Allen Zentz (Mastering)

Real Name: Allen Roy Zentz

American mastering engineer, active late 1960s to early 1990s.

Born December 17, 1940, and raised in suburban Chicago, Illinois, USA. He moved to Southern California at an early age to try his luck in the recording industry as a mastering engineer. He is known to have worked at RCA's Music Center Of The World, beginning at least in 1968 (Harry Nilsson - Aerial Ballet) in engineering, mastering (1969) and production roles (1982; Eric Robinson - Witness (For Love)), prior to opening his now famous Allen Zentz Mastering suite at 1020 N. Sycamore Ave., Hollywood, California (circa 1974). In 1977, Zentz added a recording studio (Allen Zentz Recording) to his mastering operation. His first client in the studio was Michael Jackson, recording most of Off The Wall there (except horns and strings) with Quincy Jones.

Zentz attained great prominence in the industry and earned many platinum and gold records. He retired to Albuquerque in 1992, seeking relief from the fast pace of California. On May 14, 2003, Zentz died of complications after surgery.

Allen Zentz's own vinyl masterings can be identified by "A z" (capital A and small z). As opposed to the "logo" for the studio, the letters are not linked.