Any modern rock guys in here?

[Mesa4x12er]

So I know this is a metal forum but as aspiring mixers/producers surely some of you stray from the supr heavy every now and then.

I definately have a harder time recording your typical mainstream hardrock than I do metal. Don't get me wrong metal isn't easy by any stretch and I can't say I've ever done anything that sounds anywhere near what the greats in this genre do, but there seems to be a little more variance in textures and overall vibe in some other genres.

I guess my question is are there any of you besides me out there, and do you approach the task at hand any differently when doing rock/hard rock vs. metal?

Just like to talk to some people on the same path as myself.

 

[006]

Let me say, I've recorded a lot of different genres in the past, and since leaving the last studio and being kinda freelance out of my home I have done nothing but metal stuff. Tech-death, black metal, grind, noisegrind, good 'ol death metal, one stoner rock-ish band and one indie style band. When I did that indie rock band, a light came on. It's so much easier, IMO, to do rock than metal. I feel I can sculpt the sounds easier and every element can have it's space, but sound big too - all without lots of walking on eggshells like with metal. I mean, it's natural, metal has balls-to-the-wall stuff going on most of the time, and everything has to sound very clean cut and precise. With rock everything is so much more natural and loose.

Since that indie band I've been wanting to take on nothing but rock clients. Unfortunately in my area metal is the dominant genre. It's too bad because even though it was lame indie rock, it was still rock and it was actually kind of fun to do. The stoner-rock-ish band was fun too, couldn't stand the vocals though... haha.

 

[ahjteam]

I guess my question is are there any of you besides me out there, and do you approach the task at hand any differently when doing rock/hard rock vs. metal?

I mix a hard rock band Ancara live (European tours coming up...) and my mainproject is also more rock orientated than metal. The main difference with mixing hard rock is that I don't use triggers on anything and because the instrumentations are a lot more sparse and tempos a lot slower, you can actually use the whole audiospectrum and stereofield more efficiently and creatively.

With metal the name of the game usually (98% of the cases) is that you have to hear everything and everything must be loud(er), so the scenario usually is that you have to trigger all the drums with this unnatural clicketyclack sound and put the "performance" inhumanely sharp to the grid and then have atleast 5 takes of string-instruments blasting buzzsaw meets beehive sound insanely loud (except for the bass that only gets to taste the sweet connectors of your DI-box) and then add vocals with your favourite nightmare creature ranging from the cookiemonster to ogre to the ugly witch you woke up next to last night, and sometimes if you are lucky you get to mix some supergay-keyboardsound in there that everyone else uses so that they wouldn't get mixed up from the crowd being hetero. And if you somehow manage to do a great mix, then you send it to the mastering engineer that squeezes it to -5dB RMS and then they fuck it up in the marketing.

So yeah, I like hard rock. :zombie:


edit: and a +1 to what 006 said

 

[Mesa4x12er]

Really? See that's where I find it harder. In metal many elements are similar and to an extent almost have to be a certain way to work. Whereas I find rock since it does have to breathe more seems to take more work to get right. More options and space to have things seem out of place.

Does that make any sense or am I talking out of my ass?

 

[Forceps]

Makes sense to me. My last 2 recording project were an extreme metal project and a singer-singwriter. The last one was the most tricky (well, it wasn't really rock, but you get my point). The music I compose myself has more a rock feel with a metal edge and it takes me longer to get things right than louder/ harder music.

 

[Sacha]

I mix a hard rock band Ancara live (European tours coming up...) and my mainproject is also more rock orientated than metal. The main difference with mixing hard rock is that I don't use triggers on anything and because the instrumentations are a lot more sparse and tempos a lot slower, you can actually use the whole audiospectrum and stereofield more efficiently and creatively.

With metal the name of the game usually (98% of the cases) is that you have to hear everything and everything must be loud(er), so the scenario usually is that you have to trigger all the drums with this unnatural clicketyclack sound and put the "performance" inhumanely sharp to the grid and then have atleast 5 takes of string-instruments blasting buzzsaw meets beehive sound insanely loud (except for the bass that only gets to taste the sweet connectors of your DI-box) and then add vocals with your favourite nightmare creature ranging from the cookiemonster to ogre to the ugly witch you woke up next to last night, and sometimes if you are lucky you get to mix some supergay-keyboardsound in there that everyone else uses so that they wouldn't get mixed up from the crowd being hetero. And if you somehow manage to do a great mix, then you send it to the mastering engineer that squeezes it to -5dB RMS and then they fuck it up in the marketing.

