Tom Lord-Alge's secret mixing techniques

Watch how Tom Lord-Alge mixes vocals and uses flanger in creative ways.
Full video available exclusively on mwtm.com/itt22
Join the iconic rock engineer Tom Lord-Alge, mixer of alternative and punk anthems from Blink-182, Avril Lavigne, Hanson, and many more. In this series, we sit alongside Tom as he digs into the multi-track session of Sum 41's breakthrough release, 'Fat Lip'. At Studios La Fabrique, he overviews the original analog recording and mixing process, demonstrates how the audio can be enhanced in the digital realm, and reveals his tricks for effective drum separation, sample triggering, flanging, and more. Operating in the box with console summing, you'll see Tom's daring use of effects, heavy compression, clever editing and EQ within Pro Tools. He also covers the important subjects of session setup and management, phase coherency, and gain staging with faders versus plug-ins. To finish off, TLA compares his three mixes - the analog original, the new hybrid (ITB with analog summing and mix compression), and the new digital (100% ITB)

[@ramptonprom9023]

Rumour has it that Tom and Chris Lord-Alge can actually create a flange effect by talking simultaneously

[@User-jk8wq]

High IQ joke right there lol

[@jamesstyle8646]

Brilliant lol

[@VarunDhabe]

What a joke haha!!

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

Yep, you flip the phase on one of them and you get a phaser👍

[@sebastiangut25]

Hahahaha 😂😂😂✌️

[@micahpacileo2307]

when the music kicked in his hair cut made sense

[@mandeepkalsi952]

facts

[@Rotseflava19]

😂😂😂

[@IfeeSound]

lol

[@666ACDCROCKNROLL666]

I hate that I understood this comment so fucking well at that moment.

[@Americafirst1984]

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[@benjic80]

Find a career that makes you this happy kids.

[@stinglikeabeee]

🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@nicholaskoziol2735]

I met Tom last year at the AES convention in NYC. Before I introduced myself to him, I witnessed him answer questions and speak with a young female engineer who recognized him on the street for 15 + minutes. The guy is extremely kind, informational, and pretty tall. So much respect for him.

[@IndyVisuals]

I haven’t seen anyone enjoys mixing a song this much that’s why he is a legend

[@SirDolittle]

I've never seen a mixing tutorial that had me this exited and on the edge of my seat! Tom is a natural entertainer as well as a genius mix engineer - how didn't I know that until now?

[@justinbonfinimusic]

I hope he unboxes Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. That album’s production is insane.

[@Sergio-nb4hj]

Definitely. One of the best productions of all time imo

[@LeifCoffield]

i fucking love that he knows the panning of every vocal cut and performs the best mime artistry to go with it. serious passion for his work, what a guy

[@guilhermediniz3901]

I just love how proud of that flanger effect he is

[@mattmadhouse]

kills me every time he says “how you doin’… hey i’m mixing over here” 😂😂😂 love this man

[@johndukeoneill]

Tom is the cool version of his brother

[@ytnsanw]

Certainly the more good-natured....

[@correametal]

Tom Lord-Alge makes everything so damn fun in mixing!!! It's probably the only mixing engineer that does not make me want to skip any part of the tutorial!!!

[@keithrichards4296]

When I attended an MWTM seminar in 2011, they asked us for suggestions of names we would like to see at MWTM. My answer was TOM LORD ALGE.

[@kevindietz6470]

Brilliant, what a legend!

[@crunchyfrog555]

That flange method I used to use DJ ing back in the day. USing two records of the same thing, and vary speed on one by lightly touching the spindle then give the turntable a quick flick to bring it back up. Really effective.

[@mrnelsonius5631]

The Beatles reel ADT (automatic double tracking) sounds are made the same way. Duplicating the sound and then varying the speed of the tape. I’m pretty sure that’s when and how flanging was discovered. All from phase issues (comb filtering)

[@crunchyfrog555]

@@mrnelsonius5631 I read that when I first read the Beatles recording sessions book (it's what inspired me to go and actually learn engineering). Artifical Double Tracking they CLAIM was the first use of flanging, but I don't think it is as there are (iirc) other uses long before that. But they certainly popularized or created the double tracking technique. I know part of it was a bit of fun with the name, as while it was the flange on the tape reels they apply pressure to, they went with "flanging" a bit to poke fun at John Lennon who was rather technically illiterate (famously once asked if he could have an operation to have a jack inserted into his vocal cords). I'm sure you know this already but I always find this sort of stuff fascinating.

[@krewcialofficial]

exactly, is a great alternative when you don't have access to a tape machine : load a bounced track into Serato or a free alternative and create the flange manually that way.

[@mrnelsonius5631]

Daniel Linger I do as well!! The 60s were a pretty amazing time with all the technological advances in music production and artists experimenting with it all. I listen to something like Darkside of The Moon and am just amazed with how incredible they made things sound, even though the technology wasn’t anywhere near what it is today. Now everyone wants their cutting edge software to sound like the comparatively rudimentary analog tech of decades ago haha

[@crunchyfrog555]

@@krewcialofficial absolutely. Plus it's nice to know why or how these things originated, becuase it can inspire new creation too. It's all too easy to click a few options in a DAW and get a result. But working with something even within software that you're manually wrangling the sound with is a brilliant thing to know.

