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Editorials

TRIVIUM RECORDING NEW ALBUM THE OLD FASHIONED WAY… ACTUALLY, NOT SO MUCH.

 Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 11:45am by

So yesterday Trivium posted a new “from the studio” video update in which they focused on the fact that they aren’t relying on ProTools trickery as much during the recording process of their new album Shogun. I’ve written about this at length before… But it’s kind of sad just how much bands rely on ProTools shenanigans to record these days. Most modern metal records have the snare and bass drums sound-replaced with pre-recorded sample, and errant hits are moved so that they line up with a grid. Parts of different takes are cut together instead of having to play the whole thing correctly (for every instrument). Guitars are recorded clean and then “re-amped” during the mixing process.

The fact that Trivium are taking a more natural (relatively) approach this time around is good news, but the fact that this is newsworthy is crazy. If you really wanted to make a natural record you’d do it live in one take with all the band members standing in a room together. This will never happen, nor would Roadrunner allow it to. Nor am I convinced the result would be good if this happened. But, I guess for Trivium it’s a step in the right direction. Heafy and co. are proficient enough musicians, and with Nick Raskulinecz behind the boards I’m sure the result will be great from a sonic standpoint. Though I’m convinced their shoddy drummer is going to have problems.

-VN

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  • Joe

    Cool video, and thanks for the update. I like Travis Smith as a drummer. He fucking can rip off double bass like the pros.

  • McWeen

    I think I heard Alice Cooper did it live in a room a couple albums ago.

  • http://myspace Sidric “straws pulled on day69!”

    travis smith uses triggers dude, that how he “Cheats” at drumming. IN genral he is a shit drummer!

  • SK

    i call bullshit….they might play/perform the song and all the notes…but there will be some computer generated shit in the mix…there will be some beatmapper…there will be some snare/bass drum hits enhanced…kill that noise

  • Sammy

    I like Trivium (one of the proud 3% here who do), but did they inadvertently admit to digital trickery to record their previous albums?

  • RayRay

    Shoddy drummer? is that a joke?

  • Joe

    @ Sammy

    Yeah, not many people love Trivium. In a way, IF Metallica had released Crusade then that would have fared better then St. Anger. Just my opinion.

    I don’t they admit to anything, they just dont want to use digital stuff anymore. I think thats the problem with a lot of bands, they can’t reproduce their sound live. Mudvayne is the best sounding concert I’ve ever been too. THey were able to reproduce their sound to a T. That’s sad considering the concerts I’ve been too.

    Or maybe I’m too much of a fan and my love for Trivium overshadows the obvious.

  • Joe

    Travis Smith isn’t a shoddy drummer. His technical shit is leaps and bounds beyond MOST drummers. I wouldn’t call him Chris Adler, or Danny Carey good, but he’s getting up there. At least in every Trivium song, there isn’t a 10 second break, where the band stops playing and all you hear is the double bass pounding away.

  • Bryan

    You know who does it live? THE BRONX. 3 Takes, that’s it.

    FUCK IT WE’LL DO IT LIVE!

  • Sammy

    I don’t have a philosophical problem with bands using ProTools to digitally fix an errant miscue or to add a better solo that was recorded later. Or to add additional guitar tracks to thicken the sound. I do take issue with replacing actual musical talent with digital editing, however.

    And what’s with metal bands who think every millisecond of every song must be filled with (digital or real) endless double bass drum? It’s like comedians who use “fuck” so many times it loses its meaning three minutes into a set.

  • Danny

    I like some stuff off of Ascendancy, but The Crusade wore off on the first listen. Mark that one to a filler cd just to put something out.

    The use of triggers is an iffy subject, and I think it depends on the band. I do agree however, that if you you so much filler in the studio and it sounds like shit live, then thats a huge downer when you spend money to see a band live.

    I am sure a lot off ppl on here will rip grunge, but I saw Alice In Chains in ’93, and they almost sounded better than the studio recordings. But, it could have been that is was hour 10 at lollapalooza during extreme heat, and also the copious amounts of substances that I had been consuming all day long.

  • kirk

    Thanks for pointing out the ridiculousness of current pop-recording (of any genre). It is truly sad/disapointing/crazy that these guys (not a knock on them) have to push the message that they’re doing something different by using less digital “trickery”. The pendulum has been swinging around like crazy since the 80s with bands going back to equipment from the 70s, and others embracing/relying on the state of the art tech. to get by.

    There’s a happy medium when it comes to pro-tools usage. Those very slight miss-hits, that minuscule fret buzz, all the things that make these musicians human are what make records organic.

  • http://www.myspace.com/divinationmetal thedoomsdaybroadcast

    ugh… let’s just hope these cocky little turds don’t use the word “anthem” again. if you have less than 10 years under your belt, and have never written a song that the general public has coined as “an anthem” you should not dare to slef-proclaim one for yourself.

