When I think of “modern metal production”, I think of a whole lot of MIDI and a whole lot of mechanical perfection.
Amazing-sounding MIDI drum and amp sim software has really taken off in the last 15 years.
So have tools like pitch correction, drum replacement, and time alignment plugins.
As a matter of fact, these tools are so convenient and powerful that they’ve completely changed the sound of modern music.
But some believe that this sound is starting to get BORING.
These days, anyone can pull up a generic preset in their bedroom and (somewhat) mimic the tones heard on their favorite records.
Also, sloppy performances can be edited to absolute perfection if you know what you’re doing.
But is the sterile, generic nature of this finally starting to push things in the complete opposite direction??
My friend Bobby Balow of Raytown Productions and I just had a great conversation on this topic (good thing we recorded our Zoom call).
The one thing that we have in common is that we both produce and mix independent artists professionally, and we’re BOTH starting to notice that the production tide might be shifting in the opposite direction.
Are MIDI instruments, Auto Tune, Beat Detective, and drum replacement software starting to be perceived as less “cool” by the new wave of upcoming bands and artists?
