Mastering with Headphones - Featuring Glenn Schick | Plugin Alliance

Glenn Schick rewrites the rules for mastering by working in-the-box completely and monitoring his work solely through Audeze headphones. Watch the whole interview with Justin Coletti of SonicScoop and Glenn discussing various aspects of mastering digitally, Glenn's setup, and the new AMEK EQ 200 by Plugin Alliance.
00:00 - Introduction
01:54 - Fully Digital Mastering
06:20 - Mastering Exclusively on Headphones
12:19 - Approach and Process
20:05 - The Tools Glenn Uses
22:00 - Mid/Side Processing
26:38 - AMEK EQ 200
32:23 - Dynamic Control for Mastering
36:57 - Saturation and Stereo Spreading
40:15 - Mastering Remotely
Download Glenn's presets here: files.plugin-alliance.com/ima...
Learn more: www.plugin-alliance.com/en/pr...
Download a FREE 14-day fully-functional trial NOW!
www.plugin-alliance.com/en/in...
Added to the MIX & MASTER and MEGA Bundle at no extra cost!
www.plugin-alliance.com/en/pr...
Subscribe to our KZbin channel: / pluginalliancetv
Follow us on:
Instagram: / pluginalliance
Facebook: / pluginalliance
Plugin Alliance empowers world-renowned analog hardware companies with a digital strategy and provides software developers with services that allow them to develop products with increasing quality and quantity. We invite all developers, engineers, and artists to join our fast-growing community.
For more information, visit our website: www.plugin-alliance.com/

[@PluginAllianceTV]

Demo all of Plugin Alliance's products for 30 days. Start a free MEGA Bundle trial here: www.pa-megastore.com/mega/?

[@philconnors1417]

“I’m not referencing anymore” said Glen, and Metric AB on his monitor right behind laughed hysterically👏

[@thegroove2000]

ha ha ha I noticed that as well.

[@joshsmith7812]

If you're matsering an EP or album it's important to make sure they fit together, he's probably using it for that

[@philconnors1417]

@@joshsmith7812 probably yes, but „is using it” makes my point😊

[@riktascale4]

🤣🤣😆

[@philconnors1417]

@@drknubele I know nothing, but what do I know.

[@hevmadeit9354]

I didn't know who he was before this interview but I went and looked him up and he's mastered almost 70% of my favorite music of the last 15 years! It's amazing to know he did so much of this work mastering on headphones. I'm definitely going back and listening to the records he's done.

[@melancholymoshpit]

I started mixing at the age of 15. I'm 38 now and have mixed on headphones the entire time. If I had a dollar for every engineer that has told me it's not possible to get an amazing mix from headphones alone I would have enough for an original Fairchild.

[@mariostresow9755]

Thank you for being so informative. And for being so nice, friendly and humble while at the same time deliver good information. I really enjoyed watching this. Greetings from Hamburg in Germany, Mario.

[@sgfdancecompany]

Great Video Justin, is amazing to learn how Glenn works, congrats!

[@Archaic1Eye]

A very thorough insightful interview with a seasoned professional. Great work.

[@PluginAllianceTV]

Thank you very much!

[@AnthonyJimenez313]

this whole video was an ad for AMEK eq lol nice guys

[@johnnyvegas2015]

Great interview, Glenn is a great guy and very inspiring.

[@joseferro1432]

Wow! I worked with Glen years ago at Sam Ash. I happy to see his success. 😎👍

[@riktascale4]

I like the point of critiquing mixes for engineers before mastering. This would surely help one to grow.

[@OrangeMicMusic]

Wow...amazing interview. Thanks for doing this Justin :) My experience with mixing/mastering using headphones was mindblowing and I didn't wanna tell to anyone being afraid of criticism...but I started a year ago to use Abbey Road Studio 3 (which supposed to emulate that environment) and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro headphones. Of course they're not like the Audeze but they are pretty awesome for what I need, and they are giving me the results I want and not spending on more expensive studio monitors and better acoustic treatment 😊

[@donkeyfacekilla1]

That gain scale feature is invaluable. I hope to see it implemented in more plug ins !

