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5/3/2017 4:43:54 PM
Hmm... well what the hell, working on a song, it'll wait a minute,
won't go anywhere without me...
1. as I'll only buy a CD I really really want, I guess it doesn't matter.
American albums to my mind tend to have 12 songs on the average,
and English ones tend to have 14 on the average,
at least in terms of many Beatle albums...
I know what you mean, I think, ten sounds lazy,
five only sounds like a heroin problem and too much jamming...
fifteen can be too much, if they're not that good, but then I wouldn't
buy the bloody record anyway were that the case. "Get Happy" by Elvis Costello
had 20 on the damned thing, on vinyl no less, 'groove cramming' they called it.
Sounded like crap. Much better on CD. that's a worthwhile purchase,
all depends on if you like the artists, and if you only bought it because
the television told you to, congratulations welcome to hell.
2. I actually stopped doing albums a while ago,
now we just make singles basically, not terribly long ago,
but already long enough that I don't give a damn,
we made an entire BEATLESEX album,
well we liked the bloody thing, but it was a concentrated burst of
a lot of work, sustained over around three weeks to a month,
(I forget exactly and the boys can't remember either, I'm old, they're dead)
so now we're back to singles as the preferred art form.
With that one (LP Stereophonic, we called our 'last album')
we went with 14. 12 is only tradition for American albums,
and two of the band members are English.
3.If I... or if we... write in multiple genres....
yeah, we'll put different genres on the same album, sure,
why not. Unless you're calling it 'The Country Album'
and then you're bound to hear grumbling if it isn't one...
4. well yeah, I produce the things, we all have a hand in it really,
and we master them as well, you have to,
otherwise they master you, and we won't have that, see.
5. what technical tricks do I use to get the vocals sounding as I want?
Well, if I'm doing an ALJ record, and, say, it's one of my girly songs,
(and you kinda know 'em when you hear 'em, although now,
I'll even sing, from the male perspective, yet keep the girly voice on,
it's a brave new world, and I don't care what anyone thinks anymore, really)
well for that, well for any voice that comes out of me really,
I go into that mode,
I have 'modes'.
People often fail to understand this,
and my wife is not still around to whisper off to the side at 'em,
"He's in a 'mode' you know."
Got a million of 'em. "Modes".
How do I do it? Easier to just say "I don't know",
but I do have some idea...
I've got a phonographic memory.
That's a photographic memory, only it's concerning sound.
And I just focus on it, till it comes out me face. That's pretty much it.
Or, if it's a BEATLESEX record, I sing it, or one of them sings it.
My approach to EQ? I give it the benefit of the doubt,
but if it gets snippy with me, I generally tolerate very little nonsense.
6.
I warmed up, already.
Decades of smoking more pot than God.
Drinking more alcohol than either my brother or my father,
wait, no, scratch that last bit.
Decidedly less than either of 'em.
I'm warmed up enough dammit.
To the Studio! And make every light or next time I'll take the mule,
Yes Self, I'm talking to you.
Well you don't expect these two to drive do you.
I do everything else.
My world and the door's that way, run. What, you asked.
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Stoneman
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5/4/2017 2:59:46 AM
1. Only if the music is not epic. For instance, I bought the Bruno Mars CD and it only had 9 songs on it. However, those 9 songs were so good that I just didn't care about it. His and Baby Faces latest are two of the best CD's I have heard in years. I think quality over quantity is a good way to go.
2. When I was self releasing I tried to put as many songs on the CD's as possible because I thought that it would add perceived value to the listener. But now? I don't even get involved in that decision. I just produce about 30 songs for each CD and let the recording company decide which songs they want to pay me for. I only get paid production fees for the songs that they select for the CD. Usually that is between 9 and 15 songs.
3. Well, as I stated before, I don't get involved in the decision making process anymore. But the recording companies I work for both release genre specific CD's
4. Yes, I always use mastering for my songs final process. Although I have mastered stuff before, I consider that to be a special skill that only certain engineers have mastered (pun intended).
5. Wow, that is a loaded question. I use a lot of tricks, plug ins and processors on my vocals. Each vocal gets personal treatment. I do have some favorite plug ins like Izotopes Nectar 2 and Waves SP2. But, I do love to experiment and try new things. I spend a lot of time reading recording engineering forums in search of new ideas and processors. I wish I had the time and experience to use all the shit I have in my studio but a lot of my shit is just extra shit that I bought along the way. I have thousands of dollars worth of plug ins. My Waves shit alone cost me about $25,000.00. Thank God I didn't have to buy it as I won it (like most of my shit) in a songwriting contest.
6. No, I don't warm up my mix on analog anymore. I got rid of most of my analog gear years ago. Wish I hadn't because it was way better sounding than all this digital crap I have. You know, the big difference is "head room". In recording engineering school they talked a lot about headroom and why analog is superior to digital. I agree that it is but it is not as cost effective or versatile. Also, if you are going to warm up your digital recording on analog processors, it would sound best if you recorded on analog. I have seen the longest and most sustained debates about digital verses analog. I always say use what you have and make it sound as good as you possibly can.
Much Respect Bro.,
Stoneman
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