Chris Gehringer Reveals His Mastering Process...
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- Today I'm Having a GAS™ with Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer known for having mastered recordings by artists including; Gwen Stefani, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Drake and plenty more! We speak in-depth about Chris's mastering process, where mastering is in 2023 and why separation from the mix engineer is key, we also discuss the journey he took to reach the top of his profession...
More on Chris Gehringer here: sterling-sound...
According to Wikipedia...
Chris Gehringer was born in Teaneck, New Jersey and raised in Bergen County. After graduating from Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, New Jersey, he attended the Institute of Audio Research. His first job in the industry was at Greene Street Recording and from there, he went on to work as a cutting assistant at Trutone Records.
In 1985, Gehringer joined Tom Coyne and Herbie Powers at Frankford-Wayne Mastering and mastered primarily dance and R&B records throughout the 1980s.
In 1988, he moved to the Hit Factory and in his 12 years there, mastered many landmark releases in Rap and Hip-Hop, including records by Naughty By Nature, Mobb Deep, Wu Tang Clan and PM Dawn.
In 2000, he joined Sterling Sound as a senior mastering engineer and in 2016, Gehringer became a partner at Sterling Sound.
Having a GAS™ is the podcast that talks to the great and the good of the creative industries, and in particular finds out what makes great music for film, for TV, for advertising; for dancing to, for cooking to, f*cking to, and more...
GAS™ Music is a music production agency in Manchester, UK. We compose and produce original music, create awe inspiring sound design and have a fully integrated audio post-production studio. We also have a great record collection, and welcome any additions, recommendations or criticisms.
www.gasismusic....
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#ChrisGehringer #Mastering #MusicProduction
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Today I'm Having a GAS™ with Chris Gehringer, senior mastering engineer at Sterling Sound
More on Chris Gehringer here: sterling-sound.com/engineer/chris-gehringer
He has mastered some of my favorite albums engineers do NOT get the credit they deserve 👏.
We did an EP and sent our mixes to a professional Mastering engineer, and so well worth it. We approched it with a attitude of if we need to fix something in the mix prior to Mastering. We asked the Mastering engineer to let us know and we would happly change things to give him the best possible canvas to work with.
What a great interview. I love the perspective on bus processing being just extra mixing instead of mastering after the mix. I get this a lot as a mastering engineer as well. Communication is key to get clients to understand this and be able to get "un-bused" mixes.
THat part where you guys go into why people don't record things anymore. The lack of tracking in today's music is because nobody has money. Let streaming pay people properly and you'll see mic'ing again. It's not laziness, it's not "young people not liking it". I used to teach workshops to young folks, specially those who already had tons of pirated NI stuff on their computers and they loved learning how stuff is recorded and were dying to have access to mics and a space to do it. Combine the fact that the industry hardly pays us engineer enough with the exorbitant rents (you need space to record afterall) and you get that. It's definitely not about "kids being lazy". Believe me, kids LOVE recording a drumset with a bunch of mics, A/B ing preamps and mics, etc. We're all just running for the fast money because in the past you could do like 1 song and get paid for an entire month now you gotta do tons of songs a month to pay your bills because the cost you charge for each one is ultra low.
Honestly one of the best interviews in the industry I've ever watched, from both ends! Subscribed and thank you so much for sharing this incredible conversation with us🙌
Glad you enjoyed, plenty more chats like this uploaded and more on the way
I really enjoyed listening to this conversation. Thanks for sharing this.
Great conversation! Especially around 22:00, where you discuss the harsh realities of learning strictly in home studios as opposed to apprenticing with pros in actual studios. This creates a gap in knowledge with a new generation of producers/mixers/engineers. It'll be interesting to see the long term effects of this.
There really is nowhere to go and "become an apprentice," at least not for free. I can't tell you how much I've learned on TH-cam FOR FREE, from home. And you can pick and choose who you want to learn from. TH-cam is GOLD for free resources. Granted a lot of TH-camrs don't know what they're doing or talking about but you can learn from that. With an apartment set-up, where volume is key, I've learned quiet ways of doing things or learn about gear that allows you to record a "loud amp" at headphone volume. I would of never known any of that without TH-cam.
Chris is incredible! Such a pro and a gentleman!
What a great interview.
Very fun episode, reminds me of my intern days, having analog gear to play with
Great interview. Great interviewer too. Btw, I lived in MCR for a few years but never considered myself a manc!
I might book this guy 🎉
this issue is that many of us would never get access to trying to be creative in our own way of we HAD to have access to a studio and apprenticeship, its a nice sentiment but definitely exclusionary to many of not most people who share the same love and passion for music mixing/mastering/producing
One of the Greatest 🎵🌏🔥🔥
Not everyone has the opportunity to work in a studio, man. And some of us are absolutely not willing to move to a big city. You have to make your own opportunities.
Chris Gehringer - clipped to (im)perfection
Great insight
great video
Cheers John, glad you enjoyed watching
Blessings
I'm a hobbiest recording, mixing when I get a chance. So I don't get to sit all day and do it. Now I do wish there was a better community where I live that we could get together and talk about the art would be great. The human element is missing for sure.
