Montano Mastering is owned and operated by Kristian Montano in Toronto, Canada. Kristian’s extensive experience in the music industry and passion for connecting with artists has perfectly situated him for a career in mastering. As a musician himself, Kristian understands the weight and importance of creating an album, and puts exceptional care and creativity into his mastering process. Montano also holds a degree in the sciences from McGill University and a diploma from the Ontario Institute for Audio Recording Technology- to this end, Kristian is fascinated by the science of audio technology, and is constantly working to keep his techniques and approaches to mastering fresh.
Notable Work
Kristian has worked with acclaimed artists in every genre including Chantal Kreviazuk, The Beaches, Kiesza, Classified, Shawn Desman, Diljit Dosanjh, Kenyon Dixon, Musiq Soulchild, IDK, Bryce Vine, Ruby Waters, Daniel Romano, Wild Rivers, Aysanabee, Rezz, BabyJake, Fefe Dobson, Finger Eleven, Virginia to Vegas, and St. Paul & the Broken Bones, among many others. Montano has worked alongside multiple Juno and Grammy Award winning and nominated artists, engineers mixers and producers. His work itself is 15 x JUNO nominated, and 6 x JUNO Winning.
Kristian began his career in audio working as an engineer at San Fransisco's Faultline Studios under the guidance of 2x GRAMMY® recognized producer, engineer and artist Michael Starita.
Upon moving back to Canada from San Francisco Kristian worked out of Lacquer Channel Studios A Room, belonging to acclaimed Mastering Engineer Noah Mintz, prior to opening Montano Mastering in 2018.
Work from Montano Mastering has been featured in publications like Rolling Stone Magazine, topped Billboard Charts and been streamed over 1 Billion times worldwide.
As a musician, Kristian is the frontman and creator of Toronto band Sun K, and has recorded and toured with Jeremie Albino & the Rosehall band, among others. He has shared the stage with acclaimed acts including the Black Pumas, Glass Animals, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, The Sadies, and the Bros. Landreth to name a few.
KRISTIAN MONTANO
Chief Mastering Engineer
Meet the Team
Studio Manager
Bailey Gardner
An avid music listener with a penchant for customer service, Bailey joins us as Studio Manager. From admin, to learning the ropes on all things mastering, Bailey is the one who keeps the studio running smoothly. Her eclectic musical interests and passion for live sound help drive the energy and excitement for audio at Montano Mastering.
If you have any questions regarding scheduling, pricing, general mastering inquiries or how Montano Mastering operates, please reach out to bailey@montanomastering.com and she will be happy to help!
Mastering Assistant // Junior Engineer
Ruxandra Dedu
Coming to Montano Mastering from London’s legendary Dean St. Studios, Ruxi is a sound engineer with a strong foundation in both music and post-production. While there, she assisted on high-level recording sessions and Dolby Atmos mixing, gaining hands-on experience in a world-class studio environment. A graduate of the University of York with a degree in Music and Sound Recording, she continues to develop her craft through sound recording and sound design for advertising.
Ruxi joins the team as a studio assistant and junior mastering engineer, contributing to the mastering process while continuing to grow within a leading studio environment.
Junior Engineer
Sawyer Martin
Sawyer comes to Montano Mastering from a background in live audio, where he developed a wide love of all genres. As both a FOH and Monitor engineer at Music in the Fields, Guelph Jazzfest, and Sunfest, Sawyer has cultivated a music-first philosophy. He works with a mindset of bringing the artistic intent forward without distractions getting in the way. A graduate of Fanshawe's MIA program with the distinction of Best Engineer of 2nd year, Sawyer brings his experience to the mastering room with a focus on preserving the character and impact of each project.
He joins the team as a Junior Engineer, continuing to develop his craft while working across a wide range of music.