What do you hate about modern records?

[MichaelAlan]

A recent recording magazine asked 3 producers (or maybe engineers) one thing they hated about new records coming out. As I recall they were:
1. The "lo-fi" or "radio" sound on the vocals
2.All instruments cutting out and leaving the vocal, then coming back in all at once
3.(OF COURSE) the squashed, distorted mastering.

So what does everyone hate about new recordings?

Mine is the "big boom" thing. very low frequency "booms" (like 808) placed in parts where all the instruments come in to make it sound "SO BIG". I thought it was just a GGGarth/Andy Wallace thing..but now it's on everything...


Mike

[andyg666]

modern mainstream records?

lack of original songwriting.

lack of dynamic range.

[MichaelAlan]

I guess just recordings...not song quality...or...talent of musicians. Otherwise this thread will go on forever.

God...I hate MTV.



Mike

[Family Hoof]

I hate the music

but since we're talking about engineering/production, here are my top three:

1. over the top (literally) mastering
2. overuse of autotune and beat detective, etc.
3. lack of real (acoustic) instruments being used - especially drums

[tonewoods]

For starters, the delivery system sucks...

I just rented a car with 370 miles on it, put in a brand-spanking new CD, and it skipped...

Sonics-wise, I'd sure love to hear more heavy air...

[MichaelAlan]

2. overuse of autotune and beat detective, etc.
3. lack of real (acoustic) instruments being used - especially drums

Good ones.

[The Gibbon]

1) Overuse of loops...
2) Lack of imaginative instrumentation...

[Cappy*tan]

One thing that really gets on my nerves is the constant use of delay on vocals. I've especially noticed in Avril Lavigne songs.....where she sings a line...and then directly afterwards you hear it again, only not so loud...I've heard it so many times...Seems to annoy me a bit.

[spankenstein]

• The tiny band that explodes into a HUGE band. It was cool... the first 800,000 times someone did that.
• No real instruments.
• The fact that everyone I record wants a LOUD mix.
• The real (sound replaced) drums that break into a drum loop for a bar.

[Mix413]

- Continuous slammed to zero mastering (what are these people thinking?)

- Abrasive digital compression on lead vocals. Yuck.

- Total lack of cohesive room sounds.

[Dan Phelps]

All the cliches...and ones that I have been guilty of.

1. Small, lo-fi drums in the intro that "kick in" on the chorus. Likewise, the lofi loop that the drums play over.

2. Prefectly aligned, edited tracks so that every guitar/drum/bass hit is locked with mechanic percision.

3. I know it's been said before, but I gotta say it again because it makes music almost completely unlistenable to me...AUTO TUNE!!! Sometimes it's like they don't even try to hide it! Ugh!

Essentially, an overall lack of humanity.

Grrrr,
D

[Rick Hunter]

1. craapppy guitar sounds
2. craaapppy drum sounds
3. crap crap crap auto tune

[MichaelAlan]

Heh...auto tune...now anyone can be a singer. Imagine if Bob dylan or john fogerty had it...

[Mark Alan Miller]

If I had a dollar for every "you got Pro Tools" request...
Most of the time they are just asking 'cause someone told them they should, but every so often it's cause they want to Beat Detective and Sound Replace their drums (they should just bring in MIDI files, you know???!!! Or perhaps, you think, maybe, on the off chance, that the drummer should practice?) or they wanna Auto-Tune every last stinking vocal. Argh.
I love they question "do you have Auto-Tune? 'cause I'm not too good and wanna sound like so-and-so..." Argh.
And when I hear records that are so obviously leaning on these tools to even exist. Argh.

[EOR]

[spankenstein]

I've had a few bands asking if I could just cut and paste the chorus if they nailed it once. I always tell them sure... play solid to the click. I don't hvae ProTools so I don't have Beat Detective so that's that. I also continue to skip auto-tune in favor of just getting them to sing it right or live with what they sound like.

Maybe if this were my source of income it would be different. But for now it's not so it isn't.