Mastering ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams

Full video available now on https://mwtm.org/gl-rc-pharell-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.