Mastering the Craft: A Conversation with Reuben Cohen
In this must-hear episode of Inside the Recording Studio, Chris and Jody sit down with the legendary Reuben Cohen—mastering engineer to the stars—for a deep, insightful, and occasionally hilarious conversation about music, business, and sonic obsession.
From humble beginnings to mastering some of the biggest songs of the last decade, Reuben shares how he turned his passion into a career, how he built his mastering business from the ground up, and why keeping your ears sharp and your vision clear is the key to longevity in the industry.
In this episode:
- How Reuben got his start and carved out a name in a competitive field
- The “must-have” gear that’s made it onto countless hit records
- What mastering means at the highest level—and how it’s changed over the years
- Behind-the-scenes stories involving Metallica, Pharrell, Distinto, and major film soundtracks
- Real talk about creativity, business hustle, and chasing sonic perfection
And yes—there’s this week’s Friday Finds, and as always, it’s not unlikely that a bit of nonsense will sneak into the conversation.
Whether you’re a producer, engineer, or just a fan of great music and great minds, this episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and industry wisdom from one of the best ears in the game.
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Gear we used:
Jody’s Mic & Voice Chain: Telefunken C12 – Groove Tubes Vipre – Apollo – UA Neve 1073 – UA LA2A – UA Studer A800
Jody’s Channel Strip: iZotope RX Spectral DeNoise – iZotope RX Mouth DeClick – UA Neve 1073 – UA LA2A – UA 1176E
Chris’ Mic & Voice Chain: Slate ML1 – Apollo – UA – Slate VMR (FG12, FG73, API Eq, SSL 4kE) – iZotope RX Voice – DeNoise
Chris’ Channel Strip: Eventide Precision Time Align – iZotope RX Spectral DeNoise – iZotope RX Mouth DeClick – UA Neve 1073 – UA LA2A – UA 1176E
Master: Oek Sound Soothe 2 – iZotope Ozone Imager – iZotope Ozone Maximize.
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If you want to collaborate, sponsor a podcast, donate, or want us to review your product – contact us at: collaborate@insidetherecordingstudio.com