I have a friend that Knows the guy that runs the Tool site and he said their recording at O' Henry's not the Loft.

I think I know where it is, but bear in mind this is tool. You can't even get a straight "how we met" story out of them. They seem to like their privacy and mystique, so I wouldn't put too terribly much stock in that. I doubt any of their close friends would readily give up any information about them, but then again, who knows. Wait for the disc, and see, I guess.

O'Henry's in Burbank.

Actually this isn't that big of a secret. I know a few people that know this.

I'm not a fan of Tool's, but I really Like Joe Barresi's work. It will be great when he comes on here and talks about his work, hopefully in depth.

O'Henry!
They have some massive tracking rooms there. I bet anything coming out of there is going to sound huge, absolutely massive. I think they track large chiors and such there. It's a good choice if they are actually recording there.

I just read Joe Barresi's interview in EQ online. It's nice to hear about someone going beyond stndard mic recommendations and such... But what the point in talking to someone who keeps secrets! Hmmm someone known for getting good guitar sounds who will be working with Adam from Tool who already has a very distinctive guitar sound and approach to the instrument!

Having listened to some of Joes work I certainly think he's very good but... Tool just need to fatten up their drums and not the guitars IMO. Tool should get someone known for tracking great drums and have Joe track guitars and do the mix.

Ahh well I hope all goes well for all involved.

DHD

amazing news!

Welcome Joe, I am anxiously wainting to read up on your discussions on this forum. I am also a crazed Tool fan and anxiously waiting their long overdue upcoming album!!!

I don't think there is anything wrong with Lateralus, it's only different then Aenima. They're both my fav tool albums. I think you'll make this next one have it's own feel and be just as great! Good Luck and have fun working with such a talented and original band.

thanks for accepting the guest mod. position. It will be inspiring to many engineers on here.




to you!

Jason

Obviously you are not a drummer .

The drumsounds on Aenima are freakin' awsome, very powerfull with a nice roomtone. The last disk didn't do too much for me with the drums, but Aenima is a benchmark!

Greetings,
Dirk

Hi DirkB,

actually I am a drummer and what I meant by what I said was that the phat drums on aenima where what were missing from Lateralus. And so to get someone in who's thing is guitar sounds seems a bit at odds with bettering Lateralus.

In fact the very thing I said was that they need to get someone to track phat drums (just like Aenima).

It's weird explaining to someone that they are in fact agreeing with what I'm saying and yet gettin the wrong end of the stick. Imagine the confusion I'd create if I were a lyracist!!!! heh

DHD

Please no more posts speculating anything about me recording a Tool record, where its being done, why, how etc. when the time comes, I will discuss whatever you want. every Tool record to date has been a great record....all are sonically different, and all musically amazing. all we can do is look forward to hearing some more great music when they are done.
thanks
joe

I think Mr Barresi has said it well. While it is fun to sleuth, speculating about all of this stuff just leads to more speculating.

we'll all know when the record comes out. I'm looking forward to it, however it gets done and whoever does it...

Cheers,

John

i keep hearing the same rekkid done over and over, nay... same song done over and over... lets hopes he changes that aspect.

With respect to you and JB, I dont think anyone can help but specluate ... it's a form of respect for the band that people care to think about it at all and it's something that music fans just do. If I buy a bands record and consider myself a 'fan', I have a right to think about that bands work and talk about what I imagine for them, on tour, in the studio, etc.

Right or no?


So engineers here, being music fans first in many cases, are supposed to not think about this bands record?

How about Mr. Barresi comes back to this topic when he's able and ready to talk about the work, and until then people can dream any dream they want ... and share it with their pals? Seems only a natural extention of what people say to each other in a bar, or what (good) print critics talk about.



Personally I have no thoughts on new Tool, except that they rock like no other live, and I see them as a live band. I dont care how or where they make the record as long as they're happy. No record so far sounds as good as they sound live.

I hope they just enjoy making it ... I want to hear that.

