Califorication snare sound?

[Coldsnow]

Love the snare on this Red Hot CHilli Peppers song. Anyone have knowledge of the signal chain? Seems like it isn't too squashed?

[7rojo7]

RR squishes evrything without mercy and without exception. Maybe he was using a loose snare and only tape compression.

[Coldsnow]

Sorry to sound ignorant, but who is RR?

[s2n]

Rick Rubin

[Farm sounds]

There is a great article on the recording of that album. If you go to www.sospubs.co.uk and type in red hot chili peppers in the search area , it will bring it up. They talk w/ the engineer who did it all.

Hope this helps.

Farm Sounds

[Jules]

Sounds to me like a piccalo with a Distressor on it..

Jules

[groundcontrol]

Is it just me or is that record one of the absolute worst mastering job of all time...

[Jay Kahrs]

I'd guess that the snare was in the 5 1/2 to 4 1/2 x 14" range, tuned fairly tight but not quite screaming for it's life. Add some room mics and lots of compression. Oh, and Chadd Smith.

[chrisso]

I'm sooooo bored with the piccolo into the distressor sound.

[Jules]

Well its super loud! Add to that the fact that the Peppers have joined ranks with Lenny Kraviz and to make autotuned vocals part of their vocal 'signature sound'... and you have what I call a 'cyber album'...

[chrisso]

Wow, I never realised that.
Kravitz so obviously idolises people like Hendrix and Sly Stone, I never thought he would over use something like Autotune.......
and with a studio full of boutique vintage gear.

[planet red]

Chad Smith has his own signature snare that sounds just like the snare on that record. I dont know what the dimensions are, but I'm sure its on the Pearl webpage under the signature series.

[Farm sounds]

Yes, I have also noticed the mastering on that record. Through hi fi headphones I can hear clipping everywhere, and through HD600's, it's painfully obvious. I can't believe they released something that sounds like" digital" clipping.tut

But what do I know , it was a huge hit that sold millions, go figure.
I see the same guy mastered "By the way" and it sounds really good. Can't believe the auto tune though. Am I the only one that hears the "warble" on the "Zephyr song"??

It's almost like nobody is doing any critical listening through phones???

Farm Sounds

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by Farm sounds
Yes, I have also noticed the mastering on that record.
Farm Sounds

Their was a thread on this a long time ago on how this was done on purpose.

[CrazyBeast]

Originally posted by Jules
Well its super loud! Add to that the fact that the Peppers have joined ranks with Lenny Kraviz and to make autotuned vocals part of their vocal 'signature sound'... and you have what I call a 'cyber album'...

In the case of the RHCP it's clearly necessary! Have you ever seen them on a late night show? Yikes.

Seeing them in '89 was still one of my favorite shows though.

[Coldsnow]

Thanks Farm Sounds, The article was cool. He actually used an 1176 at 4 to 1 on the snare according to the article (Neve pre and 57 mic). The snare on that song just sounds so natural to me. He said he didn't use any reverb on it either which may be a part of it. Interesting about the digital clipping because it was recorded on 2 inch and mixed onto 1/2 inch, so it must have been in the mastering part. The vocals were done with a 57 as well. Interesting stuff.

[Jay Kahrs]

Originally posted by CrazyBeast
In the case of the RHCP it's clearly necessary! Have you ever seen them on a late night show? Yikes.

Seeing them in '89 was still one of my favorite shows though.

I'm jealous. In '89 I was 11 years old and watching them play Higher Ground and Behind the Sun on MTV. My two favorite RHCP albums are Mother's Milk and Blood Sugar though Uplift Mofo Party Plan doesn't exactly suck. Still, they're albums have never sounded all that great. That all changed with Mothers. Still, they're a pretty straightforward band. It's kinda hard to **** up four guys who know how to play what they play.

And when I listen to the Peppers I really don't care if Anthony Kedis' vocals are in-tune or not. When I put on a Peppers disc that should be the last thing I worry about. If I want to hear great singing I'll throw on some Sinatra or whatever. **** that. I think Auto-tuning Peppers vocals is moraly wrong. Would you put Parry Ferrel through Auto-tune???? I mean, you should do what's right for the music and tuning RHCP vox is not the best thing for that music IMNSHO.

[groundcontrol]

Ditto above post!

[Kris]

As an old shool RHCP fan, I can't imagine that they would have a problem with slightly out of tune vocals... it's part of the character for them... I haven't owned any of their more recent albums, but from what I've heard on the radio, the vocals are still intonationally challenged here and there...

Jules are you sure about that?

[Jax]

Anybody remember the band "X"?

A big part of their appeal was that Exene Cervenka could not sing in tune. She always sang about a half step down... it was uncanny how it worked, and she wasn't trying to do it.

I'm trying to imagine what they would've sounded like if autotune existed and was the norm then. Probably shitty.

[Jay Kahrs]

Speaking of out of tune vocals that work... what about the Dead? Three and four part harmony that's so out it's sick but they get away with it. Auto-tune would never work for them.

[CrazyBeast]

Don't even get me started on the Dead...

[OzNimbus]

RHCP snare sound? *BLECH!!!* Hey, I know it's all personal taste, and everyone has thier likes and dislikes... But I just can't stand that californication snare sound. I think Rubin could have done better by miking up a garbage can lid!



Again, it's all personal taste, but I'll take an 8 inch maple Craviotto any day over a Chad Smith signature snare.

[Coldsnow]

QUOTE
RHCP snare sound? *BLECH!!!* Hey, I know it's all personal taste, and everyone has thier likes and dislikes... But I just can't stand that californication snare sound. I think Rubin could have done better by miking up a garbage can lid!
Again, it's all personal taste, but I'll take an 8 inch maple Craviotto any day over a Chad Smith signature snare."

Well like you say it's personal taste. I grew up listening to Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix so maybe we have different view points. I personally am not fond of the Metal sound. Present day I'm more digging like Pearl Jam (and some others), so maybe we're just into a different vibe.

[7rojo7]

It's all for different tastes. RR hates reverb and loves compression, and the mix between HiFi LoFi. His productions are always clear and intelligible, and you can turn them up with the GEQ on your boombox full out and it somehow sounds the same as it would on a good system. It's his style, maybe it wouldn't work for the London Symphony, it would surely be interesting.

[OzNimbus]

Hey, I've got no problem with Rubin... Go check out "Seasons the in Abyss" Now THAT is a great snare!