Why did everybody use so much reverb in the 80s?

[suppositron]

At least the two artists you mention (Owl City & Imogen Heap) are using it in an interesting way

See, I don't really think they are. They're using it as a vocoder pretty much. Those have been around before that horrible Cher song. And really, it's just my opinion of the use of vocoders. To me, if it's not Kraftwerk or the like it just sounds stupid and cliche.

Back to the reverb I think people thought that reverb made a recording sound professional grade. Now days a dryer record or at least one that uses reverb with discretion "sounds more professional" to the public. That's certainly not always the case. I love a good thick plate reverb when appropriate.

[Jay Reynolds]

The 80's? I just got Sirius for my car and every other song on XMU - the indie rock channel - is soaked. Don't those kids know that their shit is going to sound dated about ten minutes from now?

I went to a taping of Letterman last year and Bat for Lashes was the musical guest. I'd never heard them before but I saw laptop and keyboards and drums and I thought, "Cool! I'm going to like this!" Then the vocals kicked in and they were drenched in shitty digital verb. Totally killed it for me.

[mr.adambeck]

The 80's? I just got Sirius for my car and every other song on XMU - the indie rock channel - is soaked. Don't those kids know that their shit is going to sound dated about ten minutes from now?

Lotsa reverb and completely, utterly lo-fi is the new trend dude! Get with the times!

I'm actually pretty into some of the indie rock 60's garage throw back that's happening, less digital reverbs, but still a ton of it (Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast, Crocodiles).

I don't know, reverb was bound to make a come back. With my bands current recording, we sent all the keyboards back into the live room for natural ambience. Maybe it'll be a selling point for major studios to say "Hey we have this huge live room with ACTUAL, genuine, non-digital reverb! You can reamp whatever the heck you want into it and get true, honest to goodness ambience!"

[Jay Reynolds]

Audio Production: Stop listening to music. Start listening to trends.

[JGriffin]

Audio Production: Stop listening to music. Start listening to trends.

that last part's actually not a terrible idea if your clientele wants a certain sound that's popular now.

[Brett Siler]

At least the two artists you mention (Owl City & Imogen Heap) are using it in an interesting way.

Take that back.

[Jay Reynolds]

Audio Production: Stop listening to music. Start listening to trends.

that last part's actually not a terrible idea if your clientele wants a certain sound that's popular now.

I thought about that after I posted. But whose job is it to mention to the client that this really hip, "now" sound they're looking for is going to sound like "then" in about five minutes?

I guess my point is that when I'm listening to people's raw music - be it their demo or their show or a rehearsal recording - I've never heard "today's sound", unless that sound was somehow incorporated into the actual songs. Well, maybe at a show, if the band is carrying an FOH engineer and has already released something that has "now" production. IMHO, good production is invisible to the end user and I have trouble imagining that anything that has been soaked with an insane amount of verb is really all that transparent. As artists, do people really want the moment they're trying to share with an audience to be comprised of admiration of how cheeky the band was being during mixdown?

Maybe it's just a product of understanding the process. The recording toothpaste isn't going back into the tube for me, so I have trouble taking off my engineer hat when listening to music.

[JGriffin]

Audio Production: Stop listening to music. Start listening to trends.

that last part's actually not a terrible idea if your clientele wants a certain sound that's popular now.

I thought about that after I posted. But whose job is it to mention to the client that this really hip, "now" sound they're looking for is going to sound like "then" in about five minutes?

This is something that -- in one form or another -- comes up a bunch around here. Ultimately it's down to how your business is set up, what your relationship to your clients is, and whether you're a producer on the job or an engineer. It also depends on who your clients are. Are a bunch of 18-year-olds, in their first band, aping what they hear on the radio, going to care about your opinion that the production trends of some bygone era are timeless but the production trends they're listening to and being influenced by right now are merely transitory?

[Dakota]

Audio Production: Stop listening to music. Start listening to trends.

that last part's actually not a terrible idea if your clientele wants a certain sound that's popular now.

I thought about that after I posted. But whose job is it to mention to the client that this really hip, "now" sound they're looking for is going to sound like "then" in about five minutes?

This is something that -- in one form or another -- comes up a bunch around here. Ultimately it's down to how your business is set up, what your relationship to your clients is, and whether you're a producer on the job or an engineer. It also depends on who your clients are. Are a bunch of 18-year-olds, in their first band, aping what they hear on the radio, going to care about your opinion that the production trends of some bygone era are timeless but the production trends they're listening to and being influenced by right now are merely transitory?

+1dwlb, you nailed it.

Know your role in the specific service you are providing. Choose your battles.

[vvv]

So I s'pose I shouldn't again recommend against, and even pray for, not smashing the crap outta stuff?

To the limited extent I do stuff for other people (3-4x a year) and my rather extensive collabs (3-4x a month), I mean, somebody has to take a stand there.

Especially when it's not real commercial pressure ...


{A side note: sometimes I write something and it reminds me of a predecessor and I run with it. In The Hungry Drunx thread in the Listen to My Shite forum is a link to a song called "Kathy in Furs" (edit: link) what, to me, is my very best cop on the Psych Furs. And honestly, I think it's ever so much better for not having the 80s 'verb all over it ...}

[JGriffin]

So I s'pose I shouldn't again recommend against, and even pray for, not smashing the crap outta stuff?

To the limited extent I do stuff for other people (3-4x a year) and my rather extensive collabs (3-4x a month), I mean, somebody has to take a stand there.

Especially when it's not real commercial pressure ...

IMHO, there is a subtle but tangible difference between having a conversation with a client about the Loudness Wars and telling them how much reverb is or isn't cool.

[plurgid]

At least the two artists you mention (Owl City & Imogen Heap) are using it in an interesting way.

Take that back.

yeah no way I'm taking that back. Especially in regards to Imogen Heap. That chick is a genius. If all you know of these two artists is the one track you've heard on the radio, you're missing out. They are doing interesting things.

[Jay Reynolds]

IMHO, there is a subtle but tangible difference between having a conversation with a client about the Loudness Wars and telling them how much reverb is or isn't cool.

It's maybe not so much about cool or not cool. It's more about making someone aware that certain decisions will make their product sound "2010". That's prolly fine in 2010. But what about listening to the same product in 2020?

I think there are plenty of arguments to the contrary. I think Unforgettable Fire is both timely and timeless (well, except for those sampled orchestral stabs on the title track - those are just timely IMHO). But I think the staying power of that album is due to who they were working with more that any attempt to capture a "now" sonic.

[Jay Reynolds]

cool

Also - I'm not sure if "cool/not cool" is the issue. "Hearing it/not hearing it" is a different story. I'm not hearing it. Someone else obviously is. But I'm having problems enjoying the songs that are given this treatment, which is on me. Area man just sayin'

[roscoenyc]

Because Engineers were in charge in the '80's and they were enamored with that crap to a fault. Almost all of 'em too.

On the positive side I have to thank them for sitting there and messing with the LARC and AMS boxes 'cause if they hadn't fucked up so much music for me I never
would have though about having my own moneypit/studio that was dedicated to nothing but at least trying to get it right.



The '80's is like a polyester shirt. It looks not so bad in hindsight but if
you ever really wore one you would know what hell felt like.