The Day the Music Died... What Now?

As I was roaming around the internet the other day, I came across an article on the Rolling Stone magazine website. The article informed me that MTV officially has decided to drop the "music television" from their logo. This was in no way surprising, but I think there is an underlying issue involved that people should consider. Our society seems to be willing to sacrifice music and other forms of art, to ensure that there is room for things that have no moral or intellectual value, such as reality television shows.

As depressing as it is, young people in America are interested in this garbage. So much so, MTV executives no longer recognize the value in continuing to focus on music, as they did in the beginning. Rather than exploring the many creative and intellectual elements that music provides, young people waste their time watching and even look up to these ignorant, superficial and morally backwards men and women, who will say or do anything for 15 minutes of fame. MTV reality television stars embody everything that is wrong with our country. They convey a perspective that education and hard work has no importance in comparison to partying and "hooking up" with as many people as possible. And when they encounter negative consequences brought on by poor decision-making and inappropriate behavior, these individuals refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions. Instead, they blame others and erupt into fits of rage when they do not get what they want. What warped state of mind does one have to be in to perceive more value in reality television than in music, which has been a source of entertainment, comfort, inspiration, and motivation in peoples' lives for centuries.

Apparently Viacom Inc. fails to see anything wrong with the images and ideas that they are projecting around the world, and how this influences the impressionable minds of young people. Maybe I am reading more into this than I should, but I think that these reality television programs, and the people that appear on them, are exactly the reason why other countries around the world have such negative perceptions of American people. MTV has now dropped the one redeeming quality that the channel had left: it's music programming. And they did so only to add new shows to their line-up that could possibly be worse than Jersey Shore; which is setting the bar pretty high in that regard. I notice more and more that the desire to be a celebrity is corrupting our country's younger generation. They now look at being famous as a goal worthy of sacrificing everything, including all dignity and self-respect.

Public school music programs are always among the first cuts when there are budget issues, and popular culture is gradually pushing good music down on the priority list. Without these avenues for future generations to learn about music or learn to play instruments and sing, what hope does the American music industry have for the future? Why are we allowing something as positive as music to be taken away from us, only to be force-fed ridiculous shows involving individuals (a.k.a. losers) who are on a path to nowhere. They will be irrelevant in a year or two, if they last that long! Yet, this is what takes the place of music videos on MTV? Seriously?

I am aware that it is just one channel and they haven't legitimately been in the music game for quite some time now. I know it has been a long time since I turned to MTV to hear new, good music that was unique, well-written, and recorded/mixed/mastered well. But at least it used to exist on that channel. All of us who are just entering the field as professionals have to find ways to open everyone's eyes and fight to keep music alive. Otherwise, the next generation of young people will most likely grow up with no knowledge and appreciation for good music and other forms of artistic expression. They will continue to make the same mistakes that people are making now. I just wonder, how long will the average population remain interested in reality television in our always fickle society? When the bubble bursts, I hope that the individuals responsible for making these decisions find themselves in a damp, lonely room with nothing but a television that plays reality shows 24 hours per day. I would like to think that they would then recognize the mistakes they have made and take action to fix them. Unfortunately, though, I don't think people like this possess the integrity and courage it takes to admit their own mistakes and take action to fix them. In that case, they would be great reality television stars. Just make sure that I get credit for the idea.

- Andy Roy

Tracking and Mixing Metal

I have always enjoyed listening to a wide variety of music genres, but recently I have developed an interest in metal music. This was sparked when I began working with a Nashville-based metal band named Cut Slingload. I was paired up with a friend, Jon Pennock, to record one song for a class project. However, that later evolved into recording and mixing an entire EP to be released next month. Due to the technical guitar riffs, syncopated bass runs, powerful drums, and great scream vocals; working on Cut Slingload's EP has been a great experience for recording and mixing.

