Craig Bauer is an American Grammy Award winning mixing engineer and record producer. He has been nominated for two Album of the Year Grammy Awards for his work on Kanye West's multiplatinum album Late Registration and double platinum follow-up Graduation. He won a Grammy Award in 2008 for mixing the Clark Sisters' 2007 album, Live – One Last Time.

Bauer has worked with other high-profile artists across multiple genres, including Lupe Fiasco, Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, the Clark Sisters, Janet Jackson, Rihanna, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Lil' Kim, Wu-Tang Clan, Richard Marx, 98°, Yolanda Adams, Dave Koz, Dennis DeYoung, Styx, Donald Lawrence, Destiny's Child, Public Enemy, Hezekiah Walker, and the Smashing Pumpkins.

He also mixed the Saturday Night Live Digital Short "Motherlover" featuring Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg.

Life and career Craig Bauer was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked through the ranks of the studios there before migrating to Chicago, Illinois in the early 1990s to open his own recording studio. Bauer additionally studied classical piano and music education at Ohio State University.

In 1993, Bauer opened Hinge Studios in Chicago, Illinois. Many of his first clients were jazz artists, including, Dave Koz, Brian Culbertson, Steve Cole and Peter White.

By 1997, Bauer began working with a young rap group dubbed "the Go Getters", which included a 20 year-old Kanye West. Several of the demos that West recorded at Hinge Studios were built into tracks on the album The College Dropout. Bauer later mixed "Heard 'Em Say", "Roses", "Bring Me Down", "Addiction" and "Late" on West's Late Registration, which was nominated for Album of the Year at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. He also mixed on West’s follow-up album Graduation, which was nominated again for Album of the Year at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Craig Bauer mixed Lupe Fiasco's debut studio album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor in 2006, which received four Grammy Award nominations at the 49th Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album. In 2007, he mixed the majority of Fiasco's second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, including the single "Superstar", which peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Cool was nominated in four categories at the 51st Grammy Awards.

In 2008, Bauer won his first Grammy for mixing the Clark Sisters album Live – One Last Time at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.

Hinge Studios

Opened by Bauer in 1993, Hinge Studios was a recording and mixing facility located in Chicago, Illinois. Hinge was one of the first studios to use the Euphonix CS2000 digitally-controlled recording console.

In 2014, Hinge relocated to Los Angeles, California, where the studio was temporarily operating at Devonshire Studios in North Hollywood. Hinge is now permanently located in Los Angeles.

Hinge Studios Chicago was once dubbed "Kanye West's fortress of solitude in the late '90s" by MTVNews.

Selected discography 2019: Soleil Moon, Warrior — Mixing 2019: Michael Thompson Band, Love & Beyond — Mixing 2019: Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers feat. Le'Andria Johnson, "Deliver Me" — Mixing 2019: Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers, YHWH — Mixing 2019: Anita Wilson, Here's To Life — Mixing 2018: Halo Circus, Robots and Wranglers — Mixing 2018: The Nghbrs, All or Nothing — Mixing 2018: B Howard, Nite and Day 3.0 — Mixing 2018: Bill Champlin, Bleeding Secrets — Mixing 2017: Ted Winn, Stand in Awe — Mixing 2017: Anita Wilson, Sunday Song — Mixing 2016: Hezekiah Walker, Azusa: The Next Generation 2: Better – Mixing 2016: B. Reith, Heart on My Sleeve — Mixing 2015: Justin Young, Burn Me Down — Mixing 2015: Genevieve, Take Me Down — Mixing 2015: Karen Clark Sheard, Destined to Win — Mixing 2015: James Maslow, "Lies" — Mixing 2015: B Howard, Don't Say You Love Me — Mixing 2014: Anita Wilson, Vintage Worship — Mixing 2014: Common, Nobody's Smiling — Vocal Engineer 2014: Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Originals — Mixing 2014: Cowboy Troy, King of Clubs — Mixing 2013: Donald Lawrence, 20 Years Celebration, Vol. 1: Best for Last – Mixing 2013: Hezekiah Walker, Azusa: The Next Generation – Mixing 2013: Michael Thompson, Future Past – Mixing 2012: Anita Wilson, Worship Soul — Mixing 2012: Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr., Best Days Yet – Mixing 2012: Soleil Moon, On the Way to Everything – Guitar (Acoustic), Keyboards, Mixing, Producer, Programming, Tracking 2011: Nick Carter, I'm Taking Off – Mixing 2011: Ashlyne Huff, Let It Out — Mixing 2011: Steve Cole, Moonlight – Engineer, Mixing 2011: Donald Lawrence, YRM — Mixing 2010: Stan Walker, From the Inside Out – Mixing 2009: Stan Walker, Introducing Stan Walker – Mixing 2009: Vanessa Bell Armstrong, The Experience – Mixing 2009: Donald Lawrence, The Law of Confession, Part I – Mixing 2008: Brian Culbertson, Christmas & Hits Duos – Engineer 2008: Donald Lawrence, Matthew 28: The Greatest Hits – Mixing 2008: Hezekiah Walker, Souled Out – Mixing 2008: (Various Artists), Total Club Hits – Mixing 2007: Yung Berg, Almost Famous EP – Mixing 2007: The Clark Sisters, Live – One Last Time – Mixing 2007: Dave Koz, Memories of a Winter's Night – Mixing 2007: Kurt Elling, Nightmoves – Engineer, Mixing 2007: Dennis DeYoung, One Hundred Years from Now – Engineer, Mixing 2007: Yung Berg, "Sexy Lady" – Mixing 2007: Lupe Fiasco, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool – Mixing 2006: Brian Culbertson, A Soulful Christmas – Engineerk 2006: Donald Lawrence, Finalé: Act One – Mixing 2006: Lupe Fiasco, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor – Mixing 2006: Dave Hollister, The Book of David, Vol 1: The Transition — Engineer 2006: Hezekiah Walker & the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir, 20/85 the Experience – Mixing 2005: Ludacris, Disturbing tha Peace – Mixing 2005: Kanye West, Late Registration – Mixing 2005: Public Enemy, New Whirl Odor – Engineering 2004: LaShell Griffin, Free – Arranger, Engineer, Guitar (Acoustic), Mixing, Organ (Hammond), Producer, Pro-Tools, Vocal Engineer, Vocal Producer. 2004: Donald Lawrence, I Speak Life – Audio Engineer, Engineer, Mixing 2004: The O'Jays, Imagination – Mixing 2004: Dennis DeYoung, Music of Styx: Live with the Symphony Orchestra – Mixing 2004: Various Artists, Oprah's Popstar Challenge – Digital Editing, Engineer, Mixing, Producer 2003: Brian Culbertson, Come On Up – Background Noise, Digital Editing, Engineer, Mixing, Performer, Pro-Tools 2003: Donald Lawrence, The Best of Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers: Restoring the Years – Engineer, Mixing 2001: Brian Culbertson, Nice & Slow – Engineer, Mixing 2000: Richard Marx, Days in Avalon – Mixing 2000: Da Brat, Unrestricted – Engineer 1999: Styx, Brave New World – Engineer, Mixing 1998: Yolanda Adams, Songs from the Heart – Engineer 1997: 98°, 98° – Engineer 1997: Richard Marx, Flesh and Bone – Engineer 1996: CeCe Peniston, I'm Movin' On – Mixing

References

External links Craig Bauer Official Website The Warren Sound: Ed Sheeran at The Live Room, Hinge Studios