EQ Magazine - September 2008 - (Page 4)

Talk Box MIX, REMIX, OR RE-INVENTION? I saw the latest Indiana Jones movie the other day, and realized it’s not only music that does remixes—so do movies. All the familiar elements were there: Evil people seeking power from some ancient artifacts, a Really Nasty Guy pounding Indy, car chases, clandestine government activities, and more, but . . . well . . . remixed. Then again, the more you think about it, lots of entities fall into mix and remix categories. Original iPod: Mix. iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano: Remix. Version 1.0 of a program: Mix. Version 2.0: Remix. Original Volkswagen Beetle: Mix. New VW Beetle: Remix. Guitar Hero: Mix. Rock Band: Remix. Now, I don’t have a problem with remixes. In fact, when it comes to musical remixes, I think great DJs are musicians, in the same way that an arranger or conductor is. But remember that to have a remix, you need a mix in the first place— an original, creative, novel impulse. And if you’re going to do a remix, it had better bring something new to the party, not just be a re-shuffling of elements which then get the tag of “new and improved.” A good remix deconstructs pretty much completely, then re-constructs from the ground up, with fascinating new twists and additions. So while the elements are recognizable, they’re put together in a way that makes them fresh. Think of performers who’ve sustained long careers: When they remix themselves, it goes beyond re-shuffling and borders on re-inventing (think Madonna, Prince, David Bowie, the Beatles, Miles Davis, and the like). It can be an instructive exercise to consider whether a remix is indeed “just a remix,” or something much closer to a re-invention. So how does this relate to us recording music? When creating something “new,” it’s easy to hit the default button and just use variations of what’s gone before. And with today’s gear, it’s easy to produce something with the “look and feel” of music, but without the soul that makes a unique musical statement. Believe me, this is not what audiences crave. One review of the Indiana Jones movie said that it met all expectations, while exceeding none of them. Whether you agree or not, that’s a perceptive comment—because a good test to apply to a “remix” is whether it simply meets expectations, or exceeds them. So the next time you’re producing yourself or someone else, ask yourself the following question: Is it a mix, a remix, or a re-invention? It’s a question well worth considering. www.eqmag.com Vol. 19 No. 9, September 2008 Executive Editor Craig Anderton, canderton@musicplayer.com Editor Matt Harper, mharper@musicplayer.com Managing Editor Debbie Greenberg, dgreenberg@musicplayer.com Contributors MerrickAngle, J.J. Blair, Chris Dunnet, Cliff Goldmacher, Roberto Martinelli, Shane Mehling, Lily Moayeri, Will Romano, Angelina Skowronski, Jonathan Stars Art Director Patrick Wong, pwong@musicplayer.com Staff Photographers Paul Haggard, phaggard@musicplayer.com, Craig Anderton, canderton@musicplayer.com Group Publisher Joe Perry jperry@musicplayer.com, 770.343.9978 Advertising Director, West Coast & New Business Dev. Greg Sutton gsutton@musicplayer.com, 925.425.9967 Advertising Director, Midwest Jessica Sullivan jsullivan@musicplayer.com, 661.255.2719 Advertising Director, East Coast & Europe Grace Newman gnewman@musicplayer.com, 631.239.1460 Advertising Director, Southwest Albert Margolis amargolis@musicplayer.com, 949.582.2753 Director of Specialty Sales Mike Montgomery mmontgomery@musicplayer.com, 650.238.0307 Specialty Sales Associate, North Allison Smith asmith@musicplayer.com, 650.238.0296 Specialty Sales Associate, South Will Sheng wsheng@musicplayer.com, 650.238.0325 Production Manager Amy Santana MUSIC PLAYER NETWORK Vice President John Pledger Editorial Director Michael Molenda Senior Financial Analyst Bob Jenkins Production Department Manager Beatrice Kim Director of Sales Operations Lauren Gerber Web Director Max Sidman Web Editor Lania Cortez Motion Graphics Designer Tim Tsuruda Marketing Director Christen Pocock McFarland Sales and Marketing Coordinator Molly Corman Marketing Designer Joelle Katcher Systems Engineer John Meneses Associate Circulation Director Cheri McElroy Associate Director, Subscription Marketing Christopher Dyson Fulfillment Manager Rosario Perez NEWBAY MEDIA CORPORATE President & CEO Steve Palm Chief Financial Officer Paul Mastronardi Vice President Web Development Joe Ferrick Circulation Director Denise Robbins HR Manager Ray Vollmer IT Director Greg Topf Controller Jack Liedke Please direct all advertising and editorial inquiries to: EQ, 1111 Bayhill Dr., Ste. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066 (650) 238-0300; Fax (650) 238-0262; eq@musicplayer.com Please direct all subscription orders, inquiries, and address changes to: 800-289-9919, outside the U.S. 978-667-0364, eqmag@computerfulfillment.com Back Issues: Back Issues are available for $10 each at 800-289-9919, 978-667-0364, eqmag@computerfulfillment.com EQ (ISSN 1050-7868) is published monthly by NewBay Media, LLC 1111 Bayhill Drive, Suite 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. EQ is a trademark of NewBay Media. All material published in EQ is copyrighted (©) 2008 by NewBay Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material appearing in EQ is prohibited without written permission. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EQ., P.O. Box 232, Lowell, MA 01853. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photos, or artwork. All product information is subject to change; publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. All listed model numbers and product names are manufacturers' registered trademarks. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Bruno, CA, and at additional mailing offices. 4 EQ SEPTEMBER 2008 www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - September 2008

EQ Magazine - September 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Punch In Freak Folk Todd Rundgren Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Sony Acid 6 Ableton Live 7 Portable Recorder Showdown Gadgets and Goodies Sounds Room with a Vu

EQ Magazine - September 2008

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