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Author Topic: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini  (Read 53644 times)

Greg Dixon

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #15 on: July 08, 2007, 07:50:12 PM »

He's using a lot more mics than I would expect from someone who's such a purist. Not a criticism, just an observation.
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J-Texas

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #16 on: July 08, 2007, 11:46:14 PM »

don kerce wrote on Sat, 07 July 2007 17:24

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d


When you need more cowbell!

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RSettee

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2007, 01:59:29 AM »

I was actually surprised at the minimal mic setup from Steve. I've heard that he puts up to 30 mics on some drum set recordings that he's done. Apparently on Nirvana's "In Utero", he did this.
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TRA

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #18 on: July 09, 2007, 12:03:11 PM »

Greg Dixon wrote on Sun, 08 July 2007 18:50

He's using a lot more mics than I would expect from someone who's such a purist. Not a criticism, just an observation.




Agreed.  I was just thinking that looking at the pictures.
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pg666

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #19 on: July 09, 2007, 12:32:15 PM »

RSettee wrote on Mon, 09 July 2007 06:59

I was actually surprised at the minimal mic setup from Steve. I've heard that he puts up to 30 mics on some drum set recordings that he's done. Apparently on Nirvana's "In Utero", he did this.


you did notice the mics under all of the drums, correct? it's not 30, but not exactly 'minimal'..
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j.hall

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #20 on: July 09, 2007, 01:12:24 PM »

30 drum mics??????????

for the drum sounds he gets, he probably only needs 3....maybe 8
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Fibes

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #21 on: July 09, 2007, 01:54:19 PM »

I dunno, a purist appraoch to micing a kit would mean you hear on the recording what was going on in the room. Putting mics on the top and the bottom of toms makes sense because you hear both heads in the room don't you?

While I find it nice to see what other guys are doing this really isn't a big deal to me. Just like when people brag about how they got Steve to record them and people seem so impressed. He's just like the rest of us, you can work with him if you pay him.

Please note that there are no opinions in this post about Steve's drum sounds.  

Glad putting drums in a corner works for somebody.

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Fibes
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spoon

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #22 on: July 09, 2007, 02:47:59 PM »

Fibes wrote on Mon, 09 July 2007 12:54

I dunno, a purist appraoch to micing a kit would mean you hear on the recording what was going on in the room. Putting mics on the top and the bottom of toms makes sense because you hear both heads in the room don't you?

While I find it nice to see what other guys are doing this really isn't a big deal to me. Just like when people brag about how they got Steve to record them and people seem so impressed. He's just like the rest of us, you can work with him if you pay him.

Please note that there are no opinions in this post about Steve's drum sounds.  

Glad putting drums in a corner works for somebody.



Good point about micing both sides.  I figure the room mics would capture that, but I guess the real deal is it is giving him/them options for mixdown.

I think recording with Steve is "brag"-able.  Yeah, he is a regular guy like all of us, and anyone with the scratch to pay for it can record with him...but he does have a TON of experience.  
And really now...he isn't like the rest of us in that many regard his recordings as archetypes for various styles.  
Also, he did record one of the most influential bands of non-main-stream rock...The Pixies.

That adds a very tangible amount of cache to the entire situation.

You may not have expressed opinions about Steve's drum sounds, but J hinted at it.
j.hall wrote on Mon, 09 July 2007 12:12

30 drum mics??????????
for the drum sounds he gets, he probably only needs 3....maybe 8

J, did you have an unpleasant experience with Steve or are you really not a fan of his recording techniques?

Regards,
David
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pg666

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #23 on: July 09, 2007, 03:53:42 PM »

i'd bet that "30 mics" was probably more like 12-15. still a lot, but time has a way of distorting things..

one thing interesting about that room is it's entirely surrounded by an airgap into the basement (creating sort of a giant bass trap), so the corners thing isn't quite as applicable. i'm not sure i'd ever record with Steve (mostly because i couldn't afford it), but he knows exactly what he's doing.
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Fibes

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #24 on: July 09, 2007, 03:59:00 PM »

For some working with Steve is something to brag about, I just don't understand the concpet since Steve works with anyone who has the balls and money to.

