What Happened To Good Vocals & Mixing?

[m-nus_orange]

Ok, I just listened to the new song, Tarantula, by the reunited Smashing Pumpkins and the vocals and mixing sound like fucking shit!

And the reason I bring this up is because it reminds me so much of the new Nine Inch Nails record and how piss poor the production on that was, too.

I'm actually starting to notice this trend in other new rock tunes as well.

So what the hell is going on - is it the software (ie: Pro Tools) or are they letting just anybody record and mix these tracks nowadays?

Fucking hell.

[viddy]

it's not the software, if anything, good software/hardware/pulgins make for much tighter control of your sound. It's all the person who's engineering and mixing the sound that is to blame IMO.

[m-nus_orange]

Right, but the vocals are all starting to sound really thin and flat (no body).. and similar?

[thee carp dreamer]

lack of analogue mastering, i reckon.

[Renze]

Maybe software makes it easier for a producer to take it a little too far? Overproducing things, using too many effects and too much compression and stuff? In theory software should give a producer more abilities, but in practice the wide possibilities of software like Pro Tools might actually be the cause of this trend. Or I could be wrong

[viddy]

Originally Posted by m-nus_orange

Right, but the vocals are all starting to sound really thin and flat (no body).. and similar?

again, I think it's caused by the person behind the console. A good engineer knows the right mics, the right micing techniques, the right mic preamps, the right compressors/limitors to use, the right processing and effects to use to get a good, full-bodied sound. On that note, you can use as many plugins as you want, but that is no substitute whatsoever for getting the sound right before it even hits the a/d converters on the way into Pro Tools. Sometimes they go as far as running the incoming sound through a tape recorder while they record into the computer, to truely get an analog sound.

[BeautifulBurnout]

Originally Posted by viddy

again, I think it's caused by the person behind the console. A good engineer knows the right mics, the right micing techniques, the right mic preamps, the right compressors/limitors to use, the right processing and effects to use to get a good, full-bodied sound. On that note, you can use as many plugins as you want, but that is no substitute whatsoever for getting the sound right before it even hits the a/d converters on the way into Pro Tools. Sometimes they go as far as running the incoming sound through a tape recorder while they record into the computer, to truely get an analog sound.

Or maybe it could also be caused by the singers having thin, flat voices? I've noticed it too. Maybe it is just a "fashion" to have gutless vocals in things these days.

[viddy]

Originally Posted by BeautifulBurnout

Or maybe it could also be caused by the singers having thin, flat voices? I've noticed it too. Maybe it is just a "fashion" to have gutless vocals in things these days.

good call, quite possibly

[dubman]

i like that vocals are getting more and more pushed to the back. theres this illusion of there being a front man who sings when it takes loads more talent to play any of the other instruments.
and since everyone's lyrics suck anyhow and i only like them to be the human expression in the music more than for anything they're saying, i rather like this new trend.

battles have the right idea.

i'm sure if i had to hear what corgan was saying i wouldn't like it nearly as much as i do.

[myshkin]

Being able to deliver a great vocal takes every bit as much talent as to play an instrument. Any fool can learn to play an instrument the same as any fool can sing. What matters is that the person has something worth saying, be it with an instrument or with their voice. Did it take Karl Hyde more talent to play guitar or come up with the vocal deliveries on Pearl's Girl & Born Slippy? There's a big difference beween just being a singer & being a great singer.