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[TotalSonic]

Anyone else here read the article on David Torn in this month's TapeOp?

There was a funny part in it where he was relating some famous (unnamed) mastering engineer yelling at him over the phone while he was in front of his A&R guy.  The reason?  Because the ME was trying to piece together a CD with tracks sent in from 7 different producers (of which David was one).  This of course after David relates how he had put this mix through peak limiting, eq on the 2 buss, and sent it through a 2 buss compressor not once but twice before sending it on to the ME.  After relating earlier in the article how he has worked to overcome losing hearing in one of his ears, and how he really doesn't like his Genelec monitors in his box shaped rooms because he feels they are pretty inaccurate.  

But - he stated he couldn't understatnd the ME's beef at all as none of the peak levels on his track went above -0.5dBFs (althouh he does state that the average level was pretty high) and said the wav forms "looked ok" - and that everyone he played the mixes to (including the A&R guy) thought they sounded great.  He was wondering why the ME couldn't just match everything to his track instead of giving him a hassle in front of the label people.  And he finished by saying that he would never use that particular ME in the future.

Good lesson to all of us: never yell or get upset at a client if you want to retain their business in the future!  Diplomacy and tact are very important skills.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[bblackwood]

TotalSonic wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 18:12

Good lesson to all of us: never yell or get upset at a client if you want to retain their business in the future!

Is this really a lesson anyone needs to be taught?

That mastering engineer was obviously a moron.

[TotalSonic]

bblackwood wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 01:31

TotalSonic wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 18:12 Good lesson to all of us: never yell or get upset at a client if you want to retain their business in the future! Is this really a lesson anyone needs to be taught? That mastering engineer was obviously a moron.

There's also a good lesson for this board in this though.  How many times have people here jumped down the throat of a high profile ME for a crushed or distorted track - when in fact it might the fault might be from the mixer - as in this example?  I definitely think this ME was way out of line from the way David Torn (who I happen to think is truly an amazing musician) described it - but maybe the ME in question was having a bad day and getting this one pre-crushed track just put him over the edge.

Anyway - I feel that our job is to serve - and not to "educate" - and that yelling at a mixer is simply not the way to ever go about things.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[bblackwood]

TotalSonic wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 20:15

How many times have people here jumped down the throat of a high profile ME for a crushed or distorted track - when in fact it might the fault might be from the mixer - as in this example?

Hey, I resemble that remark. Of course, I base it on a history of work, not one example...

Quote:

Anyway - I feel that our job is to serve - and not to "educate"

I think it's both, depending on the client.

Quote:

and that yelling at a mixer is simply not the way to ever go about things.

I cannot think of any situation where yelling at someone is going to help the mastering session...

[dcollins]

TotalSonic wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 18:15

Anyway - I feel that our job is to serve - and not to "educate"

Amen to that!

DC

[bblackwood]

dcollins wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 21:21

TotalSonic wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 18:15 Anyway - I feel that our job is to serve - and not to "educate" Amen to that! DC

So, you never try to educate a 'newbie' or someone who is uninformed?

If the acoustic musician working on his first record wants it louder than Green Day you just give him a 'yessir' and get to work?

I disagree. I'm not going to try to 'educate' Mike Shipley, but obviously we serve the clients and some education, specifically for the newer people (and only when needed or obvious), is helpful, imo and ime...

[Bob Boyd]

TotalSonic wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 20:15

Anyway - I feel that our job is to serve - and not to "educate" Best regards, Steve Berson

While our job is definitely a service oriented job, I can't completely agree with that comment.  I've had too many instances where a client might ask for something that shouldn't be done to a track (of course over limiting always comes to mind).  After a simple explanation or demonstration if it's an attended session, they are often willing to take my advice.  It's all in how you handle your clients.  Compromise and knowing how to balance it is a huge part of this job.

[TotalSonic]

Bob Boyd wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 03:32

TotalSonic wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 20:15 Anyway - I feel that our job is to serve - and not to "educate" Best regards, Steve Berson While our job is definitely a service oriented job, I can't completely agree with that comment.  I've had too many instances where a client might ask for something that shouldn't be done to a track (of course over limiting always comes to mind).  After a simple explanation or demonstration if it's an attended session, they are often willing to take my advice.  It's all in how you handle your clients.  Compromise and knowing how to balance it is a huge part of this job.

