On January 12, 2026, Dan D'Agostino Master Systems welcomed some 52 international audio dealers and distributors, and four members of the audio press, to the unveiling of the new Momentum Z mono amplifier ($125,000/pair) at the company's factory in Cave Creek, AZ. This 15th Anniversary event included an extended description of the product and a factory tour.

If not for the skill level of the producers and engineers who ensure recordings are able to get to the finish line, we may never have heard some of the best music of the past century-plus sound as good as it does. In Part 3 of our three-part Studio Confidential interview series, Mike Mettler talks with Elliot Scheiner, who has worked with Eagles, Steely Dan, Van Morrison, and many, many others, about what made him want to become a producer, his favorite album of those he’s worked on (it'll probably surprise you), and how he views surround-sound mixing.

Producers and engineers are the human engines that drive and shape the sound of the recordings we know and love—as well as the ones we've yet to hear. In Part 2 of our three-part Studio Confidential interview series, Mike Mettler talks with Sylvia Massy, who has worked with Prince, Jason Isbell, Tool, and many, many others, about what elements make a hit record, what album made her want to become a producer, and why Prince was such a, shall we say, tortured genius.