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Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

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Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#51

Post by Giulalbez »

baddox wrote: post #32
Jgrubb wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's hilarious, but it sounds like those tunes were pitch shifted into the same key. Nashville producers have more skill than that. Oh, and FL/GA line is frigging awful.

The pitch and tempos are shifted, but more nefariously, the pieces of the songs which don't fit the VI-I-V progression are removed and replaced by pieces of other songs which do fit. It's deliberate and meticulous cherry-picking. The only thing all the songs have in common is that they're in 4/4 and the verses and choruses all start on the VI chord. I should make a table showing the actual chord progressions from eac…

Please, if you do it, let us know.

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#52

Post by yzzxy »

sparkzilla wrote: post #45
davidgerard wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mainstream is fragmenting now that people can get access to music without it, per Steve Albini's recent update to "The Problem With Music": http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/17/steve-albinis-k... Per the article, the "mainstream" is literally music for people who don't like music .

>Per the article, the "mainstream" is literally music for people who don't like music . No doubt your parents thought the same about your music choices.

Believe it or not, this stock-standard response to criticism contemporary of popular music actually doesn't apply here.

>Per the article, the "mainstream" is literally music for people who don't like music.

This is because people (including and especially young people) have an unprecedented level of access to music, allowing deep dives into alternative genres that become popular. Radio is no longer the herald of a generation's taste, SoundCloud is. This isn't Silicon Valley masturbatory tech-advocation: SoundCloud and the like are far more popular than radio or anything like it is on high school and college campuses. Radio doesn't play trap, vaporwave, etc - the genres young people listen to right now. Mainstream/Top 40 is the default music for people who don't care about having a taste or exploring a genre, because people who do can do it with almost no effort today.

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#53

Post by 101914 »

"Rick Rubin's recordings of Johnny Cash are extraordinarily intimate and affecting. But they don't sound anything like Johnny Cash sitting in your living room playing some songs. They sound like you're perched on Johnny Cash's lap with one ear in his mouth and a stethoscope on his guitar."

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#54

Post by zaroth »

I started up here, and I ended up here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOAowiF3y_8

The lead up is a little long, but when the music finally starts it's bliss.

I say, lament all you want. That's fine, some of it is cheap entertainment. But here's the thing, some artists will strive to create at that level, because that level is there, and it's never been more accessible. My takeaway is that the tools have never been greater. The level of access to other people, to grow organically, if not virally, has never been better.

Has this resulted in us discovering greater artists and getting better music created? That would be an interesting article.

@sparkzilla - 'What this means is that anyone with some musical and recording skills can compete against record companies.'

Yes. It's not about being a 'fair fight' but there is a fight there.

@dankoss - 'There has never been a better time to create something new in music'

Totally agree. Let's hear it. Seriously, the response is, bring it. Great music will always draw an audience.

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#55

Post by joe_the_user »

sparkzilla wrote: post #42

So many problems with this article. I recently started recording music after a long break and I love that everything is in the computer now. I had one of the very first Pro tools systems and it cost $12,000 (25MB hard drive). Gear that used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars is now available with a click. I had always wanted to use great compressors and they are almost all available now as plug-ins. I also took…

So many problems with this article. ... Pop music, and especially pop music on the radio, has its own rules. It's no use getting upset about them. ...

So many problem with post... And if I was following your style, I'd not make any of them clear but just pop a bit of authority, a bit of folksy wisdom and get some factual points.

But I'll just mention - do any of your arguments imply that modern pop hits don't sound the same? Perhaps if everyone possessing the technology to create a song that satisfies the formula perhaps makes even more music satisfying the formula appear? That naturally creating the absolute winning track involves a lot of skill even if it all sounds the same (except to the connoisseur, perhaps?).

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#56

Post by sparkzilla »

joe_the_user wrote: post #55
sparkzilla wrote: post #42

So many problems with this article. I recently started recording music after a long break and I love that everything is in the computer now. I had one of the very first Pro tools systems and it cost $12,000 (25MB hard drive). Gear that used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars is now available with a click. I had always wanted to use great compressors and they are almost all available now as plug-ins. I also took…

So many problems with this article. ... Pop music, and especially pop music on the radio, has its own rules. It's no use getting upset about them. ... So many problem with post... And if I was following your style, I'd not make any of them clear but just pop a bit of authority, a bit of folksy wisdom and get some factual points. But I'll just mention - do any of your arguments imply that modern pop hits don't sound t…

I didn't write the post to get points, but to share my insight as a person who could not get access to the tools mentioned in the article in the past, and is currently using them as part of a process of learning to create some modern pop. I disagree with the writer's argument, which is based on a misunderstanding of the pop music market, and the role of technology in that market. The fact that most pop songs played on the radio have their volume maximized is not an issue related to their musicality. All compression does is help you hear the song better, which is especially important for radio play. Some of the other tools that are used in pop music, notably Autotune, are specifically used for that market because the audience wants them. The author lauds bands like The White Stripes for using vintage equipment and for "real" performances, but they are not part of the pop music market. You use the tools that fit the market. That said, even if you find the perfect formula for a pop song, including using a particular technology, people will get tired of the formula very quickly.

BTW, here are some videos that give insight into how a pop vocal is built and some mastering techniques...

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R0q6QKAPmo [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V9d6zQzcrg

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#57

Post by kokey »

I often recommend people read the little book "The Manual" by the KLF. http://freshonthenet.co.uk/the-manual-by-the-klf/

It was written by them after they made their first number 1 hit single, back in 1988. They went ahead and had a few number ones since. That was over 25 years ago. It's a good overview of the chart music industry and much of the book is still relevant even now, and they were even able to predict that a lot of the studio work should be possible to do in the bedroom in the future.

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#58

Post by davidgerard »

sparkzilla wrote: post #45
davidgerard wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mainstream is fragmenting now that people can get access to music without it, per Steve Albini's recent update to "The Problem With Music": http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/17/steve-albinis-k... Per the article, the "mainstream" is literally music for people who don't like music .

>Per the article, the "mainstream" is literally music for people who don't like music . No doubt your parents thought the same about your music choices.

Did you read the article? Hence me saying "per the article". They specifically look for people who aren't into music to test against.

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#59

Post by davidgerard »

agumonkey wrote: post #35
wvenable wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The question is whether people will ever get smarter and start being picky. The market for music is typically youth. So people probably do get smarter, start being picky, and stop being youth. But there's always another generation right behind.

At the same time other factors kicks in. As you get older you have less free time, you may or may not want to discover new things, you just listen to some easy songs on your way to work, and start to like them because they're part of your daily routine.

On the other hand, there's the factor of the hip music (not the top 100) getting box sets twenty years later ... because that's when the music fans have jobs and money.

Re: Why Do All Records Sound the Same?

#60

Post by Kiro »

Jgrubb wrote: post #24
chromaton wrote: post #17

This reminds me of this recent popular YouTube mashup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vapt5C3yDeY 6 recent hit country songs combined into one. They blend into each other perfectly.

That's hilarious, but it sounds like those tunes were pitch shifted into the same key. Nashville producers have more skill than that. Oh, and FL/GA line is frigging awful.

FL/GA line?
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