Editor’s Note: Starting with this month, Steve La Cerra moves into the “On The Digital Edge” slot, a column that ironically enough, he originally helmed on these pages years ago. Meanwhile, David Morgan — who is wrapping up James Taylor’s current world tour and beginning to prep for another blockbuster world tour (this time for Fleetwood Mac) is taking a well-deserved breather from his monthly column chores and will be contributing occasional feature articles in future issues of FRONT of HOUSE.
Pictured above: The drums may be digital, but real-life human Steve La Cerra lays down the groove on one of guitarist Richie Castellano’s “Band Geek” clips on YouTube.
A few weeks ago, I saw a tech article in a mainstream online publication that discussed how certain aspects of “analog” technology have been displaced by digital equivalents. One of the items on the list was analog tape. As much as I love the sound of analog tape (and the way it smells when you open the box), there’s no denying the fact that recording using a DAW is far easier, faster and cheaper, and provides unlimited possibilities for editing. At this point, it sounds pretty good, too.
We could argue back and forth over the parallels in the live sound world, with analog consoles all but disappearing. Digital consoles can be less expensive (though the least expensive ones don’t have the best sound quality), they’re reliable, they offer the convenience of total recall, networking capabilities, expandability, smaller footprint, and ability for remote control via phone or tablet. By virtue of the fact that all of the processing can be done “onboard” (even if it isn’t always), digital desks reduce truck space and weight, and can negate the need to carry outboard gear. Digital desks particularly excel in festival situations where engineers can load their files and be well on their way to getting a good mix.
The article also mentioned software plug-ins as a replacement for outboard hardware, and while I won’t debate with you whether or not an 1176 plug-in sounds better or worse than the real thing, there’s no denying the attractiveness of having unlimited 1176 “instances” so you can process every channel to your heart’s content. Other plug-ins such as a Fairchild emulation or an EMT plate reverb simply have no competition in the live sound world — you’d be out of your mind to take such gear on the road due to their fragile nature, sheer size and high maintenance costs, not to mention what a disaster it’d be if the truck got jacked in the middle of the night.
The CD was another technology that was mentioned as obsolete, though of course CDs were never analog. Regardless, the silver discs have been largely replaced by downloads and streaming. Most people don’t seem to mind the fact that the sound quality of most (non-high-res) downloads and just about all streaming sucks. That’s their problem.
Real or Emulation?
Toward the end of the article, the author showed a picture of a drum kit that belonged to a well-known, highly respected drummer. The picture had a red circle with a slash over it and showed a popular drum programming software as the replacement. This bugs the !@#$% out of me for more than a few reasons, the least of which is that I’m a drummer.
If you think you can program better than any competent drummer can play a track, you’re sadly mistaken. Yes, the software might be easier to deal with in terms of achieving high sound quality and not pissing off the neighbors due to the noise associated with recording live drums. Yes, the investment is far less than you’d ante up for a good kit, quality mics and preamps etc. And yes, you need to know absolutely nothing about recording technique to use drum emulation software. But no, the software is not a replacement for the real thing.
You can sample a piano or guitar and attempt to program those instruments much the same way you can program drums, but there ain’t no way you’re gonna breathe life into it. As anyone who has witnessed the performance of a live band can attest, there is no substitute for the real thing. I doubt most audience members would show up to watch someone hit “play” on a computer to start off a song where none of the musicians are playing live — though there seems to be a sizeable number of acts performing along with tracks these days.
The Convenience Factor
The one thing that went completely over the head of the author was that some of these technological tools are conveniences. It is convenient that you can carry 5,000 songs on your phone in MP3 format, but don’t tell me that those files sound the same as they do when played from a CD or a vinyl record. It just isn’t so (and if you think it is, you may want to consider another profession.)
The same can be said for the drum replacement software: it’s convenient but not necessarily better. If we think along those lines, then sub-par vocalists being processed in real-time by Auto-Tune will become the norm and not the exception. Right now, there are many so-called “divas” who can’t carry a tune in a paper bag but they’re able to get by in live performance by syncing along with tracks or using Auto-Tune, or distracting the audience (literally) with smoke and mirrors. Personally I’ll take a real diva who puts her heart and soul on the line every night, even if she sings a few notes that could have been tuned.
