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Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: pat101 on 28 Nov 2006, 18:26

Title: a producer you admire.
Post by: pat101 on 28 Nov 2006, 18:26
"Name an audio engineer or producer that you admire, and indicate the most important reason for your admiration?"

It's an application on the school I'm applying to, I've got my thoughts, what are some of yours?

Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Joey JoJo on 28 Nov 2006, 18:41
Rick Rubin, for his versatility and ability to get everything sounding good.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Will on 28 Nov 2006, 19:36
I assume you're looking for people involved in music production?  For that, I'm a big fan of Kurt Ballou (guitarist for Converge, runs Godcity Studios) for the fact that almost everything he records has that raw, gritty, live-sounding quality to it that's just so perfect for the style of music he most often works with.  Matt Bayles is another guy I think does some superb work; he's recorded everyone from Minus The Bear to Mastodon to Isis, plus collaborated with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.  If you're interested in seeing his full discography, you can see it here. (http://www.mattbayles.com/discography.htm) 

Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: alexalexalex on 28 Nov 2006, 20:11
Jon Brion for amazing vocals and inspired arrangements

Steve Albini (who would write a very scathing response if he knew I'd just referred to him as a producer) for 1000 Hurts and various other sexy drum recordings [edit] and also being a fucking cool dude, and being dead on about the record industry, and not charging big-name-producer rates even though he easily could.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: ScrambledGregs on 28 Nov 2006, 21:34
I can't say I really admire producers, but I think Steve Albini has a way of cutting through a lot of extraneous bullshit to get a band to sound like how they should. For my money, the best stuff Low ever did was with him in the producer's chair.

A couple names that I can't specifically discuss their merits are John McEntire, Dave Fridmann, and Nigel Godrich. They've worked with a lot of people, and the albums sound really good when all is said and done. ::shrugs::
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Thrillho on 28 Nov 2006, 21:40
Martin Hannett for his ghostly, spacious production style.

Dr. Dre for continually bucking rap trends. I think the lush strings of 'The Next Episode' illustrate it best.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: KharBevNor on 28 Nov 2006, 22:04
I don't really pay much attention to producers, I think bands should produce their own material, and that big name producers are a contributing factor to all music sounding the fucking same. So, probably people like Dan Swano, Quorthon, Trollhorn, Kevin Ridley, Tony Wakeford etc..

As for people I dislike, though that's not the question, Andy Sneap. Going from being in Sabbat to producing stuff for Killswitch Engage = MAJOR FUCKING SELL-OUT.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: ShreddingMyNotes on 28 Nov 2006, 22:42
Andy LeMaster and The Mogis Bros.  They collectively have made pretty much the entire Saddle Creek catalogue sound the way it has in a really deliberate fashion.  Plus, all three are in fantastic bands on top of it.

I'm also a HUGE fan of Don Zientara and basically everything he's done over the last few decades.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Johnny C on 29 Nov 2006, 01:02
Dave Fridmann (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Fridmann) has a knack for producing distinctive-sounding, career-defining records. Besides his work with The Flaming Lips, I'd say his work with Phantom Planet and Sleater-Kinney produced beyond-superb albums. Though he is certainly a producer and not an Albini-style engineer, what he does is work with the artist to produce the sonics that their vision demands.

I would also say Steve Albini, for reasons discussed.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: valley_parade on 29 Nov 2006, 02:24
As for people I dislike, though that's not the question, Andy Sneap. Going from being in Sabbat to producing stuff for Killswitch Engage = MAJOR FUCKING SELL-OUT.

I always thought Adam Dutkiewicz did KsE, seeing that he plays guitar for them, and produces pretty much every WMass metalcore band ever.


How about Ric Ocasek?
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: alexalexalex on 29 Nov 2006, 03:50
forgot to say:

QUINCEY MOTHERFUCKIN' JONES!!!!!!
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: KharBevNor on 29 Nov 2006, 05:27
I always thought Adam Dutkiewicz did KsE, seeing that he plays guitar for them, and produces pretty much every WMass metalcore band ever.

Well, Sneap got a grammy nomination for his work on End of Heartache, so...
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Storm Rider on 29 Nov 2006, 05:56
I buy almost everything recorded at Electrical on the grounds that if the band had the savvy to record there, I should probably give them some attention.

So you picked up a copy of Zao's latest record then?
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: ScrambledGregs on 29 Nov 2006, 07:09
p.s. I like Secret Name better than Things We Lost In The Fire.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: ScrambledGregs on 29 Nov 2006, 09:41
.....I don't enjoy handjobs or blowjobs all that much.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: pat101 on 29 Nov 2006, 09:56
.....I don't enjoy handjobs or blowjobs all that much.

oh come on now, everyone enjoys some good oral sexin' now and then.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Thrillho on 29 Nov 2006, 21:42
I like a good hanjob. Oral sex I'm less enthusiastic about. I've always preferred to give it than receive it.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: foolsgold on 30 Nov 2006, 00:15
Wow, exciting, my first post here...

As much as I hate to go back on topic (especially in the midst of a spirited "manipulation" discussion), I've got to throw in a couple producers here.  Namely:

John Leckie - Stone Roses, Radiohead, the Verve, the Posies, the Fall
Phil Spector - It is such a pity the guy is a scumbag sociopath, because his records still sound phenomenal.
The Bomb Squad - Public Enemy

Gosh, I had some more in mind but just suffered the "walk into a record store without a list" amnesia.