  • Sammy

    Imagine if Trivium and Avenged Sevenfold went on tour in support of Disturbed, and Dallas Coyle followed along to report on the tour and add his social commentary. If Metalsucks could figure out a way to turn comments into income, you fuckers could retire.

  • banter

    Travis Smith… LOL

    Heel down technique with triggers? Does not compute.

  • http://www.roxwel.com Pick-Axe Bobby

    @ Bryan:

    YUS. The Bronx. No bullshit.

  • jesse

    @Danny

    Filler CD just to put something out? Are you fucking serious?

    Give that CD a couple more listens and actually give it a chance this time. Just because Matt doesn’t scream anymore and the lyrical content is borderline cheesy doesn’t mean they didn’t put some serious thought and time into the foundation and creation of The Crusade.

    Trivium are not a band to be taken lightly. They are true metal geeks and you can hear it in every song they play. Between Ember to Inferno, Ascendency, and The Crusade, they have damn near covered the entire spectrum of metal.

    @Sammy

    I agree man. Pro Tools is good to polish off a good album, but any fool can make an entire album with Pro Tools with little to no musical talent if he wanted to.

    ————————————-
    Travis = Genuinely good drummer. I’ve seen Trivium numerous times and he’s working his ass off out there with split hair timing. Don’t knock him til you see him live.

  • http://www.sithomeandrot.com/celebs/ manny

    I hate to be the rain on the picnic but the process of being ‘ultra perfectionist’ in the recording studio existed with analog equipment LONG before Pro-tools was common or even born.

    There are still old school guys who can cut the shit out of tape like no one’s business like it was a DAW. It might take 3 more hours but it can be done.

    One shining example is the soundtrack of the movie Blue Velvet. Isabella Rossellini never sang more than 1 word at a time while recording despite having at least 3 ‘live’ singing appearances in the film. They literally had to cut every word into the music and replace notes all over the place to polish her up since she couldn’t stay in key for shit. They even busted out the old analog Antares for that. It was all done on tape. (do I even need to mention the infamous cut-ins on …And Justice for All that were also done on analog? I don’t think Lars can play Dyer’s Eve to this day live…well at least not properly)

    Basically, if it came after 1970, people have been able to cut and paste performances as much as they can now, it’s just a LOT faster to do now so some people do it a bit more now.

  • http://www.cleandemon,com cleandemon

    Neil Young has the right idea (on his good records at least).

    We’ll play it altogether and we’ll play it once, and that tape had sure as hell better be rolling.

  • Danny

    @Jesse

    I am fucking serious. It has nothing to do the screaming. Its the originality of the the song structures, and lyrics. I get the whole “let’s rehash some thrash” thing. But, that cd had some really cheesy shit on it. “Anthem”?? That’s mullet inspiration right there.

    I haven’t discredited the talent. Matt is an excellent guitarist, and he has some good vocal range. That cd just didn’t hold may attention very long. They may have not intended it to be filler, but they could have done alot better. I’ll wait and see what the new stuff sounds like.

  • http://myspace Sidric “straws pulled on day69!”

    “I’m convinced their shoddy drummer is going to have problems.” isn’t a joke man its the truth he is a shoddy drummer! compare him to adler, hakke, bittner, dan ford,mike protney,martin lopez, flo mouriner, derk roddy,niko mcbain, dave mcalin, chris pennie, georger kollias and aload of other cool metal drummers (there really to many to list). Are a 100 times better then smith intermence of skill and style (yes i respect other ppls opinion that hes god to you, to me hes shite thats my opinion on it ok!).

  • Shiv

    Zao did it first with Albini
    Zao did it better

  • http://myspace Sidric “straws pulled on day69!”

    its also quite funny how their useing pro tools to record this album!

  • jesse

    @Danny

    Haha, I completely agree with you on “Anthem”. That is definitely mullet metal to the fullest. But my opinion on the album is that it was more of an homage to the different kinds of metal out there rather than a re-hash. I totally see where you’re coming from though, I just look at it in more of a positive light because I don’t want to feel like I’ve wasted my time on a band I’ve spent the last 4-5 years busting a nut over.

    I’m pretty sure we’ll get some good stuff from them the next time around. Between the 4 of them, they can pretty much play anything if they get their shit straight and do it right. But then again, it’s one thing to play shit that’s already been done, and it’s another to put your own edge on it, which Trivium definitely failed to do on The Crusade.

  • http://www.myspace.com/Amethyst_shadows Scary_Mary

    Wow this was actually a well though out debate this time. I’m surprised no one commented on paolo’s fuck up. metalsucks is movin’ up.

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