Top 5 Template Tools: Joe Chiccarelli

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I don’t have a template per se. I feel that each song and each artist needs a separate and unique approach. That said there are plug ins that make the job easy and I always rely on them. I work exclusively in Pro Tools for mixing as it has become the de facto standard for recording, mixing and, most especially, file sharing. Since projects tend to linger on for months with many changes and additions keeping everyone to one standard and reliable format makes life much easier. All session start times are always at the Zero bar Line and it makes export and importing files simple and dependable.

WAVES CURVES EQUATOR

This is a great tool for smoothing out resonant frequencies in vocals and acoustic guitars. In some ways it’s the most musical for rounding out a vocal without over equalising. It has the ability to ‘learn’ the sound and analyse the peaks and harsh moments or spots that might be too boomy in the low end or lower midrange. It’s dynamic so you don’t run the risk of thinning out a sound too much with EQ to carve out trouble spots. It works great on electric bass as well: when there are notes that seem to just boom out of control it evens it out in a very effective manner.

AVID EQ III

I know this is the simplest and most basic plug-in that comes with every Pro Tools session but it has character and when you don’t need too much processing, it’s perfect. Perhaps a simple HP filter or one band EQ for just a little bump in the low end, it works great. It can be very aggressive sounding as well. Also having a gain control in the plug-in comes in handy, especially since I like to process drums (and other sources) while I’m tracking. I grew up in the analogue tape days where it was imperative you achieved the sound you wanted live off the tracking room floor. Therefore when it comes to mixing drums I’ve recorded I don’t have to do much work to them. Usually just a touch up or a little added boost in the low end.

UA 176 COMPRESSOR

Since I don’t need to do too much processing to my individual drum tracks most of the work in mixing tends to be in the drum parallels. I will use several. Some for punch, some for sustain and some for distortion. I often like to just buss the kick and snare to mono parallel – panned up the middle to add some directness and grit to the drums. It keeps the centre channel focused. I love the sound of the old tube 176 compressor. It had a very exciting and musical distortion to it. it was great for vocals , drums, bass and especially electric guitars.

WAVES API 550A

I’ve been a long-time fan of API equalisers for guitars and drums. They are the most aggressive but at the same time not overly dirty or saturated sounding. They just bring instruments outside the speakers and in the room with you. For electric guitars there is nothing like them. They add so much size to the instrument. Just 2-4dB can bring about a huge tonal shift in an instrument. Especially with rock guitars and snare drums. I like to have the gain control in the plug in so I can add the needed boost and then pull down the gain of the plug in so I don’t overload the channel.

IK MULTIMEDIA JC VOCAL STRIP

I know this is a shameless plug here for my own plug-in but I actually use it all the time – every mix! This is an emulation of how I would mix on an analogue console. Typically I would send a lead vocal to multiple compressors, each with their own character and compression style. Every compressor has a tone and a flavour it adds to a lead vocal. By picking and choosing the combination and balance of all those compressors I can get the right emotional character for the lead vocal in the song. I often might use two compressors in the verse of the song and then maybe a a third more compressed and distorted compressor for the choruses to give them more excitement and allow the vocal to jump out of the track more. I can easily automate the mute automation in the plug-in to do that. The JC plug-in has emulations of my favourite vocal EQs and saturation devices to help further enhance a lead vocal.