Story's Ever Growing Self-Made Glossary

[Storyville]

I coin many phrases, and then forget them. So I'm going to post a few up and hopefully they'll catch on. They might also be educational as they illustrate useful concepts.

1. Studio Dark-

This is the sound of a room that has been over-treated with absorbers, blended with an artificial reverb. It sounds like the source is in an endless emptiness that is vaguely reminiscent of a church, hall, room, or plate (and occasionally a spring). I find this to be exceptionally common especially in vocals. And it's tricky to fix.

2. Reverb Shadow

This is what I call it when the reverb on a sound source does not blend with the other sounds - it just sort of lies out in front of the mix, sometimes masking sounds, other times just seemingly out of place. It is the sonic equivalent to someone's shadow on a brick wall. Most common place is in rap songs where there is a sample that is already it's own mix - drums and vocals become a quick culprit for potential reverb shadow victims.

3. Reinvention

Sometimes we mix sound. Other times, we reinvent it. I use this word because it helps me categorize and approach what I'm doing in the mix. When I MIX something, I'm enhancing and manipulating what's already there. When I REINVENT something, I'm trying to turn the sound into something it's not - which could involve sample replacement, or driving the amp on an eq while running 24db of boost on 2-4k range, filtering that, compressing it, then running it through the eq again for another 12db of gain. 36db later, you have as much amp distortion as original sound.

4. Cemetery Highs (courtesy of DAH)

A disconnected high frequency band. Feels like it has no connection to the mids, like a poorly set crossover.

5. Little Cousins

Little Cousins are "musicians" who have been "hired" by a "producer" to do a part - very commonly singing parts. This musician is generally unqualified for professional studio work, but happens to be the friend/sibling/little cousin of the producer. This is the producer's attempt to save money, which ends up inevitably backfiring as it takes three times as long to get even close to a decent take.


Please feel free to share some of your slang. Maybe it'll catch on. If not, it might still be informative.

[DAH]

Originally Posted by Storyville

I coin many phrases, and then forget them. So I'm going to post a few up and hopefully they'll catch on. They might also be educational as they illustrate useful concepts.

1. Studio Dark-

This is the sound of a room that has been over-treated with absorbers, blended with an artificial reverb. It sounds like the source is in an endless emptiness that is vaguely reminiscent of a church, hall, room, or plate (and occasionally a spring). I find this to be exceptionally common especially in vocals. And it's tricky to fix.

2. Reverb Shadow

This is what I call it when the reverb on a sound source does not blend with the other sounds - it just sort of lies out in front of the mix, sometimes masking sounds, other times just seemingly out of place. It is the sonic equivalent to someone's shadow on a brick wall. Most common place is in rap songs where there is a sample that is already it's own mix - drums and vocals become a quick culprit for potential reverb shadow victims.

3. Reinvention

Sometimes we mix sound. Other times, we reinvent it. I use this word because it helps me categorize and approach what I'm doing in the mix. When I MIX something, I'm enhancing and manipulating what's already there. When I REINVENT something, I'm trying to turn the sound into something it's not - which could involve sample replacement, or driving the amp on an eq while running 24db of boost on 2-4k range, filtering that, compressing it, then running it through the eq again for another 12db of gain. 36db later, you have as much amp distortion as original sound.


Please feel free to share some of your slang. Maybe it'll catch on. If not, it might still be informative.

Interesting thread....
A couple of questions:
1) By Studio Dark do you mean perhaps muddy low-mid build up on the vox from a dull living room used for tracking?
2) Drums and vox - victims of a sample reverb shadow - do you mean drums and vox don`t blend with the sample? If yes, I now think then better put the sample deep to the backround...
BTW, how many soundstage sonic plans are ususally used in hip hop?
I mean, jazz and rock (and classical in some degree) are more suitable(comfy?) to construction of many soundstage locations in the mix. What is your opinion on hip-hop mixes in this aspect?
As for the slang:
When i first time i heard Dyns BM6a I thought that their highs are just like a moonlight in the night at the cemetery - bright and DEAD/
So now I call such highs, which seeem to be disconnected from the mids
"Cemetery highs"
PS Sorry for not being able to manage using of quote tags.....

[rhodesp04]

"N.U. (No Ultimates) Clause": Nothing is best, it's just your preference.

There is no best microphone, best DAW, best album, best singer, best rapper, best preamp, best compressor, etc etc

Just like there is no best NBA player, WWE wrestler, NFL player, NASCAR driver, etc etc

With a little humility that clause will end any pissing match before it begins...

[Storyville]

]Interesting thread....
A couple of questions:
1) By Studio Dark do you mean perhaps muddy low-mid build up on the vox from a dull living room used for tracking?

No, I mean an overly treated isolated space with no build up of anything. No real room sound at all. I find this most commonly in really high end studios actually. It happens a lot on vocals because vocals are often captured in iso rooms that are like anechoic chambers they're so freaking neutralized. The sound is super clean, which is cool, but then the artificial reverb has no actual room tone to feed into it's algorithm and all the weaknesses of even high end reverb processors become exposed.


2) Drums and vox - victims of a sample reverb shadow - do you mean drums and vox don`t blend with the sample? If yes, I now think then better put the sample deep to the backround...

Specifically the reverb doesn't seem to blend in.

BTW, how many soundstage sonic plans are ususally used in hip hop?

Good question. I find two or three. Upfront, less upfront, and ambience. Seems to be the nature of the beast. I try to get a bit more in there, but if it's going to be squashed up to -8RMS at the end of the day, won't make much difference.


I mean, jazz and rock (and classical in some degree) are more suitable(comfy?) to construction of many soundstage locations in the mix. What is your opinion on hip-hop mixes in this aspect?

I agree - as a cultural aesthetic, depth is not as important in Hip Hop as sheer power.


As for the slang:
When i first time i heard Dyns BM6a I thought that their highs are just like a moonlight in the night at the cemetery - bright and DEAD/
So now I call such highs, which seeem to be disconnected from the mids
"Cemetery highs"

I like that. Big Tannoys have that going on as well - bothers the shit out of me. I'd like to bite your slang.

PS Sorry for not being able to manage using of quote tags.....

Clearly, I'm not much better.

[RTR]

IN da boofh= inside a vocal booth!!.....just kidding

[Storyville]

Bravo doesn't want to give away his secrets. Makes me wonder what his glossary sounds like.

Me, I give away all my secrets. Why? Cause if you need to know my secrets to begin with - you still can't do it like I can......yet

[Darwin James]

"Manufacturartist"

Think Disney actor turned singer.

[voicegenius]

Originally Posted by rhodesp04

"N.U. (No Ultimates) Clause": Nothing is best, it's just your preference.

There is no best microphone, best DAW, best album, best singer, best rapper, best preamp, best compressor, etc etc

Just like there is no best NBA player, WWE wrestler, NFL player, NASCAR driver, etc etc.....

Uhh, at the current moment, Kobe IS the best, but we're talkin about gear here.... Carry on...