why on EARTH...

  • Thread starter Thread starter jimmy_LD
  • Start date Start date
J

jimmy_LD

New member
You know, being a musician, this is a really weird concept for me...

I was just visiting the TemperMill Studio site, and I saw pictures of what HAD to be 20 amplifiers and guitars and such.

WHY do recording studios need so many instruments?
Isn't this stuff supposed to be supplied by the artist?

I ask because I see this all over the place.
I was lucky enough to see inside of a few studios in Nashville when my buddy worked for RCA, and it was the same thing...
A musician's dream.

why? so many nice toys!
 
The first rule of recording is to start with the source. Crappy source = crappy recording.

Doesn't it make sense then to have a good selection of sources? A good selection of instruments can be more important than anything else.
 
well, I guess that makes sense...

I just figured that someone "ready" to go into a studio would have their shit together, and that they would have gear suitable to their profession...

Well, that's ME anyway!

Jimmy
 
The number of people out there who actually know the difference between a good sound and a bad sound are few & far between. Too many players practicing chops and not listening to the sounds they're making. And then you have to factor in that most musican's can't go out and buy a whole bunch of gear to get a particular sound...so they approximate...hence the POD. Then you have to consider that gear used for gigging might not be in the best shape...

The gear used in any recording session will come from a variety of sources...the musician, the studio, rental shops, etc. It's not a matter of the musicians "not having it together"....it's just that they simply might not have access to the proper resources until they hit the studio.

Slackmaster 2000
 
I'm with Slackmaster2K. BTW, in some case, the engineer / producer can give an alternative solution when the artist can't have the sound right. They just provide some alternative.

"Hey, your solo is cool, but I think using this guitar it would be far beyond cool. Go on, try it..."

anyway, would you pay grand per hour in the studio which has only few gear ? Nope. With bunch of gear in the studio displayed / listed, it will pump studio charge. No matter you use them or not... It's good in the studio owner point of view.
;)
Jaymz
 
When my last band did our first "serious" recording in a big studio we witnessed this all first hand. We had pro gear and "our sound" and saw all this gear in the studio and figured we wouldn't touch any of it, and for the most part (amps and ax's) we didn't (well, we tried a few different amps, but ended up using our own gear after listening). But when it came to adding cool effects to guitar solo's and the like the engineers were pulling out all sorts of tricks, even using broken stompboxes and I have to say they gave us a much more polished and diverse sound than we could have imagined. They didn't change our sound, but they enhanced it.

Also, our drummer wasn't getting the right bass drum sound and they suggested using a different bass drum beater, a flat one instead of a rounded one. Our drummer liked the sound so much he went out the next week and bought one like we used in the studio.

We definatley had an enhanced recording experience by having access to more than just our own gear.
 
Many pieces of gear in the studio provide:

1:Options for tone or sounds not considered

2:Emergency backup when your own gear shits the bed at the worst moment

3:Items in the studio the engineer knows and has wired specifically, no lost time tweeking

4: Trophies to boost ones ego and say "yes, I am great"
 
I just figured that someone "ready" to go into a studio would have their shit together, and that they would have gear suitable to their profession...
Click to expand...
What sounds great on stage may not sound quite so good with a mic parked in front of it.

Large selection good. No selection bad.
 
wow

thanks for clarifying guys.
I never thought of it like that.


I have been enlightened!

Jimmy
 
Like everyone has stated, I think those 'goodies' are there to offer different tonal variations to the artist/producer/engineer.

Every band is going to have their gear (which may or may not be any good), but any one set of gear is pretty limiting tone-wise.

For a subtle difference to that doubled guitar track - wouldn't it be nice crank their 67 Gretsch Tennessean through their VOX AC-30? Damn, imagine the chime!

Some of those guitar/amp combinations would provide pretty standard and identifiable tones -(ie. ever hear a Les Paul through JCM800?). As a guitarist it would be nice to have those options at my fingertips while recording.

Wish I had a few more options like that here at home!
 
i think that all guitars sound differint. and some guitar offer more frets then the others. (metallica's lead guitarest guitar goes up to 24 frets!!!)

zeke
 
Keyboards too. My studio had a few pianos each with a different brightness. If you have the money to invest the time to playing ALL of these instruments in the studio, then go for it.

I mean at an average of $100 per hour, you will pay far less to the studio owner than you will to a retail musician supply chain for all those instruments. So, have fun and go crazy :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top