What sound is defining modern music?

[Aaron Cheney]

Every era has a certain sound that defines it. I'm not talking songwriting, I'm talking production. Sometimes it's equipment and sometimes it's technique. For example, the '80's was defined (in my opinion) by the sound of double tracked guitars, the advent of MIDI and sequencing, and by the advent of sampling and it's earliest uses (think Duran Duran).
Nowaday's I hear a lot less guitar double tracking and a lot more voice manipulation. I would have to say that is what will define this musical era, production-wise. I hear everyone using distortion on vocals, tons of auto-tune, and a LOT of EQing as an effect. By the way, is it just me or can you smell auto-tune a mile away? Even when it is used just to correct pitches here and there I notice it immediately. Check out the new Sugar Ray album, i.e. Auto tune city.
What do you think of all this?

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com

[RWhite]

Easy answer - compression.

I just bought the Best of Roxy Music Cd - had to after the incredible show of theirs I just saw. It has songs ranging from early 70's to mid 1980's. It is amazing how much louder (on the same CD) the newer material is, and more compressed. But stuff being done today is even more so. Everything is just LOUD.

[zip]

Yeah...I certainly agree. I've pulled some recent stuff into my editor just to find nearly solid blue on both tracks...NO dymanics at ALL.

I can understand certain genre of music "needing" this effect...and I use the term needing most loosely...but it seems today everyone is abusing it.

If you ask me...if the lowest level in a mixed down recording is -2 or-3dB something is drastically wrong.

The second most thing I believe is the ol' autotune abuse. A good correction tool which when overused STRIPS a preformance of character... learn to sing and play first before recording....geeesh. (BTW...I don't mean you Aaron...)

I think I'm going to start listening to more jazz....

zip >>

[darrin_h2000]

Alot of digital harmonizing nowdays

[Igormeister]

Ultramaximizer.

[zip]

Should we just say the overuse of "black boxes" and call it good..... (or errrr bad)

zip >>

[Aaron Cheney]

Very good points on compression. I liked many of the songs on Santana's Supernatural, but I can only listen to about 3 or 4 before the loudness of the album becomes overwhelming. It has got to be the loudest album ever mixed!
The problem is consumers have come to expect it, and if you give someone a copy of your music mixed with realistic dynamics, they immidieately say "Boy, this is reallly quiet compared to my other CD's".
Zip - I too have pulled songs off CD's just to compare their wave forms to my own mixes. Many are total black, like you said. Santana, Dave Matthews, Sugar Ray, all black. What recent albums would you say are mixed with a reasonable dynamic range? Teatro (by Willie Nelson) was mixed by Daniel Lanois. DL also did Wrecking Ball byEmylou Harris, So by Peter Gabriel, all of which I think are great. The new U2 album he also did is pretty loud. Hugh Padgham (Sting) is reasonable I think. As you said, jazz is probably the most accurately mastered music form anymore. Particularly acoustic jazz.

Any thoughts?

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com

[zip]

Aaron...

I know exactly what you mean. You may be wrong on one point however...the loudest recent CD I can think of is "King of Fools" by the band Deleriou5?...

WAY WAY WAY off the charts!! I had to "remaster" it on my PC just to listen to it!! Cut 3 to 5 dB from 1000Hz on down and it was STILL loud. If you are interested I'll send you some before and after MP3 samples....to compare.

(....by the way - since I bought the original I don't believe this is copyright infrigement since I made ONE copy for my personal use...I do believe that's the law isn't it? Someone tell me if I'm wrong....)

I'll have to get back with you on recent "good dynamic" mixes...all I've looked at lately are LOUD.....

One recent remaster I love is Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd....GREAT DYNAMICS!! But...mixed in the mid 70's so that doesn't count...

I recently read an article by a mastering engineer which says it's the number one problem right now...mixes should build to loudness at times but still have soft passages...."STEREOS HAVE VOLUME KNOBS" is his quote. This way if a consumer turns it up they really get blasted then the music peaks!!

As far a public perception - I completely agree. But there can be a happy medium...some genre need SOME oomph (Rock / Prog Rock etc...) but engineers need to be reasonable.

"Can anybody find the bridge?? I'm just trying to find the bridge. Where's that confounded bridge???"....

zip >>

[barefoot]

Isn't it ironic that the trend is to use higher and higher resolution equipment to produce lower and lower resolution recordings.

24 bit tracks with 64 bit processing to produce 1 bit sound...
LOUD.off.LOUD.off.LOUD.off.LOUD.off.

This is one of the many reasons I don't listen to popular music.

Dig your own underground!

barefoot

[Aaron Cheney]

Very intersting to think about.

I'm getting my shovel.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com

[zip]

LOUD = 1

off = 0....

Could some of this be tied to the search for WARMTH in the digital world?? I know many artists still use 2" tape to achieve this but what about the others??

"....things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmm....."

Sorry guys - I'm on this cheesy lyric kick right now....

zipperdigsdeeperforhiszeros >>

[zip]

Mariah Carey...Rainbow.

Second song. "Can't take that away"

Just picked an arbitrary song off the CD and was pleasantly surprised. Nice use of dynamics (max Peak at -1 to-2dB) until the last 30-40 seconds which builds to the level most CD's stay at...

I'll check some more off the CD to see if it was a fluke...

zip >>

[zip]

...maybe Mariah is not the poster girl of proper dynamics...

Second song at random..."Against all odds (Take a look at me now)" is not quite as dynamically favorable but...

...I guess it's her "in your face" song towards her former controlling husband she had to dump to get her musical freedom - so I guess one could argue that one would build quickly...

I'll keep looking..

zip >>