Members boosh Posted September 15, 2008 Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 I found this at the Sweetwater website and I think a lot of forumites will love these videos. I know that Chuck is a regular forum visitor and I hope he doesn't mind if I post this link to some awesome Bruce " The Viking " Swedien videos. If not then please remove this thread. Here's the link : http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/swedienvideo/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mark L Posted September 15, 2008 Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 How genuinely fascinating! If ever a man knew his subject, then Bruce Swedien is that man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 I doubt Chuck will mind the link Booshy. Great videos - thanks Chuck / Boosh / Bruce! :phil: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Sayers Posted September 15, 2008 Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 wonderful - thankyou Bruce - thankyou Sweetwater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members strathound Posted September 15, 2008 Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 Thanks for sharing that. Very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Music Calgary Posted September 15, 2008 Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 Awesomeness abounds. I wonder how many people will be sharing knowledge like Bruce does when this generation works it's way through the system -- seems like a lost art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted September 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 I wonder how many people will be sharing knowledge like Bruce does when this generation works it's way through the system -- seems like a lost art. Don't worry,... You won't believe how many people pass on everything they know and learned. Everything Bruce and my friend Russ Ragsdale teach me will be passed on to my son who's just 4.5 years old but always hanging around my little studio asking what I'm doing every 50 seconds. There's so many people on the forum here who know massive amounts of stuff and it's on us to seperate the good teachings from the bad by trial and error. Ask any engineer on here anything and they answer all your questions. Just don't be a smartass but listen and learn. If you're a smartass they won't tell you diddley because most engineers are the biggest smartasses ;-) Booshy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Music Calgary Posted September 15, 2008 Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 You won't believe how many people pass on everything they know and learned. But how many with Bruce's depth of knowledge? How many people even bother to get that experienced anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted September 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 I've asked Dave Reitzas - Madonna's and Barbra Streisand's mixing-engineer a gazillion questions and he's always answered my stupid questions. There are loads of people that try get to the same level as Bruce.I've learned that people in his league are no - Gods or what so-ever. They are reachable and love to teach you everything they know. They live,sleep,eat and breath music and want that passed on to everybody who's truly interested. There is no gain or profit for them if the art dies with them. They want to pass it on so everyone will know who they were and remember them. Everything for the sake of music. I try to get as experienced as I can by just doing what I do on my level. I'm only 37 so Bruce is about 40 years ahead of me. I don't know where this journey takes me. Maybe I will get to his level and I'm sure I will pass it on. And maybe then a young guy will be sitting at home and I will be the one calling him with a darkbrown voice,..... And I will say :" .... it's Boosh,now listen...." and teach him stuff while I'm 8,000 miles away... Booshy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bp Posted September 15, 2008 Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 I love my dogs and it's great to see that Bruce loves his too. Music is also great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted September 15, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 Lol,... I just remembered,.. I was at home and Bruce called me. At the same moment Rizzo was vacuumcleaning the house. I had only spoken to Bruce once before on the phone and I still felt a little akward(or shy,.. I dunno) so I waved with my hand while signaling Rizz to turn of the frikking hooverthing,...I silently shaped my mouth and said : " Shut up,..it's Bruce ". She replied : " So?? Just because he recorded Thriller doesn't mean his wife never vacuums the house,...Talk to him when I'm finished. He's married,..he understands,..." She really knows how to get you back into the real world ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 But how many with Bruce's depth of knowledge? How many people even bother to get that experienced anymore? With all due respect to Bruce (he knows I have nothing but love, respect and admiration for him), the same could have been said about HIS mentors. A couple of specific examples - Bill Putnam Sr and Duke Ellington. Bruce sites both as mentors, and frequently credits them and gives them props for things they taught him. Both are highly regarded, but both are gone now. And although I never worked with either one, I am able to benefit from their advice because of Bruce and his willingness to "pass it on" or if you prefer, "pay it forward". While I also lament the loss of great talents and the "dying art of ___" (insert your favorite item here - mic technique, critical listening skills, punching skills, whatever), there ARE people out there who do care, and who do take the time to learn what they can; to develop new approaches and ideas, to create sonically interesting recordings. Bruce, as great as he is, is not the end of that, nor will that pass away with the passing of his generation, because HE passed it on to the next generation, just as the previous generation passed it on to him. OUR job is to learn all we can from the greats while we still can, and to do our best to be the best we can be... so that when our time comes, we can in turn give back / pay it forward to the next generation of cats who come after us. I doubt I'll ever be a legendary recording engineer like Bill, Bruce or several other cats I could mention, but OTOH, I have been blessed to learn from some of these guys, and it is my responsibility to pass that along whenever I can, and not hoard that knowledge. I occasionally get ribbed for my "civility" and for the politeness standards I expect on my forum... but besides just being a believer in the concept of civility, there's another reason behind that. I know that people will disagree about techniques and approaches, and discussions about that are generally a good thing IMO. People consider different things, learn different things, try different things as a result of those sorts of discussions and disagreements... but the personal attacks and name calling is counter-productive. That sort of bullpuckey only detracts from and distracts from the objective - which is to learn, to grow, and to share knowledge and ideas. Like I said, I may never become a living legend, but if I can pass something I learned from a living legend along to someone else, then in some small way, I'm helping to repay that debt of honor that I owe to people like Bruce who were so willing to share with a relatively unknown guy like me. And forget me for a second - look at world class guys like John Paterno Dave Reitzas or Russrags - these are guys who get it, and who really know their stuff, and they also "give back". When their / our generation passes, then the next will hopefully do the same thing, and pass it on... just as it was previously passed on