[@thegroove2000]

The gear is nothing without the experience.

[@jonneves01]

One of the best mastering videos I’ve ever come across!!!

[@Beexzz]

Nice acoustics in this room. :-P

[@bstnsmr]

Yes. Could not continue watching because of the annoying audio in the room.

[@raphaelkuttruf]

mastering in a concrete reverb chamber xDD

[@riktascale4]

It's a bench mark to which l hope l will attain

[@frankharley442]

He masters on headphones so it doesn't matter

[@tiadiad]

@@raphaelkuttruf I prefer sheet metal, foil, or glass walls myself. But concrete will do.

[@CarlRobinsonCKR23]

This is great by plugin alliance and Glenn Schick of GS Mastering! A great interview and insight into the world of Mastering audio and music past and present and more so right now working on music and remote projects. In the mix mixing and mastering is the way to go and might be for the forseeble future in the industry for sure !

[@DaMarcusVasquez]

I had to find who helped make Solo by future and now I know, this man is a genius!

[@casualintrovert207]

mastering in headphones is probably more important to me than doing it in a good speaker setup honestly. When the sound is right up against your ears you can make out so much more detail, and in terms of translating well to other systems, most people these days are listening on the go with headphones to start with, so really I do think it's time we start doing more mixing and mastering on headphones. I do so much of both on my headphones at this point that I'm only really using my monitors for a reference now. Headphones are the future! Not to mention the low end extension. When I want to test the lowend I always use headphones.

[@20Lukas93]

I mix on speakers because it let's me create a soundstage. And I master on headphones because it let's me dive into the problems really accurately.

[@casualintrovert207]

@@20Lukas93 the problem I find with mixing on speakers, is that for things like reverbs, they sound much more quieter or subtle than if you were to hear them on headphones. It always throws me off when I think I have the right reverb level on my monitors and then I listen on my headphones and its way too much. Thats partially a problem with the soundstage I think too. But really, even if I wanted to get a speaker like soundstage, I could just use waves NX, Redline monitor, or Goodhertz CanOpener Studio to get that foward facing speaker soundstage with crossfeed.

[@louderthangod]

I use both for mixing and mastering. I love the detail in good headphones (Beyer 1990) so I use them a lot early for mixing for editing and then switch to my monitor speakers (Barefoot 01) for most of the rest of the mix. When I’m done, I’ll check on headphones and the old car test. When mastering I start with speakers and then when it’s nearly done I’ll switch to headphones and then check the final choices on speakers and the car and more consumer headphones against reference material.

[@bakharandi]

@@casualintrovert207 Great points. I mixed a great version of one of tracks in my car, and I got the ultimate surround sound mix that sounds amazing in a six-speaker vehicle. Yet, when I put that mix on Soundcloud, it simply didn't translate, as well . . . Likewise, other tracks that I mixed on speakers, ended up too reverb heavy on streaming platforms, or even on my smartphone . . . What's funny is that most KZbin videos about plugins and mixing, usually include a point in the video where someone says, "Listen to this section with good quality headphones, so you can really hear the detail" . . . ! . . . 🙂 (-;

[@bakharandi]

@@20Lukas93 Excellent perspective.

[@thore535]

Besides the horrible audio from Glenn (intentional as to underline the subject I guess) this is pretty awesome. Thank you for this much of an insight.

[@djkurtstudio]

Records his own reverbs as well

[@lordha-ha4242]

Kurt'O hahahahaha

[@janivelic2316]

Awesome video. You know.👍❤

[@thegroove2000]

Very inspiring.

[@joshsmith7812]

Very

[@Yurkinz]

Very interesting!

[@antihero5518]

Audeze headphones for just listening are very immersive. I tried the LCD-2 with an Ray Samuels portable amp yeeeears ago and it was very 3d (hate using that term). Wish I had/have the money for them lol

[@Brutuscomedy]

I may try mixanalog on my digital mixes but need to find the right pair of headphones for this (since I have to do as much somewhere with good wifi).