Very good points!

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Ronny]

1. I'd have to hear both sides before I threw large stones.

2. Anyone that thinks that keeping peak levels down to -.5dB has anything to do with not ruining a song by pancaking it, has no business setting perceived levels and than sending it on to an ME. Looking at waveforms can be very misleading. Short songs in full view will appear to have much better dynamics than a song twice as long in full view, even if the short tune has much higher RMS. Saying the waveform looked ok, to me, is a red flag on the producer.

3. If the ME was yelling and truly being an asshole, that's not professional. The proper way would have been to ask him for a  remix without the hypercompression, but are we going to bitch about the high profilers defaulting to stun, than bitch about it when one of them protests to the client for requiring a more dynamic mix on a song that obviously stuck out like a sore thumb and needed to be dynamic enough to be worked in to fit with the other tunes.

4. If a remix request got an argument, before I'd compromise all of the other dynamic tracks by ruining them to match the song in question, I would work on all of the dynamic songs in my normal manner, than attenuate the hot song by ear until it matched the perceived level of the dynamic songs. The hot song would likely  now be peaking closer to -3dB to -5dB than -.5dB. I've been into the exact same situation and that's the best solution that I have found. I'd explain it to the producer of the 7th song in a calm manner and restate that a remix without heavy limiting prior to the mastering grind, is the best option, when he heard the ref.

[Gold]

bblackwood wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 22:15

I cannot think of any situation where yelling at someone is going to help the mastering session...

What if they're deaf?

[Ronny]

Gold wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 23:05

bblackwood wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 22:15 I cannot think of any situation where yelling at someone is going to help the mastering session... What if they're deaf?

Even less point.

[dcollins]

bblackwood wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 19:31

So, you never try to educate a 'newbie' or someone who is uninformed? If the acoustic musician working on his first record wants it louder than Green Day you just give him a 'yessir' and get to work?

Dude, I can get his guitar/vocal record louder than Green Day.  Can't you?

I guess my point is that "education" is but a small part, and in most cases the client actually knows what he wants.

Advice?  I've got it.  You know how shy and retiring I am.

Not all want to be educated, anyway...............

DC

[TotalSonic]

dcollins wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 05:15

bblackwood wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 19:31 If the acoustic musician working on his first record wants it louder than Green Day you just give him a 'yessir' and get to work? Dude, I can get his guitar/vocal record louder than Green Day.  Can't you?

Sure I can.  But can you get him louder than Vlado got Johnny Cash is the real question!


Best regards,
Steve Berson

[jackthebear]

My experience has been that most newbies feel daunted by the whole mastering thang and while they may ask some questions, they don't pay for a seminar.......but rather to kick back and allow someone else do the job they pay for.

I find it interesting one question I get asked a lot from clients irrespective of their experience is "can I come attend the session". They have been used to so many MEs telling them that it would be better / cheaper if the session was unattended.

I understand why MEs do it but I have no problem if people sit in and ask questions. The better informed my client is about what can and can't be achieved in mastering.....the better mixes he will deliver.....and that will ultimately result in a better rekkid.

Cheers,

[Bob Boyd]

jackthebear wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 23:50

I understand why MEs do it but I have no problem if people sit in and ask questions. The better informed my client is about what can and can't be achieved in mastering.....the better mixes he will deliver.....and that will ultimately result in a better rekkid. Cheers,

I second that!  Attended sessions can have their drawbacks but, as Tony mentioned, occasionally attending allows the client to better understand why something can't be done (or only done to an extent).

I think in some cases it can be good for the client and/or mix engineer to hear their mixes on a revealing monitoring system too.  That alone can definitely affect their choices on the next go around.

[bblackwood]

dcollins wrote on Tue, 27 September 2005 23:15

Dude, I can get his guitar/vocal record louder than Green Day.  Can't you?

Of course, but my advice would be to cut it lower (see below).

Quote:

I guess my point is that "education" is but a small part, and in most cases the client actually knows what he wants. Advice?  I've got it.  You know how shy and retiring I am. Not all want to be educated, anyway...

Good point - advice is a much better term than education...