Well, I think there are two issues here. Fantasizing about what something is like and stating inuendo as fact [or stating a fact that was not intended for the general public] are two different things. Yes, it is fun to imagine what something is/was/will be like. I have developed a lot of techniques thinking about how something may have been done. Especially with the band in question, there are a lot of serious fans [as evident with the enthusiastic posts], and yes, although i don't like the language, they 'have a right to think' whatever they want.

BUT, speculating about the near future AND stating it as fact, is just not cool. Neither is publishing on the internet information/speculation instead of respecting the right of others to their privacy. Don't those directly involved with the project 'have a right' to keep it between themselves until the project is done? What if, for example, the band starts working at studio X, it gets out on the internet, and fans start showing up to the studio? The band is in 'record mode' and really is not in the mindset to deal with fans. After a week of getting set up, getting aclimated, getting sounds, and cutting tracks, what should they do? If they stay and the fans become a problem for whatever reason, the band will not be able to relax and create. If they have to look for another place, they've lost at least a week of valuable creative time.

Plus, as someone on the production side, you never know how much, how little, how long, or how short your involvement may be on a project. Going around saying that you are working on something is just not smart. Until the record comes out, you have no idea what your final involvement is in a project. In this business, you have your work and your word, and it is hard work to keep both at a high quality level. Keeping your word and stating things accurately is, to me, an important part of it. This is also true for things being said ABOUT you. If someone reads or hears that I am working on project Y for 8 weeks, they may not call me for their project, even if what they have heard is wrong. I may be available, but because they heard something they believe is true, they may look for someone else instead of calling me...

Also, as Mr Barresi pointed out, you need to respect the artist's right to privacy.

I think it's great that fans are enthusiastic about music and bands. I think it goes over the line when Bob Novak starts writing about the details, or what he thinks are the details...

Cheers,
John

Of course they do, that's why I was suggesting Mr. Barresi lay low until he's ready, as he's already decided to do.

Are Tool fans that way? Maybe I'm naive but I imagined a more restrained group of rock lovers than say Metallica fans might be. Maybe I'm wrong there?


Sure that would suck, and in no way would anyone here want that IMO.

Then again, being sucessful is a bitch ... to be fair that kind of thing comes with the territory. There's probably some online Tool board with all the details already laid out!


Here's wishing them a great record, wherever ... whenever

Far be it from me to assume the mantle of moderator (or, heaven forbid, tell people what to do), but could I ask all slutz to bear something in mind...?

I consider it to be extremely fortunate that gearslutz attracts as many pro's as it does. Joe Barresi is someone I admire for his contributions to the world of rock music, and I'm even more impressed he has taken the time to share his experience on this forum.

However, there have been several episodes in which a person of considerable and notable experience has decided to withdraw their support from particular forums due to unfortunate experiences with other forum posters.

Can I ask that we do our absolute best to respect Mr. Barresi's wishes, and allow him the opportunity to share what he can, when he chooses, without needless pestering from the likes of us?

Lucey, I'm a fan too. But let's have our enthusiasm tempered with restraint for the sake of those entering into the creative process. There's really no need to lose the likes of Mr. Barresi from this forum for the sake of unabashed speculative fandom.

Just my two cents.

Cheers,

bdp

I was speaking hypothetically with the phrase 'the band', not Tool or their fans specifically. I guess I should have said 'band X'.

Success being a bitch is beside the point.

John

By the way, for those who really want more of Mr. Barresi, check out these four articles here:

Joe article One

Joe article Two

Joe article Three

Joe article Four

Cheers,

bdp

Very well stated, brendon...

Re future guest mod slots...

I think we are going to take a new forum software feature "moderated threads' for a walk in future guest mod slots. - This is where the guest can pull down questions they WANT to discuss (or the only ones they have time for) and leave the less interesting ones in a (hidden) que. This will suit busy moderators and will mean a huge backlog will not sit there for all to see - unanswered (as has happened before)

Also what will be different in the case of future guest mod slots - is that I have learned in the forum software - how to suspend viewing / participation of selected forums. So I will be running a "one strike and you are out" policy for those GS member that opt to 'punk around' and / or be offencive to the visiting guest mod. For the duration of the slot, they wont be able to post on the guest forum.

