The sound of vintage recordings

I notice that the majority of artists trying to get some vintge/retro sound are the younger artists of today...rather than old geezers clinging to nostalgia.
Why is that...?...well, I think it's becuase they are moslty looking for something unique, and I feel that there was a lot more uniqueness across the music gener's back in the day than there is now.
Today...weather it's Pop or Rock or Indie Pop or Indie Rock or Country Pop...or even a lot of Rap...it's all become homogenized, and everyone has robbed from everyone, so no matter what official genre is claimed, it all sounds like it comes from the same place.

Also...retro/vintage music was IMO less about specific gear and more about intent and approach. Today, for the most part, everyone is slicing-n-dicing individual tracks, working ITB, applying layers and layers and layers of plugins...whereas back in the day, it was usually more of a live band thing...and the processing was actualy minimal...so all the sound, the tone, the feel...came from the group of musicians playing together, and in the moment, rather than "applied" later on, ITB during mixing.
IOW...you don't need to run out and get tape machines and vintage mic, though it can help with the tones, and certainly with the creating the right mood...rather I think the key is to think about the sound, the tones, the feel during tracking...and get the arrangements sorted out up front...have some commitment from the first track, rather than approaching it like a parts-is-parts thing, where you simply assemble a production.

I still track to tape and do the console thing, without outboard gear, even though I'm also using a DAW...because I think it makes the process of recording more deliberate and committed. My biggest thing is not having more people to record with...but it's hard finding other people who just want to work on originals. Everyone seems to be looking for a covers gig situation.
 
RFR said:
I also think more emphasis is placed on the 'fidelity' of the recording rather than the quality of the song.

Nostalgia or not, there were many more enduring songs from the past than there are today.

Now there is lots of 'well recorded' music that in 20 years time will be forgotten.
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EXACTLY how I feel.

It's not necessarily just the recording values or "sound" of it, it's the attitude, sincerity, the arrangements, attention to songwriting, all the social forces that were at work. In many ways, it is that old world that I yearn for, that still lives in the music. A world before 'irony', when a lyric like "Reach out and touch/somebody's hand/Make this world a better place" felt important and not contrived.

Even in this thread- not to diminish the other responses but- so much of what people are saying here is about production values and equipment, not the drive and intent behind the music. And that's what I miss. I'm not sure analog vs. digital even matters.
 
Excellent analysis.



There is a studio and record label back east that does music the old fashioned way and records with period correct gear.

For the life of me , i cannot remember the name to find it on youtube.

Great stuff though.
 
RFR said:
Excellent analysis.



There is a studio and record label back east that does music the old fashioned way and records with period correct gear.

For the life of me , i cannot remember the name to find it on youtube.

Great stuff though.
Click to expand...

Dirt Floor?
 
Doesn't ring a bell. These people do a lot of soul music. Maybe in Philly or Brooklyn??

Me or someone else will find it sooner or later.
Have a feeling this thread will go on for a while.
:D
 
RFR said:
Doesn't ring a bell. These people do a lot of soul music. Maybe in Philly or Brooklyn??

Me or someone else will find it sooner or later.
Have a feeling this thread will go on for a while.
:D
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Are you talking about Daptone Records?
 
fat_fleet said:
Dirt Floor?
Click to expand...
Just checked it out. Cool place. Love that shit!

Not the place i was thinking about but thanks for the exposure.

On the vintage sound;

Maybe some old methods had limitations. Maybe they wished for better gear (don't we all? )
Maybe,, it was crude by today's standards.

But.......

Those limitations forced something that is lacking today.

Real musicianship. Getting a band in one room with just a limited number of mics and tracks, and making a record.

Today any modern daw and interface that a 16 year okd kid has in his bedroom rivals the tools that the Beatles had.

But can he make a Sgt Pepper. ...don't think so.
 
Lots of great input here. I definitely agree with miro and fat fleet about the intent, musicianship, and vibe playing a huge role in it. Man ... in my opinion, one of the coolest virtual reality/simulation experiments would involve being able to go back to one of those vintage sessions and hear what it would sound like if a specific piece of gear had been replaced. Like:

What would it sound like if the song were recorded digitally with a prosumer Tascam interface?
What would it sound like if it had been recorded on a cassette 4-track?
What would it sound like if they had used an RNC instead of an LA-2A compressor?
What would it sound like if they had recorded the vocals with a Rode NT instead of a Neumann?

What I "postdict" (made up word ... opposite of predict? :) ) is that several variables could have changed and they still would have had a hit record that stood the test of time. But man how fun it would be to do that experiment!
 
RFR said:
Just checked it out. Cool place. Love that shit!

Not the place i was thinking about but thanks for the exposure.

On the vintage sound;

Maybe some old methods had limitations. Maybe they wished for better gear (don't we all? )
Maybe,, it was crude by today's standards.

But.......

Those limitations forced something that is lacking today.

Real musicianship. Getting a band in one room with just a limited number of mics and tracks, and making a record.

Today any modern daw and interface that a 16 year okd kid has in his bedroom rivals the tools that the Beatles had.