[Thomas W. Bethel]

Communication is the biggest part of doing a really good job mastering. If the client is a newbie then you have to somewhat guide them or "educate" them into what mastering can and cannot do. If they are at an attended session for the first time it all may seem overwhelming to them and they maybe afraid to ask questions or to make suggestions. You, as the the mastering engineer,  have to make them feel comfortable enough to be part of the mastering experience. More established clients will have been though some mastering somewhere along the line and will know more but you still have to make them comfortable enough to ask questions and to make suggestions.

There is one mastering engineer near here that never asks the clients a thing during the attended mastering sessions. He boast that he can get three songs done per hour and he does that by not involving the client in any decisions. It is basically his way or no way. I often wonder what his clients must think just sitting there in an attended session and never having the chance to say a word until the end of the session when he turns around and asks them "how did you like the mastering?". I have a couple of clients that use to use him and that is how I know how he works.

I think that really communicating with the client from the initial phone call all the way though the mastering is the only  way to do a superior job. Many clients that come to us are doing their first real recording and what it to be "perfect" They are nervous and have high expectations but are also afraid this is going to cost them an arm and a leg. Talking with them and explaining what you are going to do and how long it is going to take goes a long way towards quelling those fears. We have a couple of clients that I have watched mature over the years and we are now working on their forth or fifth project. They come back because we do a good job for them and have helped "educate" them along the way.

Word of mouth advertising is the cheapest and the best way to advertise your services.

MTCW

[turtletone]

I personally don't give any advice or education to the client unless they ask for it. I also encourage clients to attend sessions. This is probably the biggest reason why I have a room in a commercial building. I have clients book time just to sit and listen. They can learn more in one hour just by listening on a good setup then I can tell them in 100 pages of emails. If they do ask how they can improve this or that, 99% of my responses are "lay off the compression and limiting". If that's educating a client, then call me Professor.

[bobkatz]

I've long been on the side of education and BALANCE. Come to the loudness workshop at the AES Convention in November to see my latest demonstration that I've been using lately to help new clients understand the loudness issue and come to an informated conclusion.

Your best client is an educated client. After that point, the decisions are theirs, though!

BK

[dcollins]

bblackwood wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 03:49

Good point - advice is a much better term than education...

Wasn't it you that had the series of pamphlets like you find in the doctors office?

"I've been diagnosed with boomy bass, what next?"

DC

[bblackwood]

dcollins wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 14:18

bblackwood wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 03:49 Good point - advice is a much better term than education... Wasn't it you that had the series of phamplets like you find in the doctors office?   "Now that I've been diagnosed with boomy bass, what next?"

HAHAHAHAHA

Nicely done.

[Ben F]

bobkatz wrote on Thu, 29 September 2005 01:39

Your best client is an educated client. After that point, the decisions are theirs, though! BK

Well said! Perhaps you also can attract those sorts of clients if they understand your philosophy and approach to mastering. They may even have read the 'Bob Katz' bible, or have a copy handy next to their bed in times of confusion  

I used to have a chat about different approaches to mastering when the finished session was writing an image, as there was a spare 30 mins or so with the client.

Lots of smoke and mirrors that need to be dispelled!

[Ronny]

Ben F wrote on Thu, 29 September 2005 02:21

bobkatz wrote on Thu, 29 September 2005 01:39 Your best client is an educated client. After that point, the decisions are theirs, though! BK Well said! Perhaps you also can attract those sorts of clients if they understand your philosophy and approach to mastering. They may even have read the 'Bob Katz' bible, or have a copy handy next to their bed in times of confusion   I used to have a chat about different approaches to mastering when the finished session was writing an image, as there was a spare 30 mins or so with the client. Lots of smoke and mirrors that need to be dispelled!

I have to be honest. My best clients are the ones that have more money than they can spend.

[Ben F]

Does that generally equate to good music?

[jackthebear]

Ben F wrote on Thu, 29 September 2005 17:32

Does that generally equate to good music?

Not necessarily..... but a client who comes with legal tender shows you that he values you..... and our job is make it sound good not judge it.

