You might not know it, but pop music history is currently being reshaped on St. Andrews Boulevard in Charleston. The most celebrated work by a wide range of artists from Wynton Marsalis to Weezer to ZZ Top to Wham! is being updated to sound bigger and more detailed than ever.
And if that’s not enough, there’s even a bigger star whose tunes are getting an updated audio thrill.
That’s thanks to Vlado Meller Mastering, a studio where analog-era recordings are remastered for the modern age using state-of-the-art immersive digital technology. The West Ashley business is named for renowned engineer Vlado Meller, who has worked for big-name musicians like Jay-Z and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Metallica and Britney Spears), it’s the facility also is used regularly by major artists. Mastering Project Coordinator Andy Rivas is proud of its Charleston roots.
“Vlado moved here about 10 or 11 years ago from New York City,” Rivas told the Charleston City Paper. “He’s been working out here that whole time and the level of pride I feel about that is huge. Having this studio here and being able to work on projects like this means a lot to me.”
And if those names were big, the studio is now working on one of the most important catalogs in music history: Five of the late Michael Jackson’s original studio albums. These include 1979’s Off the Wall, 1987’s Bad, 1991’s Dangerous, 1995’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book I, and 2001’s Invincible.
Meller, who worked with producer Quincy Jones on some of those original recordings, is helping bring MJ’s catalog into Dolby Atmos, an immersive audio format that moves away from fixed stereo channels and allows sound to exist as objects placed anywhere in a three-dimensional space around the listener. The goal is to make playback feel less like sound coming from speakers and more like sound existing in a physical environment.
Transforming the music requires returning to original multitrack recordings and rebuilding the mixes so individual elements like vocals, drums, guitars and effects can be positioned independently in that 3D field.
Sound complicated but compelling? Yes. Difficult to execute? Also yes, especially given the pressure of working with one of the bestselling catalogs in music history. Even in the wake of past controversy surrounding Jackson, his music remains widely loved. His albums sold more than 140 million copies combined.
“There’s an extreme amount of pressure to get it right and make sure nothing is incorrect,” Rivas said. “You have to be detail oriented to keep track of all the original files because these songs have to match the original stereo mixes down to the millisecond.”
Budget-minded MJ fans should note that getting the full effect of Dolby Atmos mixes requires the right setup. Beyond a compatible streaming service like Apple Music or Amazon Music, listeners need Atmos-enabled headphones, a smartphone with spatial audio support or a soundbar or home theater system with upward-firing or overhead speakers.
Once set up, the experience can feel almost like stepping into the music itself. Dolby Atmos is aimed at listeners who want a more cinematic experience than traditional stereo playback offers, with greater separation, clarity and spatial movement.
And that work is happening right here in Charleston. Vlado Meller Mastering has completed the first three albums in the series, with HIStory and Invincible coming out later this year (no firm date has been set). While the studio already has a strong reputation, Rivas said the project could open the door to more legacy artists.
“It’s an amazing opportunity and something we were all really excited to take on,” he said. “We hope to continue doing more work on additional MJ albums, and we’re excited to collaborate with other legacy artists of that caliber. We want to keep working with the best.”
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