Sound Affair Mastering
Precision Mastering for Vinyl, Digital, Streaming & CD
Ron Leeper - Bio
Early Life
At the age of eight, Ron Leeper was introduced to the recording studio environment. His eldest sister worked as a studio vocalist and was regularly called in for sessions at many Los Angeles and Hollywood recording studios. Being the youngest in the family, and with no one around to watch him, Ron would go to the sessions with is mother and sister. He was fascinated with the equipment and the engineers recording the sessions. It made a big impression on Ron’s young mind – this is what he wanted to do.
In high school, Ron played in the school band and several different rock & roll bands, but his heart was still in the recording studio.
After high school, Ron left California for New York. He attended the Institute of Audio Research in New York City along with the Music Technology program at New York University, studying recording, mastering, electronics and music theory.
A Working Professional
After completing his studies and training in New York, Ron was employed as a mastering and recording engineer at Hank Waring’s Quad Teck studio in Los Angeles and at DCT Recorders in Hollywood. He mastered on Neum​ann and Scully cutting systems for the production of master disks for vinyl records.
Ron: “I’m very thankful that I was trained and mentored by Hank. He was a mastering engineer at Capitol in the ‘60s, cutting all the hits for The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple and many others."
He also had contracts with the major labels for promotion work:
“We would cut 30 – 50 copies of promo disks for artist’s that would be coming out with a new single or album.”
Ron also worked on recording and mixing sessions at Record Plant, United Western Recorders, and Sear Sound Studios.
(Above, Ron in session at Sear Sound Studios, New York, 1976)
Sound Affair
In 1978, Ron opened his own studio, Sound Affair, in Santa Ana, California (photo, right). Sound Affair was a multi-track recording and mixing studio, as well as a mastering studio. In 1999, he decided to focus exclusively on mastering and converted Sound Affair into a first-class mastering facility.
Ron has engineered and mastered over 2000 records. Sound Affair’s clients include major labels such as Capitol, Polygram, Reprise, Warner Bros., Universal Music Group, and numerous independent labels.
Other artist and clients include Slash, Delta Spirit, Greg Allman, Soul Syndicate, Jane Siberry, Adam Ant, Jose Feliceano, the NFL, MTV, Paramount Pictures, HBO Films, Major League Baseball
and has worked with multiple Grammy winning and nominated artists.
Ron is a member of the Audio Engineering Society and a voting member of The Recording Academy.
(Left, Ron working with Gregg Allman at Sound Affair)
Ron at work in Studio A
1979
Studio A
early 80s
Updated Control Room
early 80s
Sound Affair's Mastering Lab
early 90s