Mixing with Depth w/ Chris Lord-Alge | Ep. 3 - The Sound

Learn how to add depth to your mixes with the CLA Epic plugin: www.waves.com/...
Watch the full “Mixing with Depth” series: www.waves.com/...
Watch mix legend Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Muse) as he opens a session and shows you firsthand how he uses his reverb and delay methods to deliver true depth, space and dimension on vocals, drums, and the entire mix.
Music: “2020 Vision”
Performed by Bald Man
Music & lyrics by Kurt Deimer and Benjamin Lake Trechsel
Produced and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge

[@waves]

Watch the full series: www.waves.com/depth

[@igormajdandzic7587]

Would be nice to have the song with the FX CLA talks about turned on and one version with FX off

[@MartinMillerGuitar]

It's a delight to watch masters at work.

[@manuele.itriagom.728]

Facts

[@lootsniteproject2329]

So Inspiring

[@ashleeisaac12]

Your cover band videos are the best! Perfection and soul combined into one!

[@TheAffeMaria]

Chris Lord Alge not only has Vanilla. He also has Chocolate. Strawberry. And Raspberry.

[@ramencurry6672]

He’s probably a great cook and should make some videos.

[@joeking9760]

xD

[@tomassalcedo1196]

Multiple reverbs on each bus, and delay plugins running through the reverb to soften the repetitions and make them blend into the overall mix better. Super useful and intuitive.

[@huanhosedubo]

De acuerdo.

[@BobJones-bh9qz]

Like a guitar players pedalboard

[@phoenixmediaforge]

Its amazing that he had to tell people that though.

[@pepe7drum]

So should I send my bus mixes to each mix bus instead of each instrument?

[@Andybaby]

Is CLA sending the return from the delays.. into a 'regular channel' ( ie which has the same aux sends), and sending the delay to the reverb THAT way? (Ok, on my Mackie 1202 the effects returns go straight to the master buss..)

[@blouistu101]

“You have to have the ambience talk to each other.” I love that.

[@russangel]

This man is a total artist, his methods and technique are not only fascinating but awe inspiring. We are witnessing one of histories genius at work here.

[@user-ls5uw1bz1c]

I am a complete newbe. Chris lost me at "mixing with depth". I will come back to this video in a few years. Right now Chris might as well be teaching Hebrew. I am lost and confused. But I do admire his studio.

[@gillihansmobilewelding]

Good luck brother. My advice is focus on learning eq and frequency manipulation above all else. Then, learn compression. Everything else is sprinkles in a cup cake.

[@IamSooConstipated]

Introducing CLA One-Knob. Just turn the knob and get 4 different reverbs, a quarter note delay, a slap echo, a 3k bump, some stereo chorus, and some analog overdrive warmth. Put it on anything, including the master bus, just like Chris! LoL

[@damienlott]

You missed the 8th note delay and the ursa, the rest is right.

[@manifestgtr]

Also, it automatically detects the input source and conforms perfectly 👍

[@dr4g0n76]

The funny thing: I guess this is CLA Epic VST now. Isn't it? haha. So it's existing now.

[@justindfrazier]

I will now be naming my reverb returns “Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Raspberry”

[@roberthunt1540]

WTF just happened?! Reverb and FX are my Holy Grail. I just learned more about this in fourteen minutes than in the last four years. This man is such a great teacher. And now I want a big ass console with $75,000 worth of outboard reverbs ; - )

[@kenbongaards554]

Heck i'd give up my first born to have what CLA has!!!

[@GregoryStephenSchumacher]

I was mixing multiple reverbs in the 80's but had no idea what I was doing, and there was no youtube or anyone sharing knowledge, and all knowledge was behind locked studio doors. Chris, man, that song is incredible. Wow.

[@seibastudio3863]

I don't know what it is about CLA but watching his stuff always makes me THINK differently. Always something to learn!!!

