Many claim that people are listening to music more but enjoying it less, some people in the recording industry say they know why. They blame the iPod and the compressed MP3 music files.
Producers,engineers, and mixers assume their recordings will be heard as MP3s on an iPod music player and has become a “reference platform” used as a test of how a track should sound – thus engineering music to a technical lowest common denominator.
“Right now, when you are done recording a track, the first thing the band does is to load it onto an iPod and give it a listen,” said Alan Douches, who has worked with Fleetwood Mac and others. Today, young artists think MP3s are a high-quality medium and the iPod is state-of-the-art sound.”
L.A. engineer Jack Joseph Puig (Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton) says “Ten years ago, music was warmer; it was rich and thick, with more tones and more ‘real power.’ But newer records are more brittle and bright. They have what I call ‘implied power.’ It’s all done with delays and reverbs and compression to fool your brain.”
Producer Howard Benson, who has worked with Santana, My Chemical Romance and Chris Daughtry, says members of a studio recording crew will sometimes complain after a session, “I just spent all this time getting the greatest guitar and drums solo, and it ends up as an MP3.” (WSJ)
The Bottom Line – Advancement in technology is supposed to improve or enhance. Although new music technology has made it easier to organize and deliver, it hasn’t enhanced or improved sound. We have alot of mountains to climb…
i have to agree – the songs in my ipod seem really thin, you definetely lose a GENERATION…
Apple need to enhance sound quality and make it comparable to a CD – I read some articles on this and I hear that the sound can actually damage your ears..
http://dodevice.com/mp3-players-can-damage-your-hearing/
Check out this article..
iPods are capable of playing uncompressed AIFF files, equal to cd quality. Poor sound quality has more to do with improper production, cheap earbuds, or poorly compressed music files. It’s NOT the fault of the iPod itself. I regularly use iPods to dj on some of the best club sound systems in the country.
Wow people are still lost. I know this pertaining to sound/recording quality and the science of it .. BETTER BANDS WILL SOUND BETTER
Realmad –
You are absolutely right, this post pertains to SOUND, but this is a small part of the equation. THE Wall Street Journal has no clue that the artists today are mediocre and its harder to find the GEMS. GREAT bands can find a GREAT sound..
Most people, even professional engineers, can’t tell the difference between an MP3 and CD-quality WAV file. So how does this negligible difference force producers to use delays, reverbs, etc. to “fool” my brain into enjoying the music? Bottom line: it doesn’t.
Everyone always thinks the past was better and now we just backup our stale argument by making up implications of rapidly advancing technology.
I’ve heard this a million times and I’ll hear it a million more. Just make music.
just wondering….how is Atreyu’s new album doing?
“Everyone always thinks the past was better” Only those of us who remember when Bands could actually play, sing and perform their material without the aide of:
1.) Backing Tracks: (pre-recorded music that’s not in addition to whats supposed to be being played by the band) which can include but is not limited to drums, guitars, vocals. Yeah, there was NO Lip Syncing!!
2.) Pitch Correction: You actually had to know how to Sing in KEY!
3.) Quantizing: Computer gimmicktry to help the drummer
stay in time!! (incase you weren’t aware, it is the main job of the drummer to “KEEP TIME”) This practice is not limited to drummers, it can also be used for Bass Players, Guitarist, Vocalist. Otherwise refereed to as MUSICIANS, who’s jobs also include being able to KEEP TIME!!
3.)Cut and Paste: Another process which involves taking a “snip’it” of an otherwise useless performance
and “looping it” This is a common practice mostly used with today’s “Accomplished” Musicians who just for some UNKNOWN reason (hint,hint) can’t seem to play more than a couple of bars of their “Own Song” without fuckin up!!
I think Technology is wonderful, especially when it’s being used to ENHANCE TALENT, not CREATE IT!!
The use of backing tracks does not necessarily denote a lack of talent, bands like Rush and Muse use them, and they’re certainly quite talented.
I totally agree with you that having vocal parts in backing tracks (a la Gym Class Heroes [check out some of their performances, the entire chorus is backing tracks, wtf]), but things that would normally be played in the studio by one of the members who can not play it live, for instance the drummer playing keyboard parts in the studio for some added color, is not an indication of a lack of talent, but a hesitance to load the stage up with 19 performers who all play minor parts in one song.
As far as cut and paste goes, in my opinion, some of the best beats in hip hop / trip hop are taken from samples or looped material, so if that’s a sound you’re going for, I say go for it. If you want to sound like the White Stripes, Led Zeppelin or CCR, sampling and looping probably isn’t something you should use for your record.
I cannot stand the audio quality of an iPod. It is really the worse thing I’ve ever heard, especially when compared to an iAudio X5 which actually comes with a 5 band eq and other settings. iPod audio is lazy just as lazy as the people who don’t research and buy the popular mp3 player.
Nothing beats throwing on the original cd into my car stereo or home theater. You know you are getting the best possible sound available to you.
Oh Yeah, Thanks for reminding me! When Bands could actually write and play their own beats and didn’t
have to “STEAL”, oh I’m sorry “SAMPLE” them from “Older” Artist.
Making the “Exception” the “Rule” is a COP OUT!!
I’m extremely suspicious of the effort to Trivialize
The Standards of ART and TALENT. This whole almost
“Anyone Can Be a Star” Bullshit “Survives” only because
of the “DUMBING DOWN” of ART. Most of the so-called Artist’s of today would have NEVER MADE THE CUT!!
We run faster, jump higher, travel into Space on a regular basis!! WHY IS SO DIFFICULT TO EXPECT THE SAME ADVANCES IN ART AND TALENT?