TESTAMENT

[thefyn]

Originally Posted by Andy Sneap

its ok, we're all good, we still wore jeans and t shirts.

You really are becoming boring now, if you think people wernt dropping in or editing back in the day you are sadly misguided. All the way down the line people have used studio tricks, I know two of the most metal moments on record that never actually happened.

Another thing you don't seem to grasp is with the way labels are pushing for deadlines etc alot of stuff is actually written in the studio, or its at a point where people haven't actually played it with the whole band there etc. So should we wait for the whole band to play live (which wouldn't happen) to get the correct vibe?

Really, you don't have the experience to be voicing these sort of opinions, I appreciate what you are saying but, and its a big BUT, bands are constantly striving for perfected recordings and what happens when someone like Paul or a guitar player like Gary Holt comes in and nails it silly tight.... should I loosen it up a bit?? No I don't think so.

No doubt perfection is a more in demand.

I know old classic bands like Whiplash etc used a snare samples, and there was a lot of post editing etc etc but i think you know what I am bleating on about.

I did notice that the New Thrash is exploding faster than I thought. Check it out:




http://www.myspace.com/gamabomb

www.myspace.com/bondedbyblood

I remember picking up kerrangs with Sabbat on the front.

[Andy Sneap]

mmm 2 earache bands, guess digby must have paid the bill this week.

[Kenny Lee]

Originally Posted by Andy Sneap

mmm 2 earache bands, guess digby must have paid the bill this week.

ooooooooohhhh

[LSD-Studio]

@TheFyn:
could you PLEASE just stop it?
there are people on this forum that check this thread hoping to find valuable info on the production of testament's records, I'd rather have Andy using the little spare time he has on this forum telling us about the production than having to explain to you why he does things the way he does.
everyone has gotten you point, seriously, you won't convince anyone on this board and it's cool that you have your opinion and everything, but it gets really annoying!
just STOP it and leave this board what it's for! which is asking Andy questions about the production and how it was achieved.

[jhrv]

Originally Posted by LSD-Studio

@TheFyn:
could you PLEASE just stop it?
there are people on this forum that check this thread hoping to find valuable info on the production of testament's records, I'd rather have Andy using the little spare time he has on this forum telling us about the production than having to explain to you why he does things the way he does.
everyone has gotten you point, seriously, you won't convince anyone on this board and it's cool that you have your opinion and everything, but it gets really annoying!
just STOP it and leave this board what it's for! which is asking Andy questions about the production and how it was achieved.

+1000

[thefyn]

Originally Posted by LSD-Studio

@TheFyn:
could you PLEASE just stop it?
there are people on this forum that check this thread hoping to find valuable info on the production of testament's records, I'd rather have Andy using the little spare time he has on this forum telling us about the production than having to explain to you why he does things the way he does.
everyone has gotten you point, seriously, you won't convince anyone on this board and it's cool that you have your opinion and everything, but it gets really annoying!
just STOP it and leave this board what it's for! which is asking Andy questions about the production and how it was achieved.

You Tube

Ah come on guys. I got gang raped on here for not loving it 100% and then back up my claims that looser production is on the rise with the Kerrang thing. Info is info and now you are all ITK.

I am chuffed because I suck at mega production and can pull off the underground sounding stuff.

[JBroll]

Gang raped? You're the one trying to jack off all over someone's very fine work with this holier-than-thou cult of pure thrash...

Jeff

[Tommy Gun]

The new Testament record is in my opinion, PERFECT! I have been Testament fan for 20 years. This new album is a fucking MASTERPIECE! The Production is fucking "Nail-on-the-head" AWESOME! These days, I have a tendency to rip a mix to pieces when I first hear it. I could sit down with this one for a long time, and not find anything wrong with this Album, The Production, The Mix, or the Mastering. It's been in my CD player in the car since the day it came out. There have maybe been 3 or 4 days since then that I have not listened to it all the way through. Hell... I've tried to wear it out. I just can't!
Good job Andy and good job Chuck, Eric, Alex, Greg, and Paul!

[Andy Sneap]

scott will not be chuffed you think his gama bomb production is "looser production", Bonded went separate ways with Rosen half way through their record so I don't think you're little Kerrang posting has much substance.

