Where Your Mix Lives™
Bob Clearmountain’s Personalized FX Signal Chain Recreated in a Simple, Powerful Plugin
Where Your Mix Lives™
Bob Clearmountain’s Personalized FX Signal Chain Recreated in a Simple, Powerful Plugin
HOME/VISUALIZER
INPUT
DELAY
PITCH/REVERB
MIXER
HOME/VISUALIZER
INPUT
DELAY
PITCH/REVERB
MIXER
OVERVIEW
For decades, engineers, producers, and musicians have marveled at Bob Clearmountain’s mixes. Recordings by iconic artists like David Bowie, Chic, Roxy Music, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, INXS, and so many more, are prime examples of how Clearmountain’s work elevated the role of “the mixer” to that of an essential creative partner in the process of making records. Clearmountain’s ability to build a soundscape and atmosphere where voices and instruments seem to effortlessly live in an intimate space but all blend together seamlessly set new standards for mixing. And, his artistry and passion to reveal the true character of the song and highlight the emotion of the music, gets to the heart of what inspired the song from its inception.
While this is a craft honed over a career of many experiences, accomplishments and hit records, there are secrets that can be shared and Clearmountain’s Domain offers one of Bob’s most refined and important techniques in a simple and streamlined plugin.
Apogee’s Clearmountain’s Domain plugin reproduces Bob Clearmountain’s personalized FX signal chain for creating the cohesive spaces, expansive dimensions, and rich atmospheres where his mixes live. Classic presets help you to recreate the sonic environment of your favorite Clearmountain mixes. Advanced views reveal Clearmountain’s decades of expertise and empower you to create your own musical mix domain.
HIGHLIGHTS
Clearmountain’s Personalized FX Signal Flow
• Pre Delay/Reverb De-esser
• Pre Delay/Reverb EQ
• Stereo Delay with Spin Time Compensation
• Delay Blur (Saturation)
• Stereo Unison to Octave Pitch-Shift
• Clearmountain Spaces Convolution Reverbs
• FX Mixer
Clearmountain’s Classic Presets
Clearmountain Spaces, Convolution Reverbs
Real Time FX Visualizer
Clearmountain’s Hardware FX Workflows Made Accessible in your DAW
Over decades of mixing hit songs, Clearmountain has developed a complex and personalized hardware FX signal chain for creating the imaginary soundscapes where musical elements each have their own space and dimension, but remain cohesive to the whole. This FX signal chain, developed over decades, involves an entire studio’s worth of hardware gear – live echo chambers, delays, harmonizers, de-essers, EQs and a large format SSL analog mixing console. And lots of patch cords…so many patch cords! Reproducing this complicated interconnection of hardware using individual plugins in a DAW proved to be almost impossible. With Clearmountain’s Domain, it’s refreshingly simple to achieve Bob’s results with a mere click on a preset.
Classic presets make it easy to access iconic Clearmountain sounds and create your own
Thanks to the Clearmountain Classic presets, you don’t need an Engineering degree to get started – instead, start with the awe-inspiring sounds you know and love from your favorite Clearmountain mix!
Bob has carefully created each preset based on specific instruments and processing from his extensive catalog of timeless hit mixes. Looking to nail the Bowie “Let’s Dance” guitar and vocal delay or the Springsteen “Born in the USA” snare sound? Simply load the presets!
Hear Clearmountain’s Domain Classic Presets
FX on and FX Bypassed Comparisons
"Born in the USA" intro
"Let's Dance" rhythm guitar
"Jungleland" live sax solo
Custom Impulse Responses of
Clearmountain's Reverb Spaces
Earlier in his career, Bob leaned heavily on physical rooms and chambers for realistic and unique reverb – for example, the custom designed echo chambers at his MixThis studios in Los Angeles. Once convolution reverb technology allowed him to “capture” the characteristics of his favorite rooms as digital impulse response files, he was free to use all his favorite spaces no matter their location. With Clearmountain’s Domain, you now have access to these spaces, the very ones used on countless hit mixes.
PRODUCT TOUR
You’ll find all the settings you expect – and a few you don’t – for configuring the stereo delays. Set delay time according to session tempo or tap tempo; link Spin (feedback) for both sides and alter its routing; EQ each side independently; add Blur (saturation) for a crunchy, lo-fi sound.
Pitch Shift/Reverb
Create subtle or outlandish sounds with up to an octave (+-) Delay Pitch Shift plus Random pitch modulation. Then send the perfect mix of direct, delay and pitched delay to any or all three reverbs. Now we’re deep in the Domain!
Mixer
Create the ideal mix of the five FX processes – delay, pitch-shifted delay, and Bob’s three personalized convolution reverbs, then set the blend between the dry and wet signal.
