Bernie Grundman fell in love with big band production sounds through his dad’s vinyl collection and homemade turntable, becoming obsessed with the details of sound, from jazz to classical, rock to pop. His personal passion for myriad styles of music was to be his professional signature — when Grundman became head of mastering at A&M Records in 1968, his work resulted in hundreds of platinum and gold recordings, including Carole King’s *Tapestry*, Steely Dan’s *Aja* and Michael Jackson’s *Thriller*. In 1984, Grundman established his own studio, where he worked on classics like Prince’s *Purple Rain* and Dr. Dre’s *The Chronic*.