Joe wont be the first up.... I have someone planned for September.. That will be the first guest mod slot as far as I know so far...with 2 more to follow.. One of them Joe!

Out of respect for Mr. Baresi I edited my Post's.

I will say one thing though, My posts were absolutely not speculative, they were accurate! and I agree with the poster that stated we should have respect for those entering the creative process, but people that like Tool have a right to know where they are in the process, where they are recording etc. without the cryptic garbage they get from some people close to the band that try to sell "AN IMAGE"
This hype, secret, Mysterious "IMAGE" that they sell their Fans is Bull****! and is there for only one purpose imo - to sell as many disc's as humanly possible. their music is completely derivitive of others that have come before them, nothing special, imo they are sellouts looking to rake in as much cash as humanly possible.

Just my opinion! I hope people respect that.

As the guy who was blamed for Shipley leaving I'm well aware of this fact ... yet I meant no harm in my one comment, and I'm sure others here mean no harm in their interest of what is surely a valid topic in an open society.

It's not a matter of national security after all ..."Recording in an underground bunker at an undisclosed location." Then again, if the band wants privacy, they could let that be known on a fan site. Ah, the irony.


As for the past episodes of moderators getting upset here, they were inevitable with the perils of online communication. A moderator needs support from the forum's structure, and its great Jules has made a solution. The past is past.

Of course ...

And yet he's in control. He doesn't have to post anything until he's ready, and thus any speculation is just fan banter. You'll have that


Of course,

Yet I didnt start the thread.

I dont care how they record or where.

And Mr Barresi is in control of whatever he puts out. Simple really.



I dont see a pending crisis in this case and with Jules new forum, no problem in the future.

I really don't care if it was accurate or not. The real question is why you felt the need to post it in the first place. The word 'right' is a really bad word here. People that like Tool have a right to go see them live, buy their records, and enjoy the band. Do they also have the right to know what they ate for breakfast? Does being a fan give someone the right to know where they live? where they rehearse? how many songs have been written so far? where they record? Why should the fan care at all -- isn't it the music and show they are interested in? Why does a fan have a 'right' to know any of these things? It makes no sense.

So it has become your job to 'spill the beans'? Does it make you feel better about yourself? Accurate or not, if you were in the band's position would you want someone putting up the kind of post you did?

The second paragraph says it all here. You obviously don't like the band, so why bother to post anything about them? Why do you care about their 'image', or how many discs they want to sell, or how they go about doing it? If the band likes their privacy, why is that so hard to accept?

John

You say you mean no harm by your comments, but you always seem to piss people off. why is that?

What is so valid about how a band wishes to let out information? Or how they wish to create their music? A truly open society needs to respect the wishes and 'rights' of others, regardless if they are famous or not. We have no 'right' to that information unless they are working for us. Buying a record does not make them an employee!

It is not a matter of national security. It's just a matter of repect to allow others to 'do their thing' without someone looking over their shoulder. I would hate for GearSlutz to start becoming the National Enquirer.

But he's not in control. People read things, take them as fact, and propagate them to others. If the comments have a direct impact on his livelihood, his only choice is to address the rumors to stop the dis-information. And by doing so, he runs the risk of breaking a pact with his CLIENTS, the artists he works with, who have put their trust him.

John

'Always' is a generalization people use when they're upset. Please calm down. Are you really "pissed off"? I thought this was a discussion.


Hey man, I agree with you 100% .... but this is America. The land of getting in everyone's business as opposed to minding to our own.

Look at Graceland ... that pop star is dead and they still line up. Look at **********s 'moral values' BS and all the laws they cook up. Look at the checkout line magazines. It's everywhere.

Yet I'd hope, like you hope, that GS does not become a tabloid for band session info!


If you recall, I haven't said a word about the details of this record, I'm just looking at the principles involved in talking about ANY record here on GS. If it pisses you off to have a discussion about principles, I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe we should not commnicate, but I consider it a good thing. Not everything has to be taken "personally" in a discussion.

