12 Steps to BIGGER Band Mixes | Joe Chiccarelli Masterclass

Mar 12, 2026 | 64,212 Views

Stop fighting dense track counts and flat arrangements. Discover how a multi-platinum producer makes space, adds explosive width, punch and three-dimensional impact in busy band mixes.

In this exclusive mixing masterclass with Waves, legendary producer and engineer Joe Chiccarelli (U2, Elton John, The Strokes, My Morning Jacket) reveals 12 essential steps for achieving bigger, wider and punchier band mixes. Joe shows you around a dense rock/alternative band mix sharing how he achieves massive depth, size and instrument separation without ever losing the raw energy of the music.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 0:58 - Song Intro: Making the first moment matter
  • 2:04 - Drums: Room channel tuning trick
  • 3:37 - Drums & Bass: Parallel Processing
  • 7:02 - Guitars: Doubling for width
  • 8:48 - Guitars: Adding Flare
  • 10:01 - Synths: Making space with reverb
  • 11:20 - Horns: Setting the tone
  • 13:18 - Vocals: Pre-production thoughts
  • 14:58 - Vocal Mix: First steps
  • 16:12 - Vocals: Making every word count
  • 17:29 - Vocals: Creative flare
  • 18:07 - Backing Vocals: Highlighting the lead vocal
  • 19:48 - Sign off

Song Credit: “Friends in the Dark” - Ripe

Want to get the exact same tools used by industry legends? Every single plugin Joe uses in this masterclass is available in Waves Creative Access. Unlock the ultimate mixing toolkit today, free for 7 days.

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