Wisdom From the Great Walter Sear

[SonicAlbert]

Anyway, things evolve, prices come down and somebody younger and better than you comes along, such is life.

Is this really all you got out of what Walter Sear is saying? How about the concept of "somebody older and better than you is still around"? Maybe that is what's bothering you?

The thing about Walter Sear is that the guy is a trained engineer, a trained and accomplished musician, and has worked with some of the greats in music, recording, and instrument design (i.e. Bob Moog for one). His standards are enormously high and he doesn't seem to suffer fools easily. Some people are like that, some very good people as a matter of fact.

I've never seen such a defensive response to an interview or articles as what I see to his. It's like certain people feel he is pointing his finger directly at them, and then they have to go on the attack to justify themselves. He's just a guy with very high standards saying what he has to say, and there's a lot to learn from him if you can get past the crusty old guy thing.

There is so much in your post that is just plain wrong I don't know where to start, so I probably won't (and shouldn't). I mean, have you ever been on a professional recording date? Are you aware that there is *an assistant* at those dates, and other support staff as well? To call Walter Sear lazy because he uses an assistant and support staff is to simply show your own lack of knowledge as to how real sessions are run outside your own bedroom.

 

[Ptownkid]

Ok, I'm gonna keep this short.

I have absolutley no doubt in my mind that he an amazing person when it comes to music, there's no question, and in that regard I respect him.

The point is that it's a direct insult to the home recording movement, period.

Yes, i have been into studios for "real" recording sessions, and none of the engineers have ever needed a second or third body to do their job very well.

It doesn't bother me in the least that he's far more experienced and better than I'll probably ever be. It bothers me that he thinks that the only place good music can be recorded is in high priced studios, with high priced gear, with a team of people to man their posts. I'm sorry, but there is and always will be great music coming from all over the world, from all kinds of different types of recording.

Music is about the music first and about the way it's captured second. A good song will always be a good song, even if it's not the most amazing recording in the world.

Besides, if he really cared so much about this, maybe he shouldn't have written such a sarcastic piece.

 

[Massive Master]

Everyone who's dissing his article...

Make a living in a pro studio for 5 or 10 years and read it again.

Seriously. Go from "decent" gear to truly high-end pro gear. Go from "okay" sounding instruments to world-class instruments.

Then read it again.

Go from doing mixes in a bedroom on a pair of Mackies to doing mixes in a Sayers room on PMC's.

Then read it again.

I used to try to fool myself into thinking that none of that mattered too.

[EDIT] Ptownkid, he's not dissing home recording - Anyone who thinks that recording on a PC in a bedroom is the same as recording at CRC doesn't understand the difference in the first place. Work at CRC for a few years and read it again.

No one is saying not to do the best you can with what you have - Experience is first about making the most out of your gear, and then knowing when you're beyond it.

If I could do my job just as well with a $500 compressor and a pair of Mackies, believe me, I'd do it in a hearbeat. And I'm not dissing the $500 compressors and Mackie monitors (well, maybe I'm dissing the Mackies just a little... ). I've heard truly excellent recordings done on truly cheesy gear, as I've heard horrific recordings done in multi-million dollar facilities. But one can hardly argue that if the talented "cheesy gear" engineer was given the multi-million dollar rig, his recordings would probably sound at least a whisker better... [/EDIT]

 

[zed32]

for the record, i was never trying to argue that a home recording could sound anywhere near a professional recording done by a professional engineer. but the impression that i got from this article is that he thinks recording either needs to be done by professionals, or not done at all.

 

[Massive Master]

I don't think anyone thought that - I think he's (me too, for that matter) probably just getting tired of questions like "I have a $65 Behringer mixer, an SM57 and a pair of Mackie monitors - How come my recordings don't sound like (insert the name of a $475,000 recording made at a multi-million dollar facility with a small army of industry professionals collaborating on it)?"

Some people understand that years of experience and hi-end gear makes a difference. Others want to convince themselves that it doesn't. Trying to convince them otherwise is sometimes met with anger and frustration. The ones who do understand it are usually the ones who wind up making killer sounding recordings on cheap gear - They know that they have to work to the fullest capabilities of the gear they have available. It takes time and experience. A lot of people don't have the patience or the drive to "work for it" anymore. You see the same sort of thing with people who use tons of cracked software - their "value of values" is screwed up.

 

[zed32]

I don't think anyone thought that - I think he's (me too, for that matter) probably just getting tired of questions like "I have a $65 Behringer mixer, an SM57 and a pair of Mackie monitors - How come my recordings don't sound like (insert the name of a $475,000 recording made at a multi-million dollar facility with a small army of industry professionals collaborating on it)?"

