MixWithTheMasters Inside the Track #83 Rostam Batmanglij TUTORiAL

Watch Clairo and Rostam deconstruct the inspired production behind Clairo's indie-pop hit, 'Bags'.

Surrounded by sunlight in Rostam's studio in Los Angeles, the two musicians look back on their experiences working together on Clairo's genre-bending debut album, Immunity. Their creative chemistry is present throughout the series, as they unpack the original ProTools session for the album's alt-pop single. Together they zoom in on the distinct vocal and instrumental performances delivered by Clairo during the demo process, as well as some of the outlandish production techniques used by Rostam to elevate the song's simple structure.

The series does not only cover the technical details - it also ventures into some of the more complex psychological aspects of record-making. As they trade stories from the recording process, the duo riff on the importance of building confidence and trust in the studio, and the value of trusting your instincts when the going gets tough. 

It all comes to a close with a conversation about the finishing process. Clairo and Rostam discuss how they cherry-picked a team of mix engineers that inspire them, and how they distributed different songs to different engineers in order to create an album that is diverse, adventurous, and unique.

Part 1
10 min
Songwriting process, demo recordings, drum production, envelope control

Part 2
13 min
Vocal tracking, harmonies, reverbs and effects, decision-making, elevating the chorus

Part 3
19 min
Creative guitar effects, drawing inspiration, piano theme, making decisions, preserving the magic, relationships in the studio

Part 4
08 min
Creative direction, collaboration, selecting a mix engineer, combining genres

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