andy c
Eager Beaver
Joined: 04 Oct 2002
Posts: 18
Location: n/a |
| Studio Psychology. Andy c + Brian w. |
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Hi guys, here is a little introduction to 'The mind of a sound man'.
The main aspect to being a sound engineer is to spend plenty of time working and experimenting with musicians in the studio. This requires a comfortable and creative atmosphere to keep up motivation and avoid problems with stress, fatigue and RSI.
These problems are common within the studio since recording techniques don't always turn out with that colourful, crisp clean acoustic sound you were after. Finding that prefered sound can turn into a repetitive task of moving or changing mics. It doesn't come easy to solve these struggles when your putting all your effort in and achieving a lame result. This leads to losing interest with your original idea = boredom.
It's important not to lose sight of your objectives: that Radiohead guitar based electro sound or the filthy, thrashey stench from Slipnot! If your not achieving your goal it could be time to forget about what you've got and start again with a fresh angle, considering when your dead line is! Afterall you can't polish a poo.
Another way of digging yourself out of a hole is to get a new perspective from someone else or leave the recording for a while and come back to work on it at a later date. It could sound different to how you remembered it when you were stressed out.
cheers andy c. |
Mon Nov 18, 2002 2:17 pm |
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AUdIoCoUrSeS
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 2014
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| Interesting |
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Andy, thanks for your posting.
Some useful ideas there and I'd like to pick you up on one point:
quote:
comfortable and creative atmosphere to keep up motivation
So how can we as aspiring engineers develop this skill? Do you feel this skill is more important than any knowledge of moving a fader from x to y? Or is it equally important, or not?
Let's think bigger for a while and imagine a serious recording, in terms of a fairly large record company footing the bill. Think of who would be involved in this project....
1. runner
2. assisstant engineer
3. chief engineer
4. Tape op - more commonly (programmer these days)
5. chief engineer
6. producer
7. a&r
8. admin staff
9. other roles?
Now who can lead the way here and start the ball rolling with some quality info on the above roles and the influence any of them may or may not have on the artist(s), and therefore, on the outcome of the recording.
I'm looking for a couple of solid weeks concentration on getting these threads up to speed.
Chrish |
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Mon Nov 18, 2002 5:21 pm |
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chris parkin
Tape Op
Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 26
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| Good vibes in the studio, the role of a producer. |
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The idea of a comfortable and creative space depends on a lot of variables.
Firstly the setting or location of a studio is important, I think most people would prefer to work in a building set in a glam business centre, funky downtown area, or quite countryside getaway then down some dodgy Brixton back street.
The idea of turning up to record and driving past poor urban areas or crime filled dirty streets could maybe lead to a dark, subdued sound for some but could turn major artists that are used to luxury around them off completely.
Of course location is important but it is not always practical i.e. sending the happy Mondays to Jamaica, or within budget.
The interior of the studio is one of the most important parts of setting the vibe and making musicians feel comfortable. If on your first day you walked in to a hot, messy, dirty, dark, smelly place with no air con and a weird layout you would not feel to happy about spending four months there and would want to go home as quickly as possible each day which would not lead to creativeness at all (unless you’re the strokes).
I think being in a comfortable, well equips (nice food, bar, pool table, chill out rooms, big settees, air con, computer games,) environment with taste full deco would lead to a far more relaxed creative mind and musicians who were willing to put the hours in, as if you are happy in your surroundings you are normally happy in your work.
The third and most important thing is the role of people within the studio. With in life most people can tell if someone they meets gives them good or bad vibes-ever walked away from a conversation and felt drained or met someone who gave you energy and a positive vibe-some one you thought was pretty interesting.
Lets face it there are energy takers and energy givers, and it’s hard to work along side someone who is rude or a arse and doesn’t respect you because of there ego and has no people skills no matter how skilful they are in the studio. This type of language and tone of voice coming in though the musicians headphones does not lead to the artist being relaxed and perhaps could un-nerve him a little and make him play out of time or badly.