[@JunkyardSam]

That legendary flange sweep! This was as fun to listen to as he seems to have had sharing his knowledge. Great video, fun & educational!

[@TonyAgassi]

Thats genius I love how all these subtle bits and pieces come together and make such an amazing composition.

[@kidkique]

If Rick Beato and Doc from Back to the Future combined into one person

[@geoffduncanmusic]

Awesome trick!! But what I love the most is how PUMPED Tom is to show us haha. Legend. Still sounds killer even after all this time. Thanks for sharing.

[@mrnelsonius5631]

He did a mix of a song for one of my bands that was INCREDIBLE. The label ended up worrying that it was “too rock” but the concern was misguided. It’s what the song needed and his just blew the other mixes out of the water. I’m difficult about mixes, I’ve started doing it myself and learning the ins and outs, but even at the time I knew his was really really special. He understands mixing for power, making every sound feel big and hefty without stepping on everything else making them feel small. That’s a very fine art of balancing right there :)

[@rotek824]

Holly cow Tom is such passionate man. I love how he's into it, really feeling it. Master.

[@P3X967]

tom seems much nicer than his brother

[@pstamatiou]

How dare you sir! they are both SPANKING good!

[@kurdtjohn]

I like his mixing better than Chris’

[@chrisgalactic]

Chris Lorde Alge is dope! He's just very confident lol

[@xanderpills]

Hehe same thoughts here. Always thought Chris isn't too inspired of telling about his tricks; see any of those Waves plugin ads for example. Hilarious in a way.

[@tjblackartist]

Haha. I was thinkin the same thing. But they both are very entertaining

[@Beatsnmotivation]

I like his energy and how much he cares about his work! Not a lot of people get that Excited about their work when they should bc its awesome work!

[@jrileyhill]

Hot tip for the flange trick: trackcontrol by dmg allows you to go forward or backward with delay, and it's free

[@RockinwithAviii]

Wow...Jet Engine was the perfect explanation for the vibe 😍loved the idea

[@rawkinj6609]

''Ay! I'm mixing over here! '' Great tips man! Thanks for these little videos, make this crazy world much more bareable! Rawk on!

[@whitestagcollective8856]

This is so cool. I love these mix with the masters clips.

[@blakepotter7937]

Tom is so charming and I think we all love him. More!

[@danialdevostmusic]

super cool to see this demonstrated, ive never found a flange plugin that really sounds like tape flanging so i will definitely have to use this

[@tobiasschmelzer3095]

The mix is awesome, unbelievable. Drums, guitar..

[@enlightenedapple]

this song is so good bc of the production value.

[@IntheDAW]

man tom has always just been the coolest. His brother CLA is amazing at getting mixes done but man Tom He just has this life to the way he loves what he does.

[@MasterOneMusic]

Going to work with this guy soon. What a joy would be to mix next to him!

[@angrybuzzy]

This guy is fantastic. The Lord-Alge brothers are legends for a reason.

[@Knutorius]

lol, the face when he's moving the fader.. ..but it sounds fantastic!

[@mrcherrytits]

A man you just couldn't help but like. What great energy.

[@paniproduce]

I used to love this song when i was a kid

[@mixedbydk]

you both are legends! always educational and entertaining to watch lol thx a lot! great tip

[@petter9078]

This man is a pioneer, holy shit so cool.

[@linusorri]

I never before realized how much Beastie Boys is in this song.

[@spencer4698]

The moment he first hits play, I thought it was the Beastie Boys!!!

[@iwxo]

Such a great song breakdown!!!

[@MikeSpexTV]

8:33-8:38 "mix wit the masters how u doin" "I'm mixing over here" lol. Naw but really sweeping tape flangy delay automation pretty sick

[@hemakshkalsi1973]

what a man ❤️!! Enjoyed watching it so much

[@RedSeventy]

Masters are masters for a reason, I love this tricks, thank you.

[@PatFlanigan]

One of my all time favourite songs haha! My inner teenager is so stoked to be watching this!

[@spearroom9540]

Tom, you're a genius. Thanks for sharing it.

[@OffiongEniang]

Wow! I'm blown away!

[@canuteneilellis1928]

Thanks for the amazing tip Tom ! 👍🏽

[@zachmanzano]

Abortion Delay needs to be a plugin ASAP

[@escalator9734]

I expect it to end up like satchel's "Pussy Melter" tc electronic preset

[@ChaceBonanno]

Bro he straight up showed how to do it with Eventide's Precision Time Align

[@derlinstiles]

I came down to the comments to find comments about "abortion delay"

[@bubblehead78]

Would love to see him with another song.

[@stinglikeabeee]

Tom is my favorite amongst these masters here.

[@madmuso5]

Everyone: thanks for the tip Tom. Tom: eh...forgedaboudit.

