I've been a part of a lot of great projects and worked with a good number of fantastic artists... I'm lucky that way, i guess. Maybe the albums fall into a couple of different categories: Sonic, and memorable, perhaps? And a lot of them overlap, of course.

• Scar and Tiny Voices for Joe Henry
• Blood Money for Tom Waits
• This is my Hand for My Brightest Diamond, would be a few.

• The River in Reverse for Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
• The Globe Sessions for Sheryl Crow
• Roots for Gipsy Kings
• Don't Give up on Me for Solomon Burke

The two Joe Henry albums along with Tom Waits were at the beginning of the digital integration in the studio. I had a computer set up, a Nord Micro Modular (for fx) and some plugins running live, alongside the tape machine and the API console, and it signaled a shift in creativity for sure. Having access to 4 different EMT 140's, dozens of rooms (Altiverb), unlimited plugins and modulation options via the computer really did change the landscape. Rather than rely on the computer for vocal tuning or drum editing, i saw it as a virtual outboard gear rack. HUGE addition of colors to the palette, as it were.

The My Brightest Diamond album is one of three i've done for them (her) and it's a good example of those records where you (and the musicians) are hired to do what you do best. No limits set on the creativity, a lot of input from me, in the mixing stage... mutual respect for sure. A good fit, i'd say, and well worth a listen. Not just for the mixing trickery, but the songs. Really great stuff.

The Gipsy Kings record was done in a chateau in the South of France, using the Le Mobile remote truck. It was a challenge, logistically but a one of a kind experience.

Elvis and Allen was done mostly in LA, but since Katrina had just hit, we went to New Orleans to record a handful of tracks. The first album to be recorded there after the hurricane. Something I'll never forget.

Sheryl's album was super fun... fast, energetic (i recorded about a third of it) and we won a Grammy for best engineered album, so there's that.

And Solomon… well, it's Solomon, so enough said there. Oh, and also a Grammy for that one, so that was nice.

My friend Nate Wood told me about the EQuilibrium EQ. He is a fantastic engineer, drummer and all round good guy. He does a lot of mastering, and has a good ear, so i was intrigued.

No corners cut. That's really the main thing, for me. If it takes more DSP but sounds better, then that's the route they'll take. That's the feeling i get.

EQuilibrium is on every channel, on every session, standard. It's in the template, so it's always there. Limitless is the limiter of choice on a LOT of my projects... most of them, even. And Essence, the De-Esser is superb. The only De-Esser i'd use while mastering.

I rarely use presets, but...Read the manual! There is a LOT to these plug-ins, and it’s all valid and useable (and important). Much more than you'd expect from a "simple EQ or limiter" for example. That's really the most important thing, i think.

Oh, and customizability. A LOT of customizability. That's really a great feature.

That's a good question. When i first came on board i was hoping for a high end limiter. Now that that's here, i'm pretty happy.

The main thing, I'd say, is to stay the course. Stay with the high end stuff. Don't compromise. I don't really agree with having budget versions of your plugins (since you're asking). Disclaimer - i haven't tried them, but i think it takes away from your status as the high end champs (and it’s also why i'm not a business man). Maybach only makes one kind of car, and you are kind of Maybachs in my mind.

That said, i'd love to see someone make an accurate representation of the Hughes SRS (AK 100). It's one of very few boxes that i miss from the analog world. It's a one trick pony and may not fit your scheme, but maybe? If you could integrate that, faithfully, into your Dualism for example... that might be something. I really do love all that bizarre phase-y-outside-the-speakers stuff, so that might be the one for me.