By sheer fluke I came across the video regarding production yesterday and besides agreeing with so much said, I was really surprised how waveforms have changed in modern pop as I get more variation just using BiaB samples. I'm interested to read what others think
The Real Reason Why Today's Music Is Starting To Sound The Same
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
He's a nice guy and makes a lot of good points, but he's starting from a false premise, which makes his arguments much weaker. The main reason that uniqueness in the charts(!) is less is that everyone and their little sister is trying to copy successful concepts to increase the chance of success. And they try to hire the same people. That's the mindset of the labels.
But - we've never had as many independent artists as we do today, and there's a lot of not-so-same music out there. Just go over to the Showcase forum - we all use the same software and the same sounds for our songs, so at least the base of our songs must sound the same. But do you sound like me? Or like anyone else there? I don't think so.
I makes me unhappy that a lot of the “get off my lawn” generation forget that alongside the great music they grew up with, there's a lot of new music that's great too. It's a bit harder to find because there's just too much new music out there, but it's definitely there.
Interesting video. Suspect he's right based on what I know.
The sound of "modern" music has evolved with technology since the first shellac 78s appeared in the 1890s. There are always folks who think the "old sound" is better. Remember when CDs first came out? There were audiophiles who believed vinyl was "better". In many cases they were right, but in the long view, digital music rules. And there may not be a better sounding album (to me) than Brother in Arms (1985) on CD. I digress.
All that being said, I do prefer the organic texture of older music to most of the shiny new music I hear. But if others feel differently, as so many obviously do, that's ok, too.
The reason modern music sounds like it does is because it sells. Not to me, but you already knew that.
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One StudioCat DAW dual screen Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
He's a nice guy and makes a lot of good points, but he's starting from a false premise, which makes his arguments much weaker. The main reason that uniqueness in the charts(!) is less is that everyone and their little sister is trying to copy successful concepts to increase the chance of success. And they try to hire the same people. That's the mindset of the labels. But - we've never had as many independent artists as we do today, and there's a lot of not-so-same music out there. Just go over to the Showcase forum - we all use the same software and the same sounds for our songs, so at least the base of our songs must sound the same. But do you sound like me? Or like anyone else there? I don't think so. I makes me unhappy that a lot of the “get off my lawn” generation forget that alongside the great music they grew up with, there's a lot of new music that's great too. It's a bit harder to find because there's just too much new music out there, but it's definitely there.
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B.D., I agree with a lot of what you say, but it's not so much that folk are using the same software - in fact there's oodles of new software springing up all of the time - but that when many use the same software they use it in the same way. When I've been on Fiverr looking for female vocalist it's horrible how many use the same voice altering software, similar to the example given in the video, and they all end up sounding the same. I also loathe that sound they use. Comparing the main points in the video to BiaB only holds so far because BiaB samples are used in place of live instruments, while the guy's points are about effects used and such as copying and pasting the same choruses so that there's no variation and a lack of dynamics. I was particularly surprised by the evolution in the waveforms of the recordings he showed as that alone says so much, while as I wrote at the top there's more going on and more highs and lows in my BiaB compositions than in the professionally factory-produced material. I took a screenshot of a slow piece I'm just finishing the final balances on as an example, but alas I can't upload it here without a URL
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
The Real Reason Why Today's Music Is Starting To Sound The Same...
He doesn't have a clue.
That's a pointless non-point, Mike. If in over 50 years as a professional recording engineer he hasn't got a clue, then who the heck has? If you're going to say he hasn't a clue - which is patent nonsense anyway - you've got to demonstrate it.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Interesting video. Suspect he's right based on what I know. The sound of "modern" music has evolved with technology since the first shellac 78s appeared in the 1890s. There are always folks who think the "old sound" is better. Remember when CDs first came out? There were audiophiles who believed vinyl was "better". In many cases they were right, but in the long view, digital music rules. And there may not be a better sounding album (to me) than Brother in Arms (1985) on CD. I digress. All that being said, I do prefer the organic texture of older music to most of the shiny new music I hear. But if others feel differently, as so many obviously do, that's ok, too. The reason modern music sounds like it does is because it sells. Not to me, but you already knew that.
Thanks for the response, Ron. There are pros and cons to both analogue and digital. Just re the pros, digital gives a more pristine and detailed sound, while analogue gives music more atmosphere. Probably 20 years ago I had Ennio Morricone's "Once Upon A Time In The West" theme in an analogue compilation of instrumentals and I love the 'colourful' imagination-provoking atmosphere in it. Then I bought a new Morricone CD with a different version of the piece and while it was far more pristine all of that atmosphere had just vanished. My 1st reaction was "They've killed all of that magic!" But since then I've listened to both versions many times and once I got used to the digital version I love it too, but the contrast between the 2 is so noticeable. I have the 1969 vinyl album of Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" which I've never heard a digital copy of, but an old friend of mine says he can't listen to the digital version as it loses its body, while he loves the analogue. These days complex programs and simpler apps are continually being replaced by either upgrades, better versions or new programs - AI is also taking over as it's evolving so fast - but fingers crossed one day there may come a new form of music recording which combines both the depth and atmosphere of analogue with the pristine quality of digital.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
but fingers crossed one day there may come a new form of music recording which combines both the depth and atmosphere of analogue with the pristine quality of digital.
It can be done now, but that is not the target for a lot of people. Even the clickety-pop of authentic analogue vinyl can be done!
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome Make your sound your own!
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