[@dennisgrammusic3414]

you can't imitate that it has nothing to do with the console, he just has a talent to get everything out of a song ... admire this guy🙏

[@ErnieDouglas]

55 year old sound tech/engineer/mixer/producer here. Been using multiple hardware classic reverbs intertwined on single channels/groups/multiple groups/stereo mix... & multiple delays interwined with those reverbs since my I got my first Yamaha R1000/Rev 7/SPX90, Lexicon PCM 40/60 reverbs and Roland SDE3000/RE201 Tape Space Echo, Deltalab Effectron & Korg SDD3000 delays back in the early to later 80's. F**** ME I'm gettin' old!

[@madmuso5]

Perhaps you can answer a common question people have. When he has the vocals solo he can pull up any of the fx return faders and you can hear the vocals being effected. So the vocals are being sent to every fx unit. Then he does the same with the drums and gtr solo. So how does he set the fx returns faders for the drums without it stuffing up a different balance he wants for other instruments? Something im not getting when it comes to the routing it seems.

[@user-sd7eb6jq9y]

I like it when he mentions the icecream flavors.

[@golddee2040]

he lost me at raspberry. I don't know what it is, but it seems raspberry cheesecake and ice cream are just so fake.

[@DanUpdegraff]

Off topic, but its interesting how "old school" console mixers seldom had their head in the sweet zone between the speakers and still managed to make good choices.

[@damonwicketts1638]

I've always wondered about that, they clearly have to move across the console to make changes.

[@SamBorgman]

Or maybe the sweet zone is wider if the studio is well built?

[@davidasher22]

You only need to reference from a sweet spot. You don’t need to keep your ears there for the entire mix. Also, the more you know your room the less important that specific spot becomes. I’m sure at certain points in the mix CLA will center himself and take a good listen.

[@Charlyfromthenuclearcity]

@@damonwicketts1638 From a personal experience, I like listening from different places in my room. It makes me hear things differently, with a sound less "direct" more relatable to how people are actually going to listen to the song.

[@martinheath5947]

One of the best places to listen critically to a mix is from outside the room with the door open

[@GretschGod]

Phil X was definitely on this track. That BV and those solo licks are unmistakeable.

[@leonardobadilla3374]

I love the camera view showing us how the console has been set up by Chris, very nice idea !

[@damienlott]

Yes, that's huge. And it haven't happened before. I would like to see the other side of the desk

[@ctld5266]

@@damienlott it show the // instrument buss eq never easily seen on others video tut. It show Drum crush eq. The pcm 42 eq, and snr+kcik // eq betwen organ and throw channel

[@philippgrunert8776]

This is the single best Video on mixing i have Seen... Ever... Period

[@SamBorgman]

Same here.

[@MixChecks]

Have you seen his other videos though?

[@philippgrunert8776]

@@MixChecks yes, it was this one that clarified a series of Things though

[@MixChecks]

@@philippgrunert8776 Gotcha. My biggest take away from one of his other videos is not being afraid to make drastic moves. I think he cranked 15dB of Hi shelf EQ on some Muse guitars.

[@philippgrunert8776]

@@MixChecks i though find myself boosting highs less and less and rather use slight Saturation (exept for Drums). Gives a Smoothie top end imho. It ist the Same Delay/Reverbs for me. I Generally Mix to dry and He Just boosts the reverb to the max. But i am No pro, what do i know. Thanks for pointing it Out!

[@aeonslight]

This is probably the most useful mixing video I have ever watched.

[@MacReviewzOnline]

I'm also closely watching the way CLA speaks - and the mannerisms... There is something fascinating about it. The pauses...the inhaling I'm a sound engineer, but I'm also in the film/dialogue world - so he defiantly has a special rhythm going on.

[@mickeymiguel2726]

CLA is Mixing effects and the same time creating a new effects, purely Genius

[@RobbDizzl]

Looking forward to the „CLA Depth“-Plug-in reveal.

