studio vs live -vocals

[swingnscream]

I gotta admit there some really great bands out there that I love going to see in concert and I really like thier songs, but I wouldn't buy thier cd because it's not as good.

It seems like when they record the main voicals [espcially in hard rock & rawk scenes] the make them all sound close to the same. For instance [vocals]: 12 Stones sound like Kutless, Kutless sounds like Building 429, Building 429 sounds like Jeremy Camp ...and on & on & on.

Why do they do that in studio when they're not like that live? It's like the try take out any distinction of the voice when they record. ...I mean they don't completely do that, but they sure make it seem very very close, and that makes it seem like everybody's just copying everybody else. ..Maybe they are in a way, but in concert each of those bands and vocals have their own style that really show through when they're live. Guess I just don't get it. Is it a marketing thing or something like that?

 

[shrimp1214]

yeah, i pretty much think it's marketing... you turn on Christian radio and all the songs have to have that "Christian sound" to it or they won't play it.

Ever heard the song "Savior" by Skillet on the radio? Well turn on the cd w/ that song on it and it has a lot more "rock" to it.

the bands change their sound so people will play them on the radio

 

[Ginsu]

I noticed that some bands have much better vocals while playing live than they do studio wise, and others vice versa... it's late, I really don't know what I'm talking about.

 

[CaDan]

Why do they do that in studio when they're not like that live? It's like the try take out any distinction of the voice when they record. ...I mean they don't completely do that, but they sure make it seem very very close, and that makes it seem like everybody's just copying everybody else. ..Maybe they are in a way, but in concert each of those bands and vocals have their own style that really show through when they're live. Guess I just don't get it. Is it a marketing thing or something like that?

If they recorded with the same levels and compression that they use live, it would sound TERRIBLE on most car stereos. Albums are usually mixed to sound at least "decent" on most sorts of stereos--anything from my 1976 vintage Kenwood KA-5500 played through stacked double Advents (circa 1974 and still the finest mass market speakers ever made) to a cheapo Emerson.

At a concert, a band has several thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars worth of equipment. In a sense, you are hearing them on THEIR stereo.

I won't even get into the fuddy-duddy producers who can do some very weird things to bands when they get into studios....