System Requirements
Mac:
- macOS 10.12.6 and higher
- 4 GB minimum RAM, 8GB of higher recommended
Free Pace iLok account – physical iLok not required
Windows:
- Windows 10 and higher
- 4 GB minimum RAM, 8 GB or higher recommended
- Free Pace iLok account – physical iLok not required
AAX Native, AU, VST or VST 3 Compatible Host Application
What People are Saying
NEIL DORFSMAN
Grammy Winning Producer/Engineer/Mixer
Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Sting
“So, That’s how it’s done!! I’ve wanted something like this for years. In past “mix-in-the box” sessions, I’ve spent a ton of time — often unsuccessfully— trying to create aspects of these set-ups and have been frustrated by having to use multiple plug-ins without getting exactly what I’ve wanted. This has a clean, comprehensive design, sound and user-interface allowing total and intuitive control over all essential aspects of the sound and vibe. Just great!”
MARK SPIKE STENT
Grammy Winning Mixer/Producer
Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Cardi B, Lady Gaga
“I really love it!
Hugely creative and gives great depth and dimension, the controller is fab!”
THERON FEEMSTER aka NEFF-U
Grammy Winning Songwriter/Producer/Composer
Movie “Roma”, Justin Bieber, Train, Kendrick Lamar
“Clearmountain’s Domain is the perfect place to discover, create and be inspired. Cooking up sounds you never heard before.”
JOEY RAIA
Mixer/Engineer
Run The Jewels, Aesop Rock, Nick Hook, Tuka
“Clearmountain’s Domain is a powerhouse! It’s your one stop shop for everything you need to create depth, space, and movement in your mix. My new go-to for synth pads and vocals. It’s an intuitive, well thought out interface that lets you experiment and make adjustments quickly, keeping you creative and not confused. “
ROSS HOGARTH
Grammy Winning Producer/Engineer/Mixer
Van Halen, The Doobie Brothers, Keb’ Mo’, Ziggy Marley,
Dweezil Zappa
“I am absolutely loving the new plugin. It’s awesome, so much fun to play with and it’s incredibly flexible! Very intuitive – what used to take me a pile of plugins can now be done better with one – Clearmountain’s Domain! “
TCHAD BLAKE
Grammy Winning Producer/Engineer/Mixer/Musician
Sheryl Crow, U2, Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel
“If you really want to learn about Bob’s sonic universe, the Clearmountain’s Domain plugin is an eye-opening education.”
AVRIL MACKINTOSH
Producer/Engineer
Ronan Keating, Louise, TYNI
“It’s THE 80’s vibe brought right up to date without all the patching and crazy SSL console routing. No more painstaking filling in/checking of recall sheets – Its all there instantly at the click of a mouse! It sounds amazing and is very tweakable.”
DON MIGGS
Producer/Composer/Guitarist
Whole Damn Mess, William Corgan, Mick Fleetwood, Boyz II Men, Tyler Florence/Food Network
“I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this plugin. Thank you a million times over. Simple and robust, it’s become my first “idea” to add to a track…”
DAVE WAY
Producer/Mixer/Engineer
Fiona Apple, Echo In The Canyon, A Bad Think, Michael Jackson
“Clearmountain’s Domain is my fave recent plug-in purchase. For all of us who’ve wondered and marveled at how Bob creates such a unique, three dimensional picture, this will give you the tools and some insight into how he approaches “space”. Sure the presets are awesome and fun and are authentic to the famous tracks they’re associated with, but this plug-in packs a big punch in terms of tweakability so you can easily sculpt things and create an environment that suits a track perfectly. It can get crazy and complex, or just keep it simple and right. But the secret seems to be in how these sit in a track with personality yet stay in the back and let vocals, drums, guitars etc. keep their punch and focus. Quite a few great reverb convolutions combined with eq, de-essing, pitch shifting, delays, all discrete L&R panning, cross feeding… lots of options! I’ve had it for two months and I feel like I’m still just standing in the foyer admiring the artwork on the walls.”
Clearmountain Essentials Playlist
An essential curated list from Bob’s catalog of work that was the inspiration for Clearmountain’s Domain Plugin.
Listen on Spotify
See More Plugins from Apogee
See More Plugins
from Apogee
Including the only Pultec EQs authorized by Pultec hardware manufacturer Pulse Techniques
Check out Mix This! Bob’s Personal Studio
Check out Mix This!
Bob’s Personal Studio
Bob with Theron “Neff-U” Feemster. Winning at Mix This! Studio.
Bob with Theron “Neff-U” Feemster. Winning at Mix This! Studio.