[@diegocastro5114]

I love so much this delays and flange

[@sugabrownmusic]

One of my favorite tracks!

[@chrisgalactic]

What an incredible mix. Wow

[@chaitanyashelar5142]

That Flange Trick omg! Legend

[@TheKeithIvar]

I never knew how cool is the FLANGE!!

[@OpiumZA]

Damn Tom. You have a new fan. So musical

[@YagiWiraya]

HIS MIX SOUNDS SO GOOODDDDD!!!

[@floraldreamasaurs4388]

I'm glad you talked about manually adjusting a filter. Even now I think if you have a midi controller with a slider or knob that you can link the automation to and adjust it manually its easier that using automation control digitally. (If that makes sense). Great video.

[@zachary963]

I’ll sometime have my DAW record the automation moves, then if I got something wrong I can go in there and fix the envelope manually. But still easier/faster than typing everything in.

[@edsavage6214]

If you'd pan TLA and CLA hard left and hard right it would still sound mono XD

[@johnwick8516]

😂 nice one

[@Ang3_0np4ws]

Okay

[@edsavage6214]

@@Ang3_0np4ws Ahahah I'd forgotten about this comment, I'm pretty sure I meant their voice XD

[@TheMikeutah]

Flip phase and it does "NULL" OKAY

[@xanderpills]

@@TheMikeutah LOL

[@KaceyBakerFilms]

I was mixing in PT in 2000 and all these effects were readily available back then. I was mixing JET in 2006 on Protools and even then their manager was amazed I could cut a vocal take from a prior performance and paste it on the hero take from the band.

[@Ivan23indagame]

awesome, man just brilliant💎

[@vikramjitbanerjeetuki]

This dude just won my heart ❤️❤️❤️

[@boobooboogoo]

Steve Winwood Valerie 1987! Thank you Tom

[@sebbityseb]

Marvellous - thank you Tom :)

[@91804893]

Wooow! I wanna use this trick in all my mixes

[@johnviera3884]

we DJs use to do this flanging effect with two identical vinyl records. varying the pitch control slider. they called it “airplane” effect

[@TheRiteHand]

Glorious.

[@maverickturner8699]

This was a good one!

[@spacemanpope1805]

Thank you TLA

[@Rockwithmeping]

loving his expression

[@jameslugo]

That was killer.

[@nikolamijic]

Such a cool MixMaster Dude :D

[@YuriDeryous]

This guy is so awesome!

[@schnubbilator]

passion. it's all about the passion.

[@rajasarapi8082]

Awesome oldschool magick transfered to the 21st Century!!! Gracias!!!!

[@rayalimusic]

His face at 9:57 has me crying 😂

[@INTOTHEFOLD]

This is unbelievable!

[@skylerfelix7609]

Incredible how many people have never heard of Sum 41

[@Rondozza]

such a nice dude. i'm sure hanging out with tom and smoke a little weed is a fun time :) thank you for this video.

[@Graphwize]

Crazy old school flange cheat code!

[@whiskyngeets]

Hank Azaria doing Moe the bartender doing a mix engineer

[@groovepusher5743]

Perfect TLA thx B

[@groovepusher]

lol cheap tricks

[@stfranckmusic]

I tried this technique using "resampling" in Ableton and downloaded the plugin on Trial but can't get near this jet plane effect , can anyone please help ?

[@freesouljah]

Awesome!! 😎

[@goldencircle4901]

He sounds just like Chris lol

[@hitorecords986]

More Musical

[@AshRavens]

minus the arrogance.

[@TheShpmusic]

It's a CLA sound, go buy the plugin immediately. 👈🤪😝🤣😅😆😁😄🙂😂🤭

[@casillasscorer]

Except not as arrogant or angry

[@OverdriveMusic]

Without the attitude though!

[@the_newvoice]

Brilliant!

[@Songwriterbehindthecurtain]

Tom should do a step by step on how this time around by hanson was being put together.

[@middle_pickup]

I wonder if TLA has played with the Strymon Deco.

[@GrandNebSmada]

I LOVE this video

[@orderflowdojo]

I used these on my last track!

[@crazycarpes]

amazing! great tip!

[@CameronEarlyMusic]

so awesome

[@xzivriel]

love this guy

[@rbsnacks_]

Abortion delay 😂

[@mattbond6699]

ikr. I was laughing to myself about that 😂

[@davidripley1437]

"abortion delay" aka: having the baby.

[@sidebar3970]

wild 🤣

[@leonscholz5679]

This black friday. A brand new gift from waves to you. THIS is CLA Abortion Delay

[@Sergio-nb4hj]

@@davidripley1437 I owe my existence to the abortion delay

[@nicklodeonstudios2944]

Tooooooooooooo CLEANNN my guyy 3:55

[@TheBlashMusic]

1:35 *Thought 6ix9ine was rapping for a good 5 seconds until I read the Pro Tools session name...... was VERY confused*

[@stevewoywitka3258]

I'm sure theirs an easy way with a return track an automation?

[@mattiavalentini2302]

love the "sopranos" touch xD