70s -80s punk/surf rock mixing ....
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Brett Siler
- moves faders with mind
- Posts: 2518
- Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2003 12:16 pm
- Location: Evansville, IN
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yeah those articles rule. Very inspiring and funny.
My musical endeavors!
My Music: http://www.brettsiler.bandcamp.com/
StudioMother Brain Sound Infrastructure
My Music: http://www.brettsiler.bandcamp.com/
StudioMother Brain Sound Infrastructure
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MoreSpaceEcho
- zen recordist
- Posts: 6691
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 11:15 am
Ahh, nostalgia. Most of that "signature" 80s punk-rock sound was not by design but due to the limitations of the studios and/or recording budgets.
Pretty much every studio I recorded in during the 80s had a small, dead room with lots of mic leakage between the amps. We would record essentially live to four or eight-tracks and maybe overdub some vocal or guitar parts. The control rooms seemed to always have spotty consoles but a spiffy new Lexicon digital delay and dbx 160 compressors. Midrange for days. (Even Martin Hannett and Robyn Guthrie were using digital delays then).
Most of the engineers were used to recording Jackson Browne kind of stuff and were constantly telling us to turn down. They would totally muffle the drums and then add tons of digital reverb on the back end. No mics on the bass amp- direct boxes only. Single coil guitars; 70s Strats or LP Jrs, Sound City amps or "hot-rodded" Bassmans that would constantly short out. MXR Phase 90s, Tube Screamers, and Boss chorus pedals were pretty ubiquitous. Always dynamic mics, usually Sm57s and MD421s. Occasionally you'd see AKG 414s for overheads. They wouldn't let us near any Telefunkens or Neumanns!
John Golden at K-Disc seemed to master everything back then.
We used to play with Agent Orange and TSOL quite often back then- TSOL actually gave the MGs a "thanks" on the Change Today record.
Another record from that era you should check out is GI by the Germs. It has an uncharacteristically huge drum sound and remains an amazing album. I think (not sure) that it was recorded at Ocean Way which might have something to do with the sound. Pat Burnett engineered it- he, Geza X, Spot, and Chris D recorded about 90% of everything that came out of Southern California at the time. You might also give a listen to FEAR: The Record- another much more robust recording than most contemporary albums.
As far as the Pixies go, Albini has always had a knack for getting massive but natural drum sounds- even from "Roland" in Big Black. I was recently marveling at some of the drums sounds he got with Urge Overkill. But, as someone else mentioned- it's from a different era and not easy to replicate.
Fun stuff!
Jon
Pretty much every studio I recorded in during the 80s had a small, dead room with lots of mic leakage between the amps. We would record essentially live to four or eight-tracks and maybe overdub some vocal or guitar parts. The control rooms seemed to always have spotty consoles but a spiffy new Lexicon digital delay and dbx 160 compressors. Midrange for days. (Even Martin Hannett and Robyn Guthrie were using digital delays then).
Most of the engineers were used to recording Jackson Browne kind of stuff and were constantly telling us to turn down. They would totally muffle the drums and then add tons of digital reverb on the back end. No mics on the bass amp- direct boxes only. Single coil guitars; 70s Strats or LP Jrs, Sound City amps or "hot-rodded" Bassmans that would constantly short out. MXR Phase 90s, Tube Screamers, and Boss chorus pedals were pretty ubiquitous. Always dynamic mics, usually Sm57s and MD421s. Occasionally you'd see AKG 414s for overheads. They wouldn't let us near any Telefunkens or Neumanns!
John Golden at K-Disc seemed to master everything back then.
We used to play with Agent Orange and TSOL quite often back then- TSOL actually gave the MGs a "thanks" on the Change Today record.
Another record from that era you should check out is GI by the Germs. It has an uncharacteristically huge drum sound and remains an amazing album. I think (not sure) that it was recorded at Ocean Way which might have something to do with the sound. Pat Burnett engineered it- he, Geza X, Spot, and Chris D recorded about 90% of everything that came out of Southern California at the time. You might also give a listen to FEAR: The Record- another much more robust recording than most contemporary albums.
As far as the Pixies go, Albini has always had a knack for getting massive but natural drum sounds- even from "Roland" in Big Black. I was recently marveling at some of the drums sounds he got with Urge Overkill. But, as someone else mentioned- it's from a different era and not easy to replicate.
Fun stuff!
Jon
"My music is best understood by small children and animals"
Igor Stravinsky
www.myspace.com/jonshuman
www.myspace.com/massacreguysslc
Igor Stravinsky
www.myspace.com/jonshuman
www.myspace.com/massacreguysslc
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