Bob Clearmountain's mixing techniques
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- Опубліковано 9 гру 2020
- Full video available exclusively on mwtm.org/bc-patchouli
In this sneak peek, Bob Clearmountain shows us several of his esteemed creative mixing techniques including EQ, compression and reverb design using tools such as Altiverb and his own Clearmountain Domain plugin.
We're delighted to bring you the first ever MWTM video series with legendary mixer Bob Clearmountain! You can learn from Bob at his personal studio 'Mix This', which houses a modified 72-input SSL 4000G+ console that simultaneously feeds both stereo and 5.1 surround sound monitoring systems. Clearmountain takes you through his setup, explaining his routing, added console features, VCA fader layout, effects sends, and much more. He also shares his expertise on crucial areas that include monitoring, sample rates, metering, and equipment. He opens a session of the song 'Patchouli' by Squeeze, and mixes it in hybrid fashion using plug-ins and outboard gear. You'll witness how Bob treats vocals, drums, bass, guitars, strings, Mellotron, harpsichord, and his mix buss. He reveals the signal chains inserted, console EQ applied, and his renowned use of reverb and delay. You may also be enlightened by his approach to de-essing and compression, and his views on plug-ins versus hardware!
Full video available exclusively on mwtm.org/bc-patchouli
Another horrendous sales link. Make the content for YT if you post on YT
“This is what I did on a record called Avalon”
*furiously taking notes
This is the reverb I use on the Stones...and this is what I used on the horns on Let’s Dance...an i used this on a record called Avalon....
Jesus H he’s going through the history of rock and roll and we’re all here peeing our pants.
True. And he sounds so humble, like he's talking about garage bands or something...
Well. That was 10 minutes well spent!
Great comment
What's up peter!
I have lots of respects for all the masters, but for me, Mr Clearmountain has something ahead from the others. Amazing man. And it's funny how he talks about these top hit records; like they are just songs lol.
As a kid in high school in the late 70s and early 80s, I was pretty blown away by the mixing/production of Chic. Little did I know, it was produced and mixed by the first "rock star of mixing" - Bob Clearmountain. Absolutely love his work, pure genius.
Dude, that still bumps in my car like nothing else. I honestly do not know how they got it SOOO right back then. Tape and analog had a sound but the mixes were just so perfect even outperforming todays squashed and pinchy mixes. You literally cannot make them better.
@John Siket I'll check it out. Thanks for the clarification...I don't have the credits handy.
The equipment was better back then. Yeah it was analog and noisey but everything was well made. Companies made the best product they could. Best tubes. Electronics. No corners cut. Great musicians who could play and too engineers from the recorder to the mixer to the masterer. Tape helps the sound. Filters some highs and rounds the lows. It’s easy to see why those mixes sound better. By the late 70s it was mastered how to record music. Then the 80s came and it was massive digital exploration.
I'm amazed by how effortless it is for him. I also have huge respect for him. However, in my opinion this video is more of an exhibition than a help/guide/tutorial/teaching video.
I mean you can't possibly learn any of this just by watching this video. But still it's a great thing that we can see the master at work, so thank you.
If you have a mixing knowledge base this vid is a TOTAL learning tool on a master mixers conceptual thinking. If you don’t, I agree it would go over someone’s head. This is for people who know how to mix, not for beginners.
@@bcdrummer1962 bullshit -
It's a demo of a guy having a wank at the console with a bunch of namedropping.
@@bcdrummer1962 Ty for saving me the effort was about to say the same thing.
Bob, I lived in a seniors community for 2017-2018 - The Windermere in Littleton, CO - and it had an indoor swimming pool - where there was fabulous reverb that gained in delay, all natural. Notes would appear to get louder as they rolled away, lingering. I would sing and the ladies would rush in a little pack to listen from outside the swimming pool room. I have never heard a sound like that - before or since. It gave heart to singing.
I love Bob's nuanced approach. So much better than most other mixers who "show" you stuff but you never really get why or their motivation or inspiration behind it.
I think he's an alien. No human can make stuff sound so good so easily.
And his desk is his space ship.
Helps to have great artists making great recordings.
The power of pre planning and math is more powerful than you think
DeVante Swing
Good recorded material needs no mixing at all.
Always incredible to watch THE mixer work!
forbidden knowlege. what he did with the cure's just like heaven still amazes me.
busywl69 no way, how did i not know he did that mix?!?! He keeps blowing me away everytime i hear another credit to a song I absolutely love.
It's literally the perfect pop song.
So well done, thank you so much for sharing.This is going to help me with a challenging snare track this week!!!
