Your Definitive Sound

jamoo · Post by **jamoo** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:28 am

Do you have a definitive sound?

If so, how did you arrive at it?

I'm prompted by Gary Glitter's stompy, clap-rich rhythm section
and his 'elephant lead', a mix of (tone-down) fuzz guitar and perhaps some kind of horn.

Everything I've heard sounds like this, and I got to thinking, how does this happen?

He could've 'butt rawked', gone 'progressive', rehashed the 50's, but nope, we get

'elephant lead'.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 4:53 pm

I believe as a player and as a producer and as an engineer I have a 'sound.' My brain is unique unto me and therefore I react certain ways and thus do certain things. Sometimes that means I place the lead vocal in a certain place. Sometime it means I tune toms a certain way. Whatever way that might be based on the situation at hand my reaction to it will be mine and thus "my sound."

mjau · Post by **mjau** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:56 pm

drumsound wrote:I believe as a player and as a producer and as an engineer I have a 'sound.' My brain is unique unto me and therefore I react certain ways and thus do certain things. Sometimes that means I place the lead vocal in a certain place. Sometime it means I tune toms a certain way. Whatever way that might be based on the situation at hand my reaction to it will be mine and thus "my sound."

Tony definitely has a sound, because a commercial for a local pawn shop has a song that, upon first hearing, I instantly knew was recorded by him. The first snare hit made me go, "Yup, that was done at Tony's place, by Tony. It's the Tony snare sound." Good stuff.

jamoo · Post by **jamoo** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:59 pm

Right. I guess my question was more along the lines of 'How did it get that way?'

Rigsby · Post by **Rigsby** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:15 am

I've never really tried to have a sound, but a few people have sia dover the years that my stuff is all pretty different yet still sounds like me. I guess it's the decisions you make, your taste in things, that kind of stuff that makes that sound.

scott anthony · Post by **scott anthony** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 5:05 am

I have an engineer friend that once said that all engineers' work can be divided into one of 4 categories:

Big Room - Big Sound
Big Room - Little Sound
Little Room - Big Sound
Little Room - Little Sound

Please note: there is nothing negative implied by "little sound" or any of the combinations.

He then added that my own work fell under Big Room, Big Sound.

jamoo · Post by **jamoo** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:40 am

i'm working on 'little room, big sound'.

sometimes more like, 'bursting out of a little room' sound.

but mostly i just call it 'digital reverb' sound.

Monkeyfist · Post by **Monkeyfist** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:01 pm

I haven't really developed an sound in my recording that I know of yet. On drums, I guess a blend of Mitch Mitchell and Michael Shrieve.

Kevin Kitchel · Post by **Kevin Kitchel** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 12:40 pm

I don't have a sound, and I don't know if I ever will. I am willing to try something different on every song, let alone every band.

JASIII · Post by **JASIII** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:26 am

My sound: lots of phase issues, 60 cycle hum, tons o' lower-mid "mud", non-existant bass drum. Who wants to book some time????

i am monster face · Post by **i am monster face** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:43 am

JASIII wrote:My sound: lots of phase issues, 60 cycle hum, tons o' lower-mid "mud", non-existant bass drum. Who wants to book some time????

quit stealing my sound!

Ian

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:05 pm

mjau wrote:
drumsound wrote:I believe as a player and as a producer and as an engineer I have a 'sound.' My brain is unique unto me and therefore I react certain ways and thus do certain things. Sometimes that means I place the lead vocal in a certain place. Sometime it means I tune toms a certain way. Whatever way that might be based on the situation at hand my reaction to it will be mine and thus "my sound."
Tony definitely has a sound, because a commercial for a local pawn shop has a song that, upon first hearing, I instantly knew was recorded by him. The first snare hit made me go, "Yup, that was done at Tony's place, by Tony. It's the Tony snare sound." Good stuff.

And I didn't even play on that, though it's my drums.

pandatone · Post by **pandatone** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 4:40 pm

little, little everything.
i get there by doing everything wrong. small spaces, room mics just laying on things.. leaving fans on. getting friends who can't play an instrument to play one.
re-micing my studio monitors.. not amps.. etc.

panda

Rigsby · Post by **Rigsby** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:18 pm

pandatone wrote:getting friends who can't play an instrument to play one.

aha, me too.

LifeGoesOff · Post by **LifeGoesOff** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 12:52 pm

all of my recordings sound like they time traveled from the 70's. A strange cross between Jon Brion and Jim O'Rourke's production styles. (and nowhere near as good though)

Message Board

Your Definitive Sound

Your Definitive Sound

Who is online