Some people understand that years of experience and hi-end gear makes a difference. Others want to convince themselves that it doesn't. Trying to convince them otherwise is sometimes met with anger and frustration.

well i definitely agree with you there, hehe.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Well, golly, I feel like a moderate now, as I suppose I should. I exist somewhere between the bedroom/Behringer artist and the badass engineer. Every day I work around the limitations of my experience, my facility, and my gear, to do the best I can, and every day I get better. I have invested 3 1/2 years and about $40,000 in this recording thing, and I'm starting to take some paying work, because I've reached the level where I can do that work, and return good value for my client's money. Would I like a 2" Studer, a "B" room, a Neuman U47? Damn right I would.
Essentially, what the guy is saying is largely correct. The development of cheaper recording gear has made it possible for a whole lot of incompetents to record a whole lot of bad music badly. And it *has* impacted the income of bigtime recording studios and big time engineers. It has also brought a lot of gems to light, as there are some really good musicians and songwriters out there who could never afford the capital outlay for the hourly rate at a major studio, let alone the post-production processing.
I am a songwriter, a pretty good one I think, not a great musician. I could have taken my work to a big time pro studio, because, as it turns out, I've worked hard for many years to have the money to do that. If I had, I would probably have made a better album. But- I would have learned nothing, and I would own nothing, except that CD. Now some of this knowledge was learned with the included pain, such as the difference between a producer and an executive producer, mechanical royalties, residuals, standing waves, phase distortion, and the cost of good cables.
But today I own a home studio that borders on the lowest level of fly-by-night pro, and it is getting better, one step at a time. Now I'm not angry, or stuck up, or anything else, but I find, like Massive Master, that more and more I skip over the posts about "how can I build a studio for under $500 to just make beats?" and- "I'm plugging my acoustic into a Behringer mixer and it doesn't sound that good. Is there a plug in to make it sound like
the songs on the radio?"
Bottom line- I can't help those guys. The reality is- quality recording takes experience *and* money, a lot of it. As I've gotten deeper into this, a gained a lot of experience, and spent a lot of money. What I've learned has only increased my respect for professional engineers, and top flight gear. I'm beginning to understand why thst old guy comes across as an angry man.-Richie

 

[SonicAlbert]

Yes, i have been into studios for "real" recording sessions, and none of the engineers have ever needed a second or third body to do their job very well.

Honestly, I've never seen this at a commercial studio. Even at sessions with only one musician recording there is an engineer and an assistant. The assistant adjusts the mics while the engineer listens back in the control room. The assistant logs the takes while the engineer is working the board. The assistant troubleshoots monitor/cable issues. Of course the engineer takes part in this too, but there are so many things that require someone to be adjusting stuff while someone else is listening, or taking notes while someone else is busy. Imagine if one person had to do it all, the session would take twice as long. Not a pretty picture for the client who is spending the money and being billed hourly.

Bigger sessions wil have yet more people present, all under the direction of the engineer. And none of this includes the studio staff like the receptionist, office/business manager, owner if they are around, etc. It really is a team effort. Many sessions simply couldn't be effectively or efficiently run with only an engineer present.

 

[Ptownkid]

yeah i suppose that does make sense.

Maybe i'm just getting the wrong message from his rant....

 

[Richard Monroe]

Hell, even in my ugly little room I often have an assistant. I can't be in 2 places at once.-Richie

 

[KaraokeKancer]

It takes time and experience. A lot of people don't have the patience or the drive to "work for it" anymore. You see the same sort of thing with people who use tons of cracked software - their "value of values" is screwed up.

What's even worse is people who don't even care that they think that way. I have had many runins with people who are actually proud of the fact that they think that way. They are 100% aware and that seems to be cool. I'm a fucking dork.

 

[cellardweller]

One observation/opinion

The learning curve/experience:

*=Insert noun here

1. *buys limited recording device/interface
2. *buys low level gear to improve/expand
3. *spends hours reading and experimenting
4. *spends hours/days/weeks improving room acoustics
5. *spends days "mixing" his songs
6. *buys new recording device/interface (remember the diminishing returns rule!)
7. *spends STILL more money to try to improve sound
8. *remembers why he started this mess
9. *realization sets in that all the above is subtracting from what is most important... writing songs!

Yea, he's a grumpy old man. Many old men are. Once you REALLY start listening there is a whole lot of wisdom behind it...
I read the article in tapeop, and had the same initial reaction as many, until I really thought about it...

I do not need, nor desire to make professional recordings.
It just takes too much away from the limited time I have.

$.02

 

[Noplasticrobots]

WWWD...What Would Walter Do?

