Located on the lot at Hollywood
Center Studios, Lurssen Mastering has provided mastering services for scores of
hit records and movie soundtracks.  

Hollywood—It’s well known that Hollywood Center Studios has played
host to innumerable film and television productions over the course of its long
history. Few people, however, are aware that some of the most popular musical
recordings of recent years—including work by such artists as Eric Clapton, T.
Bone Burnett, Ben Harper, Bruno Mars, Diana Krall and Robert Plant—have also
come to fruition on the lot.

The focal point of all this musical activity is Lurssen
Mastering, a world-renowned mastering facility that has resided in a
3000-square-foot building on the lot for the past eight years. The final stage
in the production of a recording, mastering, is a delicate art combining razor
sharp engineering with exquisitely refined audio aesthetics. Lurssen Mastering,
featuring the talents of mastering engineers Gavin Lurssen and Reuben Cohen, is
among the best in the business with credits on dozens of Grammy, Golden Globe,
and Oscar-winning recordings. The company’s list of hits includes Diego Torres’ Distinto, a Latin Grammy winner for
Best Engineered Album, the soundtrack for Up,
an Oscar-winner for Best Original Score and O
Brother Where Art Thou, a Grammy-winner for Album of the Year.

This year, Lurssen Mastering was nominated for yet another
Grammy for its work on the Queens of the Stone Age’s Like Clockwork.  Just last
month, the soundtrack for the movie All
is Lost, which was also mastered at the facility, picked up a Golden Globe
Award for Best Original Score for a Motion Picture, and is currently an Academy
Award nominee for Best Sound Editing. The latter was produced by Alex Ebert of
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, whose past two albums have also been
mastered at Lurssen Mastering.

Individual tracks for Like
Clockwork were recorded in different locations and Lurssen Mastering’s role
was to smooth out the inevitable differences in the recordings and give the
album a consistent sound. “The essence of our job is to make it sound like we
were never there,” explains Lurssen. “There are colors, flavors and vibes to
what we do—our analog equipment injects a certain attitude into the sound—but
it’s a visceral thing to be felt and not noticed.”

“To be recognized by members of the Recording Academy for
what is a hard rock album is particularly gratifying to us.”

Lurssen Mastering is located near the center of the lot in a
building that originally served as a mill where sets were made during the
1920s. The company transformed the space into a world-class mastering facility,
adding the necessary acoustical features and an array of audio technology,
while retaining its brick walls, concrete floors, wood ceilings and loft.
Lurssen and his team process audio using their highly-customized analog
console. Gear includes ATC speakers, Benchmark converters, Esoteric Audio
Research and GML equalizers, Manley and Fairchild compressors, Antelope digital
clocks and a Sonic Studio mastering platform.

While it may seem surprising to find a mastering studio in
the middle of a television and film production lot, Lurssen Mastering likes the
vibe. “It’s a great facility,” says Studio Manager Nikki Nieves. “We’re
constantly receiving compliments on our space. We are grateful for all the
services that Hollywood Center provides. We love it here.”

Currently, Lurssen Mastering is working on a new album from
country chanteuse Miranda Lambert. Produced by Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell,
Glenn Worf, it will be released later this year. In its latest collaboration
with Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, the company is also mastering
the soundtrack for the upcoming film Winter’s
Tale.

About Hollywood
Center Studios

Hollywood Center
Studios has a rich and colorful history that mirrors the development of
Hollywood and the growth of the entertainment industry.  The studio has
played host to some of the most notable productions of the past century,
including such iconic television shows as I Love Lucy, The Addams Family,
Jeopardy, Rockford Files and Mad TV, and classic film productions
such as When Harry Met Sally and The Player. In recent years, Hollywood
Center Studios has continued to grow and modernize to support its large
television clientele which includes Disney, NBC, Comedy Central and MTV.  Hollywood Center
Studios remains a vital part of the Hollywood community and a place where entertainment
history continues to be made every day.

Hollywood Center Studios is located at 1040 N. Las Palmas
Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90038. For more information, call (323)
860-0000 or visit www.HollywoodCenter.com.