Vlado Meller

Vlado Meller
Meller in 2019
Born	1947 (age 77–78) Humenné, Czechoslovakia
Nationality	Slovak American
Education	Czech Technical University in Prague
Occupation	Mastering engineer
Years active	1969–present

Vlado Meller (born in 1947 in Humenné as Vladimír Meller)^[1][2] is a Slovak audio mastering engineer, currently with Vlado Meller Mastering in Charleston, South Carolina.^[3] Meller works across many genres of music, with credits on rock, hip-hop, pop, jazz, metal, dance, opera, Broadway, and classical albums over 50+ year career.^[3][4] Albums that he engineered have won two Grammy Awards.^[5]

Biography

Meller was born in the former Czechoslovakia and received violin lessons at an early age. He graduated from high school in Košice, Slovakia and studied electrical engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague. After the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, Meller was a refugee in Austria and Italy before emigrating to the United States.^[6] In December 1969 he obtained an entry-level job at CBS Records in New York, and later received training in audio mastering.^[3][7] He worked with Sony/CBS for 38 years, and then joined Universal Mastering Studios in 2007 as senior mastering engineer.^[8] He later spent a short time at Masterdisk,^[9] then relocated to Charleston, South Carolina where he opened his own facility, Vlado Meller Mastering, in 2014.^[10]

Discography

A list of noteworthy albums Vlado has mastered includes:

• AFI – Crash Love (2009)
• AFI - Bodies (2021)
• Audioslave – Audioslave (2002)
• Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 (2011)
• Brockhampton – Ginger (2019)
• Andrea Bocelli – Amore (2006)
• Andrea Bocelli – The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere (2007)
• Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
• Johnny Cash – My Mother's Hymn Book (2004)
• Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways (2006)
• Celine Dion – Celine Dion (1992)
• Celine Dion – Let's Talk About Love (1992)
• Celine Dion – Falling into You (1997)
• Maynard Ferguson – Conquistador (1977)
• Julio Iglesias – Love Songs (2004)
• Michael Jackson – Michael (2010)
• Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns (2010)
• Metallica – St. Anger (2003)
• Metallica – Beyond Magnetic (2012)
• Muse - Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
• Oasis – (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
• Frank Ocean – Channel Orange (2012)
• Phantogram – Voices (2014)
• Prince – Emancipation (1996)
• Rage Against the Machine – Renegades (2000)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication (1999)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – By the Way (2002)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium (2006)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – I'm with You (2011)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Unlimited Love (2022)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen (2022)
• Paulina Rubio – Planeta Paulina (1996)
• Shakira – Oral Fixation (2005)
• Shakira – She Wolf (2009)
• Slza – Holomráz (2018)
• Swell Daze – Simple Fix (2014)
• System of a Down – Mezmerize (2005)
• System of a Down – Hypnotize (2005)
• Serj Tankian – Elasticity (2021)
• A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (2016)
• Lil Wayne – Tha Carter III (2008)
• Lil Wayne – Rebirth (2010)
• Weezer – Make Believe (2005)
• Kanye West – Late Registration (2005)
• Kanye West – Graduation (2007)
• Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak (2008)
• Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2011)
• Kanye West – Yeezus (2013)
• Pete Yorn - “Back & Fourth’’ (2009)
• Bad Gyal – Worldwide Angel (2018)
• Samey – Mama neviem kedy prídem domov (2017)
• Samey – XYZ (2019)
• Samey – Anarchia (2021)
• horhi – 4u2c (2024)

Awards and recognition

Albums engineered by Meller have been nominated for seven Grammy Awards and have won two Latin Grammy Awards.^[5][11]

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2004	Unearthed	Best Historical Album	Nominated
2005	Late Registration	Album of the Year	Nominated
2006	Stadium Arcadium		Nominated
2007	Graduation		Nominated
2008	Tha Carter III		Nominated
2012	Channel Orange		Nominated
	"Thinkin Bout You"	Record of the Year	Nominated

Latin Grammy Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2006	Fijación Oral, Vol. 1	Album of the Year	Won
		Best Engineered Album	Won

References

1. "Bodku za Animals Floydov dal Slovák. Vlado Meller". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 28 August 2013.
2. "Pracoval s Pink Floyd i Oasis. V rodnom Humennom ho čakalo prekvapenie". Teraz.sk (in Slovak). 3 April 2019.
3. "Vlado Meller Bio - Vlado Mastering". Vlado Mastering. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
4. "Vlado Meller | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
5. "19a Entrega Anual del Latin GRAMMY". Latin GRAMMYs. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
6. "Vlado Meller". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
7. "Close Up: Vlado Meller Mastering". Music Connection Magazine. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
8. "UNIVERSAL MASTERING STUDIOS WELCOMES VLADO MELLER, SENIOR MASTERING ENGINEER - UMG". UMG. 17 December 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
9. Weiss, David (10 May 2011). "Mastering Moves: Vlado Meller Exits Universal, Joins Masterdisk". sonicscoop.com. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
10. "Vlado Meller Mastering". Mixonline. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
11. "Vlado Meller". GRAMMY.com. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.

External links

• Official website