Cheers,

[Ronny]

jackthebear wrote on Thu, 29 September 2005 08:36

Ben F wrote on Thu, 29 September 2005 17:32 Does that generally equate to good music? Not necessarily..... but a client who comes with legal tender shows you that he values you..... and our job is make it sound good not judge it. Cheers,

Very true, Tony and I find that it's always the people that try to get you to lower your fees, that are the ones that ask the most questions and can be a PITA at attended sessions. The people with the dough are more serious for the most part and they trust my judgement with little question about it.

Ben, no amount of money can buy a good performance, but yes, generally the people that aren't shy on spending the dough have the best product to master from. Not always but there is a certain quality pattern to serious and knowledgeable people that don't try to cut corners.

[spltrcl]

steve (et al),
thanks for paying attention to this, sir(s).
the estimable simon taufique pointed me to this thread, so:
fwiw, in hindsight (as that interview was conducted more than 18months ago):

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 00:12

There was a funny part in it where he was relating some famous (unnamed) mastering engineer yelling at him over the phone while he was in front of his A&R guy.  The reason?  Because the ME was trying to piece together a CD with tracks sent in from 7 different producers (of which David was one).

 
i think i exaggerated, a bit, in the heat of the moment;
i believe that there were only 2 other producers, and (maybe) 3 other mixers.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 00:12

This of course after David relates how he had put this mix through peak limiting, eq on the 2 buss, and sent it through a 2 buss compressor not once but twice before sending it on to the ME.

 
honestly, i often find myself using 2 compressors on the 2-buss, even in much more open, less saturated mixes --- as a coloration device, wherein one of the compressors isn't doing any real compression, at all.
but, yeah:
all of these 3 mixes were printed w/peak limiting, in order to control the height of the peaks to -.7dB;
2 of the mixes were indeed pretty danged "loud", ie not particularly dynamic, displaying high average levels:
i dunno why, but:
1) that's what sounded "good" to me, in this case --- which's definitely NOT true of all of my mixes, and
2) those were precisely what the artist, his management and the major-label A&R dude all loved and approved.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 00:12

After relating earlier in the article how he has worked to overcome losing hearing in one of his ears, and how he really doesn't like his Genelec monitors in his box shaped rooms because he feels they are pretty inaccurate.

yup.
i've still got them gennies --- i kinda learnt them, so --- but have added tetras (first 405's, then 505's) w/an edge amp/evidence cabling.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 00:12

But - he stated he couldn't understatnd the ME's beef at all as none of the peak levels on his track went above -0.5dBFs (althouh he does state that the average level was pretty high) and said the wav forms "looked ok" - and that everyone he played the mixes to (including the A&R guy) thought they sounded great.

si.
the ME and A&R dude were at the session, together, thousands of miles away from me;
i found it unacceptably callous & cowardly of this guy that he would so obviously belittle me in front of the label (w/o my own presence in the room).
otoh:
the ME's criticism was so strong that i really had to take it seriously, as i do not generally presume my technical knowledge to be even remotely comprehensive:
remember, that i've had recordings mastered by greg calbi, bob ludwig, ken lee, etc, wherein i certainly attended the sessions, in order to learn (and approve, of course).

so, i invited 2 well-known, experienced mixer/producer friends (independently) to come over to my place & criticise without reservation my mixes, both by *ear* and by *eye*:
i learned something from them both, but their minor criticisms were truly FAR out of alignment with the ME's.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 00:12

He was wondering why the ME couldn't just match everything to his track instead of giving him a hassle in front of the label people.  And he finished by saying that he would never use that particular ME in the future.

si.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 28 September 2005 00:12

Good lesson to all of us: never yell or get upset at a client if you want to retain their business in the future!  Diplomacy and tact are very important skills.

some other suggestions might include:
1) presume (and show) a base level of mutual respect,
b) know the person with whom you speak, musically and/or reputationally,
9) use private phone conversations, iChat or email for intense communications, when an involved party is "remote",
E) consider *how* and *why* one's communication might be construed as condescending, and whether such is necessary and effective, or not, and
19) it might be useful to occasionally keep-in-mind who is responsible for creating the music.

just to cap it all off, fyi, as i haven't had the opportunity to read the tape-op piece, yet,
1) i wrote and/or co-wrote those tunes, and
2) the tune in question won a..... hmmm..... "Major American Music Award", for whatever that's worth.
best,
dt / spltrcl

[bblackwood]

Welcome David, nice to have you here and thanks for clearing some of this up...

