This is in response to
this post. I think this is really morphing away from the original topic of the thread so I started a new one.
Mr. Albini, with all due respect, I am surprised that you think engineers and/or producers never deserve points.
Let's say a boogie-woogie blues rock band books a studio, and they aren't striving for anything epicurean or groundbreaking. They're just old fashioned straight ahead meat-and-potatoes rock n' roll. Let's say, however, they strike a cord with the the public and with a major label, and now their CD, including the tracks recorded at our Fictitious Humble Studio, is taking off like gangbusters. Now, does the engineer at said studio deserve points for sticking an SM57 in front of a Twin Reverb? Of course not. Especially if they got paid for their services up front and that was the deal.
However...what if an engineer on a project takes a gamble. That is, takes a project on spec or for very little money because he or she really likes the people in the band and believes that they're doing something special musically. What if, during this project, the engineer becomes so intertwined with the project they are, at times, really more like engineer/producer/arranger/programmer? Let's say these contributions really
are creative and take the music to a level that may not have been achieved without the engineer's dedication and commitment? Let's say later on the engineer also helps the band slice up bits of the music for multi-sampling that allows the band to perform the music live. I would think that engineer deserves a slice of the pie if the gamble/experiment pays off.
When I listen to a track like Cheryl Crow's "Every Day Is A Winding Road," I really wonder who's idea it was to use delay and reverse reverb at the end of the last verse ("Were ever really happening..." Trina Shoemaker perhaps?). Some engineers or producers would probably have just used a backing vocal there. It would still be good, but what was done sounds fantastic. Isn't that truly creative? If an engineer is peppering a project with ideas like that, that takes a good record and then gives it that something extra that turns it into a chart smasher, how is it they don't deserve points?
I'm not trying to be combative here. Obviously, you would know better than me. I'm just genuinely surprised by your stance. Perhaps I've misunderstood you.
Of course, I welcome all input here.
Regards,
Paul