WareHauser wrote:Perspective wrote:So it's a good album for a bunch of college singers, but I think they go overboard. If it sounds too much like the real thing, it loses some of the fun. A cappella straddles a gap; on one side is the out of tune, unprocessed vocal-guitar-solo-from hell, but on the other is a collection of computer bleeps that is equally unrecognizable. ...When it comes down to it, this is still about making cool sounds with your mouth, not a computer, and the best producers let that shine through all the special effects.
WareHauser wrote:You both talk about everything that happens between recording and releasing that "ruins" and "strips" the "purity" but, and call it a hunch, I'd imagine neither of you have ever gone through that process.
H.F. wrote:And the arguments for "more purity" have traditionally ALWAYS come from the "new kids on the block", or the ones who didn't have a lot of money. It's just a tired argument, and a transparent one. It's funny to watch, over the years, as these groups get more resources and age a bit, how they generally "come around" to the other way of thinking.
phenylphenol wrote:And of course, the groups without a lot of money don't like production -- and that was one of my points. The albums produced reflect the amount of money a group has to throw at a problem, and I don't like that.
phenylphenol wrote:And yes, you're very perceptive about Code Red being something of a landmark -- it pushed the envelope very far until it just about burst. When I bought it I was completely disappointed; I had expected to hear a cappella music, with voices instead of instruments. We can disagree on that, and have easy chair arguments while sipping brandy all night if you want. :)
Bill Hare Some dude who records and mixes people who can't play instruments. http://www.dyz.com
billhare wrote:but don't tell Mayer fans that his albums shouldn't exist. That's just short-sighted, if not a little rude.
billhare wrote:If you like System of a Down but hate John Mayer, well, then go buy your System albums, but don't tell Mayer fans that his albums shouldn't exist. That's just short-sighted, if not a little rude.
billhare wrote:I have a perspective on Code Red that most of you don't since I mixed it - I heard it before it was mixed! Let me tell you now that there was no throwing money at it to cover things up! These were amazing vocal performances, and far less effects than you think. The few spots where we actually did do some crazy things are actually the most vocal and unprocessed things on the album - "Mr. Roboto" is FAR less processed electronically than most of the albums I've done since then - it was simply edited to cut the beginning and ends of notes off to create those "synth" sounds, but the sound itself is PURELY vocal.
Matthewnym wrote:First of all, the recording tendencies of college a cappella are always going to mirror general music recording trends.
Secondly, it is overly simplistic to attribute the movement towards more compression to the so-called "volume wars." This is really only applicable to the small group of artists and producers that are competing for slots in the Billboard top 100.
Matthewnym wrote:In analyzing the trends of compression, it's also useful to take a broader view.
But it's also no reason to claim the sky is falling. The current level of compression will wane in a few years.
Matthewnym wrote:The history of any art form is the history of new trends... Music as an art form has survived and developed just fine without you since the early 1200's, and it will continue to do so... Just go along for the ride.
Matthewnym wrote:So, 3 reviewers listen to each album and basically say whether or not they like it. That's all Andrew DiMartino has done, despite the fact that his personal preferences run counter to many of the posters here. I'd go further and say that his opinions are not only welcome, but necessary. Each reviewer has personal preferences that over time will come through through his/her reviews. There are reviewers that would rather hear an in-tune and rhythmically precise album, even if it's a little electronic sounding. There are reviewers that would rather hear emotional investment, more than musical precision and cute arrangements. And there are reviewers, most prominently Mr. DiMartino, who would rather hear the flaws and blemishes in natural vocal sounds.
It seems to me that if you first make the assertion that college students are going to follow general industry trends, and then that the Billboard Top 100 is characterized by the "volume wars", then it follows pretty directly that you think college acappella recording tendencies are going to mirror the volume wars of the big boys.
I don't see the current trend of compression waning anytime soon, because I don't see a market demand for less compression. Instead, I see a constant marginal utility in making your next single louder than the others. Though I have no doubt that eventually we'll hit some kind of point of diminishing returns, and the trend will wane, I don't expect it will only be a matter of a decade or so.
Surely you don't mean that everybody should just shut up and follow the herd? I don't think it does anybody any good to assume they're the next Phil Specter, but a mass consensus is built out of individual opinions, and I don't think it's good to have a population of people content to let the status quo tell them what to think and what to fight for.
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