[@KenMyrheim]

"OneKnob CLAer" :)

[@codeblk3169]

@@KenMyrheim lol

[@paulallen6849]

The screenshot of the plugin looks like a bank of faders. I'm expecting his fx auxes/buses in a plugin. Overlapping reverb/delays etc. Not sure if that will be the black friday plugin....

[@TinoSchulz1990]

@@paulallen6849 I think that might be it. Like a StudioRack on steriods.

[@ernestbuckley8671]

Love CLA! His passion is contagious and his sense of humor is greatly appreciated. Keep rocking!

[@TheTombstone99]

Great Advice on the multiple Reverbs. Highly appreciated

[@alexcriptoman676]

These awesome old scool mixing techniques!! Warren Huart from "Produce Like a Pro", Gregory Scott "The House of Kush", presenters at "Mix with the Masters" and now Chris Lord-Alge, all this knowledge is pure gold.

[@kodykindhart8230]

Mix bus tv Rick beato White Sea studio Super secret studios 🤫🤫🤫

[@stephenbruce5431]

This is one of the most ridiculously fantastic tutorials I’ve ever watched. There’s nothing more inspiring than learning from a master. Great stuff!!!

[@LesVegasMusic]

My God! This has been the best part of my week for the past three weeks! I look forward to it and always can't wait for the next episode. I absolutely love seeing Chris working on the board - a very rare experience that can be absolutely be translated in the box. I am so very thankful for this series. So nice of Chris and Waves to produce this and with no mention or promotion of Waves plugins. My respect for Waves has always been high, but producing this kind of content and making it accessible to all for free - well now you've got a dedicated customer forever. I can't thank you enough. ✌🏼❤️

[@ctld5266]

there VOD of CLA on Puremix and Mixwiththemaster where he remix full songs (Daughtry , Muse, etc...)

[@phadrus]

Oh, I’m sure the product promo is coming :) It’s good though.

[@MixChecks]

@@phadrus Does promoting a free product count?

[@hannahmillington5781]

I love the full tilt on the faders then his ear tells him where to back them off to in a fraction of a second. Talk about experience.

[@janijszentkiralyiofficial]

CLA is king ! I love watching him and everytime inspires me to go and work on something and be creative !

[@QuabmasM]

How much you wanna bet that he will do it in the box using the new Black Friday plugin that comes out this week? lol

[@SamBorgman]

Lol everything is a promo

[@RichieCastellano]

Take my money lol

[@MarcoStillSeasonsCattaneo]

@@RichieCastellano Would't need money, plugin will be free

[@zachary963]

@@RichieCastellano Don’t have to. It’s free!

[@mischaminnee]

​lol

[@ShivSagar010]

Thank You Very Much! 🙂🙏

[@MoghulVeyron]

The separation in this mix is awesome

[@kelvinfunkner]

first few videos felt like warmups running in place and going no where...this was the MAIN EVENT so far!!!! Loved it....probably my favorite Waves video ever. Any chance at getting a template or presets after this is all done???? now THAT would be epic!

[@Suyarmanto27J2020]

It's really amazing how Chris combines the effects of delay and reverb in one nice sound

[@a.scheder1183]

He"s still using NS-10 instead of CLA-10.

[@TheRealCowlick]

Yeah his version sounds nothing like the originals

[@kodykindhart8230]

Why change???

[@IntheDAW]

@@kodykindhart8230 because he marketed and told people he threw the originals out.lol

[@homeworldmusic]

I feel like I should be paying for this demonstration. Geez, such a good teacher.

[@CrownofAegis]

Wow… the best block of instruction yet.. thank you!

[@Doctorfingertips]

Inspiring! I'm truly grateful Chris Thank you so much for sacrificing so much to make these educational videos. God bless you.

[@resington]

Phil X! Incredible singing on this.

[@jdigital1]

Absolutely BIG difference in Sound and Dimension! Great workflow and techniques🤘

[@pacificbase]

What each reverb is doing ? One for mids, one low mids, two other for , both kind of highs and mids, ..i don't know. Anybody figured this out ?

