**Noel Hearne**, also credited as **Noel Hearnes** and nicknamed **Buff**, is a Jamaican recording and mixing engineer who worked extensively in reggae during the late 1970s and 1980s. He became known for his work with Jamaican producers and artists, contributing to roots reggae, dub and early dancehall, as well as internationally distributed productions.

Hearne worked at several recording studios in Jamaica, including Dynamic Sounds in Kingston. His credits include Pablo Moses' *Pave the Way* (1981), recorded at Dynamic Sounds, and Gregory Isaacs' *Easy* (1984), on which he shared engineering and mixing duties with other technicians. He also worked on Black Uhuru's *Anthem* (1983), alongside Steven Stanley and other engineers, an album that helped bring Jamaican reggae to a wider international audience.

During the 1980s, Hearne became a regular choice for producers seeking a different mixing approach from the heavier, more effects-driven style associated with engineers such as Scientist. In an interview with producer Delroy Wright, Wright described Hearne's mixes as more relaxed and international in character, with a tendency to bring out individual instruments and arrangements. Wright attributed this partly to Hearne's experience touring internationally with artists including Jimmy Cliff and Third World.

Hearne's credits also include work on recordings by the Wailing Souls, Chalice, Freddie McGregor and other Jamaican artists. His engineering and mixing work covered both vocal productions and dub versions, reflecting the close relationship between recording studios and the sound system culture of the period.