Rebecca Huston is a Los Angeles–based mastering engineer, live FOH engineer, producer, and artist with over 20 years of experience in audio. She works independently from her studio, The Forest Mastering and Restoration, where she mixes and masters music while also creating her own work under the project name Romantic Thriller.
Rebecca’s path into audio was shaped by hands-on learning and long-term apprenticeships rather than formal schooling. Her early foundation came from building and running a vintage recording studio in Philadelphia with her band in her twenties, where she immersed herself in analog recording, gear repair, and sound history—working with reel-to-reel tape machines, classic consoles, plate reverbs, tape echoes, vintage keyboards, and early synthesizers. This period became her first apprenticeship and a deep education in recording and mixing.
Her second apprenticeship began in Brooklyn at the venue Sunnyvale, where she learned live sound through one-on-one mentorship. After training, she was hired by the venue and went on to become head engineer within a year. In 2018, Rebecca completed a year-long intensive mastering apprenticeship at Timeless Mastering with Adrian Morgan and Heba Kadry. Following that experience, she was encouraged to build her own mastering studio and client base—advice that led directly to the launch of The Forest Mastering and Restoration.
In addition to her mastering work, Rebecca is an active live FOH engineer. She has spent the past three years mixing for Dart Collective’s wedding bands at events across the United States and internationally, and she also works as a FOH engineer at Lodge Room in Highland Park, Los Angeles.
Rebecca’s musical background began early, studying violin in elementary school, oboe in junior high, and singing in school chorus. As a musician, her interest in sound grew naturally from songwriting, layering, and production—long before audio became her primary career. While she did not see many women represented in audio early on, she has built her career through confidence, preparation, and steady mentorship, often navigating environments where she was underestimated and ultimately respected for her skill and professionalism.
Rebecca believes deeply in apprenticeship-based learning and community knowledge-sharing, and she continues to balance technical precision with creative expression across mastering, live sound, and music production.
Career Beginnings
How did you get your start in audio?
I was so fascinated with the idea of writing a song. It seemed like the hardest and most illusive thing to create. Probably because, artistically, I am mostly a visual person so imagining audio just seemed so mysterious and intangible. Not only did writing a song sound like a great challenge but also, I knew I needed to record it and hear it back. So from the minute I knew how to strum two chords I was recording and adding effects and layers. And learning to make beats. And definitely writing lyrics and narrative. For me the song is nothing if it doesn’t tell a story. So yeah, right away I needed to learn recording software and anything computers came easily to me.
What were your first jobs, gigs, or internships like?
So much to learn! The Dunning–Kruger effect is real. Audio seems way easier until you start doing it. The more you do it, the more you realize there is much more to learn.
What skills or lessons did you learn early on that still serve you today?
A big lesson I will always remember is that mixing is mostly subtractive. In the beginning I did the foolish thing probably everyone does which is turning UP everything I want to hear in a track. But there is a limitation on how much can fit in that box and in any frequency range. Mixing and mastering is all about making choices on what needs to be taken away not added in.
Did you have a mentor or someone who significantly supported your growth?
Yes. All the people I have mentioned so far. Plus Jon Jurow, Alexandra Lukens and John Weingarten at Sunnyvale.
What barriers did you encounter early in your career, if any?
Money. As we know audio gear is expensive. The studio we built in Philadelphia sent me deep into debt. We were young and foolishly confident that our band and recording studio was going to pay the bills and my band mates were difficult people to run a business with.
Your Career Today
What does a typical workday look like for you now?
I catch up on email correspondences with clients, discussing their vision for the tracks or changes they want me to make to their masters and then I get to work. I think mastering is a little like staring at a Magic Eye illusion. The more you listen, the more the picture starts to reveal itself to you. So there is plenty of that. Focused listening. Listening to see their artistic intent and get clarity on the needs of a track, then making the adjustments.
How do you stay organized and manage the demands of your work?
