Deerhoof interview

[jv]

With PODS... Dont use presets... Tweak away. Can sound good.

-Loewenstein

This is true- the presets mostly suck. Another trick with the pods is to use it on a clean setting and use a distortion pedal in front of it- it can sound much better than using the pod's own distortion.

[I'm Painting Again]

With PODS... Dont use presets... Tweak away. Can sound good.

-Loewenstein

This is true- the presets mostly suck. Another trick with the pods is to use it on a clean setting and use a distortion pedal in front of it- it can sound much better than using the pod's own distortion.

I always liked my pod when you plugged a mic into the front..on the XT at least there are output settings which some people bungle..like line/amp/etc. depending on where it's going..

the pod is a sweet tool..

and yeah loading in without the gazillion lb. Marshall or whatever is a big plus..

[wiggins]

I wish someone would have the balls to ask John about Colossamite. Or Gorge Trio.

Deerhoof's great n' all, kinda went downhill the last two albums if you ask my snobby ass, but Colossamite? He's probably embarrassed about it, but I fucking adore everything about that band.

Y'all should check them out.

http://www.skingraftrecords.com/audio.html

http://www.skingraftrecords.com/mp3/LP_ ... sasHal.mp3

[wayout]

I just had to chime in that I dont think things have gone downhill at all!
The Runners Four is yet another masterpiece from these guys.
I like it.

-Loewenstein

[ramchandra]

Man that article was amazing. I remeber hearing thinking their guitar tones were amazing. I spent alot of money when I was recording my band on amps and we always wanted to record live but the bleed was too much. Pods could have solved the problem.

All those whiners who use lack of good gear and money as excuses for bad recordings, or even worse not recording should be ashamed of themselves. Long live Deerhoof.

[instamatic]

Their DIYness is awesome!

[swelle]

If I can be the lone dissenter, I found that interview really interesting -- but what a hellish way to make a record! One chord at a time, retuning the guitar for each chord, etc., that uber-meticulous note-by-note punch-in stuff is what gives me the heebie-jeebies about the protools craft.

Still, the proof's in the pudding, and if the record's good (haven't heard it yet), then the means are justified. But it ain't no "John Wesley Harding" eh?

[Electro-Voice 664]

that uber-meticulous note-by-note punch-in stuff is what gives me the heebie-jeebies about the protools craft.

Totally, but the funny thing is (and you?ll just need to hear it), it still sounds all fucked up and awesome. I like this kind of music, and the recorded sounds are fun to listen to. You can hear a few songs on their web site. When I first heard this record, I too loved the guitar sound; it?s great to read how they made it. I think the mix of the other instruments really help the guitar sound. The drums aren?t super huge, so they allow the guitar to breathe. In the interview I like the idea that no one is gonna care as much as the band itself. This idea can be debated, but it makes sense to me. Thanks to TOMB for turning me on to Deerhoof.

[instamatic]

take a look on kill rockstars they posted the individual tracks to Rrrrright for remix...its interesting to see how rough some of the edits are. the recording has a lot of character.

i also dig the part about satomi singing into the computer mic!

[Mr PC]

OK, please allow me to be a contrary kind of jerk. I felt a certain kind of frustration while reading the Deerhoof article.

My thinking is this: If Deerhoof the band produces music that is worthy of a significant following (I'm talking committed rock fans), worthy of praise from smart people like Tape-Op and such, isn't it worth shelling out for an 002 Rack or something?

I think DIY for DIY's sake is bullshit. There are many people who care about Deerhoof and their music. That is a credit to the band. If the band's creative output is worthwhile than it is worth the measly investment of a stinking 8-input Digi 002r.

I think there is a certain kind of pretentiousness that goes with the whole DIY thing. Recording is very very affordable nowadays. Deerhoof does not need to record at such a shoestring level. I could be wrong, but I don't recall any aesthetic reasons for their recording methods.

I just don't think there is anything cute about going out of one's way to record music in the most avoidably primitive fashion for fashion's sake.

Mr. PC

[dirk_v]

I had actually never heard of Deerhoof before I read the article, but I was intrigued enough to check out their catalogue. I think 'milk man' is an amazing tune. In the case of the record as a whole, it wouldn't sound quite the way it does if it hadn't been for the way it was made, and as much as I dislike over-edited records, this one is sliced together in such a way that it actually contributes to the music, becoming part of the performance, not merely a case of 'fixing it in the mix.'

Part of their methodology reminded me of the EP I recorded with my old band, meticulously editing drum sequences in one program, writing pages of bar|beat-referenced notes, and bouncing files back and forth endlessly. If only I had known then...! But in the end, having the drum sequences running outside of the sequencer made for interesting drum parts, and having to commit to it every so often ended up helping me make better decisions (I hope).

Also, for the record, The Runners Four was recorded via a Digi002, and I think it's also a great album.

Long live Deerhoof.

-dv

[jayf]

...
I think there is a certain kind of pretentiousness that goes with the whole DIY thing. Recording is very very affordable nowadays. Deerhoof does not need to record at such a shoestring level. I could be wrong, but I don't recall any aesthetic reasons for their recording methods....

Well, sometimes, you start down a path and just feel compelled to finish. Like, you start recording using the gear you have in front of you, and then you don't want to totally change your process or gear mid-stream.

I think that's not an uncommon aesthetic.

[swelle]

avoidably primitive?

I don't think there's anything primitive about recording on laptops, is there? I have records done on wire recorders in prison cells. I'm sure an answering machine is further down the rung than a laptop.

[dirty]

I think there is a certain kind of pretentiousness that goes with the whole DIY thing. Recording is very very affordable nowadays. Deerhoof does not need to record at such a shoestring level.

I was lucky enough to meet Deerhoof a few weeks ago. They were some of the nicest people I've ever met.

Anyway, according to them, it took years, and several albums that lost money, before they could even afford to quit their day jobs. Their label (KRS) was very supportive of them, but the creation of their music on small budgets is pretty much the only way they could have done it.

Also, and now I'm just speculating, it could be another case of limitations contributing to creativity. Just a thought.

[Mr PC]

...
I think there is a certain kind of pretentiousness that goes with the whole DIY thing. Recording is very very affordable nowadays. Deerhoof does not need to record at such a shoestring level. I could be wrong, but I don't recall any aesthetic reasons for their recording methods....

Well, sometimes, you start down a path and just feel compelled to finish. Like, you start recording using the gear you have in front of you, and then you don't want to totally change your process or gear mid-stream.

I think that's not an uncommon aesthetic.

I can certainly buy that. Just this year my band released our self-recorded album which I recorded with my tiny little setup, so I do understand the glories (and limitations) of DIY recording. I just found a mismatch regarding how much they had going on band-wise and how sparely they recorded themselves.

Anyhoo, Deerhoof seems to be held in high regard by a lot of people, so something is definitely working there--

PC