The Story Behind Noam's Mastering Console

Hey y'all!

When this blog topic was requested by a user, I got hyped! Noam's Mastering Console is one of my favorite Safari releases ever. It's an emulation of the custom analog mastering console that lives on Noam's desk at Safari HQ, and it's a piece of gear I've always found to be insanely cool.
And I think the backstory is just as awesome. ;) 

Why build a mastering console from scratch in the first place? What problem was it solving? And once it existed, why turn it into a plugin?

I had a blast getting to chat with Noam about it, and am excited to deliver the scoop!

It Started With A Workflow Problem

The original hardware came from Noam's years working as a mastering engineer.

"For me, mastering is often about making small moves that add up to something meaningful. I wanted a tool that could help add a bit of glue, tone, width, and character without turning into a complicated science project. The goal wasn't to create a box with endless options. It was to create something that helped me get to a finished master faster and trust my decisions."

Great Tools Should Disappear

One idea kept popping up while talking to Noam: simplicity. Which felt very Safari to me. 😉

"My philosophy has always been that great tools should disappear into the creative process. I tried to avoid features that looked impressive on paper but weren't genuinely useful in daily work. The biggest challenge was balancing flexibility with simplicity. I wanted enough control to handle different genres, but not so much that users spent more time tweaking than listening."

Why Turn It Into A Plugin?

Out of all the plugins we could have made, I was curious what made Noam decide to specifically bring his custom mastering console into the plugin world.
"Honestly, accessibility. Most people will never have access to a custom mastering box sitting in a studio rack somewhere. A plugin allows anyone, anywhere, to use the same workflow and ideas without needing expensive hardware or recall sheets."

When I asked what was most important to capture from the hardware, his answer wasn't a specific feature rather more of an approach:

"The character and the workflow. The hardware was never about one magical circuit. It was about how a handful of subtle processes worked together to create a polished, finished sound. Capturing that feeling was more important than obsessing over any single component."

What The Plugin Can Do That The Hardware Can't

Turning the console into a plugin also created opportunities that weren't possible in hardware. (I personally love the add ons very much hehe).

"The plugin gave us the opportunity to add things that simply make sense in a modern workflow. Features like blend, a unique de-esser, oversampling, additional metering, presets, and recall make the plugin much more practical for today's producers and engineers.

The goal wasn't to replace the spirit of the hardware. It was to take the original concept and make it more flexible, more convenient, and more useful for the way people actually make music in 2026.

At the end of the day, it's still based on the same idea: helping people spend less time chasing settings and more time enjoying the music.”

The Console in Action

One of my favorite parts of being at Safari is getting the behind the -scenes scoop on where plugin ideas start. Watching the console go from modeling all the way to a finished plugin was epic, and I’ve been so stoked seeing people using it in their workflows and enjoying it.

If you haven’t heard it yet- here’s a video of it in action:

Final Thoughts

I've always really admired Noam's intuitive and creative approach to audio, and seeing that embodied in the console is really inspirational and makes me think about what I would want in some kind of custom piece that mirrors my own process. 

If you've been using Noam's Mastering Console lately, I'd love to hear what you've been using it on and what you're digging about it. Feel free to shoot me a message at abi@safariaudio.com :)

Catch you next blog!