It was a short message in my inbox with a pitch that Armonk resident Joe LaPorta won a Grammy for his ‘Mastering’ work on Miley Cyrus’s Grammy-winning Record of the Year, Flowers.
Would the Inside Press be interested in learning his story? Well, heck yeah! Like many millions, I have been obsessed with Miley’s song, and struck something of a chord myself in social media after solo on Valentine’s Day, I posted a pic of a big purple Iris in my drink at a local bar with a status, “I can buy my own drink with a flower inside it.”
So, yes, I’d be very interested in a story about any contribution to the story of Flowers. And a Grammy award winner to boot…
Soon thereafter, I began corresponding with LaPorta, who won his first Grammy for ‘Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical’ for his work on David Bowie’s Blackstar – at age 36, he became the youngest mastering engineer to ever win in this category!
LaPorta, who today is 44 years old, has been nominated seven times in total and for two Latin Grammys as well. In just the last year, his work spanned from mastering the biggest rap single of 2023, fukumean by Gunna, and the biggest rap album of 2023, Heroes and Villains by Metro Boomin – also nominated for Best Rap Album Grammy – to mastering Bewitched by Laufey, which won the 2023 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Additionally, Miley Cyrus’s Flowers was the best-selling and most streamed song globally last year.
LaPorta’s mastering successes also include the biggest UK rap single of 2023 – Sprinter by Dave and Central Cee. He also boasts mastering work for Jelly Roll – one of Country Music’s biggest new artists.
LaPorta has amassed a body of work that is incredibly wide ranging for a mastering engineer. Throughout the years, he has become an internationally trusted name in mastering music from everything from Pop, Rap, Country, Indie Rock etc.
On Breaking In
LaPorta’s future had its seeds growing up in North Salem with a fire in the belly and raw talent needed to break into the music world. He and a friend started a record label called Freshchest Records and secured a deal through an independent distributor of EMI records.
“It was so cool to see our releases make it into record stores, both local and internationally,” he said. During this time, LaPorta had the opportunity to work with artists including 50 Cent, GZA, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Cunninlynguists, and licensed tracks to TV and film clients such as MTV, Showtime, and Fox Network. Joe also worked as a music consultant on forensic musicology/copyright infringement cases. He has consulted on cases for The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Prince, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Shakira, Guns N’ Roses, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Sting, Phil Collins, Diddy, Alicia Keys, and others.
It was during this inspiring period that LaPorta learned about mastering while producing hip hop and drum-n-bass records as well as attending NYU for music technology. He started mastering full time at a small New York City mastering house called ‘The Lodge’ and then joined Sterling Sound as a Senior Engineer in 2013.
The Art of Mastering
Once a song is fully written, produced and mixed, LaPorta and his team will receive it for the final stage known as mastering. “To me, mastering is the art of finalizing a song while also maintaining the artist’s vision,” he said, explaining further that “it can be achieved with numerous tools (both analog and digital processing like Gain, EQ, Compression, Limiting, Imaging and many more) which help with the song’s dynamics, impact, clarity, and overall competitive level.
The use of these tools, he further explained, in combination with the instinct and taste of an experienced mastering engineer, can bring great final touches to a song before it is released to the world.
A Grammy can feel like an exceptional feat in that mastering engineers are only eligible to win a trophy in five of the 94 categories (Record of Year, Album of Year, Best Engineered Non-Classical, Best Historical and Best immersive/surround audio). “They limited our eligibility as we tend to work on so many albums each year, so they’re very difficult to get,” shared LaPorta proudly.
But whether LaPorta takes home ‘the prize’ or not, he has clearly enjoyed the opportunities to meet many artists over the years either during attended sessions or at shows and events. “For the most part,” he said, “everyone is super down to earth and humble, and it’s great to see how involved they can get with the intricate details of something like mastering.”
The LaPortas have also attended the Grammys several times.
“It’s amazing to watch the whole operation happen with their massive production crew doing everything live – cameras flying around the room, set changes, seat swap outs. It’s also fun to watch everyone decked out in their tuxes and gowns for the special night while enjoying stadium concessions like hot dogs and pretzels!”
But his “craziest, pinch-myself moment” was an invite by Dave Grohl for a Post Grammys Dinner after they won Best Rock Album in 2012. He booked a room in a small Italian restaurant and some of the guests were Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Depp, Elvis Costello, and Tony Hawk. “I was definitely not worthy of being there, and it was a pretty surreal experience,” LaPorta said, striking a humble note.
More ‘fun stuff’ is in the works, “but unfortunately, I can’t talk about everything,” said LaPorta, who recently worked on new albums on the way from Twenty One Pilots, Future & Metro Boomin, The Marias, Don Toliver, Willow, and more.
North Castle Living
Joe and his wife, Tara, purchased their Armonk home 14 years ago “for the amazing school district, the overall vibe of the town and the central location and proximity to the city… I sometimes refer to it as the bat cave since it’s so easy to hop back and forth from the city!” LaPorta added with a chuckle. “It has been a great place to raise our children!”
For the best sense of LaPorta’s work and range, follow him on Instagram, @jlaportamasters and check out his playlist on Spotify or Apple Music with artists like Young Thug, David Bowie, FKA Twigs, Foo Fighters, Beach House, The Alchemist, Shawn Mendes, Lil Peep etc.
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https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/mastered-by-joe-laporta/pl.u-vxy69yxCqN6BZ
