Clearmountain's Phases

Clearmountain's Phases delivers meticulous emulations of the vintage analog flanger and phaser modules that defined Bob Clearmountain's mixing methodology across four decades of landmark recordings. Rather than generic interpretations, these plugins model specific hardware units from Clearmountain's own rack, capturing the sonic character that shaped productions for Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Van Halen, and U2.

The flanger engine reconstructs the original tape-based effect through authentic bucket-brigade delay modeling, including a zero-crossing tape flange mode that reproduces the distinctive artifacts of two synchronized tape machines. The interface provides both core controls - manual sweep, sweep oscillator, and mix - and expanded parameters including feedback, LFO phase, high-pass filtering, and polarity reversal. The ability to swap BBD chip models extends sweep ranges significantly, while deliberate distortion and aliasing controls add the specific harmonic coloration of the original hardware.

The phaser section similarly prioritizes accuracy over simplification, allowing users to replicate the modulation character present on classic recordings without requiring external gear chains. Both processors integrate smoothly into modern DAWs while maintaining the analog drift and subtle nonlinearities that distinguish hardware from clinical digital processing.

Clearmountain's Phases addresses a specific production need: those seeking the exact tonal signature of a celebrated engineer's toolkit rather than generic modulation effects. It's most valuable for mixing engineers, producers working in classic rock or synthpop idioms, and anyone requiring the particular sonic identity these modules imparted to influential recordings. Among phase and flange plugins, its hardware fidelity and direct lineage to a documented professional setup provide both sonic and historical authenticity.