Clarification, mutual understanding and ethics is the goal of talking principle, not "pissing people off" as you see it. Let's stick to the principles.

Agreed. I was just trying a little joke to put this privacy issue in perspective. Sorry to be not funny!

Yet the truth is that someone IS looking over our shoulder ... all the time. You're trying to look over mine right now for example. And Jules is looking over yours and mine as is his role, etc.


A rock band doesnt give a fuk. And if they REALLY do, they can post something on their fan sites ... as ironic as that is.


We're all in control of choosing to respond to questions or not, and how much, and when we respond. That's actually a lot of power!

People will believe whatever crazy rumors they want and some will say what they want no matter what authority is there to say otherwise ... a band can request restraint but it's a big world and not everyone sees it as so dire or so important so you have leaks. I think GS is in fact responding to his request, as you and I are the only ones still posting. (And the guy who doesn't even like Tool who started the thread .. the tool!)

Then again, if everyone behaves ... the label leaks it for PR and sales! it's a crazy life.



Look, I get your valid points about the leaching off of fame that some people do, but you seem to think there's a powerlessness and victimization thing going on for the famous band, or their engineer. And I disagree. It's just something to deal with that comes with the territory.

The band/fan relationship is sick in many ways, but I'm sure this band has more experience than you or I in handling it.




And ultimately, if you're sensitivity is founded in reality, and if ABSOLUTE privacy is really that important for this band on this record they can afford to go to Nassau or Europe, right?

Mr. Barresi meanwhile can just ignore the lies and the truths of this or other threads, and post to clarify and/or share when he's good and ready. No big deal.

He is clearly respected here my most of us.

No, I'm not pissed off at all. I was just trying to point out how more often than not, you are on one end of rubbing people the wrong way. Maybe I should have given a percentage instead of using 'always'. You pick the funniest times to get semantic...

So why not leave it at that?

Again, I am not pissed off. I am not taking anyting you say personally -- trust me. I'm not sure where you got this from. Probably from the same place you got 'morally corrupt, musically speaking' a few months ago. And you are not talking principles here. You are looking for ways to get a rise out of people, and then spew some sort of Ayn Rand meets Marx meets a 'vicitm complex' philosophy to justify it -- or to teach them a lesson. It's getting boring, actually...

Now I'm starting to wonder who is really 'pissed off' here. you are the one who brought the word 'rights' into this discussion. your next step is to launch into the 'principles' of the victim mentality. Please spare us from this again. And then you'll attempt to analyse me. Be my guest. I'd love to hear this...

Let me make this perfectly clear: I am not, and I have absolutely NO interest in looking over your shoulder for any reason. How could you ever come to that kind of SPECULATION?? Don't you see that when you communicate this way, making the assumptions that you do, you invalidate your whole argument?

I agree to be here under the terms Jules has set down. It's his ballpark and his rules. If I don't like the rules, I don't have to participate. If Jules doesn't like the way I behave here, he can lock me out.


How is it powerful when you have dispell mis-information? And there is a point where you have to address certain comments, i said in an earlier post.

If the tables were turned, 'famous band' does something to 'the little guy', would you be up in arms about how bad the little guy was treated? Would you do as you are doing now, sympathize with the little guy? It's OK in one direction, but not in the other because it 'comes with the territory' for one and not the other?

Your principles are showing. are you happy with the way they look? They look a bit Fox News Channel to me...


You are a funny one to talk about things being founded in reality. Again, more speculation. And speculation on what the band can do given their circumstances, financially and otherwise. Again, another jab. Good for you.

The power of communicating at it's worst...

Cheers,
John

If I'm so boring why keep posting? That's just cocky talk ... not helpful at all.

Clearly you have a chip against me so it may be pointless to talk principle or subtleties, but let's keep at it.

I'm saying there is something interesting here, if we can keep it from geting too personal and reactionary. There are lots of people here so we need to clarify.