[Tommy Gun]

Originally Posted by thefyn

I am chuffed because I suck at mega production and can pull off the underground sounding stuff.

Why in the hell would anyone be happy about that? I mean, shouldn't you want to get better at production/engineering, rather than settle for less, because you think it could make you some quick money? If some band's and their respective labels are settling for sub-par production these days, that's no reason for everyone with an MBox to go swooping in on the scene like a bunch of Vultures.

[thefyn]

Originally Posted by Tommy Gun

Why in the hell would anyone be happy about that? I mean, shouldn't you want to get better at production/engineering, rather than settle for less, because you think it could make you some quick money? If some band's and their respective labels are settling for sub-par production these days, that's no reason for everyone with an MBox to go swooping in on the scene like a bunch of Vultures.

IMO you are 100% WRONG.

There is EVERY REASON for everyone with an MBox to flood the scene. So the best rise to the top. HUGE production has limited the bands that we get to hear. Quick HONEST production will allow us to have a bigger pool to choose from.

Instead of these bands agonizing over every nuance of the production they can concentrate more on the music.

How many musicians on these boards have got so deep into the recording process that it has engulfed/eclipsed their recording and SLOWED DOWN their creativity?

Nearly every clip on here comes with an "It isn't finished yet" disclaimer.

Now how many people on these boards could get a better production than the Gama Bomb CD?

A LOT! So pat yourselves on the backs for the hard work, and start recording and producing. AND (gasp) FINISHING ALBUMS. :-)

It no longer has to be a polished monolyth of perfection to be accepted, in fact a lot of us are TIRED of it and want some grit.

[Genius Gone Insane]

Originally Posted by thefyn

IMO you are 100% WRONG.

There is EVERY REASON for everyone with an MBox to flood the scene. So the best rise to the top. HUGE production has limited the bands that we get to hear. Quick HONEST production will allow us to have a bigger pool to choose from.

Instead of these bands agonizing over every nuance of the production they can concentrate more on the music.

How many musicians on these boards have got so deep into the recording process that it has engulfed/eclipsed their recording and SLOWED DOWN their creativity?

Nearly every clip on here comes with an "It isn't finished yet" disclaimer.

Now how many people on these boards could get a better production than the Gama Bomb CD?

A LOT! So pat yourselves on the backs for the hard work, and start recording and producing. AND (gasp) FINISHING ALBUMS. :-)

It no longer has to be a polished monolyth of perfection to be accepted, in fact a lot of us are TIRED of it and want some grit.

Wow didn't realize your stock could sink further! I think you just bankrupted yourself. See JP22 for new identity and "Junior Member" status so you can start reposting again!

[Tommy Gun]

Originally Posted by thefyn

IMO you are 100% WRONG.
There is EVERY REASON for everyone with an MBox to flood the scene. So the best rise to the top. HUGE production has limited the bands that we get to hear. Quick HONEST production will allow us to have a bigger pool to choose from.

What?! NOTHING has limited the amount of bands you can listen to/check out, regardless of label support or where they record. It's called Myspace. Look into it. There are ridiculous amounts of bands there, who are now able to track their stuff however they want, and provide you with the convenience of listening to it whenever you like.

Originally Posted by thefyn

Instead of these bands agonizing over every nuance of the production they can concentrate more on the music.

Bands are NOT supposed to agonize over production. That is a PRODUCER'S job.

Originally Posted by thefyn

How many musicians on these boards have got so deep into the recording process that it has engulfed/eclipsed their recording and SLOWED DOWN their creativity?

Maybe, they don't have their priorities in order and are not sure yet whether they want to be musician's or engineers. That would be their problem to solve.

Originally Posted by thefyn

It no longer has to be a polished monolyth of perfection to be accepted, in fact a lot of us are TIRED of it and want some grit.

Grit, huh? You gonna tell me that the last couple of EXODUS records didn't have any grit?!

In conclusion:
Maybe I'm wrong here, but it seems to me that you might just be in the wrong forum with these opinions... AND most likely the wrong line of work, if you are an engineer. The only time I've seen your philosophies apply in the studio is when recording a Crust Punk or Grindcore band...
This thread is clearly titled TESTAMENT!