@10:35 This is the exact reason why mixing engineers nowadays have to treat the mix to sound as "mastered", young artists expect the mix they are evaluating to be equally loud as other commercial music... Mixing engineers are facing the same problem, a lot of times some random FX chains etc are just slapped on the audio during the recording session and all of a sudden as a mixing engineer you have to keep all of that crap everywhere and mix with it because the artist and the producer got so used to it that they won't let it go.... Most of the time that first rough mix prior mixing is even louder and more distorted than what mixers get when they are finished... And if you don't want to do it, the next guy will do it... This is the era where everything is arbitrary and everything is subjective, the common sense of how music should sound to be considered good sounding is lost...
As @eddieleonard6925 said new guys are learning strictly in home studios and there is a gap in knowledge with the new generations of guys, and in my opinion the effects are obvious... 95% of my clients doesn't know how a healthy recording should sound, or how the music should sound in a remotely properly treated room... They are just getting used to the sound of the random fx chains they are slapping downloaded from the internet... For example if they have very sibilant vocal, that sibilant vocal has to stay in the final mix because they got used to it... If they have too much unintended distortion it has to stay, they got used to it... If there is some stereo/phase weirdness going on it has to stay because they got used to it... It's a wild west.
this 100%.
❤❤❤
I can tell you why Producers/Mixers Pre-Master, it's because usually they are NOT the only mixer on the album. So, I've had this a few times where I mix something to only be told "It's not hitting like other mixes we got". I'm like huh. Then I have them send me a snippet of a mix that they are A/B'ing my mix with and it's some over done Mix/Pre-Mastered sound that if I don't do it, I lose the gig. Artist don't get it and will never get it at this point so, we evolve. You have too. Chris is an amazing Mastering engineer but, if he doesn't understand that and evolve with it, I wouldn't know what else to say. Yes, it's true, I get ruff demos to mix against and it is straight up distorting as it's so loud. I explain that and what they are doing and let them know and ask if they would like me to do the same thing. I always offer a cleaner version with the same loudness of course but, it's a mind game. Love the video!
Expensive speakers aren't the key to mastering and mixing-detailed waveform comparison with the desired tracks (both AUDIBLY and VISUALY) across different speakers (iphone speakers volume level: 2 or DT 770 PRO but take the headphones off and set them at your desk) to compare peaks from far and close up play a more crucial role.This method surpasses relying solely on presets or personal judgment, leading to substantial improvement in mastering and mixing skills.
Think of it as replicating the Mona Lisa using a pencil, aiming for pixel-perfect accuracy. To achieve this level of precision, you need tools that go beyond basic equipment-these are your speakers. Any other fancy tools are just gimmicks! A|B Testing across a variety of speakers, including the not-so-good ones, is essential for achieving the accuracy you're after. Then, it's about adjusting the 'paint brushes' you use, not just relying on a single tool like Ozone. Ozone can't infuse soul into your work. Utilize soft clipping, equalization, and limiting for a more nuanced approach.
As you enhance your ability to recreate the Mona Lisa's accuracy, you gain insights that enable you to recreate a 4k photo or a 'Starry Night.' Your versatility leads to further mastery.
I'm sorry if I sounded too intense earlier; my frustration stems from the widespread misunderstanding of the art of mixing and mastering. Good speakers aren't a magic tool for becoming a master producer, as there's more to the process. I've been experimenting with recreating mixes and masters, treating it as a sport. For instance, I've been emulating tracks by Dom Corleo and Warheart.
The "Cool Movement" HA! What's that?
Lost me at United…
There is now an obvious blurred line between mixing and mastering. If you look into the history, this distinction didn't even exist. These two steps developed as technology changed, so no one should act like mastering is some sacred cow. As an artist, why would I begin a painting, and then hand it over for someone to finish it, adding all the fun and easy parts - the highlights and thin glazes? Oh, and then in the interview he talks about the huge advantage of interning for a big studio with mentors.... awesome, but . . . where are those intern jobs now? They don't exist. So what are people supposed to do? I disagree with just about everything this guy is saying, which is great food for thought, but he seems like he's stuck in his old ways. Clean mixes and finding intern jobs - that is NEVER going to happen again.
For every person that says this, there is always a half asses mix/master behind it. There IS a Massive reason dedicated mastering specialists are here and do what they do. They bring new light and polish as well as a plethora of other things that someone mixing a song for a day/weeks just can’t do anymore to your tracks.
To many people with a handful of mixing years behind their belts or even 10 years, just can’t get there and need the engineer in the hood room with great ears to help them along.
@@Limit5482 Good luck after AI within 2 years.
@@bradashlock nah. It can’t do it well and won’t. It’s only going to get more sought after for good mastering engineers. I’ve done 10 things for clients in the last 2 days that Ai can’t and will never be able to do and half of those were even before I touched an eq.
It’s a good tool but it’s just going to raise the price of actual engineers in the future.
@@Limit5482 See, I knew you were a mastering engineer. You have an agenda. You’re not objective. I think you’re vastly underestimating AI. Within 2 years it will be better and cheaper than you. People mostly listen to music on terrible ear buds or just thru the phone. I think mastering is pretty much just going to blend into general mixing and largely handled by AI. You need to be less confident. But, pride does come before the fall. Good luck!