Audeze enters the Magic Garden with Grammy winning mastering engineer Brian Lucey

Brian Lucey is a mastering engineer in Los Angeles working in all styles, with clients at all success levels. He's mastered many Grammy winners, Billboard, iTunes and Amazon Music #1s and is passionate about advancing the quality of Atmos/Spatial Audio. He loves to teach all aspects of music production. Clients include Lizzo, The Black Keys, Green Day, Elvis Costello, Cage the Elephant, Dr John and many more.

"The extended low mids/low end (of the LCD-MX4) is great for final checking stereo mastering..." - Brian Lucey

Here's our chat with Brian:

Can you pick out any highlights from your work that you're particularly proud of?

I am most proud that my ten Grammy winning records cover so many diverse styles. Mastering is not a style dependent sport.

How would you define your main role on most of the projects you work on these days?

My role is to enhance approved work, and to connect music listeners more deeply with both the music and the artist. Great mastering is magnetic, balancing first impression excitement with the potential for timeless enjoyment. Top tier mastering subconsciously elevates the stature of the artist.

How did you get started in music? What kind of music did you listen to while growing up and how has that progressed?

I grew up listening to blues and rock on vinyl in the late 70s/early 80s and was a professional guitarist and singer performing nightly in NYC in the late 80s. I taught myself tracking, mixing, producing and mastering working mostly to 2" tape with hardware and a console.

Do you have any words of wisdom for people who might aspire toward a similar path for their own careers?

As we are always competing with the Recorded History of Music, always do your very best, especially when no one is watching.

How long have you been working with headphones, and how do you typically use them in your workflow?

Professionally I use the LCD-MX4 with a WyWires cable coming TRS out of a dCS Bartok I got from Al Schmitt's estate. The extended low mids/low end is great for final checking stereo mastering, a compliment to HD800s and their high mid/thin emphasis. I also use the MM-500s for tracking and rough mixing my own personal music, a very balanced response.