[@OG_VERBZ]

Glenn is a god at mastering

[@socproductionsofficialtv1]

HOW YOU ADD DESCRIPTIN IN THE LOW OF THE VIDEO? VERY VERY COOL STUFF...I MEAN THE TIMESTAMP STUFF

[@MikeHeebz]

That sound Glenn got for J. Cole is incredibly dynamic & packs a punch, one of my favorite hip hop albums...So awesome to hear it was done entirely ITB & on headphones! Is the Apollo Twin Amp good enough for mastering headphones or would I still want to look into a separate amp? Does anyone know what amp Glenn is currently using with his mobile rig? Thanks for the interview & sharing the knowledge Glenn & Justin. =)

[@RJ1J]

Just about. Just.

[@bright___clouds]

@fartpoobox ohyeah agreed. but you can add a little punch with compression, right?

[@jacobsmith1877]

@@bright___clouds I think it's usually more about preserving the punch that is already there when mastering.

[@headrushbeats187]

hey, what J Cole project was he talking about?

[@JasonMcMullen]

When he said he never uses speakers with his room sounding like a reverb chamber, I believed him. Also the analogy about the old cars and analog gear is comparing two things that are not analogous. I appreciate the GML plugin though

[@sebastianfeldhof8323]

How are the Ollo headphones.

[@ernesto-mora-music-sounddesign]

nice

[@tnossis5829]

Which headphones does he have on?

[@omerfaran8514]

Does anybody know what Audeze model Glenn is using? Thanks

[@NewVine]

What headphone amp are you using?

[@eranddroory9987]

How about a list of the hardware the guy is using?

[@thomasfokas]

So weird seeing a mastering facility in a huge reverb chamber

[@OG_VERBZ]

he is wearing headphones

[@KiDAppleBorg]

😆 so true

[@michaelwalker3oh3]

What brand and model of headphones are those?

[@leongchilong]

lean a lot man! thanks'

[@CarlyonProduction]

Love these videos. I only wish they would open it up a tiny bit so that people can describe ALL the plugins they use and not just PA ones. We know PA is great and this is their channel, but we don’t have to pretend they are the only company?

[@bassman5554]

😂 when have you ever seen Nike advertising Addidas or vice versa? If you want to learn about another company's plugins go to their specific youtube channel. Problem solved

[@synapticrelease]

Do my headphones make my head look small?

[@nebstaism]

This was obviously a plugin alliance sales pitch... love their plugins though

[@CarlyonProduction]

Yeah that’s why I wish they would show other plugins too - would feel less like an ad then.

[@bassman5554]

Clearly he stated the intent of the video in the very beginning...You folks always find something to complain about

[@navaga6701]

I wonder do these orange glasses help him to reduce eye fatigue (because I have such a problem and it became a huge barrier for me in working in the box).

[@Fonkemman]

Try to get glasses with special lenses for computer screen protection, I forgot what brand was mine. I got mine from the same kind of store where you get glasses if you have poor vision, it helps.

[@navaga6701]

@terry riley thank you!

[@navaga6701]

@@Fonkemman thank you

[@CarlyonProduction]

Yeah I am interested in this also. Are they special lenses he has?

[@puppetlife142]

I don't really understand the difference (if any) between gain scaling and a dry/wet knob. If there is a difference, could someone explain it?

[@cornoc]

Equalizers cause phase shifts unless they are linear phase (which can ruin your transients). Therefore if you use dry wet and mix in some of the dry signal, it will cause phase cancellation. Gain scaling is a simple workaround that gives the same effect without the phasing.

[@uralemekci]

Great interview. When I click to download the presets I get the following error: Sorry, item "glenn-schick-presets" does not exist.

[@PluginAllianceTV]

Thanks for the heads-up. We're looking into that as soon as possible!

[@PluginAllianceTV]

Sorry for the long delay. The link is now fixed!

[@BelAnuRa]

is that LCD 4 from Audeze ? for 5000 € per piece :-))). huge headphones, still saving money for it till years

[@michaelh.60]

How to pronounce Baxandall: Think Michael "Jackson doll" but with a 'B' instead of a 'J'. XD

[@thegroove2000]

I am pretty sure you dont need to spend no where near that amount on cans etc to obtain fantastic world class mixes. Of course it is the experience that is most important. Thats what counts the most.

