I tried to help a band and this happens..

Beyerdynamics makes some good stuff. they are a very old company. But like any audio gear company they make good stuff for the pro market and not so good stuff for general consumers. I wanted to ask about Peavey and Mackie because people think they are good equipment simply because that's what most bands have. The only reason why most people have equipment from those two is because the price is low. You get what you pay for. McDonalds sells the most cheese burgers but we all know it is not a good one.

 

It's just that I already posted that I only call those mics those names because my friends who are too dumb to read a manual need me to call them that for familiarity.

If people read stuff (like manuals or my post) I wouldn't need to get all pissy... Trust me I don't like being like this.. But at least me and you are having an actual conversation.. My friends wouldn't even know what we're talking about.

Just imagine how pissed I get in real life when the vocalist things its funny to unscrew the kick drum mic and start singing through it like a fucking idiot. Yes, that has happened more than once.

 

That's cool, haven't had much work with Beyerdynamic yet. I've got a session Sunday, I'll probably be messing with different mics most of the night. And I'm pretty sure Peavey doesn't even make a mic that costs more than $300, let alone $600 haha.

What do you use for guitars? I've found a Shure 57 and Sennheiser 421 are fucking dope together. I'm still experimenting though. You ever play directly through a POD? I've been meaning to, but everyone at my school seem to look down on people who don't use amps haha.

 

Exactly, I've been through my "cheapies" stage. Epiphone guitars, Line 6 amps. They were good for 5 years ago but now they won't cut it.

If you want to sound like a pro you have to pay like a pro. I've basically given up pot and all the other fun things in life to build my little studio. And it's been damn worth it. Every cent I make goes to my music.

EDIT: My buddy just bought a cream/ivory Epiphone SG. He's such an idiot, of course I was like "nice guitar man" but in reality I was thinking "I already have an ESP Explorer you can use, way to waste your money"

We could have bought a nice new monitor for that price... But oh no, he buys a shitty guitar... Wanna know whats really funny? He hasn't used it to play live yet, he says the sound is to warm... Guess what he uses? My explorer......

 

Just imagine how pissed I get in real life when the vocalist things its funny to unscrew the kick drum mic and start singing through it like a fucking idiot. Yes, that has happened more than once.[/QUOTE]

That happens all the time. Or they will try to use a mic that is tuned for the next act and you have to scramble to get it turned on. Then when it doesn't come on right away they give the engineer shit because the retard used the mic clearly marked Gin Blossoms in red.

 

That's next on my list. Maybe I'll try those out when I go browsing. I know the names are reliable.

For quick recording song ideas we just use our PodUx2 (it's mine but I let them call it "ours"). Umm, I like some of the tones you can get out of it, but I'm really better at finding good tones with a nice Marshall amp. Although I do have a REALLY HEAVY setting I made in Podfarm2. Sounds beautiful even if you fucking crank it.

I leave that all to personal preference. If it sounds good it sounds good.

I use to look down on all the new digital shit too, I'd be like "that shit ain't real" but then I realized.. Hey, effects pedals aren't real.. Distortions is still man made, everything is fake if you think about it. That's why I just like anything that sounds good.

I'm still unsure if I want to use the Pod to record an album with though... Demo's for sure. And maybe an album for local bands who need to get shit out there.. But not for my own band, I'll go into a studio.

 

I'm a Marshall guy also, though lately I've been using a Mesa cab in the studio. Once I found out Meshuggah recorded all of Obzen with PODs, it got me intrigued. Like you said, if it sounds good, it sounds good. Too bad we are a thousand miles apart, I get 9-12 hours of studio time a week as part of my tuition, we would definitely get together and lay down some tracks. I'll probably finally post some shit after Sunday's session, I've been too much of a perfectionist with my music and unwilling to share until it's properly recorded haha.

Oh ya since I already mentioned it, Sennheiser has different models of the 421. The original MD421 seems to most people's preference, I really like it for guitar, but plenty of people enjoy the MD421 II and it will be easier to find.

 

Well ya know, niggaz my height don't fight:afro:

Sounds like your "friends" are fucking wastes of food..... No wonder you're full of angst and generally pissy, having to call people like that friends. Maybe you should jump ship to the kiddie band?

 

That's exactly what I say whenever people try to make fun of digital setups. I always use that and some other bands as an example.

I'm the exact same way with my music, I have hours of songs but their only done with drum machines and bass synths. Now that I have the drum mics I can start recording some real shit, which means a demo is in the works.

I know I could record a killer demo with my setup, it's just gonna take about a month. I like trying to capture the "liveness" when I'm recording. When everything starts sounding copy and pasted I get really turned off. But a demo will be out within a month I can guarantee that. All the songs are solid as fuck, it's just a matter of getting the sound of the drums and guitar.

