Bulb's/Periphery - Production Tips

[AboutBlank]

Yeah of course I would be nervous but:
I don't make interviews(call myself an "interviewer")
I don't run a forum
I'm not an extrovert person
I would rather drink a beer or spliff with my "interview-partner" and if I can share some insiders of a production or played instruments I would do(and have done) that
here.


But in the end I don't wanna bash the dude, it's cool that he makes that stuff BUT there is time before or after an interview for stuff like that.

Damn ubersyntax, my english is so slow

<---BTW, post 808, time for a subdrop!

 

[Trevoire520]

At the start of the video when the guy says "one of my favourite producers of all time"...

Now obviously everyone's got their own opinions and all that, but is the use of superior drummer and axe-fx really all it takes to be labeled a "producer" these days?

Don't get me wrong, Mischa's stuff sounds really good and I totally respect him for what he's doing. But is it really production in the broader sense?

No doubt someone will take this the wrong way and start a flame war, that's not my intention here at all. Just raising the question, is there any point in spending time and money in getting a nice studio together and learning to mic drums, amps, learning acoustic's etc if you could just get SD2.0, Axe FX and a vocal booth, making all the bands you work with no doubt sound very similar and still be called a producer?

 

[Virgil.]

At the start of the video when the guy says "one of my favourite producers of all time"...

Now obviously everyone's got their own opinions and all that, but is the use of superior drummer and axe-fx really all it takes to be labeled a "producer" these days?

Don't get me wrong, Mischa's stuff sounds really good and I totally respect him for what he's doing. But is it really production in the broader sense?

No doubt someone will take this the wrong way and start a flame war, that's not my intention here at all. Just raising the question, is there any point in spending time and money in getting a nice studio together and learning to mic drums, amps, learning acoustic's etc if you could just get SD2.0, Axe FX and a vocal booth, making all the bands you work with no doubt sound very similar and still be called a producer?

+1.

Oh, and to add to this... here's a quote from Toontrack's website under Bulb's SD2.0 preset that irritates the crap out of me:

"Thats right, were talking about Misha "Bulb" Mansoor, the prolific musician and producer behind metal projects like Periphery, Haunted Shores and Of Man Not Of Machine, just to name a few."

Seriously? "Prolific"?

Edit: Don't get me wrong... I respect Misha for what he's done and continues to do, but I don't consider him a "prolific" producer.

 

[chdrummer]

haters gonnnnn hate

 

[abigor731]

that dude is amazing

 

[Trevoire520]

haters gonnnnn hate

I'm not hating on him dude, his stuff sounds good! I just wonder if that's enough to be classed as a producer these days? I suppose he also has creative input for the song arrangements and stuff aswell.

I just feel like the art of actually engineering and capturing stuff with live sound sources and mic's is getting lost in favour of just using POD/Axe FX and Slate/SD2 and sounding like everyone else that's using that stuff.

 

[mstone564]

+1.

Oh, and to add to this... here's a quote from Toontrack's website under Bulb's SD2.0 preset that irritates the crap out of me:

"Thats right, were talking about Misha "Bulb" Mansoor, the prolific musician and producer behind metal projects like Periphery, Haunted Shores and Of Man Not Of Machine, just to name a few."

Seriously? "Prolific"?

Edit: Don't get me wrong... I respect Misha for what he's done and continues to do, but I don't consider him a "prolific" producer.

I have a feeling Toontrack added that quote so they could make a profit from all these kids that just want a preset to shape their mixes.

 

[Williamn]

I just wonder if that's enough to be classed as a producer these days? I suppose he also has creative input for the song arrangements and stuff aswell.

.

Actual.. is that not what makes him a producer ?.. I mean he have worked with a few bands (and wrote alot for animals as leaders if im not mistaken).

Unless ofcourse you mean a AE and producer is the same thing.

 

[Trevoire520]

I suppose I'm kind speaking about one thing when I actually mean another yeah

 

[Mattayus]

Yeah, totally agreed that he's in no way an AE, but he IS an amazing mixer.
Also, don't forget that none of these titles and comments about his work that are thrown his way are self-professed. It's all just shit other people/websites/interviewers say about him, and I'm fairly positive he doesn't agree with most of it. He's humble, and down to earth, not a douche, but because of what everyone else says about him it makes him seem pretentious when he's really not, and that's a shame.

 

[JeffTD]

Yeah, totally agreed that he's in no way an AE, but he IS an amazing mixer.

What??? Since when?? Everything he does sounds identical.

 

[Mattayus]

True, but I was talking more about his own work. Granted he's got "that" sound now and everything he touches has it, but it it's still well mixed and well processed whether it's the "right way" or not. Not something I would do personally, but it works for what it is

 

[timislegend]

What??? Since when?? Everything he does sounds identical.

but ...it sounds identically like misha. good or not he has his own sound that people are driven to.

misha/periphery have complete creative control over their content. and luckily they have a big enough fan-base that allows them to do whatever they want and with whomever they want ...with the support of a label and management.

not a whole lot of newer bands these days have the same luxury.

who cares if he is a (good/bad) producer or engineer or if all of his work sounds the same?

 

[JeffTD]

I care because the claim that someone who produces the same sounding stuff all the time is an "amazing mixer" is absolute horseshit. Andy is an amazing mixer. CLA is an amazing mixer. Ben Grosse is an amazing mixer.

Misha gets a cool sound that works for his style, but that's about all he seems to know. To call him an "amazing mixer" is an insult to guys like Sneap, CLA, Grosse, Richardson, Staub, etc...

 

[Mattayus]

That's more a case of context than truth, then. Would you prefer it if it was stated as "he has mixed his own stuff really well"? Because in the context you're talking then no, granted, he's not an amazing mixer in that sense as he only has a handful of clients and they all sound like Periphery.

 

[JeffTD]

That's a terrible argument - that's like saying Steve Jobs being rich is more of a case of context then truth, because Bill Gates has more money than him.

You said that he's an "amazing mixer." I take issue with that statement - if you want to attribute 'amazing' qualities to him simply because you want to view it in a context compared to bedroom warriors, then that's cool, but at least say he's amazing for a bedroom warrior then.

 

[Mattayus]

I'm not arguing, I was reiterating for a better explanation. Also.. what's a... bedroom..warrior?

 

[timislegend]

yea... i wouldn't call him amazing. that's just mattayus' opinion (which he is entitled to).

 

[Mattayus]

Well, I just failed to put it into context, as people have already pointed out. To put it another way - I think his mixes for Periphery etc are clear, heavy, and well balanced, and very well placed. Would I want to hear it employed on any of the bands I like, including my own? No.

I'm not really sure what that's explained exactly but it was just reiterating what I initially meant, which obviously needs explaining for some people just in case they continue to get irked by the semantics of it all. The initial argument of what I was commenting on was whether he is an AE or not, and I was merely saying no, he isn't, because he uses all VSTi's, but the way in which he uses them is well done.

 

[Habsburgs]

Jeff why do you hate Misha so much? and why are you comparing him to guys that have been mixing for 20 years.