Episode 6 - Creative Recording Techniques
Вставка
- Опубліковано 23 січ 2020
- Ken walks you through the creative recording techniques used for Failure’s “Blank”.
Music starts at 4:48
Still photos in intro by Priscilla C. Scott:
priscillacscottphotos.com
priscillacscott
Additional photos by
Wyatt Troll
Jeff Bender
Alison Dyer
Olaf Heine
Ryan Daly
Myriam Santos-Kayda
Syd Kato
Illustration by Evan Long
If interested in booking Ken’s mixing services: globalpositioningservices.net...
Failure music and merchandise available at: www.hellomerch.com/collection...
Ken Andrews, Secrets of the lost Satellite, Solo Album: store.cdbaby.com/cd/kenandrews
Second ON album, (Solo Album): store.cdbaby.com/cd/on
Failure Team
Music Licensing: aj@roughtradepublishing.com
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Publicist: monica@speakeasypr.com
All other general inquiries see: www.kenadrews.com
Feels surreal watching this. Thanks for everything, Ken.
Ken, I can't than you enough for these. Your production is a great example of how guitar, bass, and drums don't have to sound slick to sound huge. Any chance you'll ever take a look at Saturday Savior? I'd kill a man to hear the individual tracks isolated and explained (jk). I did a paper on that albums production when I was getting my audio engineering degree.
@Achilles Javion Thanks for the spam. Luckily I'll never try flickzone... whatever that is.
I know I am kinda off topic but do anyone know a good place to watch new movies online?
@Aron James Meh I would suggest Flixportal. you can find it on google :P -alberto
@Alberto Jackson Thank you, I signed up and it seems to work :) I really appreciate it !
@Aron James Happy to help xD
Is this the best content on youtube?
without a doubt, one the best youtube channels.
Yes
Why yes, yes it is! 😁
I can't express how much I love that you break down every aspect of the recording from this album. I could watch a million videos about this one album let alone your other work. This is so great. It's like having Leonardo da Vinci explain the Mona Lisa.
Can’t tell you how fun it is to see these songs broken down!!! I’ve listened to them endlessly. Thanks Ken 🙏
upright bass! all those early years playing a fret less bass finally pay off!
Love seeing Fantastic Planet dissected.
I absolutely love Blank. Can't tell you enough.
Always thought this was one of the best sounding albums. Conceptual and sonically influential.
Reminds me of a conversation I had with a sound engineer in the 90's who would mix in a dog's bark on snare drums to give it more character
"Ocean of distortion" has a good ring to it. :) I always figured the distorted piano was some sort of old detuned organ, glad to be corrected!
Blank is one of the greatest songs I've ever heard in my life (your songs are always great though) and the song helped me at a difficult time, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for this episode!!
i’m so happy i found this video and channel! Blank is my favorite song off of Fantastic Planet because of how different it was from the rest of the tracks and it’s emotional impact when listening to the record. such a great song and happy you showed us a breakdown of the track!
Ken, your videos are so insightful to your music that we all love! I'd love to hear a breakdown of anything from the Year of the Rabbit album, especially Hunted! That album is great top to bottom and it sounds so good!
"Run it through that many pedals and something good is bound to happen... right?"
My entire approach to the creative process nailed in a sentence...
I would have bet a fair amount of money that the distorted piano was an organ. I love those parts, because they've always reminded me of a carnival calliope, as if I had stumbled into a Ray Bradbury novel.
It's interesting: In the 90s my favorite track on the record was "Another Space Song." These days, "Blank" is the song I find myself returning to most often. The mixture of resignation and expansiveness really speaks to me these days.
Thanks as always, Ken. I love learning about your process.
Agreed, I think overdriven organ is very close to this sound, except for the metallic ping attack you get with the piano.
@@KenAndrewsMusic I'm surprised that the glissando sounds so smooth when the piano comes in, given that attack. That part always gives me a chill.
This was FASCINATING. I've listened to this song so many times since FP came out and I had no idea how many tricks were involved. I love the amount of thought that went into the process.
Hearing the isolated guitar was like visiting an old friend. Such a familiar, beautiful, distinctive sound.
I'd love to see this insight on The Pineal Electorate. A lot going on in that one. And/or What Makes It Easy.
This whole album is so good sounding. I use it as a mix reference for some of my stuff. It's amazing that you guys just bought the gear and did it yourself back in the 90's and made something that still holds up.
You have risen the industry's bar . Which these days is undoubtedly a miracle.
I had just about given up on musical passion.
Definitely put a smile to my face when i realized what Ken Andrews channel was all about. Thank so much for the information.
For what it’s worth, you are one of the brightest minds in the history of sound.
Fascinating, learning about the analog innovation back then. Must have been so fun. Reminds me of that Steve Albini technique on the failure comfort session movie where he spins the microphone on the cable suspended in the air! Excellent content as always Ken. Thumbs up
Hahah, I think Albini was just fucking around.
