Sounds that must die

[Demond123]

I personally just can't stand listening to the following sounds any more, and I think those sounds must disappear from music. Here's my list.

 

(in no particular order)

1. Celine Deon's voice - I'd rather listen to a screaming cat.

2. Mariah Carey (sp?) voice - makes me vomit

3. DX Piano/Bell - just can't stand it anymore.

4. Bamboo flute sample - Need I say more?

5. 80's metal guitar sounds - it's a shame I once dug that sound.

6. 80's Phil Collins drum sounds - a friend bought a sample CD full of Collins-type drum samples and I almost choke him.

[Bobro]

Originally posted by Demond123:

I personally just can't stand listening to the following sounds any more, and I think those sounds must disappear from music. Here's my list.

 

3. DX Piano/Bell - just can't stand it anymore.

[

/B]

 

Hehe, I just used this kind of sound for the first time in my life on a tune. I was thinking "what's the sleaziest, cheesiest, creepiest sound there is?" A lot of sounds give me the heebie-jeebies, but I already posted a rant about indiscriminately throwing together "ethnic" samples.

 

-CB

[Guest]

Symphony Orchestras

Distorted guitars

Pianos

Acoustic guitars

Drums

Six string guitars

12 string guitars

woodwinds

brass

percussion instruments

 

To judge a piece of music because it uses a certain sound istead of how the sound is used is a bogus criticism

 

Joe

[Bobro]

Originally posted by jtegan@tiac.net:

To judge a piece of music because it uses a certain sound istead of how the sound is used is a bogus criticism

 

That's what I'm saying- there's even uses for sounds that disturb in and of themselves, and sounds which can be good alone (lots of "ethnic" samples sound great) produce kitsch when thrown together without meaning.

 

 

I would say the 6 sounds listed by Demond123 have something in common- they all fall more or less in the slick-n-shiny category, which is definitely not to my taste either. Fortunately in my now radio and TV-free life, I don't have to listen to slick-n-shiny if I don't want to, to each their own.

 

What's bad is when you are forced to listen at work, in stores, etc. When I did work on the radio, the overcompressed fiberglass sound of contemporary popular singles drove me up the wall, I kept thinking, it would be so much more effective to save that slapped-upside-the-head-with-a-giant-fiberglass-hotdog sound as a dramatic effect, not as the 24-hour norm.

 

Wait a sec, it's silent here...aaaahhhhhh! No complaints.

 

-CB

[Botch.]

What's interesting here is there may be two reasons a person can't stand a sound; a) it just sounds nasty, like fingernails on a chalkboard or the female vocals in the B-52s, and b) it sounds so nice, Everyone Uses It and it gets worn out, like the DX-7 Rhodes. Wonder how people would feel about a piano if it suddenly showed up for the first time now?

[F7sound -]

Here's one. In TV and the movies, whenever they are showing some kind of desolate scene you always hear the same "hawk screech". It's the same sound and it's used in so many different things..... I think someone needs to record a different hawk.

 

 

Michael Oster

F7 Sound and Vision

http://www.f7sound.com

[DrMarkAndersenexcite.com]

Originally posted by f7sound@gte.net:

Here's one. In TV and the movies, whenever they are showing some kind of desolate scene you always hear the same "hawk screech". It's the same sound and it's used in so many different things..... I think someone needs to record a different hawk.

http://www.f7sound.com

 

Well, on the one hand, that's what hawks sound like (specifically red-tailed hawks, Buteo jamaicensis). On the other hand, though, it's certainly been overdone. I think it'd be cool if somebody used the buzz of a rattlesnake for the same effect; talk about intrinsically disturbing sounds! Maybe I should try to sample one, I've been rattled at enough times. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/eek.gif

 

Seriously, though, if I never hear a pedal steel again, it'll be too soon. I'm also really surprised no one seems to have mentioned the accordion. When I hear an accordion, I'm always reminded of the old Far Side comic: "Welcome to Heaven, here's your harp." "Welcome to Hell, here's your accordion."

 

Also, I disagree with those dissing the DX7 digital EP sound. I kinda like it. Sure, it's a bad imitation of a Rhodes if you think of it as an imitation of a Rhodes at all. But I think if you separate the sound from your expectations of what a Rhodes should sound like, the sound stands on its own pretty well.

 

cheers,

Mark A.

[Demond123]

Originally posted by DrMarkAndersen@excite.com:

 

Also, I disagree with those dissing the DX7 digital EP sound. I kinda like it. Sure, it's a bad imitation of a Rhodes if you think of it as an imitation of a Rhodes at all. But I think if you separate the sound from your expectations of what a Rhodes should sound like, the sound stands on its own pretty well.

 

cheers,

Mark A.[/b]

 

I wasn't dissing the DX EP sound. It has its own characters & I liked it a lot in the past. But the DX EP sound has been so hopelessly overused that I don't want to hear it in a song. This brings to another intersting question. For some reason, some sounds never ever get old. I can listen to acoustic piano & Rhodes sounds forever.

[dansouth]

Another day, another "suck" thread...

[Bobro]

Originally posted by DrMarkAndersen@excite.com:

Seriously, though, if I never hear a pedal steel again, it'll be too soon. I'm also really surprised no one seems to have mentioned the accordion. When I hear an accordion, I'm always reminded of the old Far Side comic: "Welcome to Heaven, here's your harp." "Welcome to Hell, here's your accordion."

 

Also, I disagree with those dissing the DX7 digital EP sound. I kinda like it. Sure, it's a bad imitation of a Rhodes if you think of it as an imitation of a Rhodes at all. But I think if you separate the sound from your expectations of what a Rhodes should sound like, the sound stands on its own pretty well.

 

I hope you didn't miscontrue "sleazy, cheesey and creepy" as derrogatory adjectives! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif I just found out a few days ago that the DX-7 E-piano sound is "supposed" to sound like a Rhodes, when I bought the FMHeaven virtual DX-7 VST instrument and was reading up on the history of the DX-7.

Maybe it does kind of sound like a Rhodes, but high on cocaine.

 

Anyway I love FM synthesis in general. Using two FMHeaven's and a couple hours of tweaking I finally got that Quanun-from-Uranus sound I've been chasing.

 

Pedal steel and accordian are lovely instruments in and of themselves IMO, it's the continual playing of them in the same way in the same kinds of musics that grates. Pedal steel in particular seems like an obvious one for some alternate-tuning madperson to do some serious innovating with.

 

Some sounds are bothersome in their absence- total lack of breathes between singing phrases is eerie once you notice it and certain environments are usually sadly represented in movies and TV. A harbor full of boats, for instance, has a huge complex sound all it's own.

 

I'd have to say the absolute absence of "mistakes" in a vocal line bothers me much more than ANY popular singing voice.

 

-CB

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by dansouth@yahoo.com:

Another day, another "suck" thread...

 

So, if I'm understanding you correctly, you think that "suck" threads suck... http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif

 

My suggestion - do something about it! Start a positive thread. Or two. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

 

dB