I checked out this film last weekend after seeing an enthusiastic post about it on a forum. ”Every 21st Century artist must watch this” he said, and so I did.
The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities. But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.
Upon reaching the PressPausePlay website I was surprised to see I could download the film for free in very good quality, via torrent. A very efficient way of delivering the content. This is a film that SHOULD be shared, I thoroughly enjoyed it and want everyone to see it. To me, this is a 5/5 star documentary. The visuals, audio and content were excellent. This is a film I found so inspiring, I’m going to watch again and take notes, then I’m going to make some noise.
In Flames is a great metal band from Sweden. On their YouTube channel they’ve posted 6 short documentaries on the progress of their 6th studio album. There’s not a lot of techniques to see but there is some discussion of the production and lots of nice gear to see and hear.
@SydneyGalbraith shared these videos today and I think you’ll enjoy them. Strapping Young Lad document the recording process of their 2005 album Alien at The Armory in Vancouver, BC. Devin Townsend is a weirdo but he’s funny and a great musician and producer.
The band is super prepared before they go into the studio and it really pays off.
Drugstore Fanatics is a band from Los Angeles, their 2009 Self-Produced/recorded album “What’s Born In The Basement” was documented in two ways; A PDF (How We Made A Studio Grade Album for $190) with detailed explanation of the recording process and a series of YouTube videos (see below). You can get their album free (10 songs, 192kHz mp3) or for $5 in higher quality (320 mp3) with 5 bonus tracks.
I say this album sounds F**king great, whether it cost $200 or $20,000 to make. They did have great gear to start with and generous friends to help but they really put in the hard work and excellent performances to make phenomenal recordings in their home studio.
They also have several of their songs available to Remix. Submit your remix to be included on an upcoming release. I’m going to use some of these as standards for my own recordings, especially the bass.
I’m a little late finding out about this band, but I have to say I’m really impressed.
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My parents weren’t cool enough to buy their 5 year old a Nine Inch Nails album when Pretty Hate Machine was first released. Actually I probably didn’t hear PHM until 10 years after its release. The Downward Spiral was my first NIN album, then I got Broken, then I started listening to Marilyn Manson, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM and others. When I first heard Pretty Hate Machine I didn’t like it, it sounded old. I still listen to Nine Inch Nails regularly and of all their releases spanning 22 years, PHM is my least favorite. I don’t hate it, but don’t listen to it as often as the others. I’m telling you all this as a disclaimer.
Recently Trent Reznor announced that Pretty Hate Machine was going to get an update and re-release.
I’m happy to finally announce the re-issue of the first Nine Inch Nails record “Pretty Hate Machine,” releasing worldwide 11/22. UMe and Bicycle Music Group managed to locate the original mixes, so I went in the studio with Tom Baker and remastered it for a greatly improved sonic experience. In addition, Rob reinterpreted Gary Talpas’ original cover to make for a fresh new package.
It’s been an interesting trip watching the fate of this record float from one set of hands to another (a long and depressing story) but it’s finally wound up in friendly territory, allowing us to polish it up a bit and present it to you now. We had fun revisiting this old friend, hope you enjoy.
TR
Tonight I had a listen to the new and improved Pretty Hate Machine to see if I liked it more. About a minute into ‘Head Like A Hole’ I asked my wife if she heard anything different. She did immediately. “It sounds different, I don’t like it, its not as dirty.” So there’s the totally non-audiogeek first impression. It does sound cleaner, and louder, more modern in some ways. I dropped the original and remaster into a DAW to A/B compare.
These are my thoughts as I listen to Head Like A Hole on speakers and headphones. I like this song more than the others on the album.
*NOTE* the remastered file is an mp3, I’m not going to buy it again, remember I didn’t like it all that much the first time
Clearly a louder master, as is the trend
Fuller bass, the kick drum definitely hits deeper
More midrange, listen to the synth bass, the original had the mids aggressively cut out
Much less dynamic, as are most hard NIN songs
Some of the percussion parts can be heard more clearly
Wider stereo image
It sounds better to me, but I wish they would have just rerecorded it with modern equipment. The very dated sounds, drum machines, cheap reverb etc and of course immature songwriting keep me from really liking most of the album. *flame suit on* Let me know what you think.
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