Ray Staff

Ray Staff is a mastering engineer best known for his work with a diverse mix of artists including Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Clash and Black Sabbath. Most recently he has mastered albums for Muse.

Biography and career

Joining the legendary Trident Studios (a recording facility originally located at 17, St. Anne's Court in London's Soho district) in 1970, Ray Staff became part of the newly formed Mastering Department contributing to projects such as: David Bowie, Aladdin Sane, Ziggy Stardust, and Elton John. Ray moved on to become Trident's first Chief Mastering Engineer.

For Monty Python Ray created the world's first three-sided album by cutting two spirals on one side of the disc, creating the "hidden" third side. This was topped later with a Johnny Moped album for Ace Records, where the first track on the A side was double cut, the two spirals then joined together to play the remaining side of the album.

Whilst Senior Mastering Engineer at Sony's UK Studios Ray became part of the international team developing Sony's proprietary archiving system.