Lily Street Blog
A collection of stories, articles and other stuff we find interesting
Thoughts on recording
Edits? Live? Overdubs?… Getting ideas from your head into the physical world can be a challenging task
POV: Your band has a collection of works that you’ve perfected to the point where it’s time to pay for some studio time and capture your carefully crafted, unique and grammy-worthy music to share with the world. You and your bandmates have somewhat of an understanding amongst each other regarding how you’d like the finished product to sound.
It may be that you want the record to be as true as possible to an audience member's experience of your live show: No fancy overdubs, auto-tune or any other studio magic. Or, you could all agree that you want the sound to be an extension of what can be functionally played live, and treat the record as an artistic endeavour unto itself.
Personally, my experience has been that more often than not, when I’ve gone into the studio I have usually wanted the mix to be a true reflection of how it would sound to an audience member. No fancy crap. However, often when I get the final mix back it sounds like more artistic flair has been gradually added by virtue of the mixing process, resulting in a listening experience which has departed significantly from what I had originally envisioned. Most of the time, I eventually reach the conclusion that the distortions of my expectations have been in my head, and that the augmented sound is still true to the vision I’d had in the first place. It’s the same collection of notes, beats and words - Just achieved by way of a process of which I have no understanding. In the end, I fall in love with the new sound. Maybe because I’ve just heard the new form so much that it eventually gentrafies the place in my heart which the original idea had occupied.
This could just be a lesson in letting go of preconceived ideals for the sake of the music, and letting it take its own ride through the mind and skillset of the engineer/producer. Or it could be a failure in my ability to convey my intent, or a lack of courage in my own conviction. Whatever the case, it is the responsibility of me as an artist to effectively communicate my vision to my band members, producers, and recording engineers. It is also, however, the responsibility of any third-parties involved in the project to do whatever they can to bring my vision to fruition. Like any relationship, trust is the most important factor. Whenever one chooses to invite another human being into a creative process, both must accept some modicum of the other's influence. What I’ve realised is that if I do have a specific vision, but I’m not totally sure of how to achieve it, I need to put trust in the people I’ve chosen to work with, and simply be open and direct with my artistic opinions - The same as they need to be with theirs.
If we can all be honest with how we think something should sound and why, then our music can only get better.
27 Jan 2024
Analogue & Digital
Valves or VST’s. So many choices and directions
Today, we are faced with fast paced technological growth that see’s digital reign supreme in its effectiveness in speed and variability. Anything you can imagine is now possible with the right tools and the right idea to move towards it, so why, when it comes to music production, does analogue gear still hold value and integrity amongst the vast endless options that the digital world presents?
Limitation and unpredictability are traits of both digital and analogue tools but the discerning factor between the two comes down to how and when they arrive there. When it comes to digital the headroom is almost endless, the way a digital code reacts to the suggestion that you want more of something arrives in a linear fashion. It doesn’t adhere to any phenomena of physics; it simply modulates your signal with the ratios you give it. This is usually the moment where you’ll hear the beauty of what analogue can give you in all of its limitations but this one insight, that the digital world is not bound by physics is the most exciting aspect of the digital world. It has the ability for infinite growth, for infinite ideas to become the most malleable medium of creative exploration. If you haven’t discovered Chase Bliss pedals then I implore you to do so. It is at the cutting edge of what the digital realm can offer in the world of unpredictability. It is a great example of taking advantage of digital perks and formatting by abusing its limitations and creating musical outcomes. This is where Analogue can come into the conversation.
For years the limitations that analogue presented was its adherence to the world of physics, it is bound by the law. This meant that what you expected wasn’t always what you wanted yet some of the bi-products that were actively avoided became signature features of its function. From tape compression due to its inability to capture detailed frequencies to the saturation of added harmonics from overdriving a vacuum tube, the musical outcomes that arrived were not instant but a deep dive into understanding how to utilise the limitations of analogue which gave us circuitry favourites like the Urei 1176, Neve 1073, Fender Reverb Tanks etc.
So what do you want to achieve, why would you want to choose one over the other. In many instances the digital choice is an endless one. You can manipulate your source in every way imaginable and still go back to ground zero at a click of a finger. This is why so many people today choose to jump on the evergrowing highway of the digital realm but there is something beautiful in standing still in the analogue realm. Choices made are choices that stay. Like music, once you've articulated your abstraction there is little room to take it back. You express yourself in the moment and that moment solidifies itself in the past. This disadvantage pushes you to explore the crevices of beauty you may have missed if you weren’t made to spend that little bit more time trying to mould what you were given. The analogue realm isn’t as fast paced in choices but it is slow moving and forces you to hold a clearer picture of what you want your outcome to be. Once you move toward it, you have to stay the course less you want to slowly build your decisions again. Although, you could always stick out your thumb and join the highway at any time.
29/01/2024