, and has also assisted on songs by Adele, Jess Glynne and Elton John. She won Vocal Producer of the Year at the 2023 MPG Awards and, as well as working with big names, helps up-and-coming musicians to find their voice.
Ramera grew up as part of a musical family in the Philippines and was classically trained as a pianist and drummer from childhood. She studied law and music in Canada but, during a trip to London’s Abbey Road Studios playing tourist, she spotted a flyer for an engineering degree and relocated to the UK capital to embark on her career. In this episode, she explains everything from how she gets the best out of a vocal performance from the artists that come through the studio doors, to what makes a great harmony and why she encourages singers to sound like themselves.
Studio Radicals is a new podcast series that meets the musical visionaries who are shaping the sounds of today, from leading artists and producers to composers and engineers.
For more information and to see portrait photography, videos and playlists from the series, visit dcsaudio.com/studioradicals and instagram.com/dcsonlythemusic.
CREDITS
Studio Radicals is co-produced by dCS Audio and host Kate Hutchinson.
Audio production, editing and sound design: Holly Fisher.
Video: Sophie Fisher.
Theme music: Anna Prior.
Photography: Olivia Sofia Ferrara.
Video editing: Jess Vincent.
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27:09
4: Hannah Peel
Hannah Peel is a Northern Irish musician, producer, composer and BBC Radio 3 broadcaster based in Yorkshire, England, who blends electronic and classical music across her many film and TV soundtracks and solo albums, including 2021’s Fir Wave, which made the Mercury Music Prize shortlist.
Hannah’s scores are Emmy-nominated and Ivor Novello-winning – in 2023, she became the first woman to win Best Television Score for British sci-fi series The Midwich Cuckoos, praised for her combination of analogue synths, tape manipulations and mystical woodwind.
As a forward-thinking solo artist, she’s released several albums with ambitious concepts, including a meditation on neuroscience inspired by her grandmother’s dementia and a seven-movement space odyssey written for synthesisers and a 29-piece brass band. She’s also collaborated with the Parasocial Orchestra, Paul Weller and more recently, the Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang.
In this episode, Hannah talks about her search for connection, experimenting with creating new instruments and sounds, how growing up in Northern Ireland and Yorkshire influenced her experience of sound, composing music for Game of Thrones and her affinity with Delia Derbyshire.
Studio Radicals is a new podcast series that meets the musical visionaries who are shaping the sounds of today, from leading artists and producers to composers and engineers.
For more information and to see portrait photography, videos and playlists from the series, visit dcsaudio.com/studioradicals and instagram.com/dcsonlythemusic.
CREDITS
Studio Radicals is co-produced by dCS Audio and host Kate Hutchinson.
Audio production, editing and sound design: Holly Fisher.
Video: Emma Giacalone.
Theme music: Anna Prior.
Photography: Olivia Sofia Ferrara.
Video editing: Jess Vincent.
With thanks to Steve Malins.
Studio Radicals is a new podcast series from dCS Audio and journalist Kate Hutchinson, featuring in-depth conversations with some of music’s most innovative minds. It celebrates the individuals who are shaping how music is made and bringing a fresh approach to production, from the composers building distinctive sonic worlds to the engineers helping translate artists’ ideas into sound.
Host Kate Hutchinson travels to studios and mixing desks on both sides of the Atlantic – from the sun-dappled coast of California to the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London – to speak with eight creatives about their craft, process and adventures in music. She meets renowned musicians, engineers and composers who are pushing their craft to produce exciting and thought-provoking scores, songs and soundtracks across the genres.
For more information and to see photography, videos and playlists, visit dcsaudio.com/studioradicals and follow instagram.com/dcsonlythemusic.
New Zealand