[LSD-Studio]

Originally Posted by Tommy Gun

This thread is clearly titled TESTAMENT!

and it's the band, the producer and sometimes the label that decides how the album has to sound....they made their decision!
Live with it or listen to productions you like better.
tastes differ, you've written a heap of posts to tell us about your taste (or rather convince us of it being the only correct one), everyone has gotten your point!
why not just shut it now? what are you expecting by continuing this nonsense?

[Andy Sneap]

how has huge production limited the amount of bands we get to hear? There's always been that DIY underground mentality in most forms of music, which guess what, has always stayed underground and small for a reason. Maybe a few crusty punks and several hundred stoners convinced themselves it was really cool (and vinyl sounded better). I'm all for quality in the music business, 15 years ago there would be an average of 15 metal albums a month released, we are now past 40 and guess what, most of it is shit and recorded on a budget with a label thats not putting anything into the bands.

[Genius Gone Insane]

Originally Posted by Andy Sneap

most of it is shit and recorded on a budget with a label thats not putting anything into the bands.

That's a little harsh, even for a bitter Red coat! C'mon, these guys may not be virtuosos, but at least they are able to put stuff out.

[Andy Sneap]

no its not harsh, there is alot of rubbish out there, the whole industry has become very watered down and it seems like everyone and their dog are releasing home recorded albums.

[JBroll]

Originally Posted by thefyn

IMO you are 100% WRONG.

There is EVERY REASON for everyone with an MBox to flood the scene. So the best rise to the top. HUGE production has limited the bands that we get to hear. Quick HONEST production will allow us to have a bigger pool to choose from.

Instead of these bands agonizing over every nuance of the production they can concentrate more on the music.

How many musicians on these boards have got so deep into the recording process that it has engulfed/eclipsed their recording and SLOWED DOWN their creativity?

Nearly every clip on here comes with an "It isn't finished yet" disclaimer.

Now how many people on these boards could get a better production than the Gama Bomb CD?

A LOT! So pat yourselves on the backs for the hard work, and start recording and producing. AND (gasp) FINISHING ALBUMS. :-)

It no longer has to be a polished monolyth of perfection to be accepted, in fact a lot of us are TIRED of it and want some grit.

You've just wasted entirely too much of everyone's time. If you think that many people would rather have a shit- sorry, 'gritty' production, start DOING THEM and stop trying to convince people who know much better than you what they're doing and what their customers want that your way is supreme.

Do you really think most 'true thrash metal' bands wouldn't just think you're a total twat who needed to shut the fuck up if they read this crusading bullshit of yours? You clearly don't have Megadeth, Testament, Exodus, Kreator, or (big surprise) Sabbat on your side. In fact, I'd like to find out exactly who DOES agree with you... so that I can avoid them and not run into this bullshit elitist 'better is worse because... it is' mentality.

Finally, your posts have NOTHING to do with the actual production on the Testament albums, as they're just bitching about how you, in your infinite thrash wisdom, would have done it better by not having a fucking clue what you're doing. If you're going to humiliate yourself like this, at least have the decency to do it in another thread that people can avoid if they don't want to put up with this.

Remember that this thread is about Testament. Not thefyn's ego, not clippings from Kerrang, Testament - a true thrash metal band that thinks that you're wrong.

Jeff

[Skyweaver]

Originally Posted by Andy Sneap

no its not harsh, there is alot of rubbish out there, the whole industry has become very watered down and it seems like everyone and their dog are releasing home recorded albums.

The real danger with home release is the lack of a "Producer" the quality and accessibility of the tools to record has improved so much, but so has the fuckwit factor....

Any tool and spend $ on a setup, but will they have experience, understand acoustics, engineering, mixing, song structure.......

The role of the Producer I think is really important - more than ever

[TravisW]

Originally Posted by Andy Sneap

how has huge production limited the amount of bands we get to hear? There's always been that DIY underground mentality in most forms of music, which guess what, has always stayed underground and small for a reason. Maybe a few crusty punks and several hundred stoners convinced themselves it was really cool (and vinyl sounded better). I'm all for quality in the music business, 15 years ago there would be an average of 15 metal albums a month released, we are now past 40 and guess what, most of it is shit and recorded on a budget with a label thats not putting anything into the bands.

