Hans DeKline (U2, Pixies, Veruca Salt, Lisa Loeb)

Hans DeKline is a Grammy-winning (for Lisa Loeb’s Feel What U Feel) Los Angeles-based mastering engineer. Since 2005, he has mastered thousands of songs and albums by artists such as U2, Pixies, Veruca Salt, Lisa Loeb, Tim Finn, Ben Lee, The Von Bondies, and Steve Aoki. On average, DeKline masters around 1200 songs a year, calling upon his extensive musical background which includes being the former frontman of the indie band Maypole.

Tell us about your studio setup.

I'm running Pro Tools with Weiss, Unisom, Oeksound, BX, DMG Audio, and Split-EQ plugs. Hardware includes Knif Soma, Neve, Shadowhills Mastering Comp, Manley Vari Mu, Crane Song Hedd, Hilo Lynx, Whitestone P331, and Dramastic. Monitors are Strauss SE-NF3s.

Having worked on so many songs over the past few years, how do you stay fresh and excited about mastering music these days?

Let's be honest, if you're lucky enough to be working in the music business, you shouldn't need any reminders about how awesome music is. I never get tired of it and Shazam is probably my most used app.

Whenever I receive a new song to master, my first question is ‘what are you listening to, and do you have a reference for this particular song?’ That inevitably leads to great new discoveries and a better understanding of my clients.

How do you typically approach the mastering of a song?

When I receive a song to master, I first establish the artist's intent and references. From there, I work with EQ, stereo field, and volume to nudge (or shove!) the song to a universally great-sounding master. When I think I've arrived at a good spot, I A/B it with the original mix (volume compensated) and also compare it to the artist's references. If we're good there, it IS good!