Thanks for making these videos Ken. Even though i have no knowledge of mixing or recording, it's cool to get a glimpse into how these songs came together. It would be interesting to see how recording techniques differed for ON or YOTR.
We are lucky to have Failure back. You guys are killing it, keep up the good work! Can't wait for you guys to come back to STL.
Thanks Andrew. It's very gratifying to know that non-audio people are enjoying these clips. I'm trying to make them so both can enjoy.
@@KenAndrewsMusic I second Andrew. These videos are amazing for those of us who are just massively in love with the album or are just finally getting around to doing some bedroom recording in our old age! Thank you!
I always wondered what you guys used for the samples in Blank, thanks! Beautiful song and production. Keep breaking the mold! You've probably got video ideas though the roof, but i would love to see you break down Small Crimes someday!
One of my top 10 albums of all time - awesome. Thank you for sharing - so bad ass
you could someday talk about your work on 2003's Blink-182 record, I'm sure there's some interesting arrangements you did there too! thanks for sharing your experience with us Ken, priceless!
Yes, I love Obvious - I think it is from that album
Can we get a studio tour!?
Yes, at some point, although, in terms of mixing, the screen shots in these videos is basically my studio!
Something good is bound to happen
Found in a search for "creative recording techniques" and it was just what I was hoping for. Great breakdown of the song. I love working with "creative limitations!"
Awesome, thank you!
Eargasm! Amazing how much is put into these songs. Keep them coming! 🤞 For new Failure album 😄
This is a master class on creative production
Hi Ken, Thanks for the lesson :), the snare drum in Blank always gives me goosebumps
Thank you Ken for sharing your process! btw... I can't get enough of the new Failure records, specifically "In The Future...". You three make magic together. Please keep making Failure records.
Amazing! One of my favorite tracks off of one of my favorite records. Would love to see more!
Fantastic. Thanks Ken
This is incredible. Thank you so, so much for doing this series.
These are so awesome to watch, thank you for uploading these videos
This is great stuff Ken, watching how you mix all these songs is just amazing. I can't wait to see you in July.
I love these videos, and love every bit of music you've worked on. Looking forward to all 3 of the Chicago shows this year!
Once again, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and insight. I am constantly looking forward to the next video.
Thanks you Ken, you're my biggest influence
Another great episode! As always, thanks for doing this, Ken!
By far my fav channel on UA-cam !!! Love your content !!!
awesome!!
i'm glad you make videos.
they are super educational and inspiring.
Thank you!!
Thank you so much for this content, Ken!
I used to listen to this song when withdrawing from heroin!
Good times. It's far enough in the review mirror for me to say that now lol
Great one. Love this series
So much knowledge. Thanks as always.
Beautiful, thanks Ken!
Please do more of these, they're endlessly fascinating.
I love this.
So good ,really enjoyed this session :)
Super cool shit man. It really inspires me to think out of the box and to not fall back on the tried and true methods we all know and have been using over the years. Looking forward to more of your videos.
thanks again for another amazing video Papa Ken!
Maaaan, this is golden than gold! Thanks for these incredible insights on Fantastic Planet. It's an incredible album.
Fantissimo as usual. Loved seeing the Silver Wal in one of those montages.
Awesome Ken! Thanks for this. Just great.
This by far is my favorite one out of the 6!!!! Loved the drum close mic up and further away mic up bit. Ken you totally touched on every single part of that song I adore
My god that drum and loop bit is so amazing
wow man, this is just amazing.
Ken! I love seeing the mix sessions from Fantastic Planet. The Eventide has such a vibe. Great video!
This is incredible stuff.
Once again another great video! Thanks for this Ken! Can't wait for the next one. I hope you do this for the entire record. These track break downs are pure gold and immortalizing them on UA-cam is a great and time worthy endeavor. Great tips too. I wish this existed when I was learning pro audio. Kids have it so good today.
Another incredible episode! Thanks so much for the time you've taken to break this down; I was hugely surprised with some of the techniques used for this track. Really enjoyed the stills from the Fantastic Planet recordings as well. I would love to see a break down of Hunted from the YOTR album one day; that bass sound always drove me crazy! I spent so long trying to get something close to that!
I absolutely love this tune -- and have listened to it countless times. Now I get to see your deconstruction of the individual tracks - yup,...this is a good day.
i was soo wrong with that over distorted part i never would of thought it was a piano but now that you showed us it make sense wow just wowwwww
The greatest episode right here
Really awesome track... really inspired me to try some new stuff!! Thank you...
Wow!! Thanks for sharing this!! Very very inspiring
Really great to get insight into how these magnificent songs were put together. I also have to respect the extra level of creativity and production chops it takes when you are recording to tape and have to capture all these sounds at the source.
Thank you Ken!! You have really made some dreams come true sharing your thoughts and knowledge!
That drum loop kinda reminds me of the theme song to the show Dexter. Super cool mix breakdown, thanks ken!
