Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2020 22:51:47 +0100
From: s thobani <shirintho@aol.com>
Subject: Re: Words@brothersgibb.com message digest 06/06/2020 09:01 (#2020-1326)
Thanks Robin for explaining Audio compression with recordings and for putting into context. Found it fascinating.
>> On 6 Jun 2020, at 14:22, mailbag@brothersgibb.com wrote:
>
> Words@brothersgibb.com message digest 06/06/2020 09:01 (#2020-1326)
>
> 3 messages included in this issue
>
> 1 Let it Be ME Duet robin.setty@gmail.com
> 2 Audio Compression and Words robin.setty@gmail.com
> 3 Let it Be ME Duet per.bausager@gmail.com
>
>
>
> Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2020 10:59:31 +0100
> From: Robin Setty
> Subject: Let it Be ME Duet
>
> >
>
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Jun 4, 2020 at 11:53 AM Per Bausager wrote:
> > >
> > > Never heard this before
> > > https://www.facebook.com/423313264498091/posts/1661891953973543/
> > >
> > > Per
> >
> > This was on a multi-box set of Dionne Warwick a few years ago. I am
> > now happy that I did not blow my retirement fund on it.
> >
> > Barry sounds awful, going loud and soft with little control. Nothing
> > new-- listen to "Words". I have long thought that the engineers
> > compressed his volume levels. I wonder what he and Di were smoking.
> >
> > Joe Brennan
>
> Wo! That's way to harsh, Joe! It's a demo. THey're working each other
> out with it. If they were going to take it further that vocal would
> have been rerecorded and he'd have paid much more attention to the
> dynamics. It's nothing to do with lack of compression. Compression
> would NOT fix that. Gonna post something on compression in a bit but
> I doubt there are many studio recordings since the 1960s when vocals
> haven't been compressed.
>
> Back to top
>
>
> Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2020 11:28:50 +0100
> From: Robin Setty
> Subject: Audio Compression and Words
>
> Audio compression is a vital tool (probably the most vital after
> equalisation) in gluing a mix together. Without it, sounds such as
> vocals, will either get smothered by the rest of the mix or will
> appear to be on top of the mix (like karaoke), not part of it.
>
> It's been around since the forties. It works by reducing the level by
> a specified ratio when a certain threshold volume is reached. By
> doing this, you can raise overall level of a track without distortion.
> It's absolutely not a substitute for good microphone technique. One
> of the parameters of a compressor is the "Attack" spped, which
> determines how quickly it starts working when the threshold is hit.
> (You typically want to wait a few milliseconds so you don't lose the
> impact of transient at the start of the sound). Whilst a vocalist
> will know to pull away from microphone as they sing louder, even a
> boxer couldn't do that with the speed of a compressor, especially with
> with level of pick-up from a good condenser microphone, which could
> hear the proverbial pin dropping at the back of the booth!
>
> Different compressors create different sounds and tones. For
> example, how gradually they come in when the threshold is reached (the
> knee), and what kind of distortion gets applied. Compression is
> usually something to be applied subtly. Nowadays, a vocal track, for
> example, will have two or three compressors in series each taking off
> only a little bit at a time, rather than a single big sweep, which
> will destroy the dynamics. It's also only done AFTER the general
> levels of each phrase have been smoothed out manually.
>
> I struggled over the concept of compression for years, wondering why
> it's necessary when, say, you can hear an opera singer live without
> any need for it. The reason is that there's a limit to how much sound
> is available within a recorded mix, so you need to maximise what you
> can, whilst keeping the dynamic expression. Sadly nowadays because
> many people listen to music with a lot of ambient noise around them
> (e.g. in their cars) recordings are highly compressed at the mastering
> stage (the final stereo pair) which results a complete lack of
> dynamics. And don't get me started on what they do on hip hop to
> vocals :-(
>
> Barry clearly uses compression a lot in his vocals. It's what allows
> us to hear that beautiful whispery sound without it being drowned out.
> Please don't think of it as a fix or a cheat. It's a creative tool to
> maximise what a vocalist can do. It's not in the same category as
> pitch control!
>
> In Words, there's also a lot of compression on the piano. That's
> quite unusual because although you would compress most instruments,
> piano is one where you really do it very lightly. (1 to 2 DBs at the
> peak at very most, compared with a bass, where you'd often exceed
> 10DBs). I think it's a sign of the times. Late sixties had a lot of
> experimentation with studio techniques (think Abbey Road!). To me,
> it's part of the charm of the song. There's also a tonne of other
> stuff going on with the piano there, particularly the level of reverb.
>
> Hope I haven't board you all!
>
> Back to top
>
>
> Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2020 13:16:45 +0200
> From: Per Bausager
> Subject: Re: Let it Be ME Duet
>
> I tend to agree with Joe. I have never ever heard Barry singing with so
> little control and feeling. But of course, as Kilburn Towers, says, a
> record would have been much different
>
> lør. d. 6. jun. 2020 12.06 skrev Robin Setty :
>
> > >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Thu, Jun 4, 2020 at 11:53 AM Per Bausager wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Never heard this before
> > > > https://www.facebook.com/423313264498091/posts/1661891953973543/
> > > >
> > > > Per
> > >
> > >
Back to topDate: Sat, 6 Jun 2020 22:16:35 +0000 (UTC)
From: Jeff Lokken <jslbigd33@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Let it Be ME Duet
So does "It's Up To You" from Guilty Pleasures Speaking of songs that sound like other songs, ever noticed the similarities between Andy's "Starlight" with America's hit "I Need You"? On Saturday, June 6, 2020, 02:44:44 PM EDT, Martin Hogan wrote:
I tend to agree with Joe. I have never ever heard Barry singing with so little control and feeling. But of course, as Kilburn Towers, says, a record would have been much different
lør. d. 6. jun. 2020 12.06 skrev Robin Setty :
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 4, 2020 at 11:53 AM Per Bausager wrote:
> >
> > Never heard this before
> > https://www.facebook.com/423313264498091/posts/1661891953973543/
> >
> > Per
>
> This was on a multi-box set of Dionne Warwick a few years ago. I am
> now happy that I did not blow my retirement fund on it.
>
> Barry sounds awful, going loud and soft with little control. Nothing
> new-- listen to "Words". I have long thought that the engineers
> compressed his volume levels. I wonder what he and Di were smoking.
>
> Joe Brennan
Wo! That's way to harsh, Joe! It's a demo. THey're working each other
out with it. If they were going to take it further that vocal would
have been rerecorded and he'd have paid much more attention to the
dynamics. It's nothing to do with lack of compression. Compression
would NOT fix that. Gonna post something on compression in a bit but
I doubt there are many studio recordings since the 1960s when vocals
haven't been compressed.
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End Words@brothersgibb.com message digest 06/06/2020 21:01 (#2020-1328)