GAVIN LURSSEN Mastering Workshop 3 TUTORIAL
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.
PART 1
Console & equipment overview, typical signal path, gear characteristics & purposes
PART 2
Passive console & gear modification, reference tracks, monitoring, frequency crossover
PART 3
Cohen – comparison between ‘Happy’ mix and master, commentary, EQ & level rides
PART 4
Cohen – soft bypass full chain, individual insert activation, D-A & A-D gain structure
PART 5
Lurssen – signal chain for ‘Ti Fa Stare Bene’, solid state vs. tube circuitry, LMC plug-in
PART 6
Lurssen – mastering the track with real-time level & EQ manoeuvres, commentary
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’.
