I’m becoming more and more interested in the art and science of producing an album-recording techniques, mixing, mastering, etc. You can read on the subject for hours and barely scratch the surface. With today’s technology and thanks to the Internet, anybody can record, mix, and put out an album very cheaply. This has definitely leveled the playing field between the ‘big time’ metal producers and the “bedroom” producers, which in itself is a very interesting topic that I may have to revisit in a future post.
But what I’m curious about is what you people out there want in a modern metal production. Besides the obvious stuff like “I hate sterile sounding production” or “I hate triggered drums and autotune,” what sonic qualities do you need to hear done right in order to enjoy an album? What are some of the things that, when they are done wrong, either annoy you, drive you nuts, or full-on rape your eardrums in the worst way? Can poor production ruin an album for you?
y similar variation on that. Imagine, if you will, as Killswitch Engage being like an expansion pack instead of a sequel and you’ll get a rough idea of what to expect. On the Howard Jones fronted KsE spectrum, I’d almost put it above The End Of Heartache. But to do that, you kinda have to pretend for a second that they didn’t write that album five years ago.
