Do you dream of distorted sheep?

[Jules]

Being as you are so associated with creating distortion, I wonder a few things.

I wonder what do you make of music that is recorded and mixed totally clean?

A friend of mine told me that working with distorted or 'mashed' (UK slang) drum loops can lead a mixer in a direction, where the mixer starts to feel compelled to 'mash' everything up - just to fit in with the loop.

Do you have distortion philosophies? Things to avoid? Parameters you like to stay within?

Or is "all fair" in love, war and distortion?

[Mike Caffrey]

I wonder if you can tell where something is recorded and mixed well and has no distortion. I don't think it's possible to make beautiful, hifi recordings without significant, intentional distortion. For instance, I've done some smooth jazz tracks with Beastie Boys style distortion on the drum room mics and the mix sound clean. The mix without the distortion sounds like a demo.

Would you agree that distrtion in often necessary even with the goal is a "clean" sounding recording?

[Sirocco]

[Sirocco]

Originally Posted by Mike Caffrey

I wonder if you can tell where something is recorded and mixed well and has no distortion. I don't think it's possible to make beautiful, hifi recordings without significant, intentional distortion. For instance, I've done some smooth jazz tracks with Beastie Boys style distortion on the drum room mics and the mix sound clean. The mix without the distortion sounds like a demo.

Would you agree that distrtion in often necessary even with the goal is a "clean" sounding recording?

i definitely agree!

im not at the stage in my career where i can exactly explain why that happens but i use distortion on almost every track to make a more cohesive mix as well.

[tchadb]

Originally Posted by Jules

Being as you are so associated with creating distortion, I wonder a few things.

I wonder what do you make of music that is recorded and mixed totally clean?

A friend of mine told me that working with distorted or 'mashed' (UK slang) drum loops can lead a mixer in a direction, where the mixer starts to feel compelled to 'mash' everything up - just to fit in with the loop.

Do you have distortion philosophies? Things to avoid? Parameters you like to stay within?

Or is "all fair" in love, war and distortion?

I've made plenty of clean records. Check out the Real World /Womad /Document catalog. 'World' music stuff.
I like doing that too but what I really like is contrast. Clean next to distortion. If the voice and guitar are beautiful, mess up the drums or vice versa. If the K and SN are ringy, put tea towels on the toms and gaffer tape the cymbals. When the first two songs on an album are pristine make #3 sound like its coming through a radio. All kinds of contrast.
I find that coexistance more interesting than all clean or all distorted.

[tchadb]

Originally Posted by Mike Caffrey

I wonder if you can tell where something is recorded and mixed well and has no distortion. I don't think it's possible to make beautiful, hifi recordings without significant, intentional distortion. For instance, I've done some smooth jazz tracks with Beastie Boys style distortion on the drum room mics and the mix sound clean. The mix without the distortion sounds like a demo.

Would you agree that distrtion in often necessary even with the goal is a "clean" sounding recording?

Lots of people make 'professional' sounding records without 'intentional' distortion. Classical, jazz, folk, world music........but I like my world more with distortion.

[Jules]

Originally Posted by tchad blake

I've made plenty of clean records. Check out the Real World /Womad /Document catalog. 'World' music stuff.
I like doing that too but what I really like is contrast. Clean next to distortion. If the voice and guitar are beautiful, mess up the drums or vice versa. If the K and SN are ringy, put tea towels on the toms and gaffer tape the cymbals. When the first two songs on an album are pristine make #3 sound like its coming through a radio. All kinds of contrast.
I find that coexistance more interesting than all clean or all distorted.

Int-er-es-tin!

That's the sort of philosophical stuff I was looking for..

cool! Thanks.

Yeah I figured there was a lot of clean world music being recorded at Real World, but kinda though of you as away in a separate studio doing your distortion alchemist thang on pop music. My bad.

It's nice that you can and do combine the two disciplines init? Yin and Yaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnngggaaaaaahhhhhhhhh I suppose

[sonicdefault]

Originally Posted by Sirocco

Now I'm gonna have nightmares

[sonicdefault]

Originally Posted by Sirocco

Now I'm gonna have nightmares