Music
I'm listening to a track called "Bandeya" by Faiza and Khawer, and their sound and use of the many instruments can only increasingly impress me.
But I wonder how they will sound live...
And that is in essence the topic that's been revolving in the convolutions of my mind's intricate (and boring) thought process.
Most of my words are sparked by this interview I saw on IM last night. A prominent musician presented his hypothesis on why the Pakistani music scene is so messed up - and half-expecting it to be bullshit, I ended up agreeing with him. His postulate was quite simply this:
I agree with this hypothesis all the way. Take your major music bands and artists - they either sound horrible live or use playback. Some bands may sound good live - but is that the sound that they had on their recordings?
Add to that the current aspiration of every guitarist/bassist/drummer/obscure band member - to set up a studio of his/her own. To be really honest, this is having the same effect as the in-house (literally) schools that popped up around in cities like Karachi. The result - sub-standard education being imparted on naive students, who translated that education in to an even more sub-standard practical practice (being no fault of their own). Applying this occurrence to the studios that are coming up in every street (particularly around the Tariq Road area in Karachi) - you will have lots of studios but sub-standard quality. Each studio will produce the same sound. Now, as a Pakistani band that believes in the "studio first-gig later" philosophy, you really don't want that do you?
In either scenario, you do realize that this has to stop. Let there be fewer studios and greater sound. As an amateur recording enthusiast, I have read many books on music production and there is an actual theory involving specific sounds that have been created by major cities. There is the "New York" sound, the "LA" Sound and the "London" sound. I'm not going to dwell on what they are, but you get the picture. Individual uniqueness in sound leads to a development in sound collectively.
I don't mean to whine about sound, or preach something that I don't practice. I am in a band myself, and we have yet to record anything even though we've been playing for more than a year (collectively). Our firm belief in sounding as good as live as on the album has made things a little difficult, which involves getting expensive equipment, rigorous jamming and a regimen that could parallel the military barracks schedule! My point is that if you sound consistently good, regardless on what platform you perform, the crowd will love you. The crowd doesn't want a super quality album and shitty performances. I'm sure they can learn to live with mediocre sound and mediocre performance. However, live performance can involve certain finesse that cannot be reproduced at a studio. But that's a different issue altogether.
Summing it all up - be creative about your sound, man! It's all about consistency and of course originality.
But I wonder how they will sound live...
And that is in essence the topic that's been revolving in the convolutions of my mind's intricate (and boring) thought process.
Most of my words are sparked by this interview I saw on IM last night. A prominent musician presented his hypothesis on why the Pakistani music scene is so messed up - and half-expecting it to be bullshit, I ended up agreeing with him. His postulate was quite simply this:
Musicians outside of Pakistan start from playing in their local pubs or clubs and develop their sound. After developing their sound they move on to playing at gigs and concerts and then go to studios. That's because you can get any sound you want in the studio.
However Pakistani musicians go to the studio first and then straight to gigs - half of which consist of them lip-sync-ing. There is no pub/club level at all. Musicians don't concentrate on developing their sound. As a result they end up with another sound live and another sound in the studio. This is unfair on the listeners and really constricting for the musician to evolve.
I agree with this hypothesis all the way. Take your major music bands and artists - they either sound horrible live or use playback. Some bands may sound good live - but is that the sound that they had on their recordings?
Add to that the current aspiration of every guitarist/bassist/drummer/obscure band member - to set up a studio of his/her own. To be really honest, this is having the same effect as the in-house (literally) schools that popped up around in cities like Karachi. The result - sub-standard education being imparted on naive students, who translated that education in to an even more sub-standard practical practice (being no fault of their own). Applying this occurrence to the studios that are coming up in every street (particularly around the Tariq Road area in Karachi) - you will have lots of studios but sub-standard quality. Each studio will produce the same sound. Now, as a Pakistani band that believes in the "studio first-gig later" philosophy, you really don't want that do you?
In either scenario, you do realize that this has to stop. Let there be fewer studios and greater sound. As an amateur recording enthusiast, I have read many books on music production and there is an actual theory involving specific sounds that have been created by major cities. There is the "New York" sound, the "LA" Sound and the "London" sound. I'm not going to dwell on what they are, but you get the picture. Individual uniqueness in sound leads to a development in sound collectively.
I don't mean to whine about sound, or preach something that I don't practice. I am in a band myself, and we have yet to record anything even though we've been playing for more than a year (collectively). Our firm belief in sounding as good as live as on the album has made things a little difficult, which involves getting expensive equipment, rigorous jamming and a regimen that could parallel the military barracks schedule! My point is that if you sound consistently good, regardless on what platform you perform, the crowd will love you. The crowd doesn't want a super quality album and shitty performances. I'm sure they can learn to live with mediocre sound and mediocre performance. However, live performance can involve certain finesse that cannot be reproduced at a studio. But that's a different issue altogether.
Summing it all up - be creative about your sound, man! It's all about consistency and of course originality.
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