A Talk with Berklee Professor and Audio Engineer Justin Sheriff

Poster Designed by AES Event Coordinator Michael Tringale

On October 17th, 2023, Audio Engineers Society(AES) members had the great opportunity to speak to Berklee Professor and Audio Engineer Justin Sheriff. At the Audio Engineers Society Organization at Salem State University, we hold weekly mixing sessions and invite occasional guest speakers to speak to students and provide an opportunity for them to learn about the intricacies of Engineering, Music Production, and the Music Industry. Justin Sheriff is an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, teaching in the Music Production and Engineering Department, and also works as the Head Engineer for Cybersound Recording Studios in Boston. Justin began as an intern at Cybersound in 2012 and has built his way up to being the Head Engineer by starting as a runner, sitting in on sessions, and then working on sessions. Justin has made quite a name for himself as he climbed into the engineers chair at Cybersound. Justin is a RIAA Gold Audio Engineer most notably known for the recording, mixing, and mastering of the hit song "Ashes"-Stellar. However, some more of his clients and projects include Netflix, Sony, Amazon, Chris Evans, Bryan Cranston, and DMX. Our meeting began with a few questions for Justin about what he does, how he would describe an engineer, and how Justin got to where he is in the Music Industry now. Justin thoroughly explained the social media content he regularly posts and the importance of marketing content and engagement within the industry. Maintaining a constant connection with your audience can be the difference between driving traffic to your posts and never being seen. Justin regularly posts engineer tutorials, new plugins, and DAW Shortcuts engaging his audience and driving traffic to his page. Justin then explained how people get confused about the difference between engineers and producers. A lot of the time their roles can be confused with each other since engineers might use methods of production in their engineering and vice versa. However the way he described their differences was engineers tend to focus on improving the sound quality and richness of a song. Producers focus on enriching a song through the use of artistic suggestions and writing.

Photograph by Michael Tringale

As the interview progressed, it became evident that Justin's success resulted from his determination, perseverance, and love for the field. Justin's commute to Cybersound was long, and he explained how he wanted to pursue his studies at Berklee while working at the studio. Justin then proceeds to share that he was rejected from Berklee College of Music multiple times before receiving admission to the university. Justin's story goes to show if you give up on something you love there is a 0% chance of getting what you want. But if you keep trying a favorable future is awaiting you. Justin rightfully thrives and belongs as a professor at Berklee, AES members left the meeting with new knowledge on navigating the industry, what it means to be an engineer, and how to take the drivers seat of your career which were explained perfectly by Justin. Justin then proceeded to answer questions from AES members. Justin answered all questions thoroughly and in detail and provided Audio Engineer Society members with a lot of insight into what working as an Audio Engineer in the industry is like. Thank you, Justin Sheriff, for speaking for the Audio Engineers Society at Salem State University. If you would like to learn more about Justin Sheriff click the hyperlinks to visit his Instagram and Website.