Sorry.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: greenMonkey on 30 Nov 2006, 06:36
Honestly, I don't pay much attention to producers or engineers.  A producer/engineer can and does have a large impact on a band's sound on a recording, but if the band's music isn't good in the first place the producer can't make it good.

That said, Steve Albini is awesome.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Kicker of Elves on 30 Nov 2006, 06:41
First post. Momentous.
I'd probably give it to Brian Eno.  He's one of the few producers (Albini's another) that can manage transform any band into a conduit for his own distinctive sound--notably with Talking Heads.
I am, however, prejudiced in his favor because his work outside production is so brilliant. He didn't produce Bowie's Berlin trilogy, but Low wouldn't have been the masterpiece it was without Eno.
Hell, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts alone warrants his status as one of the greatest studio experimentalists ever.
Plus, he did the music for Spore. Badass.
but if the band's music isn't good in the first place the producer can't make it good.

Perhaps.  But what about Loveless? Only about half of its songs (Only Shallow, When You Sleep, Soon, etc.) would be great songs without Kevin Shield's blizzard of guitar. The rest (especially Touched, To Here Knows When, and What You Want) would be too repetitive to survive without Shield's production work.
But as I said, that certainly isn't the case for all of MBV's songs, so you do have a point.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Joseph on 30 Nov 2006, 07:06
If I remember correctly, a lot of the sound on Loveless had to do with the techniques used during the actual playing, as apposed to production work.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Kicker of Elves on 30 Nov 2006, 07:13
If I remember correctly, a lot of the sound on Loveless had to do with the techniques used during the actual playing, as apposed to production work.
You may be right, at that. In truth, I don't know all that much about Loveless's back story. It's hard to focus on details when your ears are being repeatedly seduced.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Joseph on 30 Nov 2006, 07:22
A while back on the internet I found a paper someone had written as their Master's Thesis or something like that, all about Loveless.  I read a fair bit of it, and I recall that it talked for a good while about how Kevin Shields insisted the production work and overdubs weren't as extensive as one would believe.  'Course, the paper could have easily been wrong, and I could be recalling it incorrectly as well.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Felix_ on 30 Nov 2006, 07:56
Steven Wilson.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: alexalexalex on 30 Nov 2006, 08:17
I'll be honest, I'm not seeing it... what do you like about steven wilson?
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: tomselleck69 on 30 Nov 2006, 09:08
joe meek, baby.

the producer.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Johnny C on 30 Nov 2006, 09:15
The title of this thread is driving me crazy.

(http://www.typiskta.com/uploaded_images/producers-777709.jpg)
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: pat101 on 30 Nov 2006, 09:25
I honestly didn't notice until just now, I'm so very sorry
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: AlexAttack on 30 Nov 2006, 09:32
Mass Giorgini-every screeching weasel record plus heaps of other pop punk bands for ex. teen idols, lillingtons etc.
Title: Re: a producer you admire.
Post by: camelpimp on 30 Nov 2006, 09:38
Aaaah, I can't keep it in anymore!

I thought this thread was called "I producer your admire" and I am extermely disappointed that it's not the REAL name of this thread.
Title: Re: a producer you admire.
Post by: Johnny C on 30 Nov 2006, 09:48
I hope you get in, man. I sincerely do. Are you able to use any of these?
Title: Re: a producer you admire.
Post by: pat101 on 30 Nov 2006, 10:52
I had some ideas before hand and this helped, I was thinking either Steve Albini or Martin Hannett
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: David_Dovey on 30 Nov 2006, 12:59
I always thought Adam Dutkiewicz did KsE, seeing that he plays guitar for them, and produces pretty much every WMass metalcore band ever.

Well, Sneap got a grammy nomination for his work on End of Heartache, so...

Dutkiewicz engineered and produced, Sneap did the mix.

Oh, and did you just accuse a PRODUCER of selling out? WTF dude?
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: Felix_ on 30 Nov 2006, 13:12
I'll be honest, I'm not seeing it... what do you like about steven wilson?

I respect him because he's completely self-taught as a producer, audio engineer, and musician, and I very much think the did an excellent job on the records that he has produced over the years - primarily records he has only produced and not contributed to the actual song-writing process (records from bands like: Marillion, Opeth, the upcoming Orphaned Land, etc.) Also, seeing as how he acts as the primary 'producer' on all Porcupine Tree, No-Man, and Blackfield releases, his ability to harness certain emotional environments and almost creepy urgency through sound has always had me enamored.

Go figure.
Title: Re: a producer you admire.
Post by: David_Dovey on 30 Nov 2006, 21:48
To summarise, Steven Wilson is a fucking genius.
Title: Re: a producer your admire.
Post by: alexalexalex on 30 Nov 2006, 21:53
I respect him because he's completely self-taught as a producer, audio engineer, and musician

I can absolutely respect this too :)
Title: Re: a producer you admire.
Post by: Luke C on 01 Dec 2006, 00:28
Rick Rubin. That guy has produced some of my favourite albums. Although he did produce the Run DMC/Aerosmith joint song which he losses points for but other than that, top notch.
Title: Re: a producer you admire.
Post by: valley_parade on 01 Dec 2006, 02:15
How about Matt "Hey Brendan, what's up with calling me Matt "dick on a dog" Allison" Allison?
Title: Re: a producer you admire.
Post by: Cartilage Head on 01 Dec 2006, 04:50
 Damn it. I was going to say Steven Wilson!

 But yes, Steven Wilson, while also being an amazing musician in his own right, has produced some truly awesome albums by other artists, most notably Opeth's Blackwater Park, Damnation, and Deliverance.

 Personally, Damnation is my favorite out of those.