Re: Higher End Studio Gear Can Make a Song

prez · Post by **prez** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:11 am

Quote:http://www.contacthighmusic.com/music/onthenash.mp3How top notch equipment and production can make a song. Song is average but man, what a sweet, sweet, production. Da kine ear candy. CM7 > Neve 1073 > Digi 192Agree??Sigh..here we go again... Having high end gear will only make a good song sound better IF the engineer/producer is good at what they do. Having Pro Tools will not make your song sound better if you are lame at mixing, singing, playing, etc. I've heard (and know) people who have Pro Tools and their music sounds lame. I've heard (and know) people who have FL Studio or Reason whose music sounds phenomenal.So before we go down this road: it's not the gear. It's the engineer/producer. They ultimately are responsible for how a song sounds and are innovative enough to know how to get the sound they want out of whatever they have. High end gear is more expensive...but not necessarily better for a song.God bless.

sgs4u · Post by **sgs4u** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:36 am

but Prez, put some headphones on and enjoy the music. It really does sound fantastic AND emotional. When I listened, I was mesmerized. It's the sound of beautiful music, beautifully recorded. Whether it's an awesome song didn't really matter to me. I simply love music. That piece of music brought back the feelings I had when I was 16. I used to come home from school and zone out to music by lying on the living room carpet with our speakers facing each other, positioned in an upside down V, with just enough room to fit my head inside. I'd stack 4 or 5 Lp's and dream. Helped me not run away from home 'til I was 18.Your post reads to me like you wrote off both the song and music BECAUSE someone is advocating using great gear. If you had your choice, why wouldn't you choose a great studio&gear AND a great producer/engineer/&musicians? steve

mazz · Post by **mazz** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:53 am

I really liked pretty much everything about this piece except the intro.This piece wouldn't be anywhere near as effective as it is in creating a very cool vibe if the arrangement wasn't as good as it is. Whoever arranged this had a vision of what it was going to sound like when it was done because everything is in the right place. The mix helped to support the original vision.Having great recordings of excellent performances only helps to enhance the effectiveness of this piece. I'm not sure if I'd have the same reaction if the recording didn't sound as good as it does. In this case, I think the production and the song can't be seperated, one supports the other.Do I agree with the original question? Yes and no.Mazz

prez · Post by **prez** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:09 am

Quote: Whether it's an awesome song didn't really matter to me. Ahhh. Well this is where we differ my friend. I have to like the song. Quote:Your post reads to me like you wrote off the music and great music BECAUSE someone is advocating using great gear. If you had your choice, why wouldn't you choose a great studio&gear AND a great producer/engineer/&musicians?Ohh contraire mon frere. You started off the thread by saying:Quote: How top notch equipment and production can make a song.Top notch equipment does not make a song. Ever. It makes this averaging sounding song sound better, but the song is still average. You get what I'm sayin?I listened to the song. It's O.K. I wouldn't rush out and buy it and I'm definitely not going to listen to it more than once. I was never a real big fan of Pink Floyd and this sounds reminiscent of them. But I like some of their songs because they were good.Whoever produced this knew what they were doing. That I can appreciate. But the song is still average and there's some parts I'm simply not diggin at all, like the vocal sound.And of course I'd like to have a good song AND a good engineer/producer. But I think we're getting into an area of subjectivity. I grew up listening to Al Green, Ojays, Parliament Funkadelic, Donny Hathaway, and Aretha Franklin as well as Steve Vai, Rush, Genesis, Asia, and Yes. I've never been a fan of psychadelic rock. Even so, I know Hey You and Money by Pink Floyd are good songs. And I'm all about having a good song.Average people really don't care about how well a song was recorded. That's for those of us who are songwriters, producers, and engineers. They care more about if they like the song. They care about how it makes them feel. You just mentioned that above and it's one of the reasons I write songs. So I simply stand on what I said from the beginning. Top notch gear does not "make" a song. It just makes songs sound better. Producers and engineers are key in "making" a song.Peace.

sgs4u · Post by **sgs4u** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:35 am

Yo Prez, Check the top of the thread, the top notch bit isn't actually my post. AND Shak even says the song is average. Your opinion of the song is right on the money. It's not a stellar song.I grew up listening & digging the same stuff you did, how about that. I never advocate spending zillions on production or gear. I simply appreciate it. and wish I had access to it, all the time. We're actually totally in agreement, except that I just thought this piece of music sounded WONDERFUL, likely in part because of the facility. Of course you're correct that the production is almost entirely up to people. But I'm going to listen to it again because for me, music is the thing. Not songs. Paying attention to lyrics makes me analyse too much. I don't use music for that. And I probably am unique in that way, compared to a lot of songwriters here. So we're different. I certainly don't think you're wrong to believe what you do. Your post simply caught my attention because I thought you might be missing out on enjoying the music. steve

ernstinen · Post by **ernstinen** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:59 am

Quote:Whoever produced this knew what they were doing. That I can appreciate. But the song is still average and there's some parts I'm simply not diggin at all, like the vocal sound.I liked the vocal a lot. It was intended to be understated, dreamy, and on the mic. And the off-mic harmonies later on were right on the money.Quote:I grew up listening to --- Rush and Yes. I've never been a fan of psychadelic rock.Huh? Rush and Yes are about as psychedelic as you can get.Quote:Average people really don't care about how well a song was recorded.I completely disagree. With a recording like this, the quality of the sound is the WHOLE POINT. It's what I call a sound painting. It's not Shania Twain. It's not a "song" in the traditional sense. Would you call Radiohead's soundscapes "songs?" I wouldn't. They're experimental mood pieces. There's nothing wrong with that. Just apples and oranges.Just to be clear, I've been a recording artist/engineer/producer/arranger for 30 years, and I come from the angle that good art can come from many different disciplines. Have an open mind.Ern

sgs4u · Post by **sgs4u** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:56 am

Quote:I hear this on my lanai in Hawaii, watching the sunset, beauty in my life, my loved ones with me, the mood doesn't get any better than this.You HAD to bring that up!I had 2 X 6 weeks gigs @ the Wave on the strip(Kalakawa?) in '88. Chick singer named Sonya Mendez. Not a day went by that I didn't yearn to stay forever. But then a buddy I met there, moved here. He was a local but happy to get away because he felt he wasn't getting anywhere.enjoy paradise,steve

ernstinen · Post by **ernstinen** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:24 am

Quote:Yeah, it's a work of art not mainstream pop. I miss this shit, really. Back in the day bands like CS&N were making beautiful sounding records. I'd like to hear this song on thick 180g vinyl and played on top of the line audio gear.Other than the obvious Pink Floyd influence, I also thought of David Crosby's 1st solo album "If I Could Only Remember My Name." Spacey, dreamlike, transcendental. Great to listen to by a crackling fireplace late at night. A real fine recording.Ern

prez · Post by **prez** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 11:40 am

Quote:Huh? Rush and Yes are about as psychedelic as you can get.LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rush is psychadelic? LOL!!!!!!!!!!Quote:Just to be clear, I've been a recording artist/engineer/producer/arranger for 30 years, and I come from the angle that good art can come from many different disciplines. Have an open mind.Oh. I'm close minded because I just happen to have a different view. Now how open minded is that? Sigh.