Developing Your Ears

[Rigsby]

This possibly kind of sounds terrible but increasingly i've become bored with listening to music and rarely have done for the last few months (epecially considering there was always music in my house before that), but i'll listen to interesting sounds, listen all the way round town, the park, the streets, train stations, everywhere and back again. A year or so ago i started recording some found sounds, and got really into it, that lead to recording a lot of everyday things, which in turn lead me to just listen to the things around me, initially to record them, and then just to listen for pleasure. I regularly stop and listen to everyday sounds and the way the environment reacts to them, and i really think it's improving my listening skills. I'm hearing things i would've previously probably ignored and it actually brings me a lot of happiness as well.

[cgarges]

Great question,

Thanks.

what about you Chris?

Hanging around people with really great ears. Listening to music (especially stuff with which I'm familiar) in a good environment with someone else who has really great ears. Just listening to tunes with someone else and REALLY listening can be a big eye-opener (or ear-opener). Obviously, the better the listening environment, the more enlightening the experience. Watching someone like that work can also be extremely enlightening. That's part of the reason why I love attending mastering sessions. I always walk away having learned something about my perception vs. someone else's.

I also spent about three years working for a studio that did sound-alikes for karaoke, TV, and overseas distribution. That was a really, really great stage of development for me. I worked with two other guys with PHENOMENAL ears and it was a challenge trying to recreate as closely as possible songs from over a fifty-year period. Doing that sort of thing is a terrific excercise in learning to hear parts (and it's interesting to hire players and have them come in and see what they heard in addition to what you heard), sounds, stereo placement, effects, etc.

I think listening is like anything else. The more you do it, the better you get at it and if you're around people who are better at it than you, you learn even more.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[cgarges]

i bought your cd's chris...compared them to my own...made notes...they sound great- btw. particularly dig the piano trio.

Thanks, Mike! I'm glad you like them. I'm particularly proud to be a part of that piano trio album.

Chris

[Slider]

I feel like I've learned a lot this last year.
I think I made recordings that were interesting and different sounding, but I never really thought too much about clarity, or doing anything that was remotely tidy sounding.
So I've been trying to accomplish some nice fidelity along with the "recording kicked in the face" approach I used to take.

I'm also a little more careful about micing lately, where I used to take a "I can make anything sound cool with enough compression" attitude.

I guess just listening and keeping an open mind.
which sounds so simple, but it's hard to keep perspective on your work sometimes.

[bigtoe]

i bought your cd's chris...compared them to my own...made notes...they sound great- btw. particularly dig the piano trio.

Thanks, Mike! I'm glad you like them. I'm particularly proud to be a part of that piano trio album.

Chris

that's my fav - great work. (did you use protools? ha!) your trio, however, does rule... as in "far out." great band.

"I feel like I've learned a lot this last year.
I think I made recordings that were interesting and different sounding, but I never really thought too much about clarity, or doing anything that was remotely tidy sounding.
So I've been trying to accomplish some nice fidelity along with the "recording kicked in the face" approach I used to take."

man - exactly where i'm at.

Peace
Mike

[Slider]

Hey Chris, I think you should have your own tape op board (or whatever it's called...room?) that's called "what did you work on today".
There we could discuss what we recorded that day, how we approached it, and post MP3's for feedback.
We obviously couldn't post full songs without permission, but I'm sure we could get away with clips, or single sources.
Maybe I'm the only person who'd be into this, but I think it would be cool for everyone to discuss and share their approach, with an audio example.
Maybe we could get someone to offer some space for MP3's that would be deleted after a couple days.

I run CD's when I'm getting sounds and tracking and it would be cool to have a combination of general discussion and the MP3 board, for sharing techniques in detail.

Just a thought.

[cgarges]

that's my fav - great work. (did you use protools? ha!)

Thanks. You'd be surprised at what was used to make that record.

Chris

[cgarges]

Hey Chris, I think you should have your own tape op board (or whatever it's called...room?) that's called "what did you work on today".
There we could discuss what we recorded that day, how we approached it, and post MP3's for feedback.

Interesting. I'm not sure what would be the difference between that and a dedicated effort to do something like that on the MP3 board. Speaking of which, I'm about due, aren't I?

Chris

[kronosonic]

This possibly kind of sounds terrible but increasingly i've become bored with listening to music and rarely have done for the last few months (epecially considering there was always music in my house before that), but i'll listen to interesting sounds, listen all the way round town, the park, the streets, train stations, everywhere and back again. A year or so ago i started recording some found sounds, and got really into it, that lead to recording a lot of everyday things, which in turn lead me to just listen to the things around me, initially to record them, and then just to listen for pleasure. I regularly stop and listen to everyday sounds and the way the environment reacts to them, and i really think it's improving my listening skills. I'm hearing things i would've previously probably ignored and it actually brings me a lot of happiness as well.

Hey, Rigsby, do you have a web site/page somewhere?

[Rigsby]

This possibly kind of sounds terrible but increasingly i've become bored with listening to music and rarely have done for the last few months (epecially considering there was always music in my house before that), but i'll listen to interesting sounds, listen all the way round town, the park, the streets, train stations, everywhere and back again. A year or so ago i started recording some found sounds, and got really into it, that lead to recording a lot of everyday things, which in turn lead me to just listen to the things around me, initially to record them, and then just to listen for pleasure. I regularly stop and listen to everyday sounds and the way the environment reacts to them, and i really think it's improving my listening skills. I'm hearing things i would've previously probably ignored and it actually brings me a lot of happiness as well.

Hey, Rigsby, do you have a web site/page somewhere?

Well yes and no, www.rigsbysmith.net, but it's still under construction so there's just a holding page so far.

[Rigsby]

Oh, and don't address any inquiries there as i've forgotten the password. Doh!

[Stephen]

Golden Ears ???

Yeah, it's a snack from Nabisco...
Pax, Steve

That "snack" as you so dismissively referred to it is actually something of a delicacy I'll have you know.

Forgive me. I wallow in my own shame.
Pax, Steve

[Slider]

Hey Chris, I think you should have your own tape op board (or whatever it's called...room?) that's called "what did you work on today".
There we could discuss what we recorded that day, how we approached it, and post MP3's for feedback.

Interesting. I'm not sure what would be the difference between that and a dedicated effort to do something like that on the MP3 board. Speaking of which, I'm about due, aren't I?

Chris

Yeah, I guess the MP3 board would work fine.
I don't really go there very often.
Maybe I should.

[kronosonic]

Oh, and don't address any inquiries there as i've forgotten the password. Doh!

Well, Rigsby, you're like on the ball!



What kind of instruments do you play?

[Rigsby]

Oh, and don't address any inquiries there as i've forgotten the password. Doh!

Well, Rigsby, you're like on the ball!



What kind of instruments do you play?

Don't want to hijack the thread so PM me will you?