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October 2021
roducer and mix engineer Bob Clearmountain has worked with some of the biggest artists in the industry—Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen are among the names that sparkle on his inch-thick resume. Like many in the business, he got his start in a band. When things didn’t work out group-wise, he asked if he could hang at N.Y.C. studio Mediasound. As a relative newbie, he came with hat in hand but also with some engineering experience in pocket. He was hired as a runner and expected to serve for at least a year in that lowly position. But on his first day, he was tapped to assist on a Duke Ellington session. He now works almost exclusively from Mix This!, his Los Angeles home studio, which is powered primarily by 72 solar panels. Earlier in his career, he produced as regularly as he’d mix. On those occasions, he’d often bring in a separate engineer so that he could concentrate on his primary task. An outsider would also bring fresh ears to a record. “I did the Pretenders’ Get Close with Jimmy Iovine,” he recollects. “It seemed like he was on the phone all the time. That was good, though, because he’d come in with all these musicconnection.com 63 good ideas and keep out of my hair.” – ROB PUTNAM Despite his enormous number of ... lessons he’s learned as a credits, Clearmountain often found mix engineer and producer are: large projects to be a challenge, but for less than obvious reasons. “When • Gear doesn’t matter. People I worked on the Bon Jovi record, there pay $30,000 for a Fairchild were so many people involved,” he compressor. I can make my recalls. “There was someone from the little LA-3A distressor sound label, a manager, maybe two or three just like a Fairchild. Just put different writers and they all had their everything on really slow attack and release. opinions. I felt like I was pulled in five different directions. The Bryan Adams • Find something that you love song ‘Everything I Do’ was another to do and are good at––hopecase where there were a lot of people fully they’re the same thing. involved. It felt like the phone was ringFor me, that was mixing. If ing constantly. I knew it was destined you’re really good at it, try to to be a huge hit and it took us a week get to like it. to mix it because they were making a video at the same time. What you learn • If you’re serious about this, work as hard as you can. Do from all of that is patience. You can’t every session possible and get upset about anything. Whatever immerse yourself in the craft. happens, you just deal with it.” If you’re not going to make it a The range of gear he’s used over total priority, then you should the years approaches incalculable. But doing something else. riginally Buffalo, NY, musician andbe producer Dave Schulz there are a fewfrom pieces that stand out started the piano when he was 11. He went on to play locally for him. “The on Apogee converters make and win various awards. Toward the ‘90s he got a“It’s callafrom everything sound as good as possible,” thelate engineer says. great Robby Takac, bassist the Goo Dolls,Gand wasI’ve invited to play baseline to start from.with There’s alsoGoo the SSL series. worked on that keys forbasic themconsole at A Day in the Garden (aka Woodstock ’98). Schulz was same since about 1980. I can mix on just about anything then to join the band’s Dizzy the[as Girl tour, but ittapped won’t be as easy or sound as Up good with thespending SSL].” two years on the road. Clearmountain After his move completed to L.A., hework organized an for all-star jam night Recently on a mix Joe Bonamassa atand IanaCopeland’s Backstage Cafe.Cahoots. He’s since collaborated a remix of TheThe Band’s 1971 record In addition to hiswith bulging range of artists Wang Berlin andApogee CherieElectronics—he’s Currie, founding production and including mix portfolio, he Chung, collaborates with member The Runaways. married of to Betty Bennett, the company’s founder––on his Clearmountain His recent a charity cover of New Radicals’ “You Get plugins. Chiefundertaking among themwas is Clearmountain’s Domain, which features a customizable suite of delays, reverbs, harmonizers and EQs. His latest offerWhat You Give.” Artists involved include Currie, Takac and Bumblefoot, ing is Clearmountain Phases, which is aholds phaser based on a device that he formerly of Guns N’ Roses. “That song a special place for me used at the Power like Station in the ’80s. he’s worked with because it sounds a modern ToddAlthough Rundgren record and I’mcountless a huge prominent he’d“It still love toextremely log some studio U2 or Wilco. fan,” Schulzartists, explains. also felt timely.time Thewith message alone speaks to a lot of things today, such as venues being shut down, potenVisit mixthis.com; apogeedigital.com tially, by the pandemic and the general turmoil that COVID has caused. It will benefit The David Z Foundation, which helps kids with music education. It’s also aligned with Robby’s [Takac] Music is Art in Buffalo.” Schulz has always produced his own records and in the past few years
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DAVE SCHULZ
