The Message and the Messenger
Posted on | July 2, 2009 | No Comments
I’m a morning person. I like them because as I’m waking up (which usually takes at least 30 minutes and a cup of coffee), my brain starts thinking of things. Creativity. And it’s quiet enough for me to actually hear myself think. No one’s asking me questions, the phone’s not ringing, e-mail isn’t buzzing, IM isn’t IM-ing, etc. For that brief time it feels like I have control of what’s happening and I’m thinking of the possibilities…not reacting to the situation.
So this morning I was thinking about all the social networking tools: FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and blogs. They’re all just interfaces driven by the web. Ways to communicate. Not so dissimilar to how music is carried via its digital formats.
The message is what’s important. What people have to say carries value and the tool that transmits it is the messenger. That doesn’t diminish the value of the messenger. The importance of movable type and the printing press can’t be understated. It enabled a shift in people’s perception, as well as developed people’s minds to a new level. But it’s what was written and printed that actually made the difference.
A lot of people rant on about the message being more important than the messenger. In reality, they’re intertwined. One can’t exist without the other. And in audio they’re even more inter-twined because the messenger often determines the quality of the message. To maximize sonic impact, you need a good message and messenger.
Backwards Incompatible
Posted on | July 2, 2009 | No Comments
What happens when you ask a 13-year-old to use an original Sony Walkman? Read for yourself.
Music Worth Listening To
Posted on | June 28, 2009 | No Comments
If you’re a person who appreciates great music that’s amazingly recorded, check out Waterlily Acoustics.
Waterlily is run by Kavi Alexander, one of the true living masters of audiophile recordings.
What makes his recordings great isn’t just that they’re impeccable sonic creations, but that they contain world-class musicians performing great music.
Some of it is improvisational (folks-meets-jazz, sometimes from various countries) and some is highly notated (classical). But all of it’s worth listening to.
I recommend Ry Cooder and V.M. Bhatt’s A Meeting by the River or Martin Simpson and Wu Man’s Music for the Motherless Child. If you like classical, check out The Philadelphia Orchestra performing Liszt and Dvorák in Nature’s Realm.
Teamwork
Posted on | June 26, 2009 | No Comments
I was recently contacted by a musician for mastering. He was referred to me by an old acquaintance of mine from years back in the San Diego acoustic music scene. This potential client actually had a project that needed mixing (in ProTools) and mastering.
For mixing I referred him to Kyle Thompson, an engineer/producer I master a lot of music for…and who is ProTools-based. Kyle did a sample mix and then I mastered a bit of it. The client was impressed with the combined result, and so we move forward.
The bonus, here, is that I solve two problems for the client, and ultimately make him happy. In his last e-mail to me he said, “I really like what you guys did, and I’m sure it will only get better with adjustments. I have a feeling you’re a magician.”
I like to think of myself more as an alchemist.
FINALLY…
Posted on | June 26, 2009 | No Comments
…a zombie flick starring major Hollywood actors with a soundtrack by Van Halen!
Interesting Television
Posted on | June 25, 2009 | No Comments
My wife and I caught a bit of this show on PBS last night. Interesting stuff.
Amateurs
Posted on | June 20, 2009 | No Comments
One of my favorite lines from my all-time favorite movie, The Big Lebowski, is when Walter Sobchak (played by John Goodman) keeps muttering “fuckin’ amateurs” when referring to people he has no respect for.
In reality, amateurs are a huge part of scientific and artistic life…and deserve a lot of respect. Charles Ives, one of the 20th century’s greatest composers, is technically an amateur; as he made his living by selling insurance. And there’s a long list of amateur astronomers who have made very important discoveries.
An amateur is simply a person who engages in something for personal pleasure, rather than financial profit. I’ve often wondered, in popular music today, where would we be without people like this? All the indie bands and artists that are on MySpace and CD Baby…most of them aren’t making a living at their art, they’re doing it for the love of it.
A majority of my clients through the years fall into this category, and some of them are as good as any professional band or musician I’ve mastered.
So if you’re doing something for the love of it — whether or not you aspire to financial gain or not — keep on with what you love doing. It makes a difference in the world.
Casual Listening
Posted on | June 19, 2009 | No Comments
It’s a great moment when I get to listen to the reference disc, just before I give it to a client for approval. I get to hear — slightly more objectively — what I’ve worked on, and can reflect on what decisions let to this point. I’m doing that right now, as I (OMG!) type this blog entry.
There’s a minor secret revealed: sometimes I find it helpful to slightly “tune out” as I listen to the reference disc. Up to that point, I’ve spent a lot of time listening very intently to songs and, after I’ve made my penultimate decisions for processing, it’s helpful to listen back a bit more casually.
All Music Is Therapy
Posted on | June 17, 2009 | No Comments
One of the great things about being an independent mastering engineer is the variety of interesting music I get to master. Within the span of weeks I mastered a hard metal band and today I’m starting work on what’s being billed as “music therapy”.
IMO, all music is therapy. That’s why people love it, even if they couldn’t find middle C if it came up and bit them in the arse. It makes you feel good.
So find some music you like and dust off your turntable, tape deck, CD player, or iPod and enjoy.
Is Dither Universal?
Posted on | June 14, 2009 | No Comments
I was listening to NPR yesterday and heard a short piece about a visual artist who uses static from analog television as part of his art. Now that the switch has been made to digital, he will be losing some raw material to work with.
He mentioned that a bit of static is actually an echo from the Big Bang, or CMBR: Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation.
Wow, is all I can say. Never heard of it before, but it’s a pretty cool concept. Sort of like galactic dither.
About This Blog
From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
We welcome comments from readers...pro or con!