[TotalSonic]

David -
Thanks so much for posting here and taking the time to clarify the story for us.  Your points regarding proper etiquette are very nicely summed up - and just to make it clear so that my initial post isn't misunderstood - I think the ME who was yelling at you, and in front of label reps at that, was way way way out of line.  Behavior like that is simply completely uncalled for and for some one not to respect the intense level of musicianship and expertise you've shown over numerous albums is totally ridiculous to me.

Having said that I do find one area which I sympathize with the ME in that the job requires not just doing what is best for the individual song but also what is best for the entire album.  Of course - not actually having heard the tracks everything that follow is complete conjecture - but if the other tracks were sounding really nice more dynamic but he was presented with a squashed mix for a single track - it can create a big dilemma as to how to maintain the continuity of the album.  And on a technical level: essentially I've found that tracks that have already been peak limited in most cases don't hold up as well under any further processing - i.e. when you eq them it goes all grainy instead of responding the way desired.  I definitely agree with you that a lot of "vibe" can be gotten by putting through a mix through a comp that is applying almost no gain reduction though - so I guess the double run through 2buss compression isn't so egregious as it seemed initially to me in the interview.  But I still think it's very possible that the ultimate released master would have most likely benefited if the ME was presented with a mix that did not have any peak limiting on it.  Of course - if it was me talking to you I would have asked very very nice & politely for this - and done it after all the label reps had left the room!!

Anyway - congratulations on your award for the track in question - and I'm sorry you had to deal with an a-hole - and thanks for a lot of fantastic music of the past (dug out my copy of "Cloud About Mercury" and am listening to it now as I post this) and in the present and future.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[spltrcl]

thanks for the wilkommen, folks!

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 07:10

David - Thanks so much for posting here and taking the time to clarify the story for us.  Your points regarding proper etiquette are very nicely summed up - and just to make it clear so that my initial post isn't misunderstood - I think the ME who was yelling at you, and in front of label reps at that, was way way way out of line.  Behavior like that is simply completely uncalled for and for some one not to respect the intense level of musicianship and expertise you've shown over numerous albums is totally ridiculous to me.

thanks for that;
also, not to be dismissed is my:
1) often loudly spoken massive amount of respect for the role of the Mastering Engineer,
2) the range of my experience w/respected ME's, and
3) the embarassing number of micro-budgeted discs which i've mastered, myself, at my own studio --- which i never will do w/o requesting that the artist and/or record company FIRST consider going to a REAL mastering engineer who has the knowledge, depth-of-experience and resources to do a PROPER & suitable job of it.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 07:10

Having said that I do find one area which I sympathize with the ME in that the job requires not just doing what is best for the individual song but also what is best for the entire album.  Of course - not actually having heard the tracks everything that follow is complete conjecture - but if the other tracks were sounding really nice more dynamic but he was presented with a squashed mix for a single track - it can create a big dilemma as to how to maintain the continuity of the album.

yes, certainly;
i never claimed to be "in the right";
i understand the problem with which the ME was faced, and offered to immediately remix the track w/less processing --- so long as the artist-in-question would have the option to approve the new mix.

also, fwiw:
i was not given access to any of the (other) mixes that others had delivered.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 07:10

And on a technical level: essentially I've found that tracks that have already been peak limited in most cases don't hold up as well under any further processing - i.e. when you eq them it goes all grainy instead of responding the way desired.

a real question, not at all disingenuously posed:
do you mean that kind of generalised result occurs only for specifically all-digital mastering sessions, or are you including the possibilities for returning to analog, as well?

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 07:10

I definitely agree with you that a lot of "vibe" can be gotten by putting through a mix through a comp that is applying almost no gain reduction though - so I guess the double run through 2buss compression isn't so egregious as it seemed initially to me in the interview.

si, si:
sometimes it works, sometimes not.
otoh:
being rudely chastised by the ME via long-distance tel, with the A&R dude being exposed to my asswhuppin', and the ME saying things like:
"what the hell did you to do these waveforms?!?! i've never seen anything like it", and
"something is just totally wrong, here!", and
"i just don't see how we can use this/these tracks".....

well, ya know.....
so it goes, i guess.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 07:10

