Production.

[Satanstoenail]

How important is production to you? Do you prefer crystal clear clarity or lo-fi old school production? Do things like bum notes or slightly out of time bits bother you? Do you have any fave producers?

I'm a sucker for good quality production. It can mean the difference between me liking or hating an album. I get really frustrated by bad production in a lot of (mainly older) metal albums, especially when the songs are great. For example, if I wanna listen to some Sabbath, I'll usually chuck on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or Sabotage over Masters Of Reality because the sound quality is so much better. Or Puppets over And Justice For All, or Spiritual Healing over Leprosy with it's bin-lid snare sound.

There are exceptions of course, some albums sound great in all their lo-fi muddy glory, and Kyuss did the lo-fi thing really well.

Thoughts?

 

[Scott Evil]

For a long time I couldn't get into black metal because of the shitty production - which, it may appear, was deliberate - and it wasn't until I listened to Ravendusk in my Heart by Diabolical Masquerade that I could really appreciate any sort of black metal. Now I'm getting into shit like Mayhem, Emperor, Darkthrone, Immortal and Bathory, and as I get more into it production quality isn't as critical.

 

[Thoth-Amon]

Depends upon the band and style and the material. Crisp production would sound awful on Transilvanian Hunger while lo-fi production would sound awful on say Powerslave.

 

[MasterOLightning]

It seems that guitar tone is often lumped in with production when it shouldn't be. Many black metal bands have more than adequate production, and many people should just say that they don't like the guitar tone, rather than claim that the production is bad. For example, every instrument is balanced and quite audible on Transilvanian Hunger, but people who don't like the style of the album almost invariably whine about the production. Many people also don't like the production on In the Nightside Eclipse, which besides the absence of bass has no deficiencies in my mind. Anthems to the Welken at Dusk is the poorly produced album, but this is seldomly pointed out.

 

[Valerie]

I like clear productions, but they aren't a necessity. I mainly like just being able to hear all of the instruments. I like Neil Kernon, with what he did with Cannibal Corpse, but mainly for what he did with Nevermore. You can't really hear the bass much unless it's during a part where the guitar isn't doing some huge riffs, with how Andy Sneap produced their later albums. Neil gave the songs a bottom end you could actually hear.

 

[Slayed Necros]

I prefer death metal to have thick, bassy production a la Sunlight Studios, but it doesn't particularly bother me if it doesn't. I also prefer it have a somewhat raw edge, like Dismember's Pieces EP. Black metal, on the other hand, almost always must be raw, unpolished and disgusting. Ildjarn sets the standard.

 

[ohiogrinder]

I prefer raw production. production thats too clean often stinks of sellout.

 

[Satanstoenail]

I prefer raw production. production thats too clean often stinks of sellout.

I've never understood this attitude. If the music is still excellent, how does being able to hear it properly make it a sellout?

 

[ohiogrinder]

I've never understood this attitude. If the music is still excellent, how does being able to hear it properly make it a sellout?

you would understand if you came from a punk background as opposed to a metal one. being able to hear something well and having a sterile, Pro-Tools enhanced production are two different things.

 

[DarkBliss]

Depends upon the band and style and the material. Crisp production would sound awful on Transilvanian Hunger while lo-fi production would sound awful on say Powerslave.

Agreed, just imagine what Obscura would've sounded like with the prodiuction of Nattens Madrigal, for instance

 

[byrne]

Yeah, I wouldn't say there is anything particularly consistent with my preferences. Depends on the album, band, intention and execution.

As far as favourite producers go, wouldn't really know - it's not really something I consider, except if it's Devin Townsend, in which case I will try to avoid the release.

 

[Satanstoenail]

you would understand if you came from a punk background as opposed to a metal one. being able to hear something well and having a sterile, Pro-Tools enhanced production are two different things.

