If you’ve looked into phaser plugins for mixing or creative sound design, you’ve probably encountered dozens of options ranging from vintage emulations to modern digital designs. Apogee’s Clearmountain’s Phases takes a different approach by offering legendary engineer Bob Clearmountain’s personal phaser settings refined over decades of hit records.
It’s a collaboration between Apogee and Bob Clearmountain that distills his preferred phasing effects into preset-based workflows rather than providing exhaustive parameter control.
From my perspective, this represents a deliberate choice to prioritize usable sounds over technical flexibility, and understanding that philosophy matters when deciding if this streamlined approach fits your workflow and production style.
Approach to Phasing
The plugin provides 36 presets organized into categories like:
- Guitars
- Keyboards
- Vocals
- Mix Bus applications
These aren’t arbitrary factory settings but actual configurations Clearmountain has used on commercial productions. I’ve found the presets genuinely musical and immediately usable without requiring extensive tweaking, which differs significantly from typical plugins where factory presets are starting points requiring substantial adjustment.
The interface is deliberately simple with minimal controls visible at any time, and this streamlined design keeps your attention on the sound rather than technical parameters. You get:
Rate • Depth • Mix • Sync button for tempo-locked modulation
That’s essentially the extent of hands-on adjustment available. From my experience, this simplicity either feels refreshing and focused or frustratingly limited depending on whether you value quick results or deep sound design capability.
Clearmountain’s Secret Sauce lies in the specific phase relationships, filter curves, and modulation characteristics baked into each preset, and honestly, these details create the distinctive character that sets this plugin apart from generic phasers. I’ve noticed that the phasing effects sound smooth and musical without the harsh, metallic artifacts that can plague poorly designed phase shifters, and the overall tonal quality feels polished and professional.
The plugin operates in stereo with sophisticated imaging that creates width and movement without destroying mono compatibility, which matters significantly in professional production where mono playback remains common.
Sound Quality and Character
The overall sonic character leans toward smooth and refined rather than aggressive or extreme, and I think this reflects Clearmountain’s mixing philosophy where effects enhance rather than dominate the source material.
The phasing effects add dimension, movement, and interest without screaming “listen to this obvious effect,” which works well when you want subtle enhancement rather than dramatic transformation.
Guitar presets deliver classic phaser tones from subtle swirls to more pronounced sweeps, and I’ve used these successfully on electric guitar parts where the phasing adds vintage character and rhythmic interest. The settings avoid the over-the-top, hyper-modulated sounds that can date recordings quickly, instead providing tasteful movement that serves the musical context.
From my testing, these presets work particularly well on:
• Clean tones where phasing can breathe
• Lightly overdriven sounds that need movement
• Rhythmic guitar parts requiring vintage character
Keyboard and synth applications benefit from presets that add analog warmth and movement to digital sources, and I’ve found these useful for enriching electric piano, organ, and synthesizer sounds without making them sound obviously processed. The phasing creates subtle harmonic complexity that fills out thin sounds and adds interest to static tones.
Vocal presets are surprisingly useful for adding subtle width and dimension to lead and background vocals, though honestly, you need a light touch to avoid making vocals sound unnatural or processed. I’ve used these sparingly on:
- Background vocals
- Vocal doubles
- Harmony stacks
The gentle phasing creates space and separation from the lead without obvious effect artifacts.
The mix bus applications provide subtle overall movement and width enhancement, and while I approach bus processing cautiously, I’ve found a few presets useful for adding gentle animation to complete mixes. The key is keeping the mix control low enough that the effect enhances rather than dominates, and in appropriate contexts, the subtle movement can add polish and dimension.
Stereo imaging is sophisticated with proper phase correlation that maintains mono compatibility, and I appreciate that Clearmountain clearly considered how these effects translate to different playback systems. The width and movement created by the phasing feels genuine rather than artificially exaggerated through crude stereo widening tricks.
