Everything Sounds The Same

[dobro]

Barefoot - when you were a kid, somebody gave you one of those 8-color water paint boxes, right? If you know what you're doing, or if you know how to learn, you can do some cool stuff with it. But people who really get into watercolors usually don't waste much time getting the 32-color box. More variety = more possibilities = more fun. Not to mention different results.

I think skill is the biggest factor. Then mics. Then the boxes you plug 'em into. Then your sound card, if you've got one.

Sjoko, however, argues that your converter and clock (whether on the soundcard or external) is a more important place to start getting good sound than mics and pres. I don't think so, but what do I know? - I've never used an external converter or clock.

But I want to raise another point: it also depends what your music gets played through. I'm constantly impressed by how modern music players (home stereos, diskmen) - the typically cheap stuff with little or no EQ functionality - make everything sound samey. I burned a CD with two identical tracks, except the second one had a bit of reverb - clearly audible through headphones, yet almost nonexistent through the little Sony player at work. The point being, variety of gear means variety of sound, but in the end, it all gets 'samed' when it's run through the typically shabby sound systems that loads of people use. Is there that much difference between pro stuff and your stuff played through a boombox?

Final edit: after I typed this, I voted 'minor factor'.

 

[rocky outcrop]

LOTS O COOL TOOLS

i SEEM TO REMEMBER USING A FEW STUDIOS IN MY TIME AND WHAT I THINK IS A PRO STUDIO HAS ALL THAT STUFF SO THAT THEY AS PROS CAN GIVE THEIR CLIENTS WHAT THEY WANT. IF YOU GO IN WITH A 10 PCE BAND WITH 5 HORNS A DRUMMER WITH DOUBLE KICK THEN THE BAND ARE GONNA EXPECT THAT THE PROFESSIONALS THEY HAVE TO RECORD THEM WILL BE ABLE TO RECORD THEM IN A WAY BEST FITTING SUCH A MONSTER ,WHERE AS A SMALL STUDIO THAT MIGHT HAVE EXELENT EQUIPMENT MAY NOT HAVE THE NUMBER OF MICS TO RECORD A BARITONE SAX 2 KICKS AND A BASS RIG LET ALONE COMPRESSORS AND PRE AMPS FOR ALL OF THESE THINGS . THAT IS WHY I THINK THEY HAVE ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WE ALL WANT ,IT IS SIMPLY SO THEY CAN DO THE JOB TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY,YOU WONT FIND TO MANY CARPENTERS WITH JUST 1 SAW.

 

[barefoot]

Is there that much difference between pro stuff and your stuff played through a boombox?

dobro,

I'm totally with you on that one. But then if we held that as the standard, all this stuff we talk about, all those million dollar studios, talented engineers and producers would be almost useless.

Personally I'll let the business crowd worry about "cost to income ratios" when selling to the clueless masses - which is what the proliferation of all that crap equipment amounts to . I'm interested in beautiful sound.

barefoot

 

[barefoot]

Oh Yeah, and I lump anyone who tweaks their mixes to sound best on mass market gear into that business crowd as well. I consider it maintaining the low standards which corporations push on people wherever they can.

barefoot

 

[crosstudio]

..It seems to me that, apart from equipment quality or the talent of the engineer, the variety of equipment at the disposal of big studios is also factor in why their recordings generally sound better...

barefoot

I don't think variety has anything to do with SOUNDING BETTER. That's like telling Buddy Guy to switch to a Les Paul because the variety will sound better. I think variety will result in SOUNDING DIFFERENT.

 

[barefoot]

I guess this question only really applies to multitrack recordings. When you're recording one instrument you're, by default, limited in the variety of equipment you can use.

barefoot