I find very often people have this idea that certain folks are unobtainable, Steve isn't one of them which IMO is a very cool thing. The fact that he doesn't overcharge so he can work where the art is happening is comendable. In many ways he has the name recognition most of us would kill for and many would abuse the privledges.

Anyhoo, when i hear "did you hear that SA has agreed to record band x" I just gotta laugh 'cause i know that money and enough lead time in booking is all it takes.

Does that mean it's not a good thing? No, not at all, it's just not like being knighted or something...

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Fibes
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pg666

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #25 on: July 09, 2007, 04:12:23 PM »

Quote:

Anyhoo, when i hear "did you hear that SA has agreed to record band x" I just gotta laugh 'cause i know that money and enough lead time in booking is all it takes.

Does that mean it's not a good thing? No, not at all, it's just not like being knighted or something...



there was a pretty average local band (well, they used to be local to me) who made a record with SA maybe 5 years ago and were sorta playing it up in zine interviews at the time. "well, we sent him a demo and he really dug it!". it says right on the EA page you don't need to send them a demo to record there, hehe.
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Fibes

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #26 on: July 09, 2007, 07:00:09 PM »

pg666 wrote on Mon, 09 July 2007 16:12

Quote:

Anyhoo, when i hear "did you hear that SA has agreed to record band x" I just gotta laugh 'cause i know that money and enough lead time in booking is all it takes.

Does that mean it's not a good thing? No, not at all, it's just not like being knighted or something...



there was a pretty average local band (well, they used to be local to me) who made a record with SA maybe 5 years ago and were sorta playing it up in zine interviews at the time. "well, we sent him a demo and he really dug it!". it says right on the EA page you don't need to send them a demo to record there, hehe.


Exactly.

I find it a bit sad that Steve has set up a nice work ethic and people take ADvantage of it.


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Fibes
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mitgong

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #27 on: July 09, 2007, 07:25:14 PM »

I certainly didn't mean to brag (and I got nothing to brag about that weekend, believe me).  I just thought y'all would be interested in the room and the pretty microphones.

Working at Electrical with Steve was no more expensive than any similarly appointed studio in a medium to major market, and probably less than most.

I agreed to make the trip to Chicago because I didn't want to have to think about anything other than my playing, and having heard Steve's work and read about his approach I figured I'd be in good hands.  

That said, the guy who leads my band was definitely interested in having "recorded by Steve Albini" written on the record, and thinks it will help him get "label attention".

Whatever.  The "celebrity" thing might have led to my red light fever.  There were a lot of impressive posters up on the walls in there.  The place is definitely set up for people who have their shit together.

My drums sound awesome, even when I'm playing them.  Steve captured "my" drum sound, not his (room approach notwithstanding).

The only hard thing about getting to work with Albini is the wait.  He's booked months out.

I've always liked the sound of my drums in the corner.  

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Greg Dixon

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #28 on: July 09, 2007, 07:25:44 PM »

j.hall wrote on Tue, 10 July 2007 03:12

30 drum mics??????????

for the drum sounds he gets, he probably only needs 3....maybe 8


Agreed. I have nothing against Steve and some of my attitudes towards recording, are quite similar. Overall though, I find his recordings (and I haven't heard that many) a bit muddled and indistinct. I wish he'd have used more eq and compression to minimize the murk and add a bit of punch.

spoon wrote on Tue, 10 July 2007 04:47



I guess the real deal is it is giving him/them options for mixdown.




I'd be surprised if he's leaving those decisions to mix down. I wouldn't expect him to spend very long on the mix. For Steve, it appears to be all about how you capture it in the first place.
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scottoliphant

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Re: I just (tried) to make a record with Steve Albini
« Reply #29 on: July 09, 2007, 10:39:55 PM »

Greg Dixon wrote on Mon, 09 July 2007 18:25



Agreed. I have nothing against Steve and some of my attitudes towards recording, are quite similar. Overall though, I find his recordings (and I haven't heard that many) a bit muddled and indistinct. I wish he'd have used more eq and compression to minimize the murk and add a bit of punch.




regardless of what folks think about his style, he's doing something right. his recordings age less than most (to me), mostly because of his aversion to compressing everything. surfa rosa came out in 1988, just a hair shy of being 20 years old. pretty amazing.  


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