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[audiosculpture]

hi everyone,
i just joined, but have been reading awhile.
i'll soon be recording a band that wants their record to sound like interpol's.  THEY don't sound like interpol, they sound more like ziggy stardust era bowie.  but they want that 'modern indie sound,' & 'big rhythm section' - quotes from the band. i don't have the interpol record (i'll be picking it up this evening), i'm just wondering if anyone can give me any insight, or tell me what to expect.  i've heard a song or two, but i don't reall remember what it was like from a production standpoint.

thanks for any help & insight,
tony

[how_gauche]

Lots and lots of spring reverb on the guitars, flat vocals with a touch of distortion.

[audiosculpture]

they are mostly interested in the drum & bass sound, he kept talking about how huge they sound.

thanks, we've got the spring reverbs!

tony

[j.hall]

i always attempt (or entertain) to give the band whatever they want.  it's their record....not mine.

but i'd at least find a tactful way to tell these guys that they don't sound like interpol, nor are they interpol, nor are you the guy that cut and/or mixed the interpol record.

if they are speaking specifically of the drum sound or some aspect of it, then that's a good reference for what they'd like their drums to do.

i wouldn't kill myself trying to get the same tone.....but there is nothing wrong with bands putting on various CD's saying, "i like this guitar tone, i like this bass tone....i like this mix....it's full and feels good"

that helps you understand them and what they like to hear.

so often i don't get any of that and i have to just fly blind hoping the tracking engineer put down what the band wanted in the first place.

[Rivers]

I agree with J.
Go listen to the cd and see what they like.
The production is definitely "modern indie".
I hear a Joy division/Cure vibe with some Strokes thrown in.
I like it but gets a bit tiresome after a few songs.Some songs are quite atomspheric and layered.
The drums and bass do sound pretty good though.

[audiosculpture]

yeah, they were talking more of just the sound of it.  he loves the sound of the rhythm section on the interpol record, specifically the drums & bass (& their perceived hugeness).  they aren't looking to "sound like interpol," but they want that girth.

i agree, i would much rather have a band play stuff for me / tell me what they want to sound like.  i'm always probing them anyway, asking what they're into, what are some records with sounds they like, etc.

t

[xonlocust]

i think a good portion of it is thier songwriting as well, specifically the arrangements. they're a great rhythm section - but the bass player knows to NOT play so that when he DOES PLAY it sounds "huge" as the band sees it. unfortuntately unless the band in question's rhythm section hasn't already figured that out it doesn't help much.  maybe i'm talking about something totally unrelated - but i like how the records sound too.  sounds fun!

[audiosculpture]

i'm looking forward to listening to the album tonight.  i listened to it before & wasn't into it for whatever reason (i don't remember why) but i remember thinking it sounded a little too 'modern rock radio'....whatever that means.

tony

[lord]

Yea.
It's all about the shrill Joy Division-stylee guitar.
There's no meat in it, so it makes the bass and drums sound damn fat.

[NelsonL]

lord wrote on Thu, 16 September 2004 14:49

Yea. It's all about the shrill Joy Division-stylee guitar. There's no meat in it, so it makes the bass and drums sound damn fat.

Listening to Joy Division might be a better exercise!

I'd guess their drum sound isn't what your/his client is looking for though.

[j.hall]

thin guitar sounds can really help you fill out the bottom without much effort.

you just have to watch out for any guitar breaks that might allow the listener to hear that thin tone.

sometimes i'll mult guitars to a different channel so any stand alone guitar playing can be treated a bit different and meant to sound bigger.....it's a great illusion as well.

you hear the guitar by itself sound rich and full, then the song kicks in and it thins out....but the listener still thinks it's the same as before......"how'd you get that guitar so big with everything else in there?"  

MUW HA HA HA HA

[how_gauche]

j.hall wrote on Fri, 17 September 2004 10:03

you hear the guitar by itself sound rich and full, then the song kicks in and it thins out....but the listener still thinks it's the same as before......"how'd you get that guitar so big with everything else in there?"

You can hear that actually on "C'mere" (in my opinion the only really notably good song on their new record). I don't hear anything really "special" about the rhythm section on that record -- besides the fact that they can play and the bass player plays bouncy parts.

As far as the drums go it sounds like a good set in a big room. The bass is up pretty loud in the mix. Is there anything I'm missing?