On the other hand if the musician has a huge ego it may be useful to sound like you’re the fat controller in the station, and to sound very confidant so the musician knows were he stands and that all though he has a say in the production-he is not the boss.
There is no room for football mangers in the studio or angry stress head bosses that shout to get things done.
Getting the best out of musician is the job of the producer who is the person who takes responsibility for the overall output of the whole recording process. The producer needs to have a positive relation ship with the artists and needs to give respect plus earn it.
Really he needs to make recording as easy as possible for the musicians and not really talk about techniques aspects of the process that they do not need to know about.
His language is key both to the musicians and to his studio staff and he needs to be clear and direct to people and as stress free as possible, as a pro he needs to be a cool cat who shows direction and drive and a positive creative attitude.
A producer needs he’s studio to be a warm, friendly place were people get on and enjoy the challenge of making a record. That is why he will normally choose the recording studio, and will decide which engineers, session musicians, arrangers, etc to use for the job.
He will decide on the songs, instrumentation, hardware/software of the session so he will need to have top people skills and be very diplomatic and explain what he chooses if need be.
The producer knows that the studio vibe has to right to get the best out of his musicians so it is important that his staff get along and come across as professional serious music men but friendly patient people persons as they will have to cut the ice with the musicians and make them feel comfortable.
The key to a professional recording sessions going well is a good vibe even if the musician is not on form he should not be made to feel bad about this and given positive feedback with professional ideas how to solve the problem.
_________________
CHRIS PARKIN |
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Mon Nov 18, 2002 7:55 pm |
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Dan Studd
Engineer
Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 40
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| UNDERDOGS |
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There are some good ideas being generated here. Chris P said some interesting things about the role of producer and general boss like figures in a studio with which I agree. I would like to look closer at the role of the ‘underdog’, runners, assistant engineers, work experience students.
These positions are for the climbers, staff who are still making it in the industry and need to shine in order to further themselves. Chris P made the point,
‘… There are energy takers and energy givers.’
Who would you hire if you where in charge of a studio? When it comes to the technical side of the industry nothing beats experience. Psychology however extends past the studio and in to life making it quite possible for underdogs to have a ‘better’ personality than their employees. I believe these underdogs play a large role in the smooth and successful running of a studio.
Their opinions are not as technically deep leaving room for imaginative thinking which a chief engineer might hold back for fear of looking stupid. They are more expendable creating this competitive edge, every one wants to impress, and no one wants to fail. This must maximize work rate. They are some one an artist can shout at providing a shelter to the chief engineers whose work might suffer otherwise. Similarly they are scapegoats for problems channelling tension away from others (this is not necessarily a good thing). Nervous musicians might find it easier seeing engineers with similar levels of fear, giving them selves a chance to see there problems through someone else. Knowing there not stood in a room with someone they have to impress, and even just having a chat about something completely irrelevant to distract there worried mind.
Chances are they are young which brings with it a different generations view. The senior staff gets a taste of changing moods styles, and alternative methods of thinking. Most of modern pop music is aimed at kids, I’m sure most twenty year olds have a better idea of what a ten year old wants than a forty year old.
I believe a good Senior Engineer will look for an enthusiastic, bright, creative thinking apprentice who can handle tension and blame professionally, not some lazy, ill mannered genius.
I have a couple of questions on this topic any thoughts?
It is important to make your studio as psychologically comfortable as possible, what sort of extras if any will achieve this whilst minimising loss in sound quality? There is a debate in SOS magazine about studios with windows for example. Day light is proven to help depression but will dramatically change the acoustics of a room.
How many ears does it take to critically listen? And of what experience? Is it best to let just the head engineer and producer contemplate a sound or pull every one in to the studio to give their ten cents? |
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Wed Nov 20, 2002 11:20 am |
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AUdIoCoUrSeS
Joined: 31 Oct 2002
Posts: 2014
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| Excellence in a posting Dan |
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This posting by Dan is nothing short of excellence.