I am naturally a pretty organized person.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
The more you listen to a song the more you really get into the head of the client which is super interesting and something that isn’t always easy to do with passive listening. Because I also write and produce, I love to get inspiration from other people.
What aspects of the job are the most challenging or least enjoyable?
Sitting still! I am a fidgety, high energy person. Luckily live sound work serves that energy well so there is balance.
What do you enjoy most about touring?
I have done a bunch of touring! Romantic Thriller did a tour to SXSW in March of 2025 and a EU tour in 2024. I love traveling to new places! And honestly, I thought I would hate living out of a suitcase but I actually love it.
What do you find most difficult?
If the car is too packed full, that’s no fun. I’ve been walled in by suitcases and guitars inside of a minivan more than I would like.
What is your favorite way to spend a day off or time away from work?
Going to shows or goth dance parties with friends. My mom lives nearby so I will go visit her, have lunch and go shopping.
Challenges, Growth & Perspective
What obstacles or systemic barriers have you faced in the industry?
I wouldn’t say I have met any systematic barriers. I would say I have mostly been lifted up and praised for entering a challenging space. I have been really lucky in that way. One obstacle that comes up and I imagine it does in a ton of other industries as well is ego. Mostly your own. But audio engineers are notoriously arrogant and ego forward. I avoid the worst of those people when I can because there are plenty of kind, friendly and helpful people in the biz as well.
How have you navigated or pushed through those challenges?
Don’t allow arrogant jerks to rule your world. Those people are just masking their insecurities anyway or upholding some sort of imaginary gate keeping they think is supposed to be part of it. I have quit venues because the prevailing energy at the place was snobby. I have no space in my universe for that attitude.
Have you seen the industry change during your career? If so, how?
Weeeeeell, the threat of AI is looming. AI mastering has been around for a good number of years now and so I have been aware of its shadowy presence. But I will say though, I have heard a few AI mastered tracks and I even paid for a couple myself just a few weeks ago and they weren’t good. I breathe a sign of relief…for the moment… I do think there will always be space for real people mixing and mastering and I am going to continue forward while keeping an eye on my periphery for The Machine.
What still needs to change to better support women and marginalized genders in audio?
I think organizations like SoundGirls are just the thing to highlight women’s presence in the field. Young people need to see other women out there in the venues and studios, doing the work, in order to make them feel welcome in the space. Organizations that highlight and showcase this, encourage the next generation. Also! Mentorship is essential. I can’t say that enough.
Advice & Looking Forward
What advice would you give to women or young people interested in entering audio?
Reach out to engineers you would like to learn from and just ask them if they will train you or allow you an internship or apprenticeship. This kind of one-on-one training is everything to build skill and confidence. And make sure to take thorough notes on everything they teach you! It’s dense work and you will forget details. I was a good student and my hard work led to being hired, and just like that I was getting paid.
What long-term goals or aspirations do you have?
I would love to continue to build Romantic Thriller into a success. The project is vast, in my mind, and includes epic music videos and a theatre production I am currently working on. I will always be most inspired by creating my own music. So that is the dream.
Is there something you wish you had known earlier in your career?
I wish I had the confidence sooner for sure. I think women are taught, through culture and society, to be small and quiet and so confidence doesn’t come as easily to them as compared to men. I started every step of my musical and engineering journey almost 10 years later than pretty much all men I have known. This reality has me behind them in my skills. And so I have to work twice as hard to catch up.
Favorite or most-used gear (and why)
In my mastering chain I have the Crane Song STC-8 and it’s the very best. Such clean gain and compression.
A piece of gear you can’t live without
For my own project, Romantic Thriller, I create in Ableton and I love it. Shout out to Ableton for being so good at integrating beat making, recording and mixing.
A moment in your career that made you feel proud or affirmed
This one was fresh in my mind: I was mixing a band just a few months ago called Los Wizards and they told me I was the best engineer and that their IEMs were perfect. And then they asked me if I would mix them again the next time they are in LA in January. This kind of praise is so incredible to hear.
