Colin Frangos wrote on Thu, 29 December 2005 17:25 |
I'm curious, though: since you're saying that you have a "holistic understanding of what the musicians are trying to create", does that mean you won't work with bands you don't like? Or that you know exactly where the band is coming from before you start in on work? That you understand their creative intent at least as well as they do?
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Good questions. There's little music I don't "like" per se. There's music that I enjoy listening to more than others. I think it's more important to ask if it's music that I "understand". I work with hip hop, rap, regaeton, salsa, latin-jazz, rock, metal, heavy metal, classical, folk... But I am a "specialist" in a few of those genres, certainly not in them all. I do very well at many of them, but not them all. I would not hesitate to master a "genre" or style that I at least "understand' and appreciate what the musicians are doing. But I would definitely not record a style unless it was one that I truly get along with and like. The difference is that as a mastering engineer I have succeeded in not being "typecast", but as a recording and mixing engineer, I really have a particular style and goal and am more of a "producer/engineer" type than just an "enginer", so a band would not seek me out unless they were in a style that I like to record, and vice versa. So the issue of recording something that I "do not like" won't come up. And for mastering, I would never take on a job if I could not do it very well, which means that at the least I have to "understand" the music.
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We work with an engineer for a matter of days. I don't see how in that period s/he can develop enough of an understanding of our relationships and individual personalities, let alone the music we make.
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This is absolutely true, on a very detailed level. But you'd be surprised how well you get along with other musicians who play in your genre (whatever that may be) and likewise, how well you will get along with a talented and experienced engineer who also has done lots of work in your genre or in your style. The degree of preparation that he/she has to make is of course variant on the complexity of the work that is required. But often enough, you'd be surprised what a talented engineer can bring to the table on your performance in a very short time. The more you start working in this "business" the more surprised you will be at seeing how top-notch professionals totally adapt to what you are doing. It's like having a guest guitarist on your album, come in, and knock a solo out cold in one take! How well did he groove with you? You'd be amazed, if he's good.
For example, if Eric Clapton walked in and sat with your band for a few hours, how well do you think he'd do at a guitar solo? If George Massenburg sat in the morning with your band, he'd do amazingly well with the production. But yes, he'd ask for at least a week of preparation to really do it well!
Now a producer is a different thing, and the more that he/she understands the better things are, but as an engineer, I can meet with a producer that I know well, who knows me well, sit in on one rehearsal of the band, and I wager within a day or two we will be ready to produce a very creative realization or recording. I guess you could compare that with the level of "art" to some extent; if it only takes me two days, is that "less art" than the years you've spent together to play tightly? Well, I can say that as a professional listener, I can gauge just "how tightly you play together" just by listening to you only once. (no offense intended).
And the story goes on. I do not mean to belittle your desire that the engineer or produce, to really know you and to know your music, should attend many performances and learn the songs and all. No question, that is the ideal. But to repeat myself... you'd be surprised!!!!
BK