Secondary Skills: Recording Engineer, Producer, Studio Owner
Active: 1970s – Present
Bob Clearmountain is one of the most influential mixing engineers in modern music history. Known for his clarity, depth, and impeccable balance, Bob Clearmountain helped define the sound of rock, pop, and alternative music from the late 1970s onward. His mixes combine power and precision, delivering radio-ready energy while maintaining musical nuance. From Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones to David Bowie and Bryan Adams, his work has set the benchmark for what a world-class mix should sound like.
Notable Recordings by Bob Clearmountain
Born in Connecticut in 1953, Bob Clearmountain began his career as a musician before turning to studio work in the early 1970s. He joined New York’s famed Power Station (later Avatar Studios) shortly after its opening in 1977, where his technical ability and musical sensibility quickly earned him recognition. Early work with artists like Chic, Hall & Oates, and Bryan Adams showcased his ability to translate complex arrangements into coherent, powerful mixes.
By the 1980s, Bob Clearmountain had become one of the most in-demand mixers in the world. His groundbreaking work on Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. and The Rolling Stones’ Tattoo You set new standards for clarity and punch in rock production. Known for blending analogue warmth with precise spatial imaging, Clearmountain developed a mixing approach that balanced technical mastery with an intuitive understanding of emotion and performance.
Over the decades, he has continued to work across genres and generations from his own studio Mix This!, mixing for artists including INXS, Tears for Fears, Bryan Ferry, The Cure, Crowded House, and Sheryl Crow.
