MACRO is located in Oakland’s historic Jack London Square district, in the Sharkbite Studios facility. Powered by state-of-the-art Neumann speakers and detailed Crookwood monitoring and conversion, listening to music at MACRO produces an almost holographic image of the soundstage in front of the listener. Sub-bass transients are physical and clean, imaging is discrete and immersive, and the smallest hidden details are easily apparent.

The initial room construction was tuned by Bob Hodas, with custom acoustics by GIK Acoustics and Amar. Fine-tuning of the room to produce a response nearly flat down to 26Hz was completed with the help of Nick Dooley and REW.

Chief Engineer Amar Lal has over a decade of practice mediating sonic experiences for musicians, artists, and national brands. As a lifelong musician, Amar brings an empathetic perspective to his mastering work, allowing him to identify and elevate the intention behind artists’ visions. Drawing on a holistic approach driven by Deep Listening practices, Amar is able to enhance the direction and individuality in each recording, allowing them to shine to their fullest potential. His calm and open demeanor, even in stressful situations, makes him a client favorite for time-constrained projects.

Amar holds a Master’s of Music in Music Technology from New York University. He has worked at studios including IMRSV Sound, Mission Film & Design, Engine Room Audio, Crew Cuts, Thump, Let Em In and the Squitney and with labels including Exploding in Sound, Hardly Art, Neurot, Bar/None, Fire Talk, Western Vinyl, Yellow K and Joyful Noise. Amar currently releases music under his own name and his most recent album, Lest We Forget, was released on Never Content in 2021. He previously performed with Big Ups, No Lights, Montes Rook, and the Electric Eel Multimedia Ensemble.

This website was built by Mike Quigley and the photo of Amar was taken by Skyler Glover