What sound engineers REALLY do...

Oct 19, 2017
7,775
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
:laugh:
Just trying to mix things up a bit, Brian? Maybe up your gain? Reset the bass line? Cause a little treble on the sailboat forum:p.

I feel like that was just a typical recording session for any good engineer in the industry. I could be wrong and that was some sort of spoof, but...

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Jan 2, 2017
765
O'Day & Islander 322 & 37 Scottsdale, AZ & Owls Head, ME
Ah, yes. Pitch correction software. The savior of so many current pop stars who can’t sing a note.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
I played in an oldies band for 40 years until this year. When at a party or something people would say why don't you sing? I said I can't sing, so they'd say, "but your in a band". I reply, "since when is singing a prerequisite for being in a rock 'n roll band?".
 
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FDL S2

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Jun 29, 2014
475
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
I played in an oldies band for 40 years until this year. When at a party or something people would say whay don't you sing? I said I can't sing, so they'd say, "but your in a band". I reply, "since when is singing a prerequisite for being in a rock ' roll band?".
Ha! when I played with a band they shut my mike off.
 
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WayneH

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Jan 22, 2008
1,049
Tartan 37 287 Pensacola, FL
My wife worked for a sound engineer. There are commercials out there that she will change the channel on IMMEDIATELY! Something about listening to the same 4 seconds of a commercial ALL DAY LONG. Her boss was a perfectionist about his product.
 

FDL S2

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Jun 29, 2014
475
S2 7.3 Fond du Lac
I'm not ashamed- it's not like I was in a barbershop quartet!
The three songs I sang were Wasted Rock Ranger (Great White), I'll be You (The Replacements) and Creep (Radiohead) - I'm ok with my mike being cut for everything else!
 

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,078
Currently Boatless Okinawa
Man this takes me back. My time as an engineer pre-dated Pro Tools and pitch correction. For those of you who have direct experience with pitch correction, isn't it automatic (i.e., software driven)? Can't it be applied after the fact, or does each note have to be corrected by hand and in (near) real time (hence the spoof)?

My mike was always on, because I introduced us individually in the first and last sets, but it was swung away for most tunes, so I didn't bump it moving around the kit. I only sang lead on one tune, and backup on two others. Some nights it was "Cool, I get to sing now", other nights it was "oh man, not this tune again".
 
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jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
21,501
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
@SFS true confessions of a sound engineer...? I never had the opportunity, but sometimes think I could have been ok at the task. I instead played keyboard/piano. The curse is I hear bad notes/tone, and unbalanced sound when I go to live events. Sometimes I think the sound crew has lost their hearing from too many loud concerts.
 

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,078
Currently Boatless Okinawa
Yeah, we "auditioned" a lot of sound guys before we hired the kid we did to do our gigs. He had an ear, even though he played guitar.

One of my most disappointing concert experiences was the only time I got to hear Jerry Marotta live. He is one of the most musical drummers around, and the sound guys had the bass mixed SO hot, I couldn't hear Jerry at all. It's hard to bury a drummer completely, but these guys did it. It wouldn't have been so bad if the bassist was world-class, like Chris Squire, or Lee Sklar, but this woman was pretty basic. Her alternate instrument was penny whistle. (I'm not joking.)
 

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,078
Currently Boatless Okinawa
You had to be a genius to play with Dave. Morello was a stud, and vastly under-rated, to my way of thinking.
 
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jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
21,501
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
It took me months to learn that piece of music. It was pretty easy to get started, and the fingering was not too bad until you get to the bridge. Then he changes the timing and the left hand is in 5/4 while the right hand goes off on it’s own.... Not sure if I ever did play all of the notes written on the page. Not sure if Dave even played all of the written music. I listened to a lot of the recordings and read the music then finally just played it the best I could. It was a fun discovery into a talented group. Hard to find a drummer like Morello.
 

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,078
Currently Boatless Okinawa
I read an article once about a well-known rock bassist (can't remember who) telling the story of auditioning for some gunslinger (Satriani maybe? Vai?). The "star" had him play something by himself, then said okay, lets play something with all three of us. We'll do it in 11/4. I clearly remember the quote by the bassist: "So I pointed my ears toward the drummer...." and off they went. Morello is the drummer I would have wanted to point my ears to in that situation. Eleven!?!?

I don't think mine goes to 11.
 
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