Jon Boyes -> RE: Todds Alegria (Apr. 1 2004 8:45:45)
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ORIGINAL: Miguel de Maria Well, it sounds very artificial to me. It doesn't work with my concept of how a guitar, and specifically flamenco guitar should sound. I wouldn't mistake the MIDI for live musicians, and the picado runs in general sound too pure in nature--the result of the pick. .. Or do you think it is an acceptable sound for an album? With respect Mike, I think you are overestimating the amount that live musicians are used in modern studios, and I think that your prior knowledge of Todd - his technique and recording techniques (and attitude?) - influence your views. Are you really saying that the bass sounds artifical? If so, how? I will bet that if Todd had said he got one of his colleagues in to play those bass lines you wouldn't have batted an eyelid. If you read the industry press you will see just how much studios are reliant on software these days. Using midi to trigger synths and samplers is not merely a 'home-recording' thing, it is part and parcel of how it is done in a professional studio environment. I have a Tomatito album sitting on my desk with a string section on one number that sounds a hell of a lot less realistic than Todds bass! Todds percussion was sampled directly from a commercial flamenco Alegria recording, so if you think that sounds artificial, blame the original recording. As far as his picado tech goes, I've heard some players play very cleanly, and the more I hear him the more the 'he's playing with a pick' fades into the background. Did you hear that little clip that Florian posted of the National ballet guy? Sounded pretty clean to me. One thing I will agree with you is that he uses a lot of compression, but then so do most studios these days, it seems to be a fashion. Todd's mix is no worse than some of the big names in this department. There's a thread over on FT right now about the amount of compression on Amigos latest recording, for example. Sorry to give you a hard time Mike, but I think there are huge misconceptions about midi and what it represents. Jon
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