Here Dan has made a determined effort to bring you lot into the frame and this is your big chance to shine. A great deal of cultural/sociological issues have been opened.
Personally, I'm gonna hold back, yes I have opinions, (as I'm sure you'd imagine), to share on his posting, but I'll wait for you guys to let rip first.
Notice how this style of dialogue is perfect for the medium, it is encouraging reflection and open-mindedness to debate. It makes YOU, the person posting, think deep and hard about YOUR knowledge and YOUR experience. You read this, you take it away and you come back after reflection to post your views, which in tern open deeper meaning.
Well done Dan! Looking forward to the views.
Chrish  |
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Wed Nov 20, 2002 5:09 pm |
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Brian Ward
Newbie
Joined: 09 Oct 2002
Posts: 7
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| Studio mind warp |
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Howdy Doody!
Some good stuff there Andyman.
You've talked about the attitude of the engineers + museos in the studio and what to do when it all gets on top of you.
Have you thought about what they actually do in and around the studio to keep those chilled out vibes flowing?
Things like having a activity room, with a pool table, for example. also your going to get people eat indian take aways all over the shop if Motorhead are anything to go by, when Lemmy spells his tika all over your effects process your going to be well pissed off, which won't help with your proformance, the bands proformance, or the proformance of your effects processer. How do we avoid the possible distruction of our studio by Motorhead? I hear you ask. quite simple really, provide somewhere away from your effects processor and everything else in the studio for them to eat.
Lots of big studios provide these thing for there clients and staff.
Olympic studios even has it studio 1 looking out over a landscape garden to keep all there staff and clients all calm and spiritual.
Cheers Bud
Brian. |
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Fri Nov 22, 2002 10:40 am |
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andy c
Eager Beaver
Joined: 04 Oct 2002
Posts: 18
Location: n/a |
| psychologically comfortable |
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hey now,
Most of these ideas bought up so far boil down to being psychologically comfortable whilst working in the studio. I think that this can be achieve by feeling and working as part of an equalibrium of the group so everyone involved in the project is on the same wavelength. This minimizes negetive energy bringing in a playful, creative atmosphere.
I think that communication skills between co-workers, studio runners and the artists play a large role in the smooth running and sucess of the studio. Establising the opinions of how the final recording should sound from the artists and producers point of view would clarify the priorities of what needs to be done first and how.
In reality of recording a band this could include what recording method to use. Should the musicians play together in the same room to get more 'feel'? Should the musicians jam individually in separate rooms to avoid interferance of signals. If objectives, ideas and deadlines are made clear initially, then pressure could be predicted and dealt with.
Pressure can put people into different moods since some crack and some focus, either way it's a type of strain. Maybe the best way of working is to allow plenty of time for milestones so the pressure isn't so intense before the deadline.
Maybe a good way of critical listening to the result it to first involve the team of workers and artists to hear whether it sounds the way they want. Did the final outcome sound how they wanted it? Did it turn out even better with a new fresh sound? Or perhaps the major question 'is everyone happy with it!' Including outside opinions could well bring in new perspectives. |
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Fri Nov 22, 2002 12:01 pm |
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jimmy f
Tape Op
Joined: 04 Oct 2002
Posts: 22
Location: falmouth |
| studio time by their record company |
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hey now, i agree andy, communication is one of the most important things in any releationship. particularly within the studio. i remember reading a story in a music magazine where a band was given so much studio time by their record company and wazzed it all up the wall cos they did not communicate with eachother and so got nothing done. |
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Fri Nov 22, 2002 12:15 pm |
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jimmy f
Tape Op
Joined: 04 Oct 2002
Posts: 22
Location: falmouth |
| creative atmosphere |
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hey now part two, just re-read your posting, you mention a creative atmosphere - RIGHT ON OLD BOY!!!
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Fri Nov 22, 2002 12:18 pm |
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