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[mwagener]

In this divided world of home studios and pro recording palaces, what are the biggest problems people have to overcome when trying to create a great record? Is it the gear? Is it the talent (or lack thereof)? Is it the location? Is it recording techniques? What's missing, what could be improved, what should go away?

Thoughts?

[covert]

mwagener wrote on Sat, 24 April 2004 00:51

In this divided world of home studios and pro recording palaces, what are the biggest problems people have to overcome when trying to create a great record? Is it the gear? Is it the talent (or lack thereof)? Is it the location? Is it recording techniques? What's missing, what could be improved, what should go away? Thoughts?

Okay, from the basement semi pro point of view:

My main problem is space.  You can barely turn around in my place, holding a guitar, without hitting something.  After that, the jump in cost from around $200-500 dollar pieces of gear to the next level at around $800-infinite is rather hard to swallow.

Talent isn't much of a problem, there are plenty of good musicians around, and not being completely open to the public means that I don't have to work with anyone I don't want to.

Location is something of a problem, despite talent somehow bands never seem to really get out of this area, and the local "scene" never really comes together, the way it ought to.  There are also more studios and less parking than ought to be.

[wireline]

mwagener wrote on Fri, 23 April 2004 23:51

In this divided world of home studios and pro recording palaces, what are the biggest problems people have to overcome when trying to create a great record? Is it the gear? Is it the talent (or lack thereof)? Is it the location? Is it recording techniques? What's missing, what could be improved, what should go away?

yes...all of the above.

I need more room...I need better treatment in what I have...I need more clients who wish to make original music as opposed to sounding just like the last group they heard...I need a serious hardware upgrade (AD/DA, monitors, pres)...

I think the element needing the most attention is the engineer...I struggle everyday to improve what skills I have, improving the way I work with what I currently own, and to identify what skills I will need in the not-too-distant future to remain in the business...Being somewhat obsessive, I lay awake at nights wondering what I can do to make it better.

Man...this is a wide open thread.  I don't think anyone should be content with what they have or can do.

(or is this too heavy of an answer?)

[plughead]

IME,

I think the "talent" needs to take a hard look at their abilities, both as players, and more importantly as songwriters: do they have a valid reason for recording an album (aside from living the "rock'n roll" dream - snap out of it!??!), are they prepared to back it up with performing/touring endlessly to support it, are they actually any good at playing their instruments, or writing a song/arrangement?

If they fail on these fronts, they shouldn't be making an album, unless it's for vanity's sake, or perhaps they just have a helluvalot of money to spend. I think the cart is before the horse in this business nowadays - too many wannabes, and not enough respect for "talent" - if they don't look like a model/posterchild for some cola/shoe/lingerie endorsement they don't stand a chance getting noticed...  If I had more "players" than "posers", I'd have twice the albums recorded in half the time, and they'd sound a helluvalot better IMNTLBFHO...

PS: I need more room/isolation too...

PSS: I need more gear also....

PSSS: I need a drink....

[Dave Martin]

Talent above all. (both on the part of the artist and the engineer/producer) finding 'good' people isn't hard, and isn't what you want - finding GREAT singers and songwriters is a hell of a lot tougher. And that's what you need to make a great record. And then everything else - a great room, a great engineer, great gear, etc.

[ttauri]

mwagener wrote on Sat, 24 April 2004 05:51

In this divided world of home studios and pro recording palaces, what are the biggest problems people have to overcome when trying to create a great record?

To me, the biggest problem is simply the lack of a desire to create a great record (or at least, willingness to push in that direction), and instead do a record that sounds like (X).  Overcoming that "anxiety of influence" (Harold Bloom?)...

And it's a problem that's there to be dealt with (or not, or the dealing with fails somewhere along the line) at every single link in the chain from artist to engineer to label to audience.

Peece,
T. Tauri

[Rivers]

Wow,
That's a great point Tauri.I was going to say Room/acoustical space.
But I agree, at least in my world, there seems to be a dearth of artists who really want to push the envelope in new creative ways.Everyone seems to want the snare sound from album x and the gtr sound from album y.
It's great to have reference points but it gets old.

[Fibes]

To continue on the threads trend I'd have to say the lack of artists with vision. Whether it's solo artists or full combos, they all don't have or trust their own vision enough to take chances and develop their own voice. Sure it's all been done but I'm convinced that back in the day of Vanilla, chocolate and Strawberry ice cream they felt the same way. There are plenty of new alchemical mixtures to be found, we just need to draw that out of the artists whether it be brute force or "I love Lucy Psychology."  

[floodstage]

Time.

Time to play that track again and again until it's really right.

Most bands I record are on a budget.  A lot of them "settle" for tracks that are close but not "there" yet (to save money) rather than re-tracking the part until it really is right.

[natpub]

So,

To summarize the answers so far:

Time
Space
Creativity
Greatness


Hmmm...

I better think on that.

--Kurt

[Jason Phair]

Demo-itis is always a big one here.

[Ross Hogarth]

I may be redundant here.
I find that one of the biggest problems I face everyday is the battle of  commerce vs. art
In todays world where the market is so singles driven and record labels  are run by accountants not music people, the artists have started  abandoning their art for commerce. I know this has always existed in  some way but I find it over bearing these days. It seems with the advent of pitch correction and beat detective, the artists  have let go of some their artistic power in lieu of what will sell.
I find myself struggling to find talent that I want to work on that is  inspiring to me and still has any chance of someone taking note of them. It is as if in this dry barren desert now we walk in, even a twig looks like  the garden of eden.
If Pink Floyd came along today or Mahavishnu  Orchestra or King Crimson or even Joni Mitchell would they have  enough hits or are these songs really songs or is she pretty enough or  maybe we should fix her teeth or whats up with this Dark Side of the  Moon anyway ..... I know I sound awfully dark here. I try and think about what the solution is ...??
I know that I can be part of the problem or try and be part of the solution  ....    so ? anybody, any solutions ?

[MASSIVE Mastering]

wireline wrote on Sat, 24 April 2004 09:26

I don't think anyone should be content with what they have or can do.

Ahh...  But we should do the best with what we have.  (Say like Yoda for best effect   )

[otek]

Fibes wrote on Mon, 26 April 2004 15:54

To continue on the threads trend I'd have to say the lack of artists with vision.

Kevin, that's a great point!

I often find that artists come into the studio with a perceived desire to break out of the mold, but once you start throwing original ideas up in the air, they usually look uncomfortably at each other, suggest compromises, and their record/demo/whatever ends up sounding bland and unengaging.

How I hate the words, "yeah but maybe if you turned it down in the mix...." screw that shit. Turn it up. WAY up. In fact, take that ugly little noise, dress it up in a fluorescent jump suit and put a friggin' blue light and a siren on it!

That, and give yourself enough time and budget to give me decent takes.

[covert]

floodstage wrote on Mon, 26 April 2004 10:45

Time. Time to play that track again and again until it's really right. Most bands I record are on a budget.  A lot of them "settle" for tracks that are close but not "there" yet (to save money) rather than re-tracking the part until it really is right.

That's part of the reason I'm trying to stay a private studio, and keep my investment relatively low.  It allows me a bit more freedom to not accept work from people I don't care about, simply to meet costs.  Instead I can choose my projects, and allow time even to low budgets.