Modern production techniques vs. yesterday´s

[jangoux]

Today my wife stole my USB stick that contains all the music i currently listen off my car, so i picked the 1st Bush CD i had there and listened to it. I didnt touch this CD in the last 5 years and i was analyzing how different from todays CDs (and other 90s) it sounds. Modern music sounds more produced, polished, ´tighter´, cleaner but at the same time it misses some of the ´band´ thing. You know, guys just rocking in a room!

I am not going farthest than the 90s because the modern production thing started there, as music turned more into a product. This thing is even more visible when you compare band that still exist or that are coming back today. Take for example AIC - even tho´ the music ressembles the old AIC, i think the production techniques REALLY changed how the band sounds. Its tighter, more modern, blah blah blah. But, as good as it turned to AIC, it may not work for some other bands (eg. Smashing Pumpkins ´new´ CD...too polished for their sound IMHO). It is possible that some of today´s bands that we dont like would rock if yesterdays production style was used.

What do you think of this ?

Ivan

 

[slashvanyoung]

Funny that you mention AIC. Listening to that record you quite obviously hear there's a Slate snare going on. It sounds monstrous yet still quite natural. BUT, I kinda miss the dynamics that made a song like "No Excuses".

I don't stigmatize modern productions, it's what you need to stay competitive. But for me personally... it takes SO MUCH enjoyment out of listening because many productions sound that much alike and are squashed, edited and sample replaced to hell and back. Especially with modern metal, it's too fatiguing and unexciting for me often.

The revolution devours it's children. I'm perfectly alright with many modern bands sounding like plastic. Absolutely it is what it is. But I'd like to voice my opinion and be able to say "I personally prefer more natural drums and a breathing mix." without being stigmatized myself for "living in the past" and being a naysayer.

Take ANY modern XYZ-core band... I just can't enjoy listening to their records from a production point of view. Yet I still appreciate the AEs craftsmanship behind that.

And now this thread will probably go down the same route as many, many before...

 

[slashvanyoung]

It is possible that some of today´s bands that we dont like would rock if yesterdays production style was used.

That's a very interesting thought! Would I like Paramore or modern Nickelback if they came out in the early nineties?

I don't know.. pop songs are still pop songs but they might sound a bit more interesting.

 

[MetalSound]

just imagine lars ulrich getting triggered, sample replaced and quantized to death....

 

[John_C]

just imagine lars ulrich getting triggered, sample replaced and quantized to death....

phil anselmo autotuned

 

[Harry Hughes]

Probably the thing that shits me about today is the lack of dynamics and the uber loud mastering.
Now, I'm not one of those people that wants their metal to be super dynamic either, I'd hate to have to turn up/turn down the volume knob constantly.
But what I hate is just listening to stuff where it's totally flat in volume the entire way through.
Not necessarily metal, but I like Riot! by Paramore, for example on the track Fences, when it goes from the pre-chorus to the chorus, you get hit with a volume kick to add to the excitement, but you don't have to adjust the volume at all when it happens, you can leave it since it's louder enough to have impact but not loud enough to piss me off.
Opeth has some of that happening too on Watershed, which I like.

Otherwise I don't have much of a complaint with modern production. If it sounds good, it sounds good, whether it's quantized/sample replaced/ or whatever.

 

[Torniojaws]

Opeth is a bit different example, because the majority of dynamics in their music comes from their song arrangements, not the mastering/mixing. They often do the instrument fade, where the instruments stop playing one by one in quick succession right before hitting it full-on.

 

[greyskull]

i listened to a few things at my mates last night. and my first thoughts were... WOW those drums sound like a fucking Drum machine. The vocals were autotune set to stun and the guitars were pretty shit.
I'm feeling pretty good about my production skills right now. I prefer the sound of a band to the sound of computers.
dont get my wrong, ill use samples and tune things up ETC, but do you have to make it SO obvious?
lazy engineering

 

[drew_drummer]

just imagine lars ulrich getting triggered, sample replaced and quantized to death....

. . .

Hate to break it to you, but on the last few Metallica albums, there is sample replacement and quantizing all over the place.

 

[slashvanyoung]

I thought even back on "Justice" the drums were heavily edited and replaced/augmented.

 

[drew_drummer]

Could be. I'm not totally sure on that one. I know for certain that St. Anger has replaced drums on it.

 

[Torniojaws]

I thought even back on "Justice" the drums were heavily edited and replaced/augmented.

I think they mentioned it in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica, part 1, when they were doing the drum edits. I'm not 100% sure, but I think they talked about doing it for AJFA earlier while working on the Black album drum tapes, or something like that.

 

[DaWolf]

When bands re-record old songs, many people still prefer the original versions....
I`m working on a mix right now, re-recorded an old song of ours (1993 demotape) - I`ll post a comparison in the rate section when it`s done.

 

[jrt12]

It is possible that some of today´s bands that we dont like would rock if yesterdays production style was used.

I think you need to ask the question the other way around. Would you still like today's bands if yesterdays production style was used. would your paramores, gojiras, and breaking benjamins still be good, without all the bag of tricks we have in today's production? we see music from bands like metallica, megadeth, katatonia, in flames have stood the test of time. i doubt many of todays bands music would.

to me, a good song stands on its own. regardless of production.

 

[GarethSE]

As my knowledge as an AE has increased I've found myself leaning far more towards trying to keep things more natural sounding and vibey, and I keep trying to push myself to be a bitch about mastering, but I immediately give into peer pressure and master my shit louder than I ideally want to, but it's something I'm working towards haha.

Otherwise, recently I've been definately been going more for drum sounds that sound more like good drum kits in good rooms being played by good drummers rather than overly sampled sounding stuff, but until I actually start recording real drums, it's an uphill battle that is ultimately a bit futile, but work with what you've got 'n all, right?

But yeah, I do generally prefer older recordings over newer ones. 70's and 90's production are the two eras I quote at people looking for examples of my idea of good production. I dig lots of tape-hiss and the rawness of a lot of 70's recordings. Fuck your noise floor, I like tape hiss
Led Zep 1 and Tool - Aenima, fuck yeah. Those are what recordings should sound like IMO!
Yeah, I realise Led Zep and Tool aren't teh ultra tight br00tal metalz, but trying to take aspects from more old school recordings and apply to them to modern recordings is something more people should aspire to.

 

[drew_drummer]

I think you need to ask the question the other way around. Would you still like today's bands if yesterdays production style was used. would your paramores, gojiras, and breaking benjamins still be good, without all the bag of tricks we have in today's production? we see music from bands like metallica, megadeth, katatonia, in flames have stood the test of time. i doubt many of todays bands music would.

to me, a good song stands on its own. regardless of production.

Subjective though isn't it... I can't stand listening to Metallica; not because of their music, more their production... even if the music is timeless, I don't care... because you can't hear past the production.

Production is an intrinsic part of the kind of music we all listen to; music has evolved past notes, and what can be written down... into something wholly different.

 

[Damian B]

I was listening to some old Rush the other day, and it got me started thinking about this. I just love the vibe on older albums.

 

[jrt12]

@ drew drummer: true dat... and this is a production forum has anyone ever heard the remasters of Ride the Lightning and others? I havent and i wonder if its worth it.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

I think the new Megadeth CD is a perfect example of a good middle ground as far as being polished but still sounding like a band.

 

[Nuno Filipe]

There are shit that was made to be mega polished like most of technical death metal, Necrophagist and things like that. Yeah but I prefer a more natural sound. Music too polished doesnt have the same vibe and soul.