Mastering ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams

Reuben Cohen plays and critiques the mix of ‘Happy’, delivered by Leslie Brathwaite. He explains how he wishes to enhance the track, discusses the gear, and shows you how he mastered the record.

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.

[Limit]

I’m a mastering engineer and these guys always make me feel like I have no clue wtf I’m doing and I’m cool with that

[BrofUJu]

Robin van Persie is a great mastering engineer.

[jehanr]

I have no idea why I'm watching this but I can't look away

[tomburton]

Wow. This dude's confidence is fantastic. He's not pretentious or self involved, you just know from his delivery that he KNOWS his shit. Proper safe pair of hands

[DDFYO]

"So what am i doing? Lets break it down." *Slaps OTT on the master bus*

[onewayrhodes]

The mastered version definitely sounds happier than the original mix

[reignisraw]

As an artist who engineers their own stuff, this is pure knowledge and wisdom I'm soaking in.

[Gramercy_Stiffs]

Realising the song needs to "stay light on its feet", shows such great intuition. What a tasteful master.

[gabenevs]

How to master 101:
Step 1: Bob your head pretending like u k o exactly wat to do next
Step 2: slap some OTT on the master
Step 3: add stereo spreader on full
Step 4 limiter on max so ur wave form looks like a brick
Done

[Thomlinmusic]

You know you're a good master engineer when you can talk for ten minutes maybe even more about the details in that last 1% of sound quality. What a craft. Love it!

[Vincent-ufeh]

i like how he actually shows with and without the mastering. I think it really breaks the myth that mastering is not essential unless you're putting it online or whatever other reason someone might have. Mastering really does have an actual place in the process and this video highlights that really well.

[IM-vjtb]

The key to a great master is a great mix. The mix was phenomenal. The master brought all those quieter elements out and they sounded fantastic. Obviously he knows what he is doing but not many people start with Grammy winning mixes like that.

[divinesoul]

I could listen to this cat talk about audio all day. He has a tremendous gift for teaching and explaining the process. Dope content.

[Otekos]

Just came back to this video after just 1 year and I'm surprised at how much I can understand about what he's saying.
Growth is real guys. To anyone watching this, you'll be surprised at how much growth you will experience when it starts clicking in.

[marklholloway]

Reuben is not only an amazing Mastering Engineer he’s incredible at putting context behind every decision and explaining ‘WHY’ he makes those choices and how it effects the audio. Golden 🖤

[craig]

This guy could be the next Dark arts teacher at Hogwarts.

[nickjamshidi]

I am in awe at how clear and articulately he explains everything.

[tuffycampbell]

Step 1. Respect the mix
Step 2. Little steps

[MrSkyTown]

He speaks with so much knowledge and experience, it’s no longer about mastering its quantum mechanics!!!

[linuxaudiotips]

The confidence and knowledge from Reuben is inspiring. No umms and aahs, just 100% "I know what I'm doing" expertise.