[@madmuso5]

During the vocal fx demonstration he was also pulling up the drum fx returns which indicates the vocals are being sent to not just the dedicated vocal fx units but the drum ones too. So if the drum fx units have both the drums and vocals being sent to them how is he able to set the return levels independently for drums and vocals? He then does the same with the gtr solo, it shares the same fx units as the drums and vocals.

[@PereRevert]

Oh man, that SONY Reverb alone makes his iconic drum sound...just listening to that Reverb I know is a CLA mix, the Bricasti adds some character too but for me that SONY is key. An eye-opener for sure. The plugin developper that makes a software emulation of that Reverb will be my hero, and of course it will be an instant buy for me.

[@nolanneal]

What's amazing to me is... Chris doesn't HAVE to do any of this stuff. He's made more money than God mixing records. Literally the best job in the world .. He's only doing these videos and promos because he has a passion for making records sound amazing - and he wants you and me to make OUR records sound better! Point blank. Anyone in the YT comments making fun of or picking on CLA because he sells plugins.... well, you're just bad because YOU ain't selling plugins. Chris Lord Alge is a legend. And we should all be grateful that he and his brother Tom've been kind enough to share the euphonic formulas that took them decades to concoct!

[@MarlonKingShow]

What a good lad our Chris is. Some solid demonstrations there. Cool track, reminded me a little of the TMNT soundtrack if it was blended with The Darkness.

[@MichaelDTaylortHEMADProducer]

Thank You! A lesson i needed to hear....

[@floydlacayo3283]

Thank you very much for sharing this essential knowledge Mr. Alge and Waves. 🙏✌️

[@troykane]

Great Video. There is so much to this mixing. Having it explained like this is awesome.

[@RichieCastellano]

This is a really fun series. Thanks for doing it!

[@andrewarbogast1]

Thanks for the video. Never thought to use multiple reverbs on drums. I tried abbey road plate, abbey road chamber, a room verb and a gated reverb. It will be my new go to moving forward!!!

[@owentilbedtime]

Did it cause cpu issues? My first thought was to do the same but I’m sure it would crash ?

[@andrewarbogast1]

@@owentilbedtime no issues for me but I went away from using multiple reverbs on drums. Using one really good plugin sends seems to work just fine.

[@DynamicRockers]

CLA uses both Aux Sends and Bus routing to FX. I really want to see if Sends are pre or post-fader and how he manages the individual levels to the FX Bus. Nice video!

[@AnoopKammaran]

Thats the problem with videos like these... They ultimately want us to buy the plugin and so won't give us enough info to do it ourselves without the plugin...

[@yourgen1891]

Tanks a lot from Paris.

[@manifestgtr]

I actually achieve this quite simply. The CLA vocal actually ends up on most of my lead vocals (I know…🤦‍♂️) so when you send that off to your verb buss, the verb is seeing the delays as well. Obviously, guitar and keyboard delays don’t get the same treatment…but I usually haul those off to echoboy or something and dump THAT delay buss into the reverb as well. It’s not rocket science…but it does make a massive difference.

[@kevinsturges6957]

This is absolutely revolutionary and brilliant, but here’s the part I completely don’t understand about your workflow: I see you taking the vocals and mixing all those effects until they’re just right. Then I see you doing the same thing to the drums with their own completely separate mix of those effects. So how do you do the entire mix?? Do you get the vocals right with all the effects and then mix that down to a stereo stem, and do the same thing with the drums? Or is there a way you mix all these effects at once over the entire project?

[@hyderdar]

Yes

[@MixChecks]

You could bounce down stems or you could just adjust the sends on each channel instead of the return faders like he was demonstrating

[@pandemic7]

@@MixChecks Just to be clear, are you saying the way to do this is create 4 delays, each in its own bus, each delay with its own “set it and forget it” setting, then send each delay to its own separate reverb bus. Then send, drums, guitars, vocals, etc. to whichever delay (and subsequently a reverb) that’s best suits the track?