Absolutely stunning to see. It's all so simple and makes so much sense when you see it. Thank you so much for this. So beautiful. Amazing how a great song with great performers becomes so much more in the hands of a visionary
this guy is an amazing guy! just salute his so good works
Thanks Bob for all advices 😀 seems so natural for you, great experience 👍
Sitting at the feet of the master is just humbling ... this was awesome 👌
Bob's approach remains fresh. Great vid!
i feel like there was so much genius just packed into a 10 min video that highly understates the intricacies that bring out the details and brilliance of this mix
The song is so well produced. The sounds are simple but blend together so well.
my favourite engineer, mixes are so clean and punchy
That mix sounds incredible.
I ain’t no pro sound engineer but I love the process and the experimental vibe. Hear one by one each track and find the right sound. As a musician, he is an important part of the band or songs.
Wow, truly an amazing example of his genius. One thing he has going for him though are the great tracks he's mixing. The music/musicians are great and everything was very well tracked.
My God I love the way you mixed the song.
the whole song sounds so clear like a cristal good job sir
Difford and Tillbrook! Wow, his voice still sounds great.
That send tip at the end is mind blowing
Love it.
He just goes with his gut - like a big kid still!
Wow the sound is just amazing
notice the big in the box tool he is using. ITS CALLED AN SSL CONSOLE. not just protools mixer screen on a monitor and the sound is coming out of some monitor outs to some headphones or studio monitors. The console electronics and transformers is part of the sound.
Couldn't click onto fast enough! thank you for sharing tips from the legend himself!
As a younger guy I always dreamed of interning with Bob, and Bruce Fairbairn. I am 58 now, and Bob, I would still would love to spend even just an afternoon, asking a few questions. With out a doubt, one of the best. Cheers
Me to bro I agree I'm 46 though!!!
@@poorhouz5051 I agree you’re 46 too. Anyone else agree he’s 46??
@@pete3816 🤣
Seriously...and he lives only right about an hour from me.
Bob produced Bryan Adams Reckless …one of the most beautiful mixes I’ve heard even today !
I love that his headrest is just like a towel he taped on.
Thank you Mr Bob Clearmountain
As a life long Squeeze fan, thank you Bob! I love the way you mixed Play. Brilliant.
Another fan of the Play album! It's my favorite Squeeze album. 😎
Wow old school mixing was an exercise session. Thx for the great vid.
legend, i love it, i thought i had alot of parrallel verbs and delays lol, i always try to capture this classic SSL and outboard workflow
Learn so much from this man.
He does it so effortlessly. Probably because he's done it a million times. But still it's more than impressive. It really is genius
truly a master!
Crazyy amazing
Amazing stuff. 💥🎚🎛🎚💥
What I like from these great artists, they all look, like it's so simple to mix tracks, and you try doing the same, it is always much harder. Of course, they have their experience with them. Did enjoy this video once again, thanks :)
You have to keep in mind that he's alreadt mixed it, and now just going through what he has already done. None the less, a true genius and gentleman of the trade.
Very cool stuff!!! I enjoyed this video
A different world a different class . ❤️
This man is a master of his craft
Wow, tasty choices! Great ear for beauty.
Definitely a legend!
Years ago , 1979 He did a great job with underrated Pittsburgh PA singer songwriter David Werner S/T on Epic. Check out Melanie Cries.
Legendary
Bob: the master!!! 🙏👏👍
Nice mix ...nice low end....
Love Him ..❤❤
I’ve been lucky enough to see Squeeze/Jools a few times but my favourite was seeing Glenn Tilbrook do a solo gig with acoustic guitar and about 100 of us in the audience. He came out, said “what do you want to hear?” and just did requests for 90 mins, with a story about each song. Fantastic voice, amazing guitarist and a down-to-earth bloke. Legend.
If the word is "mix", then here's THE greatest - of all times, bar none.
And a modest, humble, poised man, with immense taste, talent, knowledge & skills.
Kasteel de Haar? In Utrecht in my homecountry the Netherlands? That’s crazy.❤
Such a great engineer , We must preserve analog gears at all cost !
The Hall & Oats recordings he did were my favorite. Would like to have heard more about those takes.
i thought the same
What a legend
He is a diamond ❤️
Someday, I'll get into analogue engineering with consuls like that. Great
Modest brilliance
Great!
I love that Bob uses Drumagog!!! I've been using it for about 13 years now.. it's one of the original drum replacement plugins and still works great... I throw it on multiple tracks in every mix!!
What genres does it do well? Been thinking about buying a drum plugin.