[@thegroove2000]

But this is very inspiring.

[@WiresMusicChannel]

Interested if Glenn is using Sonarworks on the LCD-X headphones? I have those headphones and use sonarworks 4 with them, makes a huge difference. I mix exclusively on them now. Abbey Road Studio 3 from Waves is pretty cool also.

[@genephillips4809]

How do you find the Audezes? I’ve always wanted to get a pair.

[@YiggaP]

@@genephillips4809 I got the "cheap" ones the LCD 1, and they are very cool. They're not referenced yet in sonarworks (that I own) but I use their own reveal plugin and it changes the sound drastically. I didn't like the sound of the lcd1s out of the box but with the correction I love them. And I can hear stuff that I couldn't hear before, like reverb trails, some super details. It's really great!

[@genephillips4809]

Thomas Tran Dinh will have to invest in a pair in the future!

[@YiggaP]

@@genephillips4809 I hope you like them! But straight out of the box they're a bit shockingly underwhelming. Just as a fair warning. Really need that corrective eq ☺️

[@genephillips4809]

Thomas Tran Dinh really???? I figured that they’d be incredibly overwhelming! Cuz they’re basically like mini speakers for your ears lol!

[@joeyf808]

Justin, what does Glen’s portable setup consists of? Converters, headphone amp, etc..

[@jordanhansell6439]

yes please! very curious

[@tobiasjone]

Audeze LCD-4 and the amp/DAC is either Chord Mojo/Hugo/Dave. The Dave is pretty heavy, so maybe the Hugo seems more likely. All of the Chord gear is superlative. Personally I prefer the Focal Utopias and Clear to Audeze models, but they're all incredible.

[@adamabel3835]

How about ear health with using headphones?

[@CarlyonProduction]

Yeah this is the one reason I won’t mix exclusively on headphones. I suppose it depends how long your sessions are...but I wouldn’t recommend it. A mix of both is preferable to me.

[@WaitingInExile]

watch your playback volume and take 10-15min breaks on the hour

[@judjohnson4640]

Which model of Audeze headphones does he use?

[@mickaelmarin1221]

Lcd5

[@philbrown1980]

What amp does he use with those headphones?

[@mixedbykip3071]

He mentioned Chord, so probably something like the Hugo 2.

[@scalawagPT]

@@mixedbykip3071 Chord Dave

[@moedemama]

Any binural hedphone software hes using? Not a lot of headphone specific tips in this video, basically none

[@gaaoui]

These perspectives, such as on romanticism, is like balancing the yin and the yang mentality of life, whereas we find that the romanticism in or rather of the harmony that is the blessing forward. Brain trained for binaural experience, blessing. What about mastering with headphones and simply enjoying the mastering trials with speaker matching, air blowing, naked in pool feeling as said 🤗🤗🥳. This is such great energy, such a vibe, thank you so dearly much, this is so fun! 🤲🫶💛🤗🌟✨ super stoke abundance gratitude I love you all so much. All helpful, the mid/side eq with the 'outside' information, reverb etc was so considerate and helpful and felt, found, resonated. This is so fun, this is so fun! 🤗😋😄🤭🥰 thank you for all of your work. Thank you for your services. I LOVE, ADORE the eloquence 😌☺ mmmmmmmmm!! I love the rhetoric. This is a bookmark 📝🎹🎼🎶📍❣❤ I love learning, and I love playing. I love creating and I love producing. I love mixing, recording, writing, and mastering, in any order. I love life and I love you too, may a big wave of peace, health, and happiness shower over you all. 🥳🥳🥳 exciting. Not using compressor to compress is something I will be taking away strongly in my experience. Super critical, so beautiful 💐✨. Thank you dearly.

[@PluginAllianceTV]

We're glad to hear the video struck the right chord. Thanks for the brilliant feedback and enjoy your sessions!

[@gaaoui]

@@PluginAllianceTV Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 🤗💛🌟✨

[@darcy4143]

I use Audio Technica's M70x along with sonar works reference 4 on the master out which has a calibration profile for my headphones leaving them with a flat response and I'll be honest it was weird when I first started using them but I soon got used to it. I sent a mix for mastering and was asked what gear I used to mix them as I was working out of my bedroom I told him my setup and he was very impressed with the results so the point I'm making is you don't need £4.000 headphones... and I also heard that a guy had mastered with the same setup so for me a no brainer.

