How consistent is your sound?

[53Crëw]

I'm just curious... Regarding your personal projects/band recordings, do most of you guys find a particular sound that you like and stick with it? Or do you try different things on each recording?

For example, with drums, are you constantly trying different kits? Or have you found something you like and consistently use it? What about bass and guitar, etc.?

 

[NSGUITAR]

Different sounds for sure.

 

[guitarplaya18]

Still trying to find that sound that I like...then I'll try other things ha

 

[hurdy]

I don't think it's possible to have one sound that I like.
Also, the source is always slightly different in performance. Treat each situation differently.
Sometimes things are pretty obvious, for example. slap bass needs lots of mid freqs to stand out, compression etc. Nasal voice needs mids cut etc.
It all really depends on the situation, genre, performance, budget etc

 

[-Noodles-]

I like to think that I'm getting pretty close to having a "style" which is recognizable across genres..

Punk / funk / rock and metal bands that I've done when they crop up on my iTunes account - they do certainly sound cohesive within a playlist.

 

[Decimator]

I start every project from a scratch without even using any presets on the effects usually. This way I can get the most fitting sound to the song and I learn a lot during the process. It is really time consuming but rewarding. This way I can steer away from the "set and forget" mentality on the effects department.

Sometimes I notice that I have previously done for example a kick drum sound that is better to the new song than the sound I just got, so I copy the settings from that, but this is very rare. I think that the separate sounds are not that important, it is the song what it's all about.

 

[Ermz]

Different things.

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

I definitely try to each project it's own identity and most projects force you too in a way. But I wouldn't say every one is radically different.

 

[AKoppenheffer]

I definitely try to each project it's own identity and most projects force you too in a way. But I wouldn't say every one is radically different.

Same here.

 

[Star Ark]

I try new things most of the time but I have a few options really, sm7b or sm57 for guitars, nt1a or sm58 or sm7b for vocals, the plugins that come with sonar 8 producers. My roland space echo is used for anything ambient, and my only pro pre is a solo610, my only outboard comp is a Pro Vla 2 and I use the same few Kaoscilator and Kaos pad patches when I'm looking for something weird. Even if I try to be different it sounds pretty consistent, the only inconsistency is that each mix is a bit better than the other maybe overall eqs, reverb and dynamics decisions are always a bit different

 

[colonel kurtz]

i'd say all my work comes out pretty different

unfortunately there's not a big enough body of it for me to say i don't have a "style", but i make an effort to give everyone i work with a unique mix that fits the band and what they're trying to do

 

[metalfanat1c]

My guitar tones are pretty consistent. Everything else is all over the place, though. Still trying to make SD 2.0 sound like I want it to. Bass tones are pretty consistent.