I was thinking about this thread ealier and I came to the following analogy:

In a nutshell, Walter Sear thinks recording stuff at home is bad and unprofessional sounding. I think this can directly correlate to a lot of those home improvement shows, and to all of the DIY network. For example, these shows teach you how to wire a light socket, they show you how to install drywall or install a celing fan, etc. Most of these things are within the scope of an average human's ability. The underlying message is "Sure you can call a professional, but why not give it a try yourself?"

Yeah, it might take you 15 or 20 minutes to wire that first socket, but by the tenth one you'll be doing it in 3 or 4 minutes. With time comes experience.

Since Walter Sear has such an attitude for letting professianals do the work, what would he do if he applied his own thinking to his everyday life? What would he do if his toilet won't flush? I hope he doesn't grab for that pipe snake because he's not a professional plumber! For all he knows, he's got a bigger plumbing problem than he knows and you don't wanna mess it up anymore than it already is.

I hope he doesn't cook his own meals, because shit, there's professional chefs to do that! What does a chemical engineer know about cooking? Can he tell a bread knife from a paring knife? Can he truss a chicken properly?

What I'm getting at is that he started in the same place you and I did. None of us were born with any of this knowledge. He gained experience. He learned. We're all learning more about this recording thing everyday, including Walter Sear. So what if you start in your bedroom with shitty acoustics and an old Tascam. To me, home recording is about learning and experimenting. Not only with soundwaves and frequencies but with notes. You remember notes! The little black dots on the page that got us here in the first place! I can't afford to experiment with notes in a professional studio so home is where I'm staying. Bad acoustics and all.

 

[tkingen]

Thanks to you experienced (and not so experienced) guys for posting your thoughts - I love these type of discussions.
Someone gave me a red chicklet for providing the link - must've upset them for some reason!

 

[Ptownkid]

No red chicklet for you, I think this was kinda cool. We heard from both sides...

 

[Farview]

I really don't think he has a problem with people doing their own stuff at home for enjoyment, fun, demos, etc... I think the grumpiness comes in when someone in their bedroom with crappy gear starts calling themselves a professional when they are not qualified to do the job.

Just about anyone can wire an outlet, but would you really try to replace your main breaker box yourself?

 

[omtayslick]

Just about anyone can wire an outlet, but would you really try to replace your main breaker box yourself?

Heck no. That's a job for the mastering engineer. (but I suppose that's another thread.)

 

[Massive Master]

I hope he doesn't cook his own meals, because shit, there's professional chefs to do that!

Excellent analogy, but you destroy your own point - If you want a fine seven-course meal with all the trimmings, are you going to go to a five-star restaurant with an experienced chef and a kitchen with NSF certified equipment where only the highest grade ingredients are used,


or use an EZ-Bake oven in Walter Sear's basement?

 

[gullfo]

or use an EZ-Bake oven in Walter Sear's basement?

given his attention to detail and craftmanship, you'd probably find the e-z bake oven works just fine...

i think overall Walter has a couple of points - the digital audio thing was oversold as perfect and many people abandoned the high quality audio components in favor of the latest thing. combined with mass marketing about being a star in your own home (nad the apathy and laziness) has combined to kill off the industry... and i thinks he's 100% right.

but the fact is, a new species is arriving on the scene as well. people are realizing that the tube equipment had the better sounds and the prices for reasonably good tube equipment is coming down as more and more manufacturers get back on the tube wagon (plenty of tube junk though...). and people are more aware of all the qualities that a studio needs: good acoustical rooms, good instruments, good players, some understanding of composition and melody, good understanding of eq and so on...

so i think for every 100 people out there jumping on the home studio for cheap, there is 5 or 10 people earnestly looking into what it really takes to do this. not a lot of people go for engineering degrees, but then again, attitude is everything - if you're willing to work, i can teach you anything; if you're not willing to work, there's nothing anyone can do.

so I agree w/ Walter, the digital audio thing is way oversold and the resulting level wars have corrupted the whole music scene, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and its not a train. the days of the big studio are over, but i think we'll see a major resurgence of small high quality "home" studios where people can get inexpensive yet quality work done by people who do care... the people who don't get will continue to struggle and produce crap but they'll fall by the wayside as always... 192khz/24bit (or better) will help make up for the lost high end and combined with decent quality tube equipment, sharing and learning, people will once again make music people really want to hear and have fun doing...

anyways... i ramble...

 

[zed32]

Excellent analogy, but you destroy your own point - If you want a fine seven-course meal with all the trimmings, are you going to go to a five-star restaurant with an experienced chef and a kitchen with NSF certified equipment where only the highest grade ingredients are used,


or use an EZ-Bake oven in Walter Sear's basement?

i think the actual point here is that not everyone wants a fine seven-course meal, nor can they afford to eat at a five-star restaurant every time they're hungry. they just want to enjoy some home cookin' seasoned to their own taste.