[@joshsmith7812]

The ear matters more than the gear, but who's mastering using that? Ofcourse you don't need to spend 4grand on cans, the Sennheiser Hd600,650,800 and Beyerdynamic DT1990, focal clear Pro series are all fantastic too. Audeze makes ones that cost less than 4k too

[@luvitluvitbaby]

I use Aventone headphones with Reference 4 for my own music. I get a very flat response.

[@lunarlabaudio]

Does PA do a Fairchild?

[@grantoverend1]

No Fairchild at PA, Waves and Slate do though. If you want a nice Vari-Mu check out Pulsar Audio's Mu.

[@JohnJeevasingham]

SPL Iron is vari-mu, you can give that a go!

[@thegroove2000]

Them cans look serious. A near flat response?.

[@costinvaly1]

Near flat doesn't exist in headphones. They all (including Focal Utopia and Sennheiser HD800) have their own curve which can only be flattened with room eq software that also have an algo for specific headphone profiles, e.g. Sonarworks Reference.

[@thegroove2000]

@@costinvaly1 I was thinking that also.

[@emmanuelleroy2915]

Them Headphones are probably in the thousands

[@user-oz4ke6xk1h]

Uk drill-freshmen OPT x TSB sound your engineering sound mixing way😊

[@guitarzpt]

Does he actually master in that room?

[@mano123456]

He says he exclusively masters with these headphones, so I guess it's the case, or he does it anywhere. That's pretty amazing

[@jmizzbeatsj-jigga7888]

He ask how you put your chain he just duck the question. Alot of mastering engineers do not like giving the secrets 😂😂😂😂😂

[@luckystrke]

Why didnt you EQ his voice? pain to listen to:/

[@IanBeato]

I always found it funny that when people bring up stem mastering, the first thing they go to is "I don't wanna mix in the master." Think outside the box a little. I have found it incredibly useful to receive a maximum of 5 stems when mastering any kind of material for finer control over my eq moves. For example, a -1dB at 1k change on your master bus is not the same as a -1dB at 1k change on the guitar bus 💁‍♀️

[@jacobsmith1877]

I think stem mastering is fantastic. Mastering is largely making corrections to a mix, and stem mastering makes that process 1000 times easier. I prefer to use the stems simply for adjusting levels and adding only the smallest amount of EQ.

[@peterpiper7951]

Lobot!

[@johnvcougar]

I was gonna say: "hope he doesn't master in that room that sounds like a toilet ..." but then, headphones! I wonder if open backs still get a room effect, even though they're on your head.

[@bigboss-qv7pe]

I don't think it affects the sound of open backs. It might but not enough to change your results, those headphones don't have big enough drivers to produce sound waves that would bounce back. You're also protected from hearing reverberation by your ear pads.

[@terryyaki7782]

Justin Bieber is not from MTL and I'm happy

[@DaMarcusVasquez]

Reprodoses? 🤔

[@santishorts]

You can tell for sure Glenn is not lying about using exclusively headphones since the room he is in very clearly sounds like shit.

[@CR-bc1me]

Nice interview, but obviously sponsored

[@rafahaddad4803]

That why he is mixing in Headphones 🎧 jajajaja Lol 😂

[@DJNuimani]

Yes! I knew ITB was the future of mastering! Now I don't have to purchase the overpriced analog gear anymore great!

[@sebaztiannnn]

is it just me or does he look like Mark Ruffalo's older brother?

[@samuelbanton8076]

Very suspect

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Wow i hope that’s not his mastering room 😬

[@DaMixWizard]

Yep, it is😂

[@officialcisko]

Worst audio for the topic

[@DrAudioBot]

love justin, can‘t listen to the other guy all...meh

[@DaveBessell]

You might have expected a mastering engineer to pay a bit more attention to the mic ing and acoustics he conducted an interview in! Almost impossible to listen to for more than a minute or two.