[Dixielandjazz] Fixing recordings.

[Lowell Busching]

I have not yet read all the postings on this subject, but it may not 
come as a surprise that I agree with what Bob Ringwald said about how 
many times does even a none musician like myself, but who is interested 
in hearing the best sound possible, need to hear the same mistakes over 
and over as you replay the recording?

  Either a live recording or a studio recording.  Perfection is good to 
the ears. None perfection in a musical performance irritates most ears. 
It makes me as uncomfortable as the musician most times I think. If you 
can't be perfect, you like to sound like it.

Perhaps to some of you who regularly play clams while learning your 
craft, not because you want to but that is the way it comes out, 
hearing other musicians make mistakes on recordings makes you feel good? 
  They really are human, just like me!

Unfortunately, in my experience hearing many "world class" musicians 
both as a customer and a sound person I know that many of them are VERY 
critical of their own performances, especially in public and are dead 
set against the possibility of anyone hearing them make even a small 
mistake musically, or more then that one live time.

I won't mention any names, because I seem to get in trouble doing that, 
but I remember one recently retired hip and knee surgeon, immaculately 
dressed at all times, who was just starting to enjoy going to OKOM live 
gigs and recording the performances for his own pleasure later. He used 
a small hand recorder of questionable value. Not digital. The musicians 
knew who he was. Not a fly by night record producer ripping them off.

In at least two cases "world class" musicians playing casual gigs 
stopped playing in the middle of a set, not because they were strong 
union men who believed they should not be recorded, but because they 
felt on that night they were not playing up to THEIR standards and did 
not want to be recorded!

The "good doctor" did not understand this at all and felt bad, but of 
course stopped recording.  The musicians refused to continue playing 
until he had put the recorder away. He was not hiding it. Shortly after 
the second incident he stopped going to the gigs  and we never saw him 
and his wife again.  They both had a ball for a short time.

We finally got some class at a couple gigs for OKOM and look what 
happened!  Professional musicians DO care how they sound. They know they 
CAN do a perfect job and have done it many times. That is what they want 
you to hear. In both cases I thought they sounded superb.

I went to a recording session for a major modern big band. The band 
itself was recorded in one day with few numbers done more then once.
The usual thing today I believe. I don't recall that the band had to 
return again.

The musical soloist and singer spent months re-recording his otherwise 
perfect sounding parts over and over until he had it EXACTLY the way he 
thought it should sound. He took so long in fact that his mixer 
questioned me as to whether he was displeased with the mixers work? Far 
from it. He wanted his solos to match the quality of the band.

Bottom line finally. If you want to hear possible clams go to a live 
performance of a mediocre band or a poor one.  Otherwise it is like 
going to a race track to watch world class drivers, and hoping there 
will be a horrible accident, but knowing it is unlikely.

If you want to hear "perfection" buy the recordings of a really good 
musician and then go out and hear him or her live. If they play a clam, 
just smile knowingly. Don't applaud.  They will not appreciate that.
And leave your recorder at home.

Mad Dog