But I still think it's very possible that the ultimate released master would have most likely benefited if the ME was presented with a mix that did not have any peak limiting on it.  Of course - if it was me talking to you I would have asked very very nice & politely for this - and done it after all the label reps had left the room!!

si.
exactly.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 07:10

Anyway - congratulations on your award for the track in question - and I'm sorry you had to deal with an a-hole - and thanks for a lot of fantastic music of the past (dug out my copy of "Cloud About Mercury" and am listening to it now as I post this) and in the

thanks much, dude:
(plenty of stuff has occurred in the meanwhile, ya know!)
*-)
best,
dt / spltrcl

[dcollins]

spltrcl wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 12:59

and the ME saying things like: "what the hell did you to do these waveforms?!?! i've never seen anything like it", and "something is just totally wrong, here!", and "i just don't see how we can use this/these tracks".....

I love stuff like this.

OTGH, I could see how people might get that idea, what with gazing at waveforms on giant LCD monitors.

So, you won't tell us who it was?  We'll just keep here on the board.


DC

[spltrcl]

dcollins wrote on Thu, 06 October 2005 08:43

spltrcl wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 12:59 and the ME saying things like: "what the hell did you to do these waveforms?!?! i've never seen anything like it", and "something is just totally wrong, here!", and "i just don't see how we can use this/these tracks"..... I love stuff like this. OTGH, I could see how people might get that idea, what with gazing at waveforms on giant LCD monitors. So, you won't tell us who it was?  We'll just keep here on the board. DC

no, dave:
no can do:
having said as much as i've said,
it would be even *more* unseemly of me, and maybe even unfair:
maybe that guy was just *really* having a bad day/week/month/life/universe?
(i look forward to some other artist/producer/mixer whom i trust & respect telling me that he had a wonderful, creative experience w/the same dude --- everyone can *change*).
that said,
i wouldn't (of my own volition) go to him for mastering, myself, since there are certainly kinder & gentler folk around w/good ears, great skills, great "work ethics" & remarkable bodies-of-work.
ya know?

dt / spltrcl

[TotalSonic]

spltrcl wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 20:59

thanks for the wilkommen, folks!

And an honor to have you hanging out here!

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 07:10

And on a technical level: essentially I've found that tracks that have already been peak limited in most cases don't hold up as well under any further processing - i.e. when you eq them it goes all grainy instead of responding the way desired.

spltrcl wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 20:59

a real question, not at all disingenuously posed: do you mean that kind of generalised result occurs only for specifically all-digital mastering sessions, or are you including the possibilities for returning to analog, as well?

Probably 95% of the time the primary processing I use is in the analog realm - it's pretty rare for me to ever find a track which ends up sounding better only using digital processors.  While you might be able to "get away" with a little more in terms of successfully dealing with pre-limited tracks through an analog process chain over a purely digital one I still have found that in most cases the end result will sound a lot better if brickwall peak limiting is kept as the 2nd to final stage right before dithering down.  Most other ME's I know seem to think the exact same thing.

Quote:

otoh: being rudely chastised by the ME via long-distance tel, with the A&R dude being exposed to my asswhuppin', and the ME saying things like: "what the hell did you to do these waveforms?!?! i've never seen anything like it", and "something is just totally wrong, here!", and "i just don't see how we can use this/these tracks"..... well, ya know..... so it goes, i guess.

There's a nice Yiddish word for a guy like that: a schmegeggy.

TotalSonic wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 07:10

Anyway - congratulations on your award for the track in question - and I'm sorry you had to deal with an a-hole - and thanks for a lot of fantastic music of the past (dug out my copy of "Cloud About Mercury" and am listening to it now as I post this) and in the

spltrcl wrote on Wed, 05 October 2005 20:59

thanks much, dude: (plenty of stuff has occurred in the meanwhile, ya know!) *-) best, dt / spltrcl

Somehow I knew you'd say that!  Artists always seem to love their new borns more than their grown up teenagers for some reason.  Hey - at least on a 1987 release I know there won't be any excessive peak limiting on it -

To be honest - I really dug the "What Means Solid" album and the stuff you've done with folks like Mick Karn, David Sylvian and David Bowie - but guess I've been remiss in keeping up with your more recent solo work.  Any recommendations as to what your favorites out of your recent releases?

Best regards,
Steve Berson