But can he make a Sgt Pepper. ...don't think so.
Click to expand...

This is some truth right here. The average musicianship of yesteryear was truly leaps and bounds beyond what it is today --- at least with the ones who are famous. Of course there are still stellar musicians around today, but on the average, it's night and day.

Nowadays, we're either shocked or at least pleasantly surprised when a band/performer sounds great live. Back then, it was just a given that they were going to deliver, and they did---time and again.
 
Back in the day you HAD to be good to even get into a studio.

Getting to record was not like today, where you can go to a guitar center in the morning, buy a presonus or focusrite package for 200 bucks, and by evening be recording. Anyone can do it.

Hah! With Christmas coming, I predict a whole new slew new home recordists in the new year.
 
Yeah...Daptone does it the old-school way...and in rather make-shift studio spaces.
They have a Trident 65...and a few nice rack pieces...but it's really limited looking AFA *studio gear* goes.
Most of their vibe comes from the musicians and everyone just being kinda jammed up together in the different spaces.
I mean...they don't have some HUGE "drum room" with 20' ceilings or some jazzy vocal booth...or any of that stuff...yet they do have that old school vibe and sound...and IMO, it's mostly the intent that does it.

I mean, sure...the console will add some spice. I think they have some Tube Tech EQs...etc...and yeah, that stuff adds some flavor...but it doesn't make that sound on its own.

When I was deciding on my own Trident this past winter...checking out some of the Daptone videos, it helped me cross that line, and decide that the Trident I was getting was most certainly very capable of providing the sound quality...but shit, if I can't play the stuff those guys play, in the manner that they play it (not complexity, rather the intent)...my Trident alone ain't gonna get me that Daptone sound.

As an aside...
I actually want to thank Daptone...because their use of the Trident 65 has raised the value and desirability of those series consoles from Trident (65/75/24 London)...so I know mine will hold it's resale value too, especially now that I've also completely overhauled it...I think theirs is still kinda original/stock, but I could be wrong.
I'm sure I could make money on my console at this point...not that I plan on selling it....but it's funny how one thing like that can change the perspective abut a piece of gear. :)
 
So, I really don't care about what happened yesterday, I focus on today. Our MP3 clinic is as close to real as we are going to see. I am not the best listener because I am not listening for perfection, I am listening for context. How is that artist (I do believe most of us are artists on this board) is presenting the material, how does it sounds in context of the presentation, that is the way we should be listening. I think some of the guys who are really smart and know their shit go too deep into the sound and they don't focus on the artistic presentation of the materials.
 
Yeah...but that's the point we were already making...it's about the intent.
AFA as "yesterday" VS "today"...I'm not sure why NOT caring about yesterday makes any difference to you...I mean, especially since much of what is happening today is pulling on the sounds of yesterday.
There are many current bands who are going for those retro/vintage vibes in their music...so the music of yesterday is equally relevant, IMO...if that's what you are into.

If you look at a lot of the so-called Indie Pop/Rock...it's very much pulling on those old-school sounds...they just do it with a more modern approach....which IMO, tends to be rather simplistic and repetitive by design.
I listened to the French band Phoenix the other night...Austin City Limits...and while their Indie Rock music had a lot of '60s vibe to it...it has that modern, simplistic style.
I thought they had some decent songs...but I also thought a lot of it sounded the same...like, there was little difference from song to song in the intent.
Granted...I guess that happens with other styles too...and it also happened back in the day...though, I feel like the modern reason is that it's as good as these guys can play. The musician ship was/is rather....basic.
 
DM60 said:
So, I really don't care about what happened yesterday, I focus on today. Our MP3 clinic is as close to real as we are going to see. I am not the best listener because I am not listening for perfection, I am listening for context. How is that artist (I do believe most of us are artists on this board) is presenting the material, how does it sounds in context of the presentation, that is the way we should be listening. I think some of the guys who are really smart and know their shit go too deep into the sound and they don't focus on the artistic presentation of the materials.
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I certainly agree with the fact that the songs and the performance are paramount, and if those two are there, they will trump most likely even the most pedestrian of recording fidelity.

However, that's not really what I meant with this thread. (And I'm not saying that to discourage any further discussion; I think your input is great! I'm just clarifying.) I'm simply saying that I love the sound of those old recordings. And I was wondering whether or not others do or if they simply "tolerate" the sounds because they like the music and/or the artist, etc.
 
famous beagle said:
I certainly agree with the fact that the songs and the performance are paramount, and if those two are there, they will trump most likely even the most pedestrian of recording fidelity.

However, that's not really what I meant with this thread. (And I'm not saying that to discourage any further discussion; I think your input is great! I'm just clarifying.) I'm simply saying that I love the sound of those old recordings. And I was wondering whether or not others do or if they simply "tolerate" the sounds because they like the music and/or the artist, etc.
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Don't take this wrong, but those days are gone. We are tomorrow, that is why I think what we do here really is important, we are tomorrow. We are the people who arw keeping it pure and focusing on the song, I realize this sounds BS, but it is what I believe.
 
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