Text 23148, 91 rader
Skriven 2011-11-29 12:26:38 av Richard Webb (1:116/901.0)
  Kommentar till text 23143 av BOB KLAHN (1:135/382)
Ärende: FidoNews Vol. 28 No. 45 News Around the Web
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hello Bob,

On Mon 2011-Nov-28 22:02, BOB KLAHN (1:123/140) wrote to RICHARD WEBB:

BK>  ...

BK>>  Back in the '80s the anti-piracy movement heated up. Back then  it
BK>> was suggested that pirates might actually increase software
BK>> publisher's profits. They built up a computer community that  would
BK>> then purchase legitimate software.

 RW> Yeah right, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for
 RW> free?  THen who's to say it's going to be worth listening
 RW> to if it isn't properly mastered and made ready for the
 RW> consumer before he hears it?  That takes skills and
 RW> facilities both to do, and neither one of them are
 RW> available for free.

BK>  With computer software any copy is automatically exact. That  don't
BK> work for live performances.

True, it is, but with what your ears hear, and waht you
might be playing it on, mastering is vital, and that my
friend the software can't do without some input from a
knowledgeable human listening in an environment which is
designed to show the characteristics of the recording, not
the characteristics of the room.  This means a room where
funny things such as those standing waves and flutter echoes are tamed so as to
give the engineer what he's hearing, and
not what the room itself did to it.  May not be rocket
science, but t'ain't something you can do in your back
bedroom on your power mac after a couple of beers and a
couple tokes.  There's a good reason these folks charge the
money they do.

IN the world of software one of the things you hopefully
bought when you bought shrink wrapped off the shelf is a
rigorous beta testing program, along with some quality
control.  NOt that you always got that, but there's a little more assumption
that's what you're getting when you bought
it at Egghead or wherever, brought it to home or office and
installed it.

<snip>
 RW> SOme folks spend as much to master the album as they did to
 RW> record it, possibly even more in the case of a classical
 RW> recording that was done with minimal microphone use, all
 RW> live, at one shot.

BK>  Ah yes. I have often noted how such one chance recordings have  to
BK> be right, or you live with the results.

I've done a good number of those over the years.  Every one
is a learning experience.

 RW> THis stuff may not be rocket science, but there's still a
 RW> whole bunch of science behind it, and those folks don't
 RW> work on spec, a percentage of nothing is nothing.  They
 RW> work for cash on the barrel head.

BK>  Just read about the primary actors in the Star Wars series. The 
BK> real Star Wars, not the three prequels. Alex Guiness was
BK>  typecast as Obi-Wan as much as Mark Hamill was as Luke. However, 
BK> Guiness was old and experienced and famous enough he negotiated  a
BK> piece of the action. Got enough to retire from the screen and  focus
BK> on the Theatre. Which was find with him.

BK>  So, if you think you got something really successful coming up, 
BK> you can do it on spec. However, do that enough and you will 
BK> probably wind up selling shoes in the mall.


That's it, and even though I'm recording and not mastering I don't work on spec
either.  IF it's spec we're working with
my facilities, during time that would otherwise be downtime, and I'm doing both
producer and engineer.  I've done that
for a couple of folks who had songs they'd written that I
really enjoyed.  I was a younger man then, adn believed in
their music.  Trouble is, they didn't seek out the pros who
could help them market themselves properly.  But, we made
some great music together.  I got them a nice recording that they and their
friends probably still enjoy hearing
occasionally.  But, these days I'm strictly mercenary.
What's on the rate card is on the rate card.  If I choose to give you a
discount it's between you and me.


Regards,
           Richard
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 * Origin:  (1:116/901)