Available for download, Lurssen Mastering Console from IK Multimedia is mastering software that can be used in standalone applications, on your Mac or Windows computer, or within iOS devices. It's capable of handling 88.2 and 96 kHz signals, while its processors have been modeled on the hardware utilized at the Grammy Award-Winning studios of Gavin Lurssen; as such, the software offers a simplified user experience with much in the way of signal manipulation going on behind the GUI.
Its basic ethos is this: when mastering, Gavin Lurssen uses a set series of hardware modules determined by the genre of the material. Likewise, the modules available in the Lurssen Mastering Console change depending on the preset style you choose to work from. A hip-hop setting might put the limiter in a different chain position than the pop setting, for example, and each individual processor is interdependent—touch one knob, and everything else is as affected. Whichever preset you choose, you are always given control over input drive, a five-band EQ, a push setting (which juices the inter-relationship between all modules at once), as well as full automation over peak level.
One of the most interesting facets of the Lurssen Mastering Console is the ability to go between computer platforms and iOS devices. In conjunction with the mobile app, you can now do more than listen to your master in the car between mastering sessions—you can actually tweak your master in the vehicle (not while driving, of course), and take the resulting mix back to your studio in order to see if the results translate to all the speakers therein.
Highlights
- Separate versions for Mac/Windows and iOS
- Mac/Windows version works in standalone mode or as a plug-in for your DAW
- 25 pre-made "Styles" created by Gavin Lurssen and his team, reproducing settings and gear used to master pop, hip-hop, rock and other genres
- 3 easy-to-navigate displays: Studio view with controls, Waveform view, and Chain view for individual processors
- Input Drive knob, linkable for stereo balance tweaks
- 5-band EQ with fixed frequency as dictated by preset
- "PUSH" Knob to subtly enhance selected song passages via uniform EQ adjustment
- Full automation of audio-content adjustment
- Input/Process assignable VU metering
- Stereo/Mono monitoring capability
- 88.2/96 kHz DSP processing
- Audio import from iPhone / iPad music library
- Drag & Drop file import mode (Mac/Windows version)
- Resizable GUI for Mac/Windows platforms
- Project file compatibility between Mac/Windows and iPhone/iPad
System Requirements
PC
- Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 X2
- 4 GB of RAM (8 GB suggested)
- Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10
- Requires an ASIO-compatible sound card
- Supported plug-in formats: VST 2, VST 3, AAX
Mac
- Intel Core 2 Duo
- 4 GB of RAM (8 GB suggested)
- Mac OS X 10.7 or later
- Supported plug-in formats: Audio Units, VST 2, VST 3, AAX
iOS
