Ted Jensen | |
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Ted Jensen, 2013
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Background information | |
Born |
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
September 19, 1954
Occupation(s) | Mastering Engineer |
Associated acts | |
Website | sterling-sound |
Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954, New Haven, Connecticut) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings including the Eagles' "Hotel California", Green Day’s American Idiot and Norah Jones' Come Away With Me.
Ted Jensen was born to Carl and Margaret (Anning) Jensen, both of whom were musicians. Carl had studied at Yale University. Margaret went to Oberlin College & Conservatory and Skidmore College and was also a pilot. Carl and Margaret met on a train while going to a choral workshop. Ted has one brother, Rick, and two daughters, Kristen and Kim. He is currently separated from Connie Fisher, his partner and wife of 38 years . While attending High School, Jensen was building his own stereo and recording equipment and began recording local bands both in the studio and at live events. During this time, he recorded several performances for the Yale Symphony Orchestra at Woolsey Hall in New Haven and also met Mark Levinson, who was starting an audio equipment company. Jensen joined up with Levinson and aided in the design and manufacture some of the early products of Mark Levinson Audio Systems. In 1975, Jensen left after six years with Levinson to begin his mastering career in New York City with Sterling Sound.
There were three mastering engineers at Sterling Sound when Jensen was hired to work in the tape copy room, George Marino, Lee Hulko and Greg Calbi. One of Jensen's earliest mastering jobs was the first single by the Talking Heads, "Love → Building on Fire" and later that year, Jensen mastered The Eagles' Hotel California. The following year, he mastered Billy Joel's The Stranger, which began a working relationship with Phil Ramone. Jensen was promoted to Chief Mastering Engineer at Sterling in 1984, and since then has overseen several proprietary developments in mastering technology. This included working closely with Graham Boswell of Neve Electronics in the mid-1980s in developing the first all-digital mastering console, the DTC-1, and as one of the consultants to Apple for Mastering for iTunes. Jensen also designed some of the studio monitors at Sterling, including the ones used by Tom Coyne. In 1998, Jensen, Greg Calbi and Tom Coyne, along with Murat Aktar (Absolute Audio co-founder) and UK based Metropolis, purchased Sterling Sound from previous owner, Lee Hulko.