01 min

Trailer
11 min

Part 1

Early training, signal path, conversion, clocking, hardware units, console, monitoring, bit depth, sample rate
15 min

Part 2

Internal balance vs. loudness, retaining dynamics, limiting, target levels, headroom, minimal treatment
12 min

Part 3

EQ, filters, de-essing, compression, mastering ‘Just A Play’ & ‘Act 1: Liberator of Minds’

Mastering

‘Just a Play’ & ‘Act 1: Liberator of Minds’

R-SHIE & Dead Can Dance

Geoff Pesche

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Song : ‘Just a Play’ & ‘Act 1: Liberator of Minds’

Duration:11 min / 41 min Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Chinese

Description

Step inside London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios for a mastering workshop with Geoff Pesche! For his debut series, the veteran mastering engineer gives an overview of his background, the evolution of his job over time, and how he approaches projects on a daily basis. Geoff takes you through his analog signal path and explains the playback-to-capture computer setup.

He comments on advancements in clocking and digital conversion, and illustrates why he typically aims to restrict all of his processing to the simple analog chain. Pesche also elaborates on some intrinsic elements of his vocation, including bit depth, sample rates, monitoring, and headroom. He demonstrates his techniques on two mixes – ‘Just a Play’ by R-SHIE and ‘Act 1: Liberator of Minds’ by Dead Can Dance.

Show more

01 min

Trailer
11 min

Part 1

Early training, signal path, conversion, clocking, hardware units, console, monitoring, bit depth, sample rate
15 min

Part 2

Internal balance vs. loudness, retaining dynamics, limiting, target levels, headroom, minimal treatment
12 min

Part 3

EQ, filters, de-essing, compression, mastering ‘Just A Play’ & ‘Act 1: Liberator of Minds’

Comments

(14)

Brad Power March 1, 2024 at 10:52 PM

Wicked
J October 19, 2023 at 3:52 AM

Good conversation about workflow and philosophy, but yet again we have a mastering video where we cannot hear the changes to the music that are being discussed. .
Wynton McClain July 5, 2023 at 8:48 PM

Thank you Mr. Pesche!
Manuel Lorenzo December 3, 2022 at 5:58 PM

Mastering engineers are like mix engineer on steroids. LOL
Jonny Wexler November 9, 2022 at 9:16 PM

Ya - I would second some of the comments about not being able to hear the actual processing he's doing...i don't think you need to duck the audio when he's speaking...we can all hear him over top of the program material...then you hear what he's actually doing...
Peter Bried October 27, 2022 at 1:57 PM

Geoff has done a few masters for me. ( All Great! ) I was a big fan already. This is a real gift, thanks for doing this.
Andres Lopez October 25, 2022 at 12:47 AM

great info. i'll just second some of the comments as to getting at least a before and after without any dialog on top.
Will Harrison October 21, 2022 at 5:27 AM

Really excellent, Geoff is a jewel of a find, I learned a tremendous amount! I think as per constructive criticism of the methodology of this video series, I agree with the consensus in the comments which is that in general it'd be even more helpful if we knew exactly the db shifts & at what frequencies when changes are made, as well as some time given with no speaking to hear the music before & after the changes. Geoff's ear is so attuned that it's obvious to him, especially in the mastering room with those monitors, about the shifts but a bit of silence & time would help the listener to understand the changes done & why they've helped the music. Thank you for this awesome video! I love this website!
Kevin Schoenbohm October 19, 2022 at 6:19 AM

I hate to say these mastering master classes are really useless? Not enough time is taken to really develop the methodology around the actual song.
Sam Intharaphithak October 16, 2022 at 7:42 AM

I think for future VDO's, you guys could tell the master to not speak during EQ changes etc...
Waldemar Vogel October 14, 2022 at 3:01 PM

Great video. Thank you! Although it's impossible to hear any changes.
Daniel Schultz October 14, 2022 at 12:48 AM

Love the work you guys do. One suggestion is when you are filming, politely encouraging the engineers to explain what they are going to do and then fall out so we can actually hear the changes. When referencing the low end booming and other items, he is switching things in and out but talking over it so can't tell the small but crucial differences. Just a thought. Thanks for your great resources.
Daniel Osorio October 14, 2022 at 12:34 AM

It would be very important for Spanish-speaking subscribers to have subtitles in Spanish. Thank you
KITCHEN STUDIO Milos Ares asian teran October 12, 2022 at 10:41 PM

Thank you for this rare moment of sharing !

About Geoff Pesche

Geoff Pesche is a British mastering engineer currently based at Abbey Road Studios in London, U.K. After leaving high school, Geoff took up a job as a motorbike messenger at Tape One Studios, shuffling tapes through the buzzing cultural capital of Camden. His role grew from delivering tapes to copying them inside the studio’s cutting room, and over the course of three years, Tape One’s mastering engineer taught Pesche the all about the process. Geoff soon built a name for himself,...

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