Things Aren’t Always What they Seem

I’ve been reading a lot of the pro audio forums lately, and I have begun to notice a common trend in the posts. There’s usually a handful of veteran engineers, graciously taking their time to answer questions and share their knowledge, and an entire army of up and coming engineers, filled with questions and still searching for that Holy Grail when it comes to getting certain sounds in the studio. “How do you get that vocal sound?” or “How did you get those drum sounds?”. Although it’s not always overlooked, I have noticed that there’s a consistant lack of re-emphasizing where 90% of “the sound” comes from: The Talent.

For Example:

I remember doing a drum session with Ed Greene on a project I was producing for a music software company. (Some of you might remember that Ed has played on countless albums for artists like Steely Dan, BB King, Glen Campbell, Barry White, just to name a few). Part of the project was to go back and capture some of the grooves from albums Ed had played on for a drum library that would be sold in major music stores. When Ed showed up at the studio, he brought in a five piece Tama kit that he had apparently just purchased from an online music store and paid less than a $1000 for. Honestly, I wasn’t very impressed with the kit. Being a big fan of Gretsch and DW myself, I was kind of hoping to use the studio kit we had provided, or something of the equivalent. Nevertheless, Ed was comfortable with his kit, and that’s what matters most. (If the artist isn’t comfortable, don’t expect to get a great take, despite how many thousands of dollars you’ve spent on your mic/instrument collection). So, that being said: Tama it was!

Watch This!

I didn’t really notice it when we were getting drum sounds, in fact, it wasn’t even until we started recording. I remember thinking at the time: “This kit doesn’t sound that bad at all”, but I wasn’t amazed just yet. The first groove we cut was off of Steely Dan’s Aja album. We played the CD, listened, charted, made notes, talked about what we were going to do (we weren’t cutting these loops verbatim like the record) and away we went. As soon as Ed started playing, the whole issue with the drum kit went right out the door. It really was amazing, it sounded just like the record–not just the groove, (obviously) but the sounds, the way he was striking the drums, everything about it. It was Ed. Not the drums, the mics, the engineer, or the room. It was just Ed.

Case And Point

Afterwards, my friend Dave and I were talking about what we witnessed, and as he put it: “That’s just all part of the magic.” Enough said. So, the next time you’re wondering how to get a certain sound, try also asking the question: “Where can I find that certain player who can help give me that sound I’m looking for?”. They’re out there and would probably be happy to help.