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Topic: Creating "Energy" in the Studio... |
Mike Cass
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Posted 1 Jul 2001 5:23 pm |
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Paul G......I sincerely thank you for your kind words.Hi to ol' Eddie for me too, please  .You wouldnt catch my act on stage with John, thats for sure !!! Go Ed !!
Gene was truly one of a kind & will / should always be remembered anywhere a pedal is pushed or a bar is slid.
My refrence to Franklin, Mike & David comes from my appreciation of their talents & whats more their long years of efforts directed toward perfecting themselves as human beings & musicians.I believe the 2 go hand in hand.
I can only marvel at their respective levels of creativity, technique, finesse & heart( not necessarily in that order ).As you may well know from the progress youv'e made since YOUR day one at the PSG..if your like me, Ive had to bust my hump to try to improve in the above areas & I know what I have to show for it....when I am treated to the talents of the real giants of our instrument,I am in awe .... kinda like watching Tiger tee off on a par 5 with a 3 or 4 iron .......
unimaginable ...
yet, I continue to hunt & peck.....
MY Best to you Mr. Graupp....MC |
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David Spires
From:
Millersport, OH
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Posted 1 Jul 2001 7:27 pm
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Hey Mike,
I totally agree with you about Sonny Garrish. I don't think he gets the recognition he deserves. His playing always strikes me as "fresh".
And if you don't mind, I'll just join the "hunting and pecking" club with you...  Actually, I have a better idea. We can get together and listen to Paul's CDs and watch some video I have of Tiger. Then we can call a therapist. |
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Bill Llewellyn
From:
San Jose, CA
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Posted 1 Jul 2001 7:44 pm
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Gadzooks! PSG icons and world renoun players refering to their playing as hunt and peck. If that's true, I'd better go put my old MSA up onto eBay and go flip burgers at McDonald's or something!
(It's ok, I'm feeling better now....)
Back to the original topic... As a one time recording engineer, the bands I've recorded who got the best energy in the studio were the ones who were truly well rehersed before they came in. Some bands were ready and rarin' to go, and were just electrified (so to speak) and sounded great before they even got themselves in tune. Others used studio time with the tape rolling to, essentially, reherse. Big waste of time and money on their part.
Bottome line: The band should be tight and confident before they ever hit the studio. The smoothness and creative innertia will hit tape/disc.
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Bill (steel player impersonator) | MSA Classic U12 | Email | My music | Steeler birthdays | Over 50?[This message was edited by Bill Llewellyn on 01 July 2001 at 08:57 PM.] |
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Mike Cass
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Posted 1 Jul 2001 10:19 pm
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Therapist, huh ????
I needed that long before Paul & Tiger came on the scene [This message was edited by Mike Cass on 01 July 2001 at 11:24 PM.] |
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Miguel e Smith
From:
Phoenix, AZ
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Posted 2 Jul 2001 9:20 am
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Whether I'm feeling below par or playing above par... I don't know. I'm just an average player who certainly hunts and pecks when looking for something new (or different for me)...(and thanks Mike C. for the comment).
The comments about Sonny I certainly agree with. I've hired him several times for sessions (yes, a steel player hiring a steel player). He always has a great and fun attitude and always works hard to come up with something really cool. Sonny is also famous for calling up after the fact and checking to see if the work still holds up..he also offers to come back and change it if need be (it never needed changing). |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 2 Jul 2001 10:12 am
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An example of creating the energy to let it rip in the studio came up this weekend.
The group I was asked to put steel on a few songs for has a tune that kinda reminds me of the Hank Jr. tune "Born to Boogie".
The producer wanted to replace a lap steel solo that the guitar player had done with a steel solo.
I was specifically requested to "Let it rip!"...
no "less is more"...
no "play this exactly the way I hum it to you"...
So I took 4 or 5 improv passes at it trying to keep some semblance of the melody intact... I'm feeling like I'm starting to get nicely warmed up when the producer says "I've got all I need!... next song" and that was that?!?!
I went in that day with my newly formed "while performing in the control room, visualize you're playing to a sell out crowd at Madison Square Gardern" mindset.
I think it helped me get past the "everything must be perfect" studio paranoia that I think I was inflicting on myself.
I'm hoping to get a studio gig where the whole band plays together.
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 14 Jan 2004 3:06 am
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Even with the new technolgy and the appearance of perfection, ever producer knows there are a few things somewhere in the mix, EVERY mix, that weren't perect.
But if the energy is there and it sounds cool, that is deemed enough. Time is money in the studio, and perfection almost never happens.
But great energy and creative interaction can, and that's what we need to go for. IMHO.
Perfection can become quite sterile too, no life. |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2004 11:28 am
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Studio/Live are two different animals to me. I agree with Mike to (tactfully) never let the producer/engineer force you to play under uncomfortable conditions- use the gear and settings you think will give you the best sound for the track. And I agree with David that loving the recording process, and trying to do what "best serves the song" is a challenge and reward all it's own. Trying to recreate the energy or intensity of excitement one feels at a live show may be a bit of barking up the wrong tree- I try to immerse myself in the recording process and get the best tone and most fitting part I can pull out of myself. Listening back to live band recordings, I can hear the chances I take and the performance excitement, right along with the dropped notes and iffy intonation! In the studio, I've often heard the producer say "that's perfect" when I can hear room for improvement- I'll usually try to take another pass if I know I've got better to give. Some tracks call for some wild abandonment, a "bar-room feel" if you will, and some seem to call for precision, timing,and quality of execution. The trickiest part to me is that "Garrish" factor- coming up with an original and interesting part that really helps the song. Sometimes it's easy and some times it's murder!
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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 16 Jan 2004 2:35 am
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| Take 63... I know I almost got it, hang on... |
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