Workflow Realities
The preset-based workflow either accelerates or limits your process depending on your working style, and I’ve found it works best when you accept the plugin’s focused scope rather than fighting against its design philosophy.
If you’re the type who:
- Auditions options quickly → Preset approach gets you to usable sounds faster
- Prefers granular control → Limited adjustability will feel constraining
CPU usage is moderate for a phaser plugin, and I haven’t encountered performance issues even when using multiple instances across different tracks. The plugin isn’t the absolute lightest on resources, but it’s efficient enough for practical multi-instance use in typical production scenarios.
Latency is minimal, so you won’t encounter timing or alignment issues when using it on multiple tracks or in parallel processing chains. I’ve used it in both insert and send/return configurations without encountering phase problems or timing artifacts.
Important limitation: The lack of MIDI control or automation lanes for preset switching means you can’t automate preset changes within the plugin itself, though you can automate the available parameters like Rate, Depth, and Mix.
For most mixing applications, this limitation doesn’t matter, but for creative sound design or live performance, you might want more dynamic preset switching capability.
Integration with different DAWs has been smooth in my testing:
- Logic ✓
- Pro Tools ✓
- Ableton ✓
The plugin loads reliably and performs consistently across platforms. The interface scales reasonably well across different screen sizes, though it’s clearly designed for standard HD displays rather than extreme resolutions.
Value You Get
Clearmountain’s Phases typically sells around $99-149 depending on sales and bundles, which positions it in the mid-priced plugin category. I think the value proposition depends heavily on whether you value Bob Clearmountain’s proven settings and efficient workflow over the flexibility of more parametric alternatives.
Compared to modeled vintage phasers like UAD’s MXR Phase 90 or Waves’ MV2:
- You’re trading specific hardware emulation
- For curated musical presets from a legendary engineer
- The choice depends on whether you want authentic vintage character or proven professional applications
Against modern digital phasers like FabFilter’s Timeless or SoundToys’ PhaseMistress, Clearmountain’s Phases offers:
- Less flexibility and fewer parameters
- But potentially faster workflow to musical results
If you’re the type who gets lost tweaking parameters endlessly, the focused simplicity might actually accelerate your mixing process.
For producers who own Apogee hardware, the plugin sometimes comes bundled or discounted, which significantly improves the value proposition. As a standalone purchase, you’re paying partially for the Clearmountain name and expertise, which matters more to some users than others.
The preset quality is genuinely high, and if you find yourself using even 10-15 of the 36 presets regularly, the plugin earns its place in your toolkit. If only a handful of presets suit your production style, you might get better value from more flexible alternatives that let you create custom sounds tailored to your specific needs.
Last Words
Apogee Clearmountain’s Phases delivers professional phaser effects with proven pedigree and efficient workflow that prioritizes musical results over technical control. The preset-based approach accelerates decision-making when you trust Clearmountain’s ears and want quality phasing without deep sound design.
This plugin makes sense if you:
- Value proven professional settings
- Want efficient workflow over exhaustive parameter control
- Trust Clearmountain’s legendary mixing ears
Look elsewhere if you:
- Need deep customization
- Want to build phaser effects from scratch
- Require unique sound design capabilities
I continue using it for specific mixing applications where the presets deliver exactly what I need without tweaking, and that efficiency matters when working under deadline pressure. The sound quality is excellent, the workflow is straightforward, and the results feel polished and professional.
It’s a focused professional tool that excels within its designed scope without trying to be a universal phaser solution. Understanding what it prioritizes helps you make informed decisions about whether Bob Clearmountain’s curated approach matches your production philosophy and workflow preferences better than more parametric alternatives.
Hello, I’m Viliam, I started this audio plugin focused blog to keep you updated on the latest trends, news and everything plugin related. I’ll put the most emphasis on the topics covering best VST, AU and AAX plugins. If you find some great plugin suggestions for us to include on our site, feel free to let me know, so I can take a look!