Re: [ARSCLIST] Practicalities

["Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dale Francis" <dallen@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Since a band can't
> > hear its actual sound onstage (we get the monitor mix if any, plus
> > all the echoes and a rather odd balance) they tend to try and
> > recreate the sound of hits in their genre...as they recall them
> > sounding, on whatever playback system they use! This might be
> > different for classical artists (I know nothing about that)
> > but is certainly true for pop artists.
>
> yes it is true that pop artist have an Ideal sound that they think they
> must have on playing back of their recording, even if they do not
> actually emote such a a sound.
>
> I am working with an old time string band who seem to think that they
> should sound like the 78's they listen to even though their sound when
> playing, practice or stage show, does not have that "sound".
Actually, I've often thought of doing a stereo version of the old
single-mike 78 system...simply set up two overhead mikes and then
go "live off the floor!" My first recording was basically "live
off the floor"...we had separate mikes, but no isolation. I really
liked the result, since some of our live appeal was based on our
interaction, and that was audible in the recording.

My second attempt at recording became a bit of a disaster...the
rhythm section was electronically created using MIDI, which we
played over. All of this went onto a reel-to-reel machine which
was running slightly off-speed. The MIDI component was only
off-speed, not changed in pitch...while the live component was
both slowed AND had its pitch changed. We went crazy trying to
figure out why the guitar was out of tune (which it wasn't!)
Worse yet, overdubs were recorded at a different "off speed"
so you can imagine the result!

...stevenc
http://users.interlinks.net/stevenc/