to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Music Calgary Posted September 15, 2008 Members Share Posted September 15, 2008 With all due respect to Bruce (he knows I have nothing but love, respect and admiration for him), the same could have been said about HIS mentors. A couple of specific examples - Bill Putnam Sr and Duke Ellington. Yes of course. I am skeptical that it will continue. Society now is more than ever based on fear and isolation. Your gov't has no money for health care or schools yet somehow has trillions for a war no one supports -- that wasn't the case in Duke's day or Bruce's for that matter... It's a new world order. A new individual ethos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 15, 2008 Share Posted September 15, 2008 "My government" has nothing to do with it as far as I can see... they do not make the decisions about whether or not I, or anyone else, will be willing to share information with others or not, or whether or not we'll put the effort into becoming good engineers, musicians and producers. In the 1940s, there was more money spent world-wide, as a percentage of GNP, on war than there is today... that didn't stop Duke from making great music. In the 50s, it was McCarthyism, the Cold War, the Atomic Age and other issues... but that didn't stop Bruce and Bill. In the 60s, it was the war in Viet Nam, the hippie movement, political assassinations of MLK, JFK, RFK, and other political and social upheavals... and that didn't stop people from making and recording great music... The 80s were called the "me decade", but people still managed to make good music... In some ways, people are more isolated today, at least in the respect of getting together to make music. The project studio has allowed people the tools to make music at home; even working alone if they want to... but as I've said many times, music is best when it is a shared endeavour, and benefits from the contributions of multiple people instead of it being a "one person show" all the time. Fortunately, we do have things available to us today that can be used to fight that isolation... maybe most people can't intern in a large mega-studio complex today, but they can benefit from the experience and knowledge of others in other ways. You just have to change with the times and think outside the box a little bit, and have the discipline (see Bruce's other thread ) to get off your butt and make it happen - use online resources to learn, to share; heck, to collaborate! As long as there are talented people who care about the music, and who have a real love for that, and for the art of recording it, and as long as we have people who have learned from the previous generations and who are willing to pass that along to subsequent generations, I have hope for the future of music. Maybe the industry as we once knew it will change - heck, IMO, it HAS to change... but music will still exist, and as long as some people give a crap, good music, and the knowledge and skills required to produce it, will survive and even thrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Music Calgary Posted September 16, 2008 Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 "My government" has nothing to do with it as far as I can see... they do not make the decisions about whether or not I, or anyone else, will be willing to share information with others or not Phil, you are a great guy -- but naive/optimistic from where I see it. Suffice to say we differ. If you feel like you have complete freedom it's only because you've never tested it. As long as there are talented people who care about the music, and who have a real love for that, and for the art of recording it, and as long as we have people who have learned from the previous generations and who are willing to pass that along to subsequent generations There's a profound difference between learning and becoming a master. Increasingly the experiential component of the people we learn from is dwindling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chucksweet Posted September 16, 2008 Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 Boosh, I don't mind at all. I hope the whole world can enjoy them. Bruce is such an amazing man and so generous with his time and skills. He and his wife, Bea are the kind of people who make this world a better place because they walked the earth. Bruce calls my cellphone pretty regularly and I still get chills every time he calls. He was such a big influence for me in my early recording years. I loved listening and dissecting all of his work. It is unbelievable I get to call him my friend. I am so blessed in many ways. When my daughter, Adderly was born almost exactly 2 years ago, one of the first presents she got was a beautiful, hand made doll from Bruce and Bea. It was her first doll and is still her favorite. We named her Polly! (I have no idea why) Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bp Posted September 16, 2008 Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 Bruce and others (Tom Dowd, Ken Scott...) are great engineers to absorb both in their work and the sharing that they have done with those who pay attention. I find that I can also learn from the young, lesser experienced musicians / engineers that I've encountered. Quite often their perspective can be a gut level, emotional one that doesn't get tied down in technique. Take input from all sources, you can learn from anyone if you keep open to it. Sorry I missed Bruce at GearFest. I had a bunch of wet cardboard to clean up in the booth when I arrived that day. We had a pretty bad storm the night before. I missed Tower Of Power as well. It still was a great event in any case. I look forward to the next one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bbach Posted September 16, 2008 Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 "In the performance and recording of modern popular music it is easier to be done than to be satisfied" Well said Bruce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Han Posted September 16, 2008 Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 I remember a post from a guy at PSW. He got Rudy van Gelder on the phone and said: dear mister van Gelder, would you mind if I ask you a question about recording? And Rudy said: go f*ck yourself and hang up the phone. Rudy will die not far from now, he's in his eighties and he will take all his knowledge with him in his coffin. How very different are gents like Bruce Swedien, Dave Reitzas, Russ Rugsdale, Harvey Gerst and many other great engineers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted September 16, 2008 Members Share Posted September 16, 2008 I remember a post from a guy at PSW. He got Rudy van Gelder on the phone and said: dear mister van Gelder, would you mind if I ask you a question about recording? And Rudy said: go f*ck yourself and hang up the phone. Friendly.... How very different are gents like Bruce Swedien, Dave Reitzas, Russ Rugsdale, Harvey Gerst and many other great engineers. Great bunch of people. I'm glad you mentioned Harvey Gerst, even though he doesn't come around here. He's a super super great guy, very knowledgeable, and is always willing to share his knowledge with others. There's a lot of other really gifted engineers around willing to share their expertise as well, and I'm always very grateful to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Duddits Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 Btw... about the second day after we meet, I proposed to Bruce Some quotes just beg to be taken out of context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudolf von Hagenwil Posted September 17, 2008 Members Share Posted September 17, 2008 Btw... about the second day after we meet, I proposed to Bruce... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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