For those of us who are musicians trying to be recording engineers and producers, recording especially recording ourselves can a brutally painful and an illusive beast. No matter how incredible you think it sounds when you play it back.... sometimes...it really is....unfortunately many times it isn't. So we start looking around for why... probably more times than not it is as simple as looking in the mirror...there's the problem...dang! But as one who started trying to capture the magic on a Teac stereo reel to reel some 45 years ago, and had the opportunity to spend at least a few evenings recording at Wally Heider and few other amazing analog studios in LA "back in the day" what an incredible evolution has come about in the last 15 years......Computers, DAWS n Plugins Oh my!
Trust me the silliness will not stop with a single new Mic but as Miro implied ....why not if you have some of that stuff we call money laying around. You can't take it with you.
I just stumbled upon a recording movie that I think may very well be one of the best I have ever seen...now I'm still high on emotion as I write this and I haven't finished watching yet....It's called Sound City , it was produced by Dave Grohl and it's about a studio of the same name here in So Cal that was / I guess still is a mere 40+ miles from my shack. I probably had heard of it but was oblivious to what it was or what was happening there....I have to say it cut to the bone as I watched and knew that I had missed out on a very magical studio right there in my own back yard....I was in an amazing band in the late 70's and timing would have been perfect for us to walk into that damn place had we known what was happening there and the possibilities therein...c'est la vie Frickin hind sight is 20/20.
I encourage anyone interested in recording to watch this movie and listen for the nuggets...You'll walk away inspired to capture lightening and put it in a bottle.
I found it on Amazon so as a prime member it was free...There is actually about 18 hours of videos
HERE that make up this 1 hour plus movie that can be purchased for $8 ...Below is an Amazon review that does a better job of explaining what the movie covers.... Dig it dudes!
Dana Sciandra
February 7, 2013
When you think of where some of rock's greatest and most memorable albums were recorded, chances are that Sound City is not what you have in mind.
Located in a run down neighborhood in Van Nuys California, Sound City's dilapidated appearance looks better suited to the production of meth, not music.
This is the story that Foo Fighter's front-man and first-time director, Dave Grohl, sets out to tell about this unlikely rock landmark that changed the face - and more specifically, the sound - of music.
And Grohl would know, as Sound City is where Nirvana recorded their seminal album, "Nevermind," before it exploded onto the scene and transformed the rock landscape forever.
** "This Place is a Dump." **
Sound City opened its doors in 1969 to an inauspicious beginning. It was not until 1975, when Fleetwood Mac recorded their heavily praised self-titled album there (a serendipitous and well documented story in the movie), that the tiny studio landed on the rock map and began attracting artists who wanted to come and record there.
Overwhelmingly throughout the documentary, artists' recollection of their first impression of the studio was that it was a complete dump... many nearly refusing to record there as a result.
However, what Sound City lacked in polish, flash or even clean furniture... it more than made up for with something that no other studio at the time had.
** The Neve Console **
The Neve console was designed and manufactured by Neve Electronics for high-end recording studios during the 1970s and was the last of the "80 series" hand-wired analog mixing consoles.
It was a custom-built beast that could record and produce a unique and organic sound that could not be replicated by other studios. It was this sound that attracted such artists as Tom Petty, Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield, Nice Inch Nails, Nirvana, REO Speedwagon, Metallica, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, The Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac and even Barry Manilow (go figure).
The Neve console features prominently in the telling of Sound City's story, as it was also the catalyst for the creation of the film. When Grohl learned that the famed studio would be closing its doors, he purchased the console to ensure its place in rock history and installed it in his own studio.
Which leads me to one of my favorite parts of the film.
** Jam Session **
After Grohl dismantled, moved, cleaned (not an easy task according to Dave) and reassembled the famed Neve console, he invited back many of the artists whose careers were launched at Sound City.
The result was one of my favorite sections of the film, as the likes of Trent Reznor, Stevie Nicks, Josh Homme, Paul McCartney and Rick Springfield tried to recreate the sound and vibe of the famed studio by recording the film's soundtrack.
I particularly loved this part of the film because I find it amazingly inspirational to see the creative and collaborative process between truly talented musicians. Just the portion between Reznor, Homme and Grohl is a reminder of what true artists actually are... and quite frankly made me resent the manufactured, auto-tuned and over-produced-pop crap that passes as "music" today.
Later, you are treated to Paul McCartney (whom I have never been much a fan of during his post Beatles / Wings career), but I developed a new-found appreciation for him after this documentary. Again, witnessing the collaborative nature of real musicians is a sight to see... and hear.
Which leads me to my next topic.
** Digital Killed The Analog Star **
One of the major reasons that Sound City eventually went under, was due in large part to the introduction of digital recording and audio editing programs such as Pro Tools.
Nowhere in the film does Grohl levy an indictment against digital recording (nor is it my intent to do so in this review), but rather makes the point that because of it, the music industry is unlikely to see another Sound City emerge or thrive again.
In a time when you can easily record, manipulate and produce music from your bedroom, the days of artists creating a truly organic musical experience in the studio is quickly dwindling. In fact, it is my opinion that Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters are one of the only bands remaining who proudly carry and wave the `rock banner' above a sea of mediocre and short lived musical acts that no one will remember in 10 years.
In the beginning of the documentary, you learn to appreciate the inherent challenges (and benefits) of recording on tape. Many artists had to play straight through a song, even if it meant dozens of takes in order to get it right and match the sound, since editing in those days is not what is is today.
Nowadays, you can record an entire album without having any band members present. Each member can come in, record their individual parts and call it a day... since it can all be mixed together later or "fixed" in post. This disconnect and dependence on technology is what the film truly laments and is what Sound City was able to provide.
Every artist featured in the film remarked about the unique sound that the space at Sound City produced, especially for drums and vocals... one that they were never able to replicate at another studio. This, coupled with the Neve console and the audio engineers who ran it over the years, is what combined to produce some of the most memorable recordings in history.
I venture to guess that what was considered a unique sound at Sound City, would be filtered, flattened or processed out by something like Pro Tools today.
If you consider yourself a music fan, it should be required viewing for you to see this movie. For a first-time director, Dave Grohl does an outstanding job and the film is paced perfectly.