Trailer
13 min

Part 1

Console, stereo & surround routing, buss compression, modifications, subgroups, effects, de-essing, track layout
10 min

Part 2

Sample rate, speaker preferences, metering, common chains on vocals, drums, piano, bass, guitars
09 min

Part 3

Mixing 'Patchouli' by Squeeze – vocals, drums, acoustic & pedal steel guitar, strings, Mellotron, harpsichord
13 min

Part 4

Guitars, keyboards, choir vocals, filtering, general compression approach, mix compressor settings, gear vs. plug-ins

Mixing

Patchouli

Squeeze

Bob Clearmountain

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Song : Patchouli

Duration:13 min / 47 min Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese

Description

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!

Show more

Trailer
13 min

Part 1

Console, stereo & surround routing, buss compression, modifications, subgroups, effects, de-essing, track layout
10 min

Part 2

Sample rate, speaker preferences, metering, common chains on vocals, drums, piano, bass, guitars
09 min

Part 3

Mixing 'Patchouli' by Squeeze – vocals, drums, acoustic & pedal steel guitar, strings, Mellotron, harpsichord
13 min

Part 4

Guitars, keyboards, choir vocals, filtering, general compression approach, mix compressor settings, gear vs. plug-ins

Comments

(30)

Steffen Buhlmann September 10, 2022 at 1:53 PM

He means 1 ms release time and 300 ms attack time on the ssl compressor. Not like he said in the video. Take care of that, otherwise you dont have transients anymore :-)
Gerard Porqueres April 12, 2023 at 11:16 PM

There's no 300 ms attack nor 1ms release on the SSL bus comp. Definitely 1 Attack ms .3 Release S (how the SSL bus comp is labeled) I do agree he goes quite extreme tho and 4 to 8 dB of reduction is quite heavy on the Bus Comp
George Spatta March 30, 2021 at 1:37 AM

Excellent series. My only complaint is that there wasn't more of it! :) I hope Bob does a lot more with MWTM & doesn't get discouraged by people complaining about him talking about his plugin. It's a gift really he's given the audio world, taking all of his years of experimenting & experience and implementing these FX chains in a plugin form that we can all use. He seems like a really lovely guy & it's nice to see how humble he is and how simple his workflow is compared to a lot of other mixers these days. His body of work is incredible & it is hard to believe that his approach is what it is when you listen to some of the countless amazing mixes he's done. Watching this & the Springsteen videos has made me take a look at, and re-evaluate my own mixing process. Many thanks Bob, I hope you'll share more with us in the future!
Benjamin September 24, 2020 at 4:54 PM

So glad i shelled out to mix with the masters to hear a plug in advertisement....
I have no name August 9, 2024 at 9:11 PM

+
Jerod Dunn August 7, 2020 at 3:37 AM

Oh man. I want more from this man. What a wonderful tour.
Mike Wallace June 28, 2020 at 1:02 PM

Anyone want to dispute how great the mix he does here sounds? I think it sounds incredible. The space, clarity, open top end, clear low end. Just awesome.
Mike Wallace June 28, 2020 at 1:00 PM

Thank you MWTM!!!!! Looking forward to more Bob. Maybe we'll get this genius to slow down a bit for us next time. He does go fast. I know how difficult that must be for the production team. You can't ask him to explain every knob turn he does. It was great, though. Let's keep in the fold for future videos. Thanks again!
oscar caballero June 7, 2020 at 8:24 PM

When will the Spanish translation be thanks?
Jonathan Garcia June 7, 2020 at 5:17 PM

Very interesting video! I'm glad the interviewer asked him about his ssl buss compressor specifically. Most engineers I know hit that buss compressor pretty lightly, and keep the release time parked at "auto". He's hitting it quite hard (4 to 8 db of reduction!) with an attack time of 1 ms and a release time of 300 ms. This is a huge part of the sound, and it's probably one of the reasons he's able to keep the chains a bit simpler on individual tracks. The bus compression is doing most of the heavy lifting, and those particular settings (which I hadn't tried before) really do sound great.
Mike Wallace June 28, 2020 at 1:07 PM

enjoyed your comment.
David Ashford June 6, 2020 at 7:47 PM

I enjoyed this serious so much - thank you! It's great to see the divergent methods that top mixers have developed. One of the things that always shines in Bob Clearmountain's mixes is the well-crafted ambience that goes from anonymous to up-front attitude. He's distilled a lifetime of experience, masterful technique and an intricate signal chain into an amazing plugin, and it's clear that it's legit a part of his workflow, in conjunction with the other ambience tools he describes.
Chuck Swicegood June 2, 2020 at 4:25 AM

This was basically an advertisement for his plugins. Bob is great, but this was disappointing.
Gareth Williams June 1, 2020 at 11:09 PM

Really enjoyed that, thank you - especially part 4 where he gets into his philosophy and the focus on simplicity and working quickly - fascinating contrast with other mixers.
Sean Friday June 1, 2020 at 1:15 PM

Great info from the legend all his mixes are so great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Merril Bradshaw June 1, 2020 at 1:13 PM

Great video with many hidden gems. Keep these coming Mr. Clearmountain !!
Ricki Rae June 1, 2020 at 1:41 AM

Thank you Bob! So good
Russell Miller May 31, 2020 at 11:30 PM

absolutely wonderful! thankyou. would love to see Bob mixing/deconstructing a live track and all the work that goes into getting clarity from sometimes less than perfect recordings due to live scenario. this was great!

About Bob Clearmountain

Bob Clearmountain is an American recording engineer, mixer, and producer. He began playing bass guitar as a teen and became fascinated by recording technology. Upon the splitting up of his band, he secured a job as assistant engineer at Media Sound studios in NYC. Throughout the '70s, Clearmountain made his mark on successful disco albums by Chic and Sister Sledge. The early '80s brought further opportunities with superstars Bryan Adams, Roxy Music, David Bowie, Hall & Oates, INXS, Bruce Springsteen,...

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