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stevieb
Just another guy, really.
In spite of all the musical things you do, it is VERY obvious that you know nothing about choir music- and no, I am not simply hurling our own insult back at you, no matter how appropriate, in this instance, that would be.
(Smilie inserted so you don't go ballistic.) Here's a challenge for you: name me ONE aspect of either mixing OR mastering process that is best done when one engages in critical listening, that is not at least as useful when one is a member of a good choir. Let me save you some trouble- THERE AIN'T ONE. You basically acknowledge that when you said And
A good choir is the ultimate crucible for developing critical music listening skills- one develops those skills faster and more surely in a choir environment, where one has several sources of immediate feedback on one's effectiveness and sound quality than perhaps anywhere else, certainly more than being isolated in a sound booth, listening to the same track over and over again while aural fatigue sets in, totally unnoticed.
Overkill? I think not, but I can see where you, having no choir experience, would miss noticing the benefits of being a member of a good choir- call it the "Wax on, wax off" effect- one can develop excellent skills even though it might not seem to be happening.
I have a lifetime of experience with choir singing, and I can tell you, from both experience and research, I know from whence I speak. I am truly sorry to have to call you out on this (and I hope my doing so does not lead you to think I am being antagonistic,) but presenting an untested opinion about something one has no experience in is the very definition of "talking out of one's ass."
The human voice is, literally, both the alpha and the omega of musical instruments. It was there before the first cave dweller hit that hollow log with a stick and liked the tone, and voice is more expressive and more musical (when done well) than any other instrument. Everyone from classical instrumentalist who marvel at how "close" a fine violin can come to sounding like the human voice, to digital synthesists who labor to make their synthesizers produce a convincing "ahh" sound pay homage to voice.
Oh, and "low self-esteem chicks?" You missed the bus on that one, too- sopranos have so much damn self-esteem they are, almost without exception, some of the world's biggest divas, altos know, to their core, how important their part is, and the occasional female tenor has had the best exercise in "building self-esteem by embracing who you are," ever. If you are looking for an easy lay, you best look elsewhere.
OP, if your funds are great and/or your time is nearly unlimited, by all means, purchase whatever "ear training" programs and pro-quality monitoring gear you like, and have fun exploring and using it all- they will, no doubt, help. But, if you are like most of us, who have limited financial and chronological resources, join a good choir, put your whole into the relatively small amount of time you will spent rehearsing, and in six months, you will have the best "ear" you ever had. There is one warning, though- you may find you so thoroughly enjoyed the experience that you decide to stay. Oh, and Greg- you would benefit as much from the choir experience, too- plus, you could add "vocalist/choir vocalist" to your list of musical skills.
Worst that happened to me was a university choir director who was a HUGE task-master, and had us do stuff that just nailed us to the freakin' WALL. Funny thing, though- we rose to the occasion, and did a masterful job of it- our voices were in fighting trim, too. Maybe I went over the top on relating how choir participation can train one's ear, but the reality is, it can. Happened for me, and I've seen others become better musicians for the experience- the same could be said of several recording engineers, I am sure.