@@yantheyam5622 any genre works! You just need to find the samples that fit the style you want
@@freez092also good advice. Thanks brother!
Anything for a fellow musician/producer!!
My god he works so fast!
BC is a National Treasure.
Just brilliant! Thank you!
Great to see my second favourite band after the Beatles mentioned. I love squeeze as Bob clearly does. More of their work please. The most underrated group in history.
Glenn is one of the best guitarists around.
@@honved1 Totally agree - he is brilliant and not only that he does it so effortlessly while singing. Always thought he was a genius. Live he is incredible as are the band.
Nice to see so many Squeeze fans. I grew up on their music. What a catalog!
@@n.oneimportant5 The most underrated band of all time? Their catalogue is incredible. The Lennon of McCartney of their generation
Good man.
so much magic to watch someone mixing with 10 fingers
Wow, an honest to goodness zen master.
I remember listening to Springsteen's House of 1000 Guitars and thinking that the mixing was the best I'd heard in a very long time on any recording. I had to see who the engineer was. Of course, Clearmountain. Just fantastic stuff his entire career.
Love the Squeeze record PLAY, which Bob mixed. Would love to hear him go through some of his work with Crowded House. Temple of Low Men is one of my all-time favorite albums.
I thought I was the only one who loved Play. It's my favorite Squeeze album which is saying something as they don't make a bad record.
Good call on Crowded House as well. Awesome band with an incredible catalog.
I briefly met Mr. Clearmountain at AES. What a nice man and of course a legend in the audio world. ✌🏽💜🎶
@@n.oneimportant5 Play is great, but I still prefer Squeeze's earlier New Wave stuff. I tend to advocate albums rather than greatest hits collections, but both these bands have amazing compilation discs. Squeeze has Singles: 45s and Under, Crowded House has Recurring Dream. Some incredible lessons in both those for songwriting, arrangement, etc
"The Knowledge" was a great album (as Bob states), but 2015's "Cradle to the Grave", is just incredible. Strangley, it was their highest charting studio album in the UK (40 years after their formation). Their 90's album "Some Fantastic Place" is also a masterpiece.
The best!
It sweet!
A true master…
Genius
Great stuff from a legend. Does anything sound better than pedal steel through reverbs and delays?
No.
Yes
Synths through reverbs and delays.
that sound at 8:30 ❤︎
Bob is a Genius! His recordings are some of the most lush sounding in the world.
"who knows, maybe it'll come back" .. Every.damn.pop.song.
Landline phone on the wall to the left of the desk seals the deal
I love how all of the videos on this channel don’t teach anything at all but are just the engineer plugging their stuff
nice sounding pedal steel
I would say a genius
Wow haven’t seen Drumagog in years.
Thumbs up.
Console mixing is so much more efficient I miss it dearly
Amazing as ever! Btw what are those smaller monitors he’s got on their side? Thanks!
I guess they are Yamaha hs7. I personally had a great time working on them.
@@alexeysmirnovguitar They have two front ports, so I think they're something else, possibly related to the bigger speakers judging by the woofers? I've been meaning to check out the HS series though, still on NS10s myself lol. Cheers!
@@Georgie_B_ Man! Sorry for my mistake! Its a pair of Yamaha MSP7. I meant that model in previous comment! Really great monitors, had a pair of those in the studio at work.
HS7 have white woofers, they're completely different animal
The only way I’m able to keep up with his ADD way of explaining his process is cause I work on SSL’s but if I didn’t there’s no way this video would make sense/be of use (other than entertainment to watch the master at his craft). I wish the video was shot overhead for us SSL guys. That would be awesome! That’s where I photograph recalls cause it’s easier to see everything 👍
Im not familiar with this genius but this mix sounds huge through my cell phone speaker...Wow
if you know bryan adams you know this guys sound. cheers!!!!
My prayer is to have a great future in music production🙏💪
Which plugins/software would you say could be used to help vocal production. My range is limited as an older guy so looking at ways of enhancing this. Thanks
Any NEW rock mixing video coming anytime soon? Been a long while....
Rear speakers, huh? And what do a processing of a quad/surround field in the studio from 2.0??
He has a couple of extra sends on each channel of the console. So it's easy for him to do both stereo and 5.1 mixes at the same time. He told about this technique in the intervew with Chris Lord-Alge at Apogee Studio
@@alexeysmirnovguitar Oh, i thought it's about some kind of dsp. Thank you!
🤯
what speakers are these?
Who makes those diffusers?
Dear Bob, I have a great song, any chance you can do a lil mixing for a novice?
No pressure though ! Best Jane A