Mastering Workshop #3

Pharrell Williams, Caparezza

Gavin Lurssen, Reuben Cohen

  • Mixing

Step inside the elite studio of Lurssen Mastering for our first ever series with Gavin Lurssen & Reuben Cohen! The two engineers give an overview of the passive mastering console and modified outboard chain they use on a daily basis, alongside detailed explanations of how each piece of gear affects the audio. Cohen opens the mix of ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams and recalls the original mastering settings, taking you through every step of the process and comparing mastered vs. unmastered versions. Lurssen does similar with ‘Ti Fa Stare Bene’ by Caparezza, revealing why he made certain decisions with particular gear. Other topics discussed include gain structure, converter clipping, monitoring, subwoofer crossover, reference tracks, LUFS for streaming, MFiT, and mastering albums vs. singles.


Gavin Lurssen

About Gavin Lurssen

Gavin Lurssen has been a mastering engineer since 1991, and a contributor to many technical developments that have taken place in the industry since then. He has won multiple Grammy awards for his work on 'Raising Sand' performed by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, the movie soundtrack of 'O Brother Where Art Thou?', and the PBS television series 'Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues', as well as a Latin Grammy for his work on Diego Torres' album 'Distinto'. 'Raising Sand' also won Gavin and Lurssen...

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Reuben Cohen

About Reuben Cohen

Reuben Cohen was awarded a Latin Grammy in 2010 for his work on Diego Torres' album ‘Distinto' and a 2014 TEC Award for his work on the single ‘Happy' by Pharrell Williams. He also worked on the soundtrack of the international movie phenomenon 'Slumdog Millionaire', which won a Grammy award for Best Soundtrack in 2010. He also mastered the soundtrack for 'Pitch Perfect', which won the award for Top Soundtrack at the 2013 American Music Awards. He has mastered material for artists such as Pharrell...

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