Re: The SOS interview

[Peter Byrne Manchester <PMANCHESTER@ccmail.sunysb.edu>]

Fiona McQuarrie <fmcquarr@upei.ca> writes:

> Thanks to Peter M. for posting that interview with Del. My question is,
> if he (Del) knows all this technical stuff, why have all of Kate's
> recent records sounded so flat and empty? I still think she needs an
> outside producer to help her.

Well, I agree, and that's why I look forward to any new comments Mr. Drukman 
may have on the topic.

       Consider some of Del's remarks on Kate's vocal sound:  "Basically, 
it's all down to an overdose of compression..."; "We use a small amount of 
gating so you'll get the sound of the room and then it cuts off--a bit like 
the Phil Collins drum sound."; "I have to say that from a purely technical 
standpoint, it's really badly done, there's just so much compression on 
everything..."; "I always try to keep the Quantec for the vocals because it 
has a very cold, icy kind of sound that works well with that very cold vocal 
sound...".   Fiona's words are extremely well chosen:  "flat" is precisely 
what you get from tons and tons of compression; and "empty" is exactly the 
effect of cutting away the room ambience.

       As someone with very little experience with studio experience ('way 
back in the 60s, and I bailed out when 16-track came in, because of the way 
it was being used and the microphone techniques that accompanied it), the 
most amazing of Del's remarks was this one--speaking of when they first set 
up to go digital:  "We weren't really sure whether it was going to work or 
not--we were kind of thinking that without tape compression we may not get 
the same drum sounds...".  Huh?!  By "tape compression" he presumably means 
the clipping of transients due to the limited dynamic range of analogue tape. 
There are better and worse ways for this to exhibit itself--better is simply 
a dulling down of the impact or punch aspect of the percussive `hit'; worse 
is audible splattering of the leading edge of the sound.  But surely neither 
is a sound one would relish, and not want to part with!?

       Thing is, I want to stipulate that I found Del Palmer enormously 
likeable at the Convention, and that moreover he is giving Kate Bush the 
sounds *she* wants for her creative palette.  It is very significant, I 
think, that the Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" was so influential in setting 
her `ear' for music as performed recording.  I find that the most artificial, 
in the sense of studio-dependent, of all their recordings.  In this area, as 
in her reluctance to tour--or even, apparently, to really jam with other 
musicians `off the record'--Kate is doing what she wants.

............................................................................
                                                            Peter Manchester
       "Eat the Music!"                        pmanchester@ccmail.sunysb.edu
                                                    72020.366@compuserve.com