Well yeah I realise that. I never said I like sterile production. I just mean I'd generally rather listen to an album that is produced to a level that suits the music, and not be frustrated by lack of quality or unintentionally harsh sound. I like heaps of punk and hardcore stuff, it's raw as hell but there are still albums that I prefer over others because the sound is better.

 

[cookiecutter]

I usually like thick sounding production, my favorite being the production job given to Suffocation on Effigy and Pierced. Things like bad notes or bad time don't really bother me because I often don't notice them, and even if I do, I like that it makes the band seem human. I also don't mind a little fret noise in their for the same reason.

 

[Dazed and Brutal]

In the end, the old-school sound is the best.

 

[OldScratch]

I've never understood this attitude. If the music is still excellent, how does being able to hear it properly make it a sellout?

I'm with you 100% on this. I was enjoying the "old-school" production of Venom, Motorhead, Bathory or what have you in the early to mid 80's when it was "current-school." Though raw, the whole sound is entirely listenable, even powerful(say 'Black Metal', for instance) in all its primitive glory.
That said, however, I abhor the weak, mushy (or "Grim") production values that have have inexplicably become synonymous with BM or brutal DM, etc. A raw sound is fine...but I prefer drums to actually be audible, guitars full, bass identifiably present - that's just me I guess.
I still love a lot of early underground Black Metal, but often in spite of its weak production rather than, as some apparently prefer, because of it. And I have always wondered how great some it may have been had the sound been more full and strong.
To me, the essence of Metal is power - it is powerful, belligerent music. When the recording renders it thin, mushy or sloppy and without bottom, or body...it just loses the power for me. And though I can listen to some of it, it always seems to be missing something. I know others like it that way - to each his own.
It should be noted, however, that a full and powerfull production need not be sterile or obnoxiously digital either. Check out "Of Entropy and Life Denial" by Merrimack - brilliantly produced recent Black Metal. It can be done!

 

[Life Sucks]

Production can be poor if the music is simple (like Darkthrone). But the more complex the music is, the more clear the production needs to be. I like to be able to hear every note the guitar plays.

 

[CF87]

I like production that is not bad or great just being good natural sound. For the most part not into the clicky pro-tools modern over produced production when it comes to extreme music.

 

[Eyes Of The Insane]

Production doesent mean anything to me but sometimes it can add more to an album. But usually I don't give a rat's ass about production.

 

[Hell Awaits Us All]

Production can be poor if the music is simple (like Darkthrone). But the more complex the music is, the more clear the production needs to be. I like to be able to hear every note the guitar plays.

exactly

raw production with necrophagist would sound awful

I'm with you 100% on this. I was enjoying the "old-school" production of Venom, Motorhead, Bathory or what have you in the early to mid 80's when it was "current-school." Though raw, the whole sound is entirely listenable, even powerful(say 'Black Metal', for instance) in all its primitive glory.
That said, however, I abhor the weak, mushy (or "Grim") production values that have have inexplicably become synonymous with BM or brutal DM, etc. A raw sound is fine...but I prefer drums to actually be audible, guitars full, bass identifiably present - that's just me I guess.
I still love a lot of early underground Black Metal, but often in spite of its weak production rather than, as some apparently prefer, because of it. And I have always wondered how great some it may have been had the sound been more full and strong.
To me, the essence of Metal is power - it is powerful, belligerent music. When the recording renders it thin, mushy or sloppy and without bottom, or body...it just loses the power for me. And though I can listen to some of it, it always seems to be missing something. I know others like it that way - to each his own.
It should be noted, however, that a full and powerfull production need not be sterile or obnoxiously digital either. Check out "Of Entropy and Life Denial" by Merrimack - brilliantly produced recent Black Metal. It can be done!

Exactly

 

[Astrum]

For production quality I usually prefer something that sounds in between the earliest Burzum recordings and Immortal's Dammned in Black. If it is any lower or higher it doesnt mean I'll hate it, that is just my preffered range. My ideal level for Black Metal would probably be Emperor's Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk.