Case Study
Yes – Aurora
A case study in recording, stereo mixing, 5.1 surround, Dolby Atmos and mastering.
Artwork for Yes’s album Aurora.
Aurora (2026) is the latest of three consecutive Yes albums completed in collaboration with Yes at Curtis Schwartz Studio. The project followed closely on from the previous record, with barely a pause between them, and was completed in February 2026 with the final Dolby Atmos mix and mastering.
Overview
Aurora continued a long-term working relationship with Yes, spanning recording, stereo mixing, 5.1 surround, Dolby Atmos and mastering.
The job was not simply to make the record sound impressive. It was to help it arrive at its final identity with clarity, scale and cohesion intact.
What I handled
Recording
Stereo mixing
5.1 surround mixing
Dolby Atmos mixing
Mastering
Curtis Schwartz at work during the Aurora sessions.
How the album came together
One of the most distinctive things about Aurora was the way it was built from more than 300 musical motif pieces. Steve Howe guided the overall vision, while the material was shaped, organised and integrated into complete musical works over time.
In that sense, the process became quite sculptural. Ideas were edited, combined, refined and rebalanced until the final compositions emerged. It was not the kind of album that appeared in a neat straight line from first idea to final master.
Steve, Jon, Geoff, Billy and I first developed and assembled the songs here. Once the structures were established, Jay Schellen recorded the drum performances in Los Angeles to the almost-completed tracks we had prepared. We then integrated those drums and refined the arrangements as needed. Paul K. Joyce joined later in the process as string arranger.
Part of the work is technical, of course. But part of it is simply knowing when to push, when to hold back, and when to stop everybody disappearing down an interesting but not especially useful rabbit hole.
Inside the sound
Geoff Downes played several different instruments during the sessions. As on previous Yes albums, he performed on the Hamburg Steinway Model D, as well as Hammond organ with Leslie speakers. Many of the synthesizer parts were performed from software instruments on his laptop via the master keyboard in the control room, which allowed a wide range of textures.
Billy Sherwood also added a great deal of percussion here at the studio, including tambourines, shakers, bongos, cowbells and other elements that gave many of the tracks extra movement and texture.
Mixing across formats
The aim was never to make stereo, 5.1 and Atmos feel like three different productions. The job was to carry the same musical identity across each format, so that each version feels like the same album, simply expressed with different degrees of space and scale.
With the Atmos mix in particular, the aim was to enhance the album rather than radically change it, keeping the spatial mix faithful to the stereo balance while gently expanding it: fuller, wider and more immersive, but never at the expense of the music itself.
One of the great advantages of Atmos is the ability to create space around the listener. That space was used mainly to let reverbs and ambience expand above and around the music, with some additional elements, including acoustic guitars, keyboard pads and backing vocals, appearing subtly at the sides or behind. The goal was always to serve the songs rather than show off the technology.
The format should help the music breathe, not put on a novelty hat and start shouting about itself.
During the sessions
A moment from the Aurora sessions.
Why residential studios matter
Some records benefit from a more contained way of working. When people can stay close to the music, and close to each other, the process often becomes more focused, more natural and more productive. Ideas can continue over a meal, in conversation, or simply by being in the same environment long enough for the work to deepen.
Yes have a long history of making records in residential studios. In that sense, Aurora continues an established tradition, and becomes the third Yes album in a row to be made here at Curtis Schwartz Studio.
Residential studios have played an important role in the making of major records for decades. The point is not nostalgia. It is that music often benefits when the working day does not feel too fragmented, too rushed or too transactional. Sometimes the best decision of the afternoon begins over lunch rather than at the console.
The value of a residential setting
Not every important production decision happens at the console. Some begin somewhere between the avocado and the lemon.
Continuity and trust
Projects like this benefit from continuity across the whole process. When recording, mixing and mastering are approached with a joined-up understanding of the music, decisions can be made with greater confidence, clarity and perspective. Three consecutive albums with Yes reflect that kind of trust and long-term working relationship. That working relationship goes back to 1991, which gives these more recent projects a much longer context and helps create the kind of working atmosphere in which ideas can develop naturally and the music can keep moving forward.
Planning a project?
To discuss recording, production, mixing, Dolby Atmos or mastering, get in touch.
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