ABOUT THE ENGINEER
Hello, my name is Ralph Ehinger, I’m the lead audio engineer and founder of Dark Spider Audio.
Sound has played a central and vital role in both my mental and spiritual development, and my passion for it has led to a career in professional audio production. I began my journey as a DJ and producer, took it further with sound design, and since 2018, mixing and mastering professionally has become my primary focus.
I completed my education at SAE Institute in San Francisco, earning an Audio Technology Diploma in 2011. During my time there I had the privilege of small-class instruction led by a very special human, Ivo Ivanov, the CEO and founder of Glitchmachines LLC, who helped shape my understanding of music, sound, technology, and the audio industry.
After graduation I spent 2 + years at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco, working with established engineers such as Matt Kelly (Hieroglyphics Crew) and Mike Wells (Mike Wells Mastering). During my time there I was involved in countless projects, primarily as an assistant to a very gifted recording and mixing engineer (Brian DeLizza). Together, we tackled some serious Bay Area talent and left our mark on numerous albums of all genres..
Fast-forward to today… I live and work in Sankt Gallen, Switzerland. My home studio is my sanctuary. I mix and master solely “in-the-box” using very sophisticated plugins from companies such as Brainworx, iZotope, SPL, Elysia, Solid State Logic, Dangerous Music, ADPTR Audio, and more. My studio is acoustically treated to sound as neutral as possible and the monitors are calibrated using Sonarworks SoundID Reference.
It’s amazing to me to see how far audio technology has come in the last 20 years. I am grateful to be my own boss and to manage a business in such a vibrant and constantly-evolving industry. Each new project presents its challenges and I enjoy perfecting my craft, learning from others, and teaching others about audio, what I find to be one of the most fascinating forms of expression in existence.