So yeah, I like hard rock. :zombie:


edit: and a +1 to what 006 said

 

[mjlaudio]

I like shifting styles of music.....I find metal harder to mix....while rock is easier.....country and indie stuff is super easy and fun to mix from a mix perspective because you can create more ambience and depth, but for those styles its all about the vocal and emotion. I find hip hop and metal similar in that it is about immediacy and needs to be really upfront and in your face, but the frequency ranges seem opposite.

 

[Line666]

I've found myself listening to and writing a lot more rock oriented stuff recently. Metal's become a bit boring for me of late, most of it does exactly what I feel the genre isnt about - abiding to the rules and formula - for me metal was always about dismissing conventional attitudes and it seems most bands want in metal want to pump out the most conventional boring shit these days, rock is great cos it does allow for a lot more experimentation and less abiding to the rule, which is a welcome change, for me at least.

 

[James Murphy]

very much into rock.... from post to modern to classic to commercial, etc. i am always looking out for good rock bands to mix, and have some things in the fire

 

[slashvanyoung]

I've found myself listening to and writing a lot more rock oriented stuff recently. Metal's become a bit boring for me of late, most of it does exactly what I feel the genre isnt about - abiding to the rules and formula - for me metal was always about dismissing conventional attitudes and it seems most bands want in metal want to pump out the most conventional boring shit these days, rock is great cos it does allow for a lot more experimentation and less abiding to the rule, which is a welcome change, for me at least.

I feel in a similar way. I don't accept being bound to formula, though. But that's not the easiest thing in a scene as stubborn and intolerant as the metal scene.

 

[James Murphy]

wait... so you guys actually think rock is less formulaic than metal? or somehow has a more "tolerant scene"?

 

[ParsonsMatt]

I feel in a similar way. I don't accept being bound to formula, though. But that's not the easiest thing in a scene as stubborn and intolerant as the metal scene.

Metal is probably one of the most diverse scenes I can think of. In one umbrella term, you've got both Rhapsody and Origin, and literally everything in between. I don't think that type of variety exists in any other music genre.

 

[Metaltastic]

Metal is probably one of the most diverse scenes I can think of. In one umbrella term, you've got both Rhapsody and Origin, and literally everything in between. I don't think that type of variety exists in any other music genre.

Except for Jazz I'd say, but I agree metal is incredibly diverse; that said, rock has a ton of weird experimental stuff, so I'd agree that it's more tolerant/diverse; that said, I can't stand most experimental rock, as it sounds like clangy noise to me, so I don't feel that's much of an advantage!

 

[ahjteam]

Except for Jazz

and electronic music

 

[Fox Mulder]

and electronic music

+1.
It gets over my head. Too much stuff to do. Basically, the whole thing is based on automations. Apart from that, there's a lot of 'freedom of tweaking' for electronic music IMO.

 

[JeffTD]

I'd much rather produce and/or play in a band like Paramore or Underoath over a band like Dimmu Borgir or Necrophagist.

 

[ParsonsMatt]

I'd much rather produce and/or play in a band like Paramore or Underoath over a band like Dimmu Borgir or Necrophagist.

I dunno, "Spiritual Black Dimensions" era Dimmu is pretty adventurous... Not a whole lot of music with that kind of sound has ever really been released, and definitely not as good. As far as creativity and musicianship it slays most rock acts.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I definitely have a harder time recording your typical mainstream hardrock than I do metal.

I'm the other way around, since Rock mixes tend to have more space for things I feel it's easier to get good results.

Just IMO though.

 

[kalony]

i like to do metal stuff, because i like the "perfect sound", but rock with all its facillities is way more fun to create.

it seems to me, that there is only ONE sound in metal. its a sound i like, but its just one sound, and thats quite boring.

so i like to do metal friom time to time, if i can do other stuff in between.

 

[James Murphy]

digging the new Halestorm self-titled debut CD on Atlantic... Produced by Howard Benson, Mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, Mastered by Ted Jensen

and the new Red CD, "innocence & Instinct" on Sony, Produced by Rob Graves, Mixed by Ben Grosse, Mastered by Tom Baker.