Well, well, well. If you’re reading this on johnlago.com, you’ve probably noticed the new look around here. I chose to upgrade because the old theme was really just a blog, where this site should really be more about, well, me. This design puts emphasis on the static information, and moves the blog to the periphery, where it should be. What do you think? Does it do the job? Is it as attractive as I think it is?
In other news, I’m now involved in the exciting production of Jon Fuller’s new album. I’m playing producer/engineer, and it’s quite the undertaking. So far we’ve got piano and bass, with a drum session tomorrow. Check out his site for more up-to-date blogging about the project.
Just made it by the skin of my teeth today! Anyway, on this day in 1888, a press conference in London featured the first phonograph recording to be heard in England: “The Lost Chord,” by Arthur Sullivan, recorded by Thomas Edison. This is that recording, gone all 21st-century. They didn’t use click tracks back then…
This is a very special day for this blog. Today, I introduce my newest musical gimmick, Ditty a Day. Here’s the basic premise: every weekday, I will create and publish a little bite-sized morsel of music, and post it here. This is all at once tons of fun, absolutely terrifying, and excruciatingly difficult for someone like me, who tends to lack the discipline for an ongoing daily exercise like this. I figure it’s a win for everyone; I force myself to write at least a little bit of music every day, I learn more about Logic Pro, I get (potentially) more traffic to this here site, and you all get something hopefully entertaining on a regular basis.
So, check back later today for the first ditty, and stay tuned for more, each weekday. I have no clue how long this will go on, but I plan on doing it for the foreseeable future, as long as life doesn’t seriously get in the way. So buckle up–this will be fun!
PS – If you like what you hear, make sure to subscribe to the podcast version. Click here to subscribe in iTunes, or use this address in any podcast aggregator: http://www.johnlago.com/feed/podcast/.
First off, I apologize for the nerdiness of this post. But I’ve been thinking about it, so I’m going to write it anyway.
I was listening to the movie version of Rent (nerd point No. 1), and was kind of taken aback by the recording quality (nerd point No. 2). It wasn’t so noticable at first, but it barely had any dynamic variance at all. I understand how this could be a good thing on, say, the radio, but I don’t really get it in a movie mixed in 5.1. Take this clip for example:
(You probably want to use a good set of speakers, or at least headphones, to hear the point I’m about to make.)
Now, we can hear her voice just fine, and understand all the words. I can hear the piano pretty clearly panned slightly left, the bass is pretty present, the drums (including what I can only imagine was a kick drum made of cardboard) are clear, and the guitars are audible. However, pay attention to when the vocals get “louder.” Do they seem farther away? The compressor clamps down on the voice, and while the overall level stays the same, the dynamics are all but removed.
Now, this does seem pretty terrible from a sound reproduction standpoint, but then I got to thinking. I can hear all of the parts in this recording. Now, which is more important? Should the peaks in the vocals momentarily drown out the ride cymbals, or should this kind of compression ensure an even mix among all the parts? Put another way, if you paid someone to mix a recording of a musical, would the compression and dynamics in the above clip be acceptable?
I’m not sure what the answer is, and this is why I’m putting it out here. What’s your take?
