[djui5]

Originally Posted by Rodney Gene

Maybe we aren't talking about the same here? You seem to be 'upset' or disgruntled about any one persons 'strong headedness' or ego getting in the way of the project vision...and sure that is easily understandable. I am talking about one person successfully producing, playing and engineering to a large degree on a record. Most definitely different topics.

Again...you seem to be talking about greed and ego here Randy, ...not passion, neccessity or skill. They are as far apart as vanilla and chocolate.

Greed and ego come with the territory. I'm not discussing an artist who does all their own work. That's one thing and I don't have a problem with it. What I disagree with is outside producers doing this. Not a member of the band. Chris Walla produces all of Death Cab For Cutie's stuff, and plays drums on the records, and for all I know mixes the stuff too. Their new single I heard on the radio the other day is f'n amazing. It's great to hear such creative music on the radio again, instead of the polished, slammed to death rock that's been dominating airwaves for the last couple years. I'm all for it IF it's the artist doing it.

I do know artists that do it all...and damn well...yes they earn every point that they keep. That should be encouraged, not frowned upon.

I agree, see above

My Goodness...that is way too many assumptions happening here...it is insulting to call something half-assed if it is genuine. Just because you don't hire a decorator to furnish your house doesn;t mean your own tastes are 'half-assed'...it just means you like your own taste and don't feel a need for a decorator...
Who cares if a room full of decorators don't approve of the way your room looks??

IMO, you need what you need. And there is no way of knowing what that is until you need it...

I'm not assuming anything. I'm speaking for experience that I've witnessed first hand. I've also talked to numerous artists/assistants/engineers who've seen the same thing. Some producer comes in to work on a record, and takes over the whole thing. They're really controlling over the artist and from what I've heard/seen the artist is usually unhappy with the outcome and experience in the studio.

The key thing here is the 'works for me' part. You may only be comfortable engineering / mixing...that is cool. Some other folks are comfortable doing many things.. niether way is 'best' as history has shown over and again.

I agree, and never said what works for me should work for everyone else. It's also true that one person can only handle a certain amount of workload at a single given time. I'm discussing my disagreement of certain work practices shown by producers these days. I don't have a chip on my shoulder, just stating my disagreement with work practices. I've also seen the counter effects and reasoning behind such work habits. It's not always pretty.

Maybe sometimes it works out for an artist. Maybe sometimes a producer records the record, plays instruments on the record, re-arranges songs, re-writes song parts and get's songwriting credits for it, then mixes and masters the album (I'm exagerrating a little bit, but not much), and that works out great. But from what I've seen and discussed with others, most of the time this isn't the case.

Why? Because you assume they will be able to do those fewer tasks better? That has no merit, only judgment.

No, it's not judgement, it's fact that our brains can only process so much information and our bodies can only handle a limited workload at any given time. People are constantly pushing this limit. It's also fact that when most people are focused on a given task, versus multiple tasks at once, they perform better.

My point, is that it's quite difficult to engineer, produce and assist yourself all at the same time. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm not the only person who feels this way, and I share my feelings with not only other engineers and the like, but artists as well.

That is only an another assumption..and it also assumes that when say a bassist decides to play drums or a producer decides to lay down the guitar parts...that he is doing it without focus or intention... That somehow they are doing it 'half-assed'...or worse that somehow the 'quality' was diluted...Why assume that? Because it isn't YOUR path?

Again, I'm not assuming anything, but speaking from experience. I'm not talking about a producer playing the occasional drum part, or doing some engineering once in a while, or mixing a record, but rather doing it all, all the time.

The people who benefit are the people involved in the record...
Geez...It is crazy and mostly just arrogant to assume an artist doesn't benefit from thier own experience of recording an album...That doesn't make sense in the least...because that assumes you..yourself... know what is best for the artist...in every situation. Cmon'..

In my experience if the artist is happy, then nothing else ever matters. If the artist isn't given the respect they deserve...(and that includes how and why they chose to record) they don't expect any respect from them. This is nothing but partnerships...and you Randy can't possibly know the whole story in any situation but your own..

Sure, if the artist is happy, then so be it. From what I've seen, this isn't always the case. As a matter of fact, it's quite the opposite most of the time.

An artist will always benefit from a session, if at the least they learn a lesson on how improperly a session can be handled by one person. I never said I know what is always best for a perticular situation, but that I do know that trying to do everything at once helps no-one in the end.

Let me quote Al Schmitt from earlier this month. This is truly the same sage advice to apply to every player in any situation.

Cheers.

Al's quote does not apply here. I'm familiar with it and share the same belief. I'm not speaking out of insecurity as you imply, but from experience. I'm also only stating a disagreement with certain work habits. Take it for leave it.