[@MixChecks]

@@pandemic7 I think you're talking about recreating the plugin, in which case, yes that's how you could do it.

[@pandemic7]

@@MixChecks Yeah, I was thinking about it in the box. Thanks!

[@cc11studio]

Great session as always Chris. This song ROCKS!

[@6ansil]

I didn't understand how he managed those different reverbs and delays. Does he have every reverb on a different channel, so that every sound (vocals, drums etc.) goes throught various channels (like having 4 buss channels for drums with each one reverb), or is it more like having one channel for drums, with all reverbs in accumulation? Anyone got that?

[@noahdanielstephens8037]

I have only worked in Pro Tools and not on a real console, but if I understand correctly, it’s your first option. I believe the channels on the left are the returns, where each different reverb or delay is coming back into the console. Every channel (that he wants to) has already been pre-set to send to the FX a certain amount, and he is creating movement by riding the returns, not the sends. Maybe someone else can chime in too :)

[@dirkbrouns5293]

Nice video. Honestly - the magic is in his ears. Setting this up in a DAW is actually very straight forward and I would argue that with an 8 fader controller you can actually do much more than on a console the way CLA is doing it.

[@OdinOfficialEmcee]

The overall concept is sort of like serial compression. One compressor knocking of 25 db typically sounds bad. 5 compressors knocking of 5 db each typically sounds a lot better. Spread your processing out a bit and with each unit working less it comes together in a nicer picture

[@DynamicRockers]

I thought about the same. 2x reverbs is always denser than 1x with density all the way.

[@MixChecks]

That OR blending the snare track with a sampled snare. The 2 sounds add to each other to create a new more interesting sound :)

[@mickeymiguel2726]

Flawless explanation of the mixing game

[@1siriuswolf]

Effing brilliant Chris! Thanks for everything you do. Be safe and well brother 🌙

[@Aldorelaxingguitar]

Nice explanation and you can really hear how they combine to create a full sounding mix! Ciao, ALDO

[@TrifectaDev]

Thank you for painting the picture. Very exciting

[@MKD371]

I must be missing something. You can get a balance of delays and verbs for a guitar sound, because the combo is set up to treat each sound, but what happens when the whole mix is playing through the delay and reverb busses. Obviously with the plugin, it can be put as and insert for each track, which CLA suggests, but with a desk it seems impossible to do for individual instruments, unless you print each stem after the fact.

[@maininsanestudiostudioflor3119]

Thank you soooo much!!! larger then life mixing! sheer bliss;)

[@mickeymiguel2726]

A flawless Genius

[@dwaynearthur1476]

Wow , he’s doing what I have been dreaming of doing but couldn’t explain.

[@MixChecks]

CLA - "Making dreams a reality since 2020"

[@mickeymiguel2726]

This man is out of this world

[@BrianMikasa]

Im confused as to why he's throwing up the faders on the return channels instead of a send knob on the actual track the vocals are on or the vocal bus. If he's using the return channels to mitigate how much effect is sent to the vocal tracks, how will he use those same return channels to other instruments that need different amounts of that effect?

[@normclemis1221]

It is explained in the previous video.

[@JiihaaS]

Maybe it's just more convinient to demonstrate these methods to the viewers this way? His actual mixing process might be a bit different.

[@loveistheonlything3626]

What a great man. Thanks for gving us a glimps of your wisdom.

[@petey604]

Love those guitars at the beginning!

[@wongsanggar]

Make more series like this with your artists, Waves! Greg, Manny, Joseph Puig, and so on

[@krsticmilosh]

Well the truth is that digital is never going to replace analogue because the only thing that digital does is replicating analogue sounds. So always thank you very much this is very educational.

[@MariJu1ce]

imo the best digital stuff is the plugins that don't try to emulate, there's a lot of stuff you can do digital that you cant analog too.