[audiosculpture]

j.hall wrote on Fri, 17 September 2004 15:03

thin guitar sounds can really help you fill out the bottom without much effort. you just have to watch out for any guitar breaks that might allow the listener to hear that thin tone. sometimes i'll mult guitars to a different channel so any stand alone guitar playing can be treated a bit different and meant to sound bigger.....it's a great illusion as well. you hear the guitar by itself sound rich and full, then the song kicks in and it thins out....but the listener still thinks it's the same as before......"how'd you get that guitar so big with everything else in there?"   MUW HA HA HA HA

that will probably work out great.  there are a lot of parts where the songs drop to just vocals & a guitar.

[mogwailoveyou]

reverb...

haha make everything sound like it was recorded in a room of concrete... dark concrete.
actually from what it sounds, your client isn't going for that aspect of joy divi...interpol's music. but so far i'm agreeing with what others are saying, hopefully they are following in true revival post punk fashion with drums sounding cold and mechanical (doubletime is a must), basslines that are bouncy and upbeat, with ultra reverbed shrill piercing guitar that follows a slightly different rythmn than the bass and drums (the offbeat) and rarely plays the lower three strings of the guitar (that's the bass players part), that is until the chorus of course. if they have that and a singer with a faux ian curtis "i don't care about anything, especially this band" flat swagger, they can get themselves all over highschool girl blogs across the US of A.
haha then again this doesn't help you much since you're just the engineer...
reverb.

[6x2]

I second the use reverb here.

And squeeze the crap out of the kit...

But it seems funny. A band that doesn't sound like Interpol wants to sound like Interpol... Do they actually want to sound like them or write songs like them? Cause if it's the latter, there isn't much you can do about it... If it's just a idea for overall sound, your're OK.

FWIW, I hear more Television than Strokes in Interpol, although Strokes have a lot of Television in them...

I haven't hear the new IP record, but I'll be buying it soon... The reviews have been promising, any comments on it?

6x2

[Zoesch]

The sound of The Smiths and Joy Division together you mean?

[MB]

Zoesch wrote on Thu, 23 September 2004 11:31

The sound of The Smiths and Joy Division together you mean?

Nothing wrong with that (how ya doin by the way?).

JD (or that should be Martin Hannett) defined "the" post punk snare sound, and as an engineer one could do worse than to try and get that sound. Listen to Heart and Soul.

Is it me, or do I not hear a lot of slapback in Interpol? It's very vintage in a way as opposed to JD which was very cold and modernist.

[audiosculpture]

6x2 wrote on Thu, 23 September 2004 10:29

I second the use reverb here. And squeeze the crap out of the kit... But it seems funny. A band that doesn't sound like Interpol wants to sound like Interpol... Do they actually want to sound like them or write songs like them? Cause if it's the latter, there isn't much you can do about it... If it's just a idea for overall sound, your're OK. FWIW, I hear more Television than Strokes in Interpol, although Strokes have a lot of Television in them... I haven't hear the new IP record, but I'll be buying it soon... The reviews have been promising, any comments on it? 6x2

they're really just aiming for that big drum & bass sound.  they're not trying to sound or write like them.  they're not trying to sound like anyone, they just told me that was the kind of rhythm section sound they wanted to go for.

[mogwailoveyou]

I've heard the new interpol and it's not that bad. it's a good album but nothing sticks out nearly as much as songs on turn on the bright lights, ie. obstacles 1 & 2. that won't stop it from being an overhyped and played album... haha funny side note, was stuck in a doctors office with only teen people to read, so i flipped through it, there was this article on the 50 sexiest men ever (brad pitt, orland bloom, etc). there were about 6 musicians and the lead singers of interpol and the killers were the only rock musicians on there (except for maroon fucking 5) thought it was most comical. i'd expect this kind of hipster image worship bullshit from spin but not my beloved teen people!!!

[Phil Mayor]

I really like the new Interpol album not for the sound that much but the great songs on it...I think it stacks up well against the first album. It's definately more consistent. Anyway production wise both albums were made in the same studio with the same producer, Peter Katis @ http://www.tarquinrecords.com/studio/ check out the gear they have to get an idea of how the sound was achived. I hear super compressed drums, analog delays, spring reverb, sounds like the whole mix is running into distortion too like if you fed it into a pair of cranked up LA3A's ..
Huge drums, sound etc?? Nah dont think so! Put on the new Green Day album Track 1 then put on the new Interpol album Track 1!! You'll see what I mean!  

Phil.