02-08-10
SRSLY?
Numbers
TR8R | MySpace Music Videos
I’m not one to publicly criticize anyone’s production or mastering skills for cheap laughs, but someone posted this video on facebook today and it blew my mind. The publishing copyright is 2009, so this is current music, yet Gary (yes, the engineer put his name on it) failed to apply the most basic and standard tools that today’s digital recording technologies have to offer. I’m not going to say the girl can’t sing, because she can carry a tune, but her tuning leaves a little to be desired, and for a studio that boasts, “All media is laid down to DAW where editing choices are almost endless, and processing made easy” you’d think they’d at least get busy with Melodyne, or maybe the less advanced pitch correction plug-ins that come free with Logic, Cubase and ProTools. If they had, I might have let them off single tracking the guitars (I don’t think the band came in looking for that raw punk edge), or mastering it so badly that the drop comes out quieter than the intro.
I guess I have to be thankful that there are still studios like this out there, keeping me in business. That said, if TR8R ever read this, and promise to change their name, I will in return promise to rerecord this song, for free, and make them sound like Paramore.
A bit of a ripping | Cougar Microbes are marching in like army ants...
[...] Up, Bands ripping apart a young band with little inspiration. I forwarded it to my studio engineer friend and he ended up writing his own critique and even offered to record one free track for [...]
02-08-10 » 6:36 pm »
Interesting to read your comments above and I’m totally convinced you would undoubtably do a better job than I have when it comes to recording them.
You should however be aware that everything I do for TR8R is indeed for NOTHING and recording is a very small part of it! I do not have the luxury of spending huge amounts of time on them and if I did then rest assured the results would be somewhat different!
If I am helping bands for FREE I am never concerned about putting my name forward as I am well aware that they would have no product at all if this was not the case.
The one thing I can assure you of is that I have never and will never use negative publicity such as this to push my business forwards.
Kind Regards and wishing you every success in the future,
Gary.
02-23-10 » 9:04 am »
Gary, thanks for writing. I’d love to know how you came across this blog. I appreciate your efforts and time given to these guys, and while you’re right in that they would have no product at all, I don’t agree that this is a good thing.
The average standard of ‘home recording’ is so high these days, thanks to affordable mics, interfaces and software, that the bar has been raised. Providing a teenage band with a recording that doesn’t make them sound way BETTER than they really are just sets them up for ridicule. The kids that frequent YouTube and Myspace are merciless and keen to rip into anyone that doesn’t meet up to the standards that they’re used to hearing.
Now, because of Beat Detective, a late snare drum, or a dragging verse, just sounds wrong to the majority of the mp3 consuming public. Now, because of Melodyne, a flat note, or a sharp note, just sounds wrong to anyone under the age of 30. At this stage in their career, these guys need a whole lot of polishing, and like I said, I’d be happy to do it, also, for FREE.
Please get in touch if the band are willing.
Ben
02-23-10 » 10:27 am »
Have you passed on Ben’s offer to rerecord this song for FREE? Do tell….
Kind regards and wishing you every success in the future,
Kenny.
02-23-10 » 10:37 am »
Ok so you have surprised me with an answer and for that I am truly grateful, surely you must know how I came across this blog, it’s as simple as “google TR8R” and that’s why I was a little disturbed by the negativity of this article and the fact that you are using it to advertise the “I can do better” scenario and more to the point, putting forward to the public that I don’t know what I’m doing!
I am well aware of the points you have put forward and indeed many more, the band have never wanted to sound like anyone else, Vicky the vocalist is dead set against any form of pitch correction and the whole point of this exercise was to let them know “what they sound like” and not what they “could sound like”
We are at present working on their album which will be a very different animal and I’m sure you’ll agree that actually I do know what I’m doing once you hear it.
I really appreciate your offer and if you had made contact with me in a very different manner I am sure we I would have taken you up on it, although, there is no chance of them changing their name as we have gone too far down the road with promoting them as TR8R!
Yes Kenny I have passed on Bens’offer as the song “Numbers” has already been re-recorded for the album.
Peace and love guys,
Gary (manager)
02-24-10 » 5:08 am »
I look forward to hearing the album.
02-24-10 » 9:25 am »