Trailer
13 min

Part 1

Workflow introduction, console preferences, analog gear, plug-ins, monitoring, rough mix analysis
12 min

Part 2

Final vs. rough mix contrast, vocal EQ and compression, hardware and software effect chains
11 min

Part 3

Drums and bass focus, line amp coloration, parallel compression, subtractive room EQ
14 min

Part 4

VCA system, static balance, mix buss chain, dynamic range, gain staging, stem prints, collaboration

Lazarus

424

David Bowie

Tom Elmhirst

Mixing

Enter the world of prolific mix engineer Tom Elmhirst as he dives into the multi-track session of ‘Lazarus’ – a song from David Bowie’s Grammy-winning final album, ‘Blackstar’. At Electric Lady studios in New York, Elmhirst describes the collaboration with Bowie and his producer Tony Visconti, detailing the entire journey from rough to final mix. Learn about his gain staging principles, console layout, monitoring environment, ergonomic VCA usage, effects routing, and a hybrid workflow that comprises a variety of processing from high-end outboard gear to stock Pro Tools plug-ins.

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About Tom Elmhirst

Mixing over the course of the last twelve years, Tom Elmhirst has accumulated a long list of chart-topping tracks working with the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse, The Black Keys, Cee Lo Green, Ellie Goulding, Florence & The Machine, Arcade Fire, Mark Ronson, U2, Peter Gabriel, Rufus Wainwright, and Goldfrapp, and many more. The list emphasizes Elmhirst’s position as one of the world’s leading mixers, something also reflected in his five Grammy Awards wins. Drawing upon his experiences at SARM and...