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Knowledge related question


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Hi all!

 

I sat here in front of the computer thinking am I talking to people that want to share their best knowledge about things or am I talking to people that want to share only common basic things. So then I thought I'd better ask that question. Do you want to keep your best mixing/mastering/studio secrets for yourself or do you think sharing that knowledge with others is the best thing to do? This is of course meant as a philosophic question, please give your opinion and thoughts on this subject.

 

Should we live in a world were the best knowledge should be free and shared or should we live in a world were secrets remain secrets? Please give reasons too.

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It seems the best like sharing...

 

I like to follow that example... I'm just a middle guy, but there's always someone who can benefit from someone with just a little more experience than themselves.

 

I get great ideas from all of you here, so I like to share anything that might help someone else.

 

Anyone who's afraid that their "secret" should remain one is a little too insecure, in my opinion.

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I can see keeping a secret if you are a pro studio and competing for business from labels, and the secret is something that sets you apart.

 

But for me, and amatuer, and the intent (as I perceive it) of this forum, sharing knowledge and enhancing the recording community is awesome!

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Like Bruce says "I have no secrets".

 

I'm a big believer in the "pay it forward" concept. When I was getting started, a lot of great people gave me a lot of good advice and tips... and one of them, when I tried to thank him, told me that when my time came, I should give back to the next generation - because that was the type of thanks he really wanted. I've never forgotten that, and I've tried my best to keep my end of the deal. :)

 

That's one of the reasons why I mod a forum. :)

 

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Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe

...when I tried to thank him, told me that when my time came, I should give back to the next generation - because that was the type of thanks he really wanted.

 

 

That's great. I'm going to remember that one.

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I'm here to learn as much as I can, and it works. While i'm here, if I can share ideas that work for me I try to do that too.

 

I've been dabbling with recording for a long time - nothing too professional. There is so much to learn, it really is a multi-disciplined occupation.

 

I can recall many 'light-bulb' experiences over the years, where something i've learned from somebody somewhere has really changed my understanding of recording. I think it requires a few hundred of those before you start to get anywhere - and it never really ends.

 

I must admit, sometimes I stumble on a idea, or some little-known software or something that I really am reluctant to share. So, to be honest, often I am withholding information - at least for a while. Also, some of my idea's tend to be fairly way-out, low-budget, experimental things.

 

I find a lot of audio professionals, and aspiring wannabe's, are so hung up on brand names and the hollywood image of what living the rock'n'roll dream is all about, that they aren't always receptive to new ideas that maybe don't involve lots of money or may not look cool. But I really get a kick out of reading the 'behind the scenes' tricks that have really been used on classic hits. The silly things that may not seem cool, but resulted in a great sound.

 

Recorded music is really an illusion - as The Beatles on Yellow Submarine said - "Nothing is Real". That wasn't just mystical nonsense - it was more like a album disclaimer! They blazed the trail for studio trickery. Even the 'beatle' voices in the The Yellow Submarine movie weren't real, they were actors impressions.

 

Music is all about smoke & mirrors, and psychoacoustics. It's a bit like conjuring tricks really.

 

So yeah - I keep a lot of stuff to myself.

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There is a mine of good information out there, and anyone with the desire can read the books or google for themselves. I think there is an element of laziness with a lot of beginners. So for the most part, those who have the knowledge can share a lot without giving away any secrets.

 

I think it is very naive to assume that the great producers or engineers don't keep some secrets to themselves. It's a competitive industry, and a lot of us are actually serious about achieving some serious chart success.

 

There is a saying about not casting pearls before swine. And if you know where that saying came from, you know the reason why you don't do that.

 

There are some things that have cost you dearly to learn, and you just know that some people wouldn't appreciate them. In many ways, you are not doing people a favour by answering every question. Learning comes from pain, and mistakes, and failures.

 

I take a bit of flak for saying some unpopular things on forums like this - that's cool, because I choose my battles. I don't always win them either - but I learn a lot.

 

The people that I have the most respect for in life are the people who don't blow their own horn, and don't put all their cards on the table. These are the people who you know have a wealth of knowledge, and if asked in the right circumstances can give you wisdom that frankly not everyone appreciates.

 

So shoot me.

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When I started out, I would pick up little ideas from experimenting, friends, magazines, all over. After a while I was trying to incorporate every trick on every track of a mix.

 

The most important secret is learn to listen to your mixes and forget all the secrets.

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One of my favorite quotes is from James Brown, concerning his band:

 

"I taught them everything they know, but I didn't teach them everything I know."

 

That said, I'll happily tell anyone who asks, how I do something.

 

The hard part is knowing when to do something, not how it's done...

 

MG

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Originally posted by seaneldon

Think of any kind of place like this as a giant mountain that all of the users are trying to get over at the same time. We're all trying to figure out the same thing...why not help each other out?

 

 

I think that's a really great attitude towards this subject! I usually think that there will always be somebody else with more knowledge than me and the thing is that in a world where intelligence is determining the result of knowledge it doesn't make a difference if you get a lot of knowledge unless you don't do something intelligent with it. I also think that some things are most fun when it is shared. I think the music hobby is such a thing. I also feel that sharing knowledge with others is the best thing you can do for yourself too because it always results in new perspectives and added knowledge around the issues, which is exactly how you build up a huge knowledge base most effectively because it is a free creative process that is fun rather than a self-protecting slow process based around money, which is not very fun either.

 

Also, recording is a very complex process in terms of the amount of decisions you make during a recording session. For every decision you make you sometimes have a bunch of "best practises" at hands, every decision you finally make has more to do with your intelligence and experiences.

 

So I really honestly think that in the way this world works, sharing is a good thing resulting in good stuff. It makes you feel great to be helpful and really give what you've got and by living that way you feel alive you know... I always feel such persons are very charismatic and someone that you want to pay a lot of respect. Honesty and help is two really important ingredients that builds up a good life. I guess God has created it that way.

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If it wasn't for a few pros onhere that helped me a lot and taught me loads of stuff the last three years ,I'd be still sampling other people's music and creating {censored}ty hiphop with a home made sound.

 

I've come to the point where I can help other people getting started in recording and passing the knowledge to them.

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Originally posted by boosh

If it wasn't for a few pros onhere that helped me a lot and taught me loads of stuff the last three years ,I'd be still sampling other people's music and creating {censored}ty hiphop with a home made sound.


I've come to the point where I can help other people getting started in recording and passing the knowledge to them.

 

That's really great! This is another reason why knowledge should be shared!:cool:

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