mastering and production question

[3200]

we just finished all the trax on our CD. We're going into production and mastering now. I'd like to get a little imput (if I may) from you all about what you like and don't like in the production of some of the new metal cd's out there.

I have never been big on vocal effects or overdubbing/multitrack vox. So many bands are doing it now but it just doesn't feel right to me. I don't think a band should put ANYTHING on a cd that they can't or won't do live.

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Bryant]

I have never been big on vocal effects or overdubbing/multitrack vox. So many bands are doing it now but it just doesn't feel right to me. I don't think a band should put ANYTHING on a cd that they can't or won't do live.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Sorry I am late on this reply, but I disagree with you to a point.

First and foremost, you do need to be able to pull off your music live, BUT you are very limited with live equipment, as well as room acoustics etc. in a live setting. Unless you play an AC/DC cover or something, no one is going to hear every note played by the band anyway. Getting your main chord progression and vocals down is the big thing.
"Doubling" the guitar which means playing the same exact thing (maybe with a different axe/amp etc.) on rythm helps thicken up your sound on studio recordings, but doesn't comprimise your live show. Zakk Wylde has been known to record many tracks to thicken his sound up. It really helps the sound.
Reading your post, I can assume you are a vocalist. The best way to enhance vocals is to teach the other bandmates how to sing. Backing vocals, no matter what style of metal ya'll play is always an enhancement and it thickens up the vocals tremendously. As far as effects.... good old high quality reverb is still a vocalist's best friend and as long as it isn't way overdone, and it can be used easily in a live setting. I wouldn't go with much else less an EQ and compressor though.


Bryant

 

[sumairetsu]

I'd like to get a little imput (if I may) from you all about what you like and don't like in the production of some of the new metal cd's out there.

What I don't like about the majority of the newer stuff that I keep hearing is that all of the rhythm guitar tracks all sound like they're being played through the same rig. uke: There's no individuality in the sound of the guitar tracks that I'm hearing. It's not a matter of the performance, it's a matter of the EQing, mixing, microphone placement, engineering and I keep hearing it on the newer bands like Children of Bodom, Lamb of God, etc. Are the newer bands all using the same engineer?

When you listen to bands like Slayer, Meshuggah, Krisiun, Tool, Neurosis, Emperor, Voivod, etc., you can tell that you're not listening to the same band because they each have different sounds from each other on their guitar tracks. I don't get that with most of the new material that I'm hearing.

 

[colonel kurtz]

i hate the over-compressed, over-limited garbage that's taking over the market

i saw a picture of the waveform of a song off the new slayer album the other day, and it was fucking disgusting...just one big square

normalize your peaks to -.1dbfs, but for the love of god don't smash all the life out of it

 

[3200]

thanks for all the advice ya'll.

I think we have it down. but we're doing it one by one, the hard way. I have some tracks on myspace right now that I am test driving. Check em out if you have time. Any input would be appreciated.


Shea

 

[Erik]

i hate the over-compressed, over-limited garbage that's taking over the market

i saw a picture of the waveform of a song off the new slayer album the other day, and it was fucking disgusting...just one big square

normalize your peaks to -.1dbfs, but for the love of god don't smash all the life out of it

tankard beast of bourbon (2002)
-14 dB replaygain, audible digital clipping all over the place

hell yeah for modern mastering

 

[Blaad]

we just finished all the trax on our CD. We're going into production and mastering now. I'd like to get a little imput (if I may) from you all about what you like and don't like in the production of some of the new metal cd's out there.

I have never been big on vocal effects or overdubbing/multitrack vox. So many bands are doing it now but it just doesn't feel right to me. I don't think a band should put ANYTHING on a cd that they can't or won't do live.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Personally i beleave that theres a different between live and record in the experiance. It is nothing wrong with effects and a kick-ass production, and live is allways completly different anyway.