Even if I had done any, I care more for Mr. Barresi's request than to gossip or speculate further ... and it seems like other Slutz feel the same way ... so there you go. It's taken care of, in this specific example. Even the guy who started the thread and doesn't like Tool has deleted some things.

At the same time, it's only going to happen again, that fans and other engineers will think and talk and share and investigate a new record ... so maybe it's worth talking about?


Seems to me that:

"I wish Band X would record like this _______" is hardly a threat to anyone nor does it need a response from past or present engineers.

"The drums on Band Xs ____ record we're more ____ than ____ ". Same thing. No need to respond. That's nothing more than critic talk, happens everyday in the media. Opinions from music lovers.


A little more tricky for some people:

"Artist X sucks since 1994", is not an insult to the engineer hired to record artist X today OR the one in 1994, it's about the music not the engineers. Again, this kind of criticism happens everyday in the mass media and local media.



whereas ...

"Tool will be at Moe's Studio at 7pm tonight" should probably just be deleted no questions asked.

Can we agree there?





I'm looking to clarify the rules so we are not afraid to post, or unclear on what's right and wrong ... nor is an engineer getting pissed about what people say IN THE FUTURE.

You're really arguing with my comment that this sort of thing comes with the territory? and that this sort of thread will happen again ?

Hey All,

2 things:

1. Let's not turn this into a ****fest. Great band and great engineer/producer. Let's all dream and ramble until the truth is revealed.

2. Lucey's got my support on this one. The guy's never pissed me off.

Everyone hangout, chill out and enjoy the rumors, speculations truths and music.
It's what being a fan is about

Contrary to some peoples beliefs, yes they do give a $hit. They give a lot of $hit. So do a lot of people in this industry.

I don't think it needs to be REPEATED how much an artists privacy in the studio needs to be respected. I can't believe I have to say this, but there is a reason why recording studios don't have big neon sign's outside saying who is recording there. As we all know, if you drove by a studio and didn't know it was there, you'd pass by it without incident. THERE IS A REASON FOR THIS.

It's the responsibility of professionals in this industry to keep these things private. Including where the recording is taking place, where the artist is, what went on during the sessions, how they got "that sound". If I have to explain this to you, you shouldn't be talking about artists or sessions or anything of that sort. Posting on a public internet forum (a popular one at that) where a band is recording or how they do certain things during a session is a HUGE NO NO. Ok kiddies?
You have no idea how pissed artists can get over things like this. It's their secrets, and if they want you to know, they'll tell you themselves. If someone working with them discloses information on a public forum that they dis-approve of, then that's their problem and they probably won't be working with that artist or friends of that artist in the future.

So can we all stop this stupid, grade school speculation/bickering and wait for Joe to speak of what he decides to speak of?
I'd highly recommend NOT posting any information unless you have prior approval from the artist/engineer/producer. It's bad for your reputation and could lead to sierous problems.
Imagine if a flock of fans showed up to the studio during the session. It's happened and is more than a PITA. It's ruined sessions and killed the vibe before. Moving to another studio isn't always possible due to things like contracts, but has happened. It's still happening today because of people leaking information like on here.

I shouldn't even have to put a post like this on a web-site. I wish people just respected other peoples privacy. It would make life so much easier.

So It has become your job to police the Posts here?

Let me claify some things for you! First of all, and most important is the fact that you have a total a$$hole on the Tool website acting like he's the Tool information GOD, getting his jollies doling out tidbits of the most Cryptic information you have ever seen imo! Just teasing the hell out of people! I don't think this is cool! I think it's downright nasty! he sits there like some cultured prick drinking his Brandy and snorting his ass hairs! well sorry! I'm a Tool insider too, and this is a free society where I can rain on his parade if I want to! I can spill the beans about everything if I want. In my opinion, under the present conditions, the fans deserve to know! whether you like it or not!

Whether I like the band or not has nothing to do with my opinions/opinion that they have sold out to "the Man" The fact is I have a "valid opinion" that you should respect and not get your skirt up all over because you want me to play by your rules! go police someone else's posts, not mine!

stike