Interstingly enough, my buddy's previous band (sort of a bizarre blend of indie punk, pop, and metal) was considered "not indie enough" because apparently one of their guitarists did too good a job of recording them. Huge is terribly relative. http://www.myspace.com/thediversionscene (first song is completely live--I was there when it was recorded. Singer is....well....ok)

Killing is My Business (and Business is Good!!!) was somewhat successful largely because Dave Mustaine had written half of Kill 'Em All and everybody knew it. The album sounds like crap. It sounded like crap compared to its contemporaries. Dave remixed it. It sounds somewhat better, but the production is still crap. I would absolutely love to hear those songs re-recorded, along the lines of First Strike, Still Deadly. But, that's an aside.

Good ears=good sounds. Most of the local studios here still don't get tones as good as the first freakin' Boston album, which was recorded in a basement in 1976, and I guarantee that the equipment is a hell of a lot better than Tom Scholz had. "Huge Production" isn't the province of people with jillions of dollars behind them---to be honest, it never really was. Bands need to have their own quality control. In most cases, that QC means producers who care enough to make a band sound as good as possible rather than just boosting egos. It's remarkable how many horrible guitar tones are still out there when you consider how much guidance there is today. When I was first starting on guitar (late 80s), my main concern was whether I could get enough distortion to play Van Halen songs (seriously). Everybody and their son was scooping what midrange their amps had. It turns out that those amp-designer-guys knew that the guitar actually only reallyexists in the midrange. That apparently esoteric knowledge apparently never made it into the realm of "And Justice For All" or "Souls of Black", because both had horrible tones across the entire tonal spectrum. Sonically, "Long Live Rock and Roll" by Rainbow is better than a LOT of thrash albums.

Shit, I'm halfway into a bottle of Bushmills and I'm running out of valid points. I listened to Kreator's "Violent Revolution" all day. Needless to say, I'm a Sneap fan, largely because he makes bands that I like sound good. If there are a jillion Sneap clones, it just means that I can hire one for cheaper.

[thefyn]

Originally Posted by Genius Gone Insane

Wow didn't realize your stock could sink further! I think you just bankrupted yourself. See JP22 for new identity and "Junior Member" status so you can start reposting again!

I'd love to answer however "Genius Gone Runnin' To The Mods" and I don't want to get reported again.

[JBroll]

Okay, vocal chain - I'm going to guess the SM7-Distressor thing. How far off am I?

Jeff

[smy1]

Originally Posted by JBroll

Okay, vocal chain - I'm going to guess the SM7-Distressor thing. How far off am I?

Jeff

Quite off.

It didn't look like an SM7 to me on the video. I don't know what mic it is though ...

[LSD-Studio]

Originally Posted by thefyn

I'd love to answer however "Genius Gone Runnin' To The Mods" and I don't want to get reported again.

there are only two mods here...one is Brett (starter of this thread) and one is Andy (guess you've heard of him).

both are definitely following this thread and can read themselves, no need to report anyone.

[thefyn]

Originally Posted by LSD-Studio

there are only two mods here...one is Brett (starter of this thread) and one is Andy (guess you've heard of him).

both are definitely following this thread and can read themselves, no need to report anyone.

I was reported. It was an Ultimate Metal admin.

You Tube

Haha. I am an annoying twat sometimes. But I seemed to have to constantly define what everyone was calling crappy production. My whole point was I think there is a difference between capturing the essence of a band (like Masterdon did) to hearing JFAC who could never recreate that vibe live that they had on their album.

As it is Andy is showcasing HIS skills and not the bands. OBVIOUSLY this is to great benefit to the band. My gripe is Testament related. How Bostaphs drums are lost in a sea of clones because of triggers etc etc. I respect Bostaph and Nevermore etc because they can do it WITHOUT the studio steroids. Their hits don't have to be adjusted and squashed to match, their double bass does not have to be moused in place etc etc etc.

I am pissed off that hack drummers can drumagog themselves into sounding like they can play as good as the Bostaphs of this world.

I soweee.

I am fed up of bands that can not do what it says on the tin live.