Probably the most difficult thing about mixing metal is achieving a good low-end balance between the bass and kick drum, as well as finding the right kick drum sound. Afterall, the metal genre is well known for its use of double kick drums. To get the kick sound that is on the EP, we first tried to use only recorded audio, which we tracked using two AKG D112s inside the drum and two Shure SM57s on the front for the attack of the beater. But even with heavy EQing, we found that it just didn't have the right mix of low end punch and high end click needed to cut through the mix. We then tried EQing just the D112 tracks and mixing in a sample underneath. At first, this produced a sound that was too "clicky" and artificial sounding. But with a little bit of work with compression and EQ, we found the right balance.

I have included the most recent mix that Jon and I did for Cut Slingload's "Suffocating”. Check it out and see what you think.

- Andy Roy

Live Sound..

A couple weeks ago I received a call from my friend, Lisa, and she asked if I was interested in running sound at a local establishment called the French Quarter Cafe. I have been looking for an opportunity like this for some time, so I took the job. After meeting the bar owner, Dennis, he asked me to run sound for him every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I am just going into my 3rd week at the French Quarter, and I already have learned a lot about the do's and don'ts of live sound engineering. One good example is to tell the guitar and bass players to keep their amps levels down on-stage. That way you can actually manipulate the sound and make the band sound good as a whole. Unfortunately, though, this is not something that every band is willing to comply with, as I found out with a band last weekend. The band consisted of 2 guitars, bass (who did vocals), and drums. Each guitarist had two 4x12 cabs set up both sides of the stage. I requested that they keep the stage volume down for the sake of the overall sound and the people who were eating dinner. They responded, "We're not worried about the sound. It's not that big of a deal." I decided at that point that it wasn't worth my time to try to talk some sense in to them, and let them have it their way. It was easily the worst sounding set that I have experienced at the French Quarter Cafe.

One other thing that I have learned is that people have no problem informing me when they are not hearing exactly what they want to, when they want to. I have already been ripped up and down by a older gentleman who thought it was my fault that the first band was not on the stage at 9pm like the schedule had said. And at the end of the night, he then gave me his opinion on everything about the mix that he thought I could have done better. But in the case of the young lady that came up to me last Friday evening, it didn't matter that she was sitting in the worst spot in the house in terms of being able to hear the house mix. I was asked to find a speaker to turn towards them so they could hear the vocals. If nothing else, I can find some entertainment in my conversations with these people. Everyone's a critic, whether they can do the job themself or not.

Other than the band that preferred to make more noise than music, and random verbal slashing from customers, it has been a lot of fun. Come on out and check the place out if you're in the area.

- Andy Roy

Just A Student..

Over the past year, I have spent countless hours of my time tracking and mixing projects in our school studio. I have worked with several different artists/bands, in a wide variety of music genres. And through hard work and dedication I have gained the knowledge and experience necessary to consistently produce quality work. Unfortunately during this time I have also encountered a common perception: that I'm "just a student" and it is not necessary to pay me for my services. Given that my fellow classmates and I are offering free studio time in a nice facility, and quality recording gear, I think this offers a glimps into a growing problem for individuals in our field: people do not give audio professionals the respect and credit that we deserve for our work.

I was once told by an instructor that we should never give our services away to anyone because as soon as we do, our perceived worth decreases. At the time I questioned this point of view; thinking that working for free is necessary to gain experience and establish a portfolio of work that will attract potential clients. However, I now realize that there is more truth to this statement than I previously thought. Everyone now expects us to do good work, but they want it done faster and for far less money than engineers have been charging for years. Personally, I think this is comparable to someone going to a doctor and asking him to do surgery for little money, in half as much time, but still expecting perfect work.

I understand that, as a student, I still have a lot to learn in the audio field. But in an industry that is constantly evolving with advances in technology, we all have to continue learning new things whether we are students or professionals. Everyone should have the right to be compensated for the services that they provide. And recording and mixing music should be no exception.

- Andy Roy