Brilliant!
I think I could see this for each song of Fantastic Planet. Great job, Ken!
Ken, thanks so much for doing these. Recording my own music has been my dream since I was a teenager and I'm finally taking steps to put together a small home studio. The tips and information you're sharing is absolutely invaluable and very inspiring.
Incredible video. Thanks ✌🏼
Excellent. Really enjoyed this. I love being Frankenstein in the studio.
That intro tune is amazing! Would be so good to see tutorials based on this, how to get the sounds, mix etc.
Man it's like coming home hearing you play these songs. Blank and Dirty Blue Balloons are my top two (in that order), followed by Another Space Song and Smoking Umbrellas. I'm not a techie or musician, but Failure's sound has always set the bar for me. I always told people that FP had so many layers that I felt like I could always find something new, and you proved that here...more than two decades later I learn there's a floor creak!
This is very cool thanks for sharing.
i love this song so much
thank you
Dude, thank you for sharing those techniques. Until I saw your first reunion show I always thought the intro of Stuck On You was guitar going through a bunch of pitch/mod pedals. Very cool! I'd love to hear about that crazy part in Counterfeit Sky. See you in July!!!
I like how he addresses the difficulty of trying to do something a certain way, but realizing difficulty at time of execution, due to some sort of limitation. This is something I encounter in terms of using cheap equipment... and I'm not complaining! Because with cheap equipment, you get all sorts of interesting, unexpected things that happen. From an artistic point of view, it's fascinating. There are times where I wish something sounded more "Studio", but there have been cases where great song-writing just overtakes equipment, of any calibre, completely out of the picture (case in point: Chelsea Wolfe's "The Grime and The Glow"). As far as creative recording techniques go, I appreciate his insight immensely. But was wondering if he was going to wax philosophic on the idea of Field Recording. In a sense, I think FR can be considered a sort of "eccentric artist" thing, but on the other hand, it's I think a legit way to feel more of a physical, or mental connection/involvement with Sound Itself. I just think it'd be very interesting to tap his brain on that whole concept.
ua-cam.com/video/DjoK3rwsbos/v-deo.html
God, this is amazing! Fantastic Planet hit me hard and has remained one of my favorite albums from the moment I first heard “Stuck on You” in 1995 to the present, and this chance to get a look under the hood on how you go about creating those incredible compositions with modern tools is absolutely incredible! I’d love to see up under the skirt of “Dirty Blue Balloons”, too!
Ken thanks so much for these. Can you do Stuck On You? Most rock tracks have loud guitars, but that song is a master class for mixing them quiet, behind the bass, kick & snare, for more impact. Would love to hear about the gear and process you used to get that sound.
Thanks, Ken!
Great vid! thanks
just found this channel. loved your mix of the icarus line's on the lash! great mix and sound!
Awesome, thank you!
Great video. Full of helpful informations! :)
Glad it was helpful!
ken is the best !
Thank you again for making these, its amazing to see some of these songs that helped me get through some hard time broken down like this. cant wait to see the fantastic planet show in Chicago in July. as a guitar nerd i think it would be amazing to see a video about some of the effects used to get certain sounds (verses on frogs,intro on another space song, intro on atom city queen and my personal favorite the intro on counterfeit sky which is the coolest guitar sound ive ever heard) also breaking down what settings you guys use on the axe fx III. i know i cant be the only gear/guitar nerd wanting to see how you guys get such great sounds out of a modeling amp. Good luck on the mixing of the album and see you in Chicago!!!
Damn, this is amazing. Thx for the tips
Also, i wonder how that sounds effect is made at the end of wet gravity.
the song is tuned to Eb but the high E string is Db. Crazy! Excellent song
I actually love that you split up the vocals on separate tracks for certain parts. I'm fairly new into recording but that's one thing that I found myself doing early on. I always thought it was improper or something but it made sense to me if I sang certain parts differently or just have a different vibe going for a part, I want to isolate that. I find myself doing it with guitar sometimes too.
I do it with all the various instrument families.
Thank you.
I would be interested in an episode describing the recording setup for the Magnified demos and what the recording process was like in general. It would be cool to learn what drum machine you used.
I love this video series. Very helpful content. What's the next topic? I'd love to hear you talk about your use of space in "The Nurse Who Loved Me," especially toward the end of the song.
I would absolutely love to see a breakdown of Another Space Song
Oh kenny boy, you da man
Cannot wait for the NYC shows in July. I will be at all three!
I just have to say, it's always a pleasure to come across someone else who remembers the Green Man. Cheers.
@@catharsisecho hell yeah brother. Caught their last show in NYC six months before he passed. Excellent show!
The only time I got to see them was on the tour for WCD in Indianapolis. I forget, I think that tour cycle was '99 maybe? You're right, they sure did put on a hell of a show.
TON rules
Speaking of TON, isn't the laughter sample at 14:00 similar or the same used in 'How Could She?'
Very interesting tea