Life & Work with Eric Boulanger of Culver City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Boulanger.

Hi Eric, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
On any given day, Eric Boulanger might be found in two very different worlds. In one, he’s onstage, violin in hand, leading an ensemble through a Mahler movement. In the other, he’s seated behind a mastering console, fine-tuning the final frequencies of a chart-topping pop record. For Boulanger, the founder of The Bakery® and one of Los Angeles’ most respected mastering engineers, those worlds are not opposites — they’re in harmony.
A classically trained violinist since the age of three, Boulanger’s path to the upper tiers of both performance and production was never accidental. His training at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and Tanglewood laid the foundation for an artist as fluent in acoustic nuance as he is in digital precision. “The way I hear music — the emotional shape of it — comes from the violin,” he often reflects. “The console is just another instrument.”
That duality has made him a sought-after figure across genres. Behind the glass, Boulanger has lent his mastering touch to GRAMMY-winning and nominated albums from Green Day, Hozier, Selena Gomez, Colbie Caillat, OneRepublic, Neil Young, Imagine Dragons, and Kelly Clarkson, among many others. His credits read like a curated playlist of modern popular music. Yet his approach remains deeply personal — more about emotion and energy than industry.
When Boulanger founded The Bakery® in 2015 on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, he wanted more than a mastering facility; he wanted a creative ecosystem built on “good vibes.” The opening proved auspicious — Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” one of the studio’s first projects, shot to number one and earned Platinum certification. Today, The Bakery is known not only for its state-of-the-art equipment but also for its warmth, precision, and unpretentious spirit — a reflection of its founder.
Boulanger’s influence extends beyond the studio walls. A longtime leader within the Recording Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing, he has been instrumental in shaping standards for mastering in the digital age. In fact, he was the first mastering engineer to deliver a Mastered for iTunes release (Colbie Caillat’s All of You), setting a new benchmark for audio quality in digital distribution.
His technical mastery has roots in an unusual beginning. While still an engineering student at Carnegie Mellon University — where he earned numerous academic honors, including awards from Bose Corporation and Lockheed Martin — Boulanger landed the first-ever internship in the storied history of Capitol Studios. Under the mentorship of GRAMMY-winning producer Al Schmitt, he learned not only the craft of recording but the culture of excellence that defines the industry’s greats.
That apprenticeship led him to The Mastering Lab, founded by legendary engineer Doug Sax. As Sax’s protégé, Boulanger became both technician and craftsman — responsible for maintaining the studio’s delicate equipment and designing its cutting-edge systems. In 2009, he engineered The Mastering Lab’s Ojai vinyl room, building a custom high-resolution passive console that helped revive the art of vinyl mastering. The lessons of that era live on in The Bakery’s custom-designed, patent-pending digital vinyl cutting system — a blend of analog soul and digital innovation.
Despite his technical pedigree, Boulanger remains, at heart, a musician. His violin has taken him from symphonic stages to recording studios, performing everything from classical repertoire to Broadway scores and contemporary pop arrangements. His artistry, like his engineering, bridges genres and generations.
In conversation, Boulanger exudes the calm confidence of someone who’s seen both the art and the science of sound. “Music is about connection,” he says. “Whether I’m bowing a string or shaping a waveform, it’s all storytelling.”
It’s a rare musician who can build a bridge between the concert hall and the control room — rarer still to make it sound this effortless.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The music industry is the most rewarding hence the hardest to get into. It’s also very seasonal, so it’s very hard to manage throughout the year your income. You must absolutely be committed to make a careeer in music.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Violinist, Mastering Engineer. Most proud of founding a world class Mastering Studio on the Sony Pictures Studios lot.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Persistance is what got my first shot at Capitol Studios thanks to Paula Salvatore which led to being a mentee of Al Schmitt. Other advice specific to music, if there’s someone you want to work with and develop a life long rapor, find a project you can hire them on. It’s the easiest way in to literally working with the person you admire.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thebakery.la
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bakerymastering/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bakerymastering/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zgJcyX-8XY&t=81s

Image Credits
Chris Schmitt