 

The band may be full of idiots but it's a Thrash metal band, you can't really expect much more... I'm trying to get them to add more of a Black metal element so they can stand out more, but it's getting really hard... I can't just play the same Thrash shit over and over again or I'll get bored. This thrash band is only a side thing for me anyway.

I play guitar in a Death metal band, really technical stuff. This is my band that actually gets paid, we've opened for lots of bands on big labels. Skeletonwitch, Threat Signal, Waking The Cadaver.

Everytime those bands come to southern Ontario I'll be the local opening act... Only a matter of time until we get picked up. Talking to the guys in Skeletonwitch really put my mind at ease, they told me that labels usually watch bands for a year or two before even making the slightest move...

As soon as I record Laced With Blood (thrash band) demo I can start writing new material for Obsolete Creation (my band). We already have a shit load of songs, but I want to move into a more progressive style, I don't need the insane moshing fans anymore... I want a more educated crowd.

 

I am currently at school for production and audio engineering. You sound incredibly confident in your musical abilities and that's good to hear, but you come off as an incredibly cocky musician. There is always room to improve. Don't simply get pissed off at criticism. Listen to it and respond to it. Even the best musicians in the world are imperfect and trying to get better every day. As a producer it is my job to help the artist realize his music to its fullest potential and the last thing I want to hear is an artist who is not open to any new ideas or criticism.

If you are really intent that your way is the only way, you are not going to like working with a label and producer. Sounds like you want to get into production yourself which would be a good way to do everything your way, but getting others opinions is one of the best ways to fully realize a song's potential. No need to take offense to everything.

And in terms of that concert, it sounds like you may have misled the young kids as to what was really going on. Remember that you were once just starting out too. That whole situation could have been handled better by everyone, but be the bigger man and just resolve the problem. No need to act like an asshole. You sound like the kind of person who is constantly comparing himself to others in terms of skill, watching another drummer at a concert and being like "I'm so much better than this kid". Just because someone can shred faster than someone else doesn't make them a "better" musician. Just appreciate that everyone is doing their own thing.

 

A lot that you've said in this thread made me respect you a little more.
And the OP was an amusing story.

Don't have anything to really contribute, of course.

 

very insightful, as a musician and writer its hard for me to take criticism, and most other musicians have as much if not more of a problem with it. but the key is to recognize the difference between ppl who are saying it to make you better, and those that are just assholes that are insulting you. it reminds me of when i first started (18) as an artist, i was obsessed with the concept of post-humans, and wrote several songs on the subject. then when we were playing for some friends one of em (a member from another band) told me that they werent very good, and not well worded or thought out. at first i was kinda pissed (how DARE he say these super awesome songs arent good!!!!) and then i started to really review what i had done with the song, and he was right, the concept was worse than he said it was, and we scrapped the lyrics and redid the song with a whole new subject, and different lyrics, and it turned out to be a much better song, recently i found my original lyric sheet and i was embarrassed that i actually wrote it, it was the most terrible shit id ever read, and i had wrote it. and while right now we are really focusing on practicing to perfection what we have and not playing live for a bit, we still keep in touch with the ppl we've worked with and ask them over for opinions when we think we have something, sometimes we have something great, but most of the time it needs a lot of work. and the ability to play fast has taken the back burner to playing well. music is a process, not some instant thing, and to play for the sole reason of "making it" is the most foolish move ever you need to be true to yourself (i know how cheesy that sounds but its the way to be), focus on being the best musician you can, and dont get too cocky, being cocky leads to blindness, and if you have a band full of yes men fucking quit it, if they dont have the balls to say your shit sucks when it does you will be the worst kind of musician.

smart move, when i started it was all metal and i quickly grew tired of the limits that metal has, and the "fans" were the worst, metalheads are the most conceited group of douchebags on earth, and if your opinion isnt the same as theirs they proceed to treat them like filth, for such petty things as liking bands they didnt, or not having the same favorite bands as them. so now my band can be best described as experimental, we have some prog, and some punk, some "math rock" and alternative stylings and so far im fulfilled as a musician, we can play almost any kind of venue (the only kind we refuse to play are metal venues) and the other bands are some of the best musicians ive worked alongside. expanding your repertoire is essential to being something rather than "just another [enter genre here] band" genres kill music in my opinion, first and foremost you have to have fun, and certainly keep your fans on your mind you want to play something they will appreciate, but dont give them too much credit, especially considering the venues you play. sometimes you just need new and better fans. any fanbase no matter how small is basically unpleasable, and the metal fanbase is the most resistant to change, when we were strictly metal we had more fans than now, but im happier with the quality of fans we have now.

BTW im not really lecturing you, just giving you advise as one musician to another, and preparing you for the possible (more likely inevitable) backlash from ppl that have been following you since the beginning, and shit wont be such a piece of cake

 

i disagree.
you can sound like a pro on a piece of shit, the sound quality might not be the best but you can still know what you are doing.