Noodling Guitars
Well-Known Member
So if the player doesn't feel like he has the magic pixie dust he can't perform?
Holy Peter Pan!
It's not that they can't perform at all. But music is art afterall. It's like a painter or illustrator on a bad day - sometimes artists just don't feel the product is expressing their message. Objectively we may look at it and think it's perfectly fine, but ultimately if the creator doesn't feel it, then that product is just going into the trash bin.
Or is it something only someone with superior hearing can detect?
I don't think he's saying that there is no difference in sound or feel - in fact, he does clarify that he's just saying that the differences are worth thinking about before making a purchase for those on a budget - part of the more controversial comments he makes is just to build his Youtube character. He's just putting into perspective that a lot of the small nuances are not going to show up in a certain type of metal recording. Also keep in mind he works with a certain type of client at a certain budget and with much more restrictive time schedules - none of them are going to be paying huge money for the mastering process either. So his view comes from that of a sound engineer that is afforded a a bit more discretion than most professional scenarios because of the price tier at which he operates.
One other thing he doesn't mention is the dfference between someone who prefers to record in the same room as the amp vs. someone recording in a control room with the cabs in isolation. In a control room situation, all of what he says is true - because even the monitor mix can be EQ'd without changing the guitar/pickups... even the speakers for that matter. For example, something as simple as the pickups giving too bassy a response will be noticeable to the person doing the chugging for example - yes, you can dial back the resonance on some amps, change the EQ etc - but that feel not only affects the sound, how tight it is will affect how players place themselves in the beat. So if the band is trying to do a live group take (or even if playing together just to track drums), that's going to matter.