[@krsticmilosh]

@@MariJu1ce truth, but still all the best music production is like this 90% analog

[@JK_35]

Saw a leak that the new plug-in is called the echospeare or something close to that. So probably a verb delay combo plugin

[@uriel-heavensguardian8949]

I love watch you work!!! You’re absolutely awesome!!!!

[@SamBorgman]

This was probably the most helpful and secret pro tip I’ve ever learned. Thanks Waves and CLA!

[@StewTheTrue]

guys a total G

[@TheBlackhat97]

He makes me wonna cook. joks away so inspiring, being good at somthing & being humble about it, it's the real vanilla.

[@phoenixmediaforge]

Thanks Chris. I'm not going to bother watching the "in the box" episode though because you will never get me to stop using my consoles. Yes, plural, lol.

[@teddinardo8944]

rock on Chris keep up the great work with waves

[@MatthewMcGurty]

Confused about the send bit. Would you set up say the vocals going into two reverbs, and a delay but the delay is also being sent to the reverbs. Then print that... OK vocals done. Let's do the drums. Or we sending everything through all these reverbs and delays at the same time?? Surely not??? That'd be doing some wild stuff wouldn't it?

[@damienlott]

Cool! Wow, that Rev 1 sounds really weird. I like a lot the idea of combining different flavors. Still unsure how he shares his sends for guitars/drums/vocals. Sends the same amount of everything?

[@littlestudio1287]

I think CLA prints every instrument/group of instruments making rides/automation.

[@damienlott]

@@littlestudio1287 but he sets his sends before and without automation

[@philippgrunert8776]

I Wonder of they actually have different predelays and If He Just uses more or less delay Tipp Herr that effect. Or If that constant flaming ist what its abour

[@ctld5266]

on drums he only send room, toms, btm snare, and sample. -5db to Sony + Bricasti, and to EMT + Yamaha. From all the vid I saw, He rely the most on Sony and Bricasti. For rythm guitar no verb, For clean he uses URSA, as well as for Solo, where he uses the full package fx (inclueded H3000 Dense verb and micropitch sometimes)

[@TheOpenJam]

@@ctld5266 Hey, how come the sliders are all up but the reverb effect is subtle? is the effect send itself low? (never used a console, only ITB, hence me wondering)

[@quadrod]

I'm guessing this one big informercial for a CLA plugin.

[@SoundcastStudios]

yes but also has a ton of valuable info here.

[@bmyregaard]

Um, pretty cool informercial. But I getcha. The informercial "tips" are all over the place!

[@BlackenedNL]

Just enjoy the content from this legend

[@quadrod]

... and it's called CLA Epic.

[@JacobRestituto]

he's a great teacher

[@famusaaa]

Wow this was great insight I figured there were more than just adding one reverb or delay to get the job done. I’ll take this into consideration

[@death174128]

Bald man!

[@srinip]

This is an eye-opener, for sure!

[@AkashMathuria]

This has opened up a new perspective altogether for me to mix my songs! Lots of love and respect :)

[@treeoflifeguitars]

"I also have raspberry" Love it!

[@TheFRiNgEguitars]

Actually a good song that almost all other tutorials lack, A-Plus!

[@NathanBoehm]

B a l d m a n

[@bigkid757]

Chris’ Epic plugin is awesome

[@jettjaguar8150]

thank you for the outstanding content ..... sounds amazing ....

[@jd-wg6cj]

Thanks for sharing this. Really really useful.

[@nicesolo7651]

Fun fact Alex Tumay learned how to mix vocals under CLA

[@joaomardegan8263]

Amazing, thank you so much Waves Audio

[@S9MusicProd]

Great to see ! But what about the mud that can eventually build up with all this in the context of full mix?

[@MixChecks]

EQ your reverb buses

[@jetdeleon]

This is so great. Thank you so much CLA!

[@marzdeep88]

game changing info!!! Mind Blown!

[@GoToEleven11]

That has to be Phil X on the lead guitar.

[@FloydAtema]

was thinking the same about the vocal harmonies!

[@oranmoked1]

That IS Phil X on lead guitar AND on vocal harmonies