Steve Albini interview

[flip970039]

+1 for the sensual horse shirt

[fickifickmaster]

and this is coming from an AC/DC fan, so what exactly did Albini get out of those records...what did AC/DC think about the world? nah, I kid, I love Albini.

[MrHogervorst]

Steve, fuck digital is, nowadays, in your head only, people come to you because of how you translate what you hear into a particular sound, you're unique in creating that special sound, whatever the recording technique. You're gonna play any place this year? I'd love that.

[JerrysKids100]

I love that shirt steve

[JerrysKids100]

@buewgewstmeiers because you can left click and hit delete...try that on a vinyl.

[thegreyhoundnyc]

I wonder if anybody at the conference knows that he was in a band with a guy from Urge Overkill called Run N---er Run. Name of one of the songs was "Pray that I don't kill you F---ot".

If they only knew....

[SuperBspb]

@thegreyhoundnyc So, that's an awesome song and band name.

[deathkampdrone]

he is sort of like the stephen hawking of independent music :)

[Abercrombieand1Bitch]

Anyone else here coming from Anti-Flag?

[MichaelHansenFUN]

BIG BLACK RULES

[83ishgirl]

Good interview. 

[mightyORFEN]

those white white horses

[EVILSTACK]

In a perfect world every album would be recorded by Albini.

[KingAndyIV]

@EVILSTACK I accept that view with the exception of The Stooges. That was a gash production.

[ob3ypr1mus]

@brookerwood

what's so racist about saying OF were being dicks? they were being dicks, that they were black has nothing to do with the fact they were being dicks.

[gangurobitch]

Every time Steve opens his mouth, I can't help but think of Grumpy Bear.

NEVAR CHANGE!

[hegadem]

Drums and guitars sound best on good old analog tape.

Digitally recorded rock and metal hurts my ears.

[bluekalyx]

@brookerwood Being ignorant to this recent bit of music gossip, I went and sought out what he said and, in all honesty, I don't see any hint of racism there. It seems he just accused them of being assholes, independent of their music.

[yuvalishes]

Tapes are known to degrade over time..a Digital master could be backed up as many times as you want and will last forever. If it's a question of sound quality I can relate to that but what is he talking about regarding durability of the digital master?

[KowankoMusic]

it's ironic that he praises analogue tape as some paragon of permanence, considering that restoration of old tapes entails a very arcane and exacting baking process. also, how can he claim analogue recording techniques to be superior to digital techniques without ever having learned digital? and why does it have to be strictly one or the other? there are plenty of ways to integrate the two, and keep both tape and digital masters.

[PieceofMindmusic]

@KowankoMusic - it's only his opinion. It's what works for his artistic purposes, not everyone's.

[bigmuffexpress]

@KowankoMusic Exactly. I like the sound of analogue, but love digital for it's ease of storage and accessibility. And so many people don't understand that you can still make a kick-ass, honest record with no pitch-correct (or any of that crap) on a digital format.

[dubified89]

@KowankoMusic Digital recordings that aren't analog transfers suck.

[YouGotWoodRolled]

Albini makes some brilliant points about the downsides of digital recording.

[Ymanalo]

Steve Albini is that guy who no matter what you said, whether he agreed with it or not would take the opposing argument just to be a dick. 

[PAULisDEADMANnumber9]

i love his ethics. what a guy. his production on the pixies, pj harvey, and nirvana recordings, are some of the best sounding i have ever heard. the drums are so sparse but so real, it sounds like your right in front of them. Hes one of my idols.

[MrNorbertweiner]

The fact he does this whole interview in front of a giant protools logo is unspeakable irony 

[mightyORFEN]

@MrNorbertweiner HAha well pro tools is still a must in analog but good observation

[MrNorbertweiner]

@mightyORFEN Pro Tools is in no way a "must" at all

[imshippyupup]

@MrNorbertweiner But apparently not an untypeable irony. 

[n8tehgr8]

@MrNorbertweiner What does he use to record?

[MrNorbertweiner]

@n8tehgr8 almost exclusive analog, he's big into old school 24 track 2 inch tape machines from the 70's. 

[MrRyokawasaki]

@MrNorbertweiner

What a shock! Albini doesn't actually live in another cooler world!

[AtorTheFlyingEagle]

@MrNorbertweiner Proltools is available at Electrical, he just doesn't bother to learn it.

[bluejay55118]

sorry Theshark15z but actually you are incorrect. in utero was not recorded in a major label studio. they did have geffen's large budget but it was recorded at pachyderm studio in cannon falls, mn. which is a tiny recording studio. i know this because i live in st. paul, minnesota. also they used a lot more than 3 mics for the drums. the album was recorded live with a ton of mics all over the entire room.

[Theshark15z]

@bluejay55118 It wasn't me who had said that it was made by a major label and they used three mics, I know Nirvana used there own money to fund the production and it was recorded in a small space. Infact Geffen records almost did not want to release the album, on the count, because of the production quality.Al in all, I simply was admiring the fact that Steve Albini had mention that a great record can be made on rudimentary equipment and Nirvana and Sublime album were the most noticable.

[musefreek]

what an absolutely wonderful interview. steve albini, you are a true inspiration. what an articulate man. love the way he expresses his ideas.

[anaemiabag]

fuck yeah ive got digital recording...... its a pain in the ass.......much preffer good old tape

[Developband]

An orthodox; still, an experienced master.

[tcdude001]

hearing the production music in the background is like having an audio enima

[MilesG102]

What he says around 22:20 is bang on the money.

[Theshark15z]

3:42.................."Fantast­ic records can be made on rudimentary equipment." Nothing but the truth. Examples; IN UTERO, AT ACTION PARK, 40oz. TO FREEDOM, PHOBOS and BULLHEAD.

[jasonfifi]

@Theshark15z in utero was made on a full major label budget in a very very nice studio. it was analog, and the drums were tracked with 3 mics, but it was no shoe-string recording.

[Arakon1]

Hmm, he actually seems to be mellowing :)

[jpsmithmma]

@Arakon1 He's an intellectual. He's always spoken like this when not playing.

[heitmanek1]

We can only hope that solid state drives will be a stable format.

[tomm1tch]

Amen to that, hits the nail on the head every time.

[juggerknot9]

Great post! Steve Albini always speaks the truth!