Questions for Bob Clearmountain

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TapeOpAl
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Questions for Bob Clearmountain

Post by TapeOpAl » Sat Jan 23, 2010 4:07 am

I'm going to be interviewing Bob over the next couple of weeks - if anyone has any questions/specifics or details they're interested in - let me know and I'll try my best.

Thanks,
Al

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jv
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Post by jv » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:30 pm

I was going through a bunch of my old vinyl records yesterday, and pulled out "Can't Stand The Rezillos" and I happened to notice that it was produced & engineered by Bob Clearmountain. I hadn't listened to it in years, so I put it on and it sounded great! I guess I don't have any specific questions, but maybe you could ask him if he has any stories about recording that album? Being 1978, it must have been one of his earliest productions.

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Jitters
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Post by Jitters » Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:16 pm

Oh Hell yes! :P

The Rolling Stones 'Tattoo You' is such a great sounding record. Even as a kid I knew there was a SOUND to that record above and beyond the music. Flash forward and I find out that the album was put together with tracks cut all over the place over many years. It makes perfect sence that Bob would affect the tracks by giving them a heavy dose of 'color' to unify the collection, but I really would like to know what that 'color' is and where it came from.

Seriously, I've been dying to know this for YEARS!

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Post by cgarges » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:42 pm

Did he really start the NS10 thing? If so, how did he get into them?

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

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Post by Electro-Voice 664 » Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:33 pm

jv wrote:I was going through a bunch of my old vinyl records yesterday, and pulled out "Can't Stand The Rezillos" and I happened to notice that it was produced & engineered by Bob Clearmountain. I hadn't listened to it in years, so I put it on and it sounded great! I guess I don't have any specific questions, but maybe you could ask him if he has any stories about recording that album? Being 1978, it must have been one of his earliest productions.
+1 cool sounding record, especially the rhythm section
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Post by E-money » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:31 am

I'd love to hear some of his insights into Born in the USA.

I've always had a love/hate relationship with this album.
Love the songwriting, not so much on the recordings, would have been better without the 80s snare sounds and Yamaha DX7.

I guess I'm curious how/when he was brought in to mix? Was all the tracking already complete or did he oversee overdubs? Was Bruce present for the mix sessions? What were his overall impressions of the tracks? What issues did he run into? How long did it take? Did he realize at the time that it would be such a huge hit?

BTW, I loved when you guys did this for the Alan Parsons' interview. You asked my question and he answered it.
I'm going to have to dig that issue out again, can't remember his answer at this moment.
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Post by Z-Plane » Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:23 am

cgarges wrote:Did he really start the NS10 thing? If so, how did he get into them?

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC
And will there be a public apology ? :wink:

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Post by hakimcallier » Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:27 am

Hi E-Money,

Hopefully, you haven't finished interviewing Bob Clearmountain. I have been mixing for 5 years but I am really starting to develop my mixing chops and attracting some attention with my work. These are the questions I have for Bob at this stage in my development:
  • How do to emphasize an aggressive mix?
    How do you do to emphasize a delicate and intimate mix?
    Are there any special treatments to any instrument elements that are genre dependent?
    What do people mean when they ask you for a modern sound?
    How to you make a mix retro or vintage sounding but still relevant for today's audience?
    I've been debating with people that Chris Lord Alge learned his LCR panning style from you am I wrong?

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Post by cgarges » Thu Feb 04, 2010 1:28 pm

In all seriousness, ask him what kinds of things he does to establish a trust between artist and mix engineer, especially with difficult artists who have a specific vision.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

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Post by Nick Sevilla » Thu Feb 04, 2010 7:33 pm

Hi,

Please ask Bob :

"How do you get into the mind of the singer and get them to perform they way they want"?

That's what I need to know.

And tell him "THANK YOU" for all the great records he's made over the years.

Cheers
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Post by percussion boy » Sun Mar 28, 2010 4:21 pm

It's hard to know what to ask him. Judging by previous interviews, BC doesn't seem to know how he does what he does. Not that he's being secretive, more like there is no secret.
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Post by TapeOpAl » Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:42 am

percussion boy wrote:It's hard to know what to ask him. Judging by previous interviews, BC doesn't seem to know how he does what he does. Not that he's being secretive, more like there is no secret.
Ok, so the session was really busy meaning I didn't get to do the landmark BC interview I'd hoped for. I'm pitching Larry an insightful but brief "In the studio with Bob Clearmountain" article.

Percussion boy - this is actually pretty close to the truth!

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