What if the Beatles had Pro Tools?

[NannerPuddin']

I am very thankful the George Martin had no PT to work on! If they had PT, then they would probably also have syths, samplers and that horrible "guitar" sound that is so prevalent on so many of today's "rock" records.

They probably would have had autotune, also.

NP

[OzzyOsmond]

It seems like as though technology is continually making up for or allowing artists to require less real talent. Lets face it, Korg sells thousands of those "jam machine" type things and anyone that can play a record player thinks he/she is a musician these days. Pro Tools is great, don't get me wrong. But I would like to know whether John, Paul, George and Ringo would have really been as good of musicians if they had PT. OR, maybe it would have saved them so much time they could have written twice as many brilliant songs. In any event, the sounds, tones, nuances, that were created by those types of artists are the benchmark for what sounds good today. Seems like there's a digital "modeler" for every purpose all trying to emulate the sounds that Martin and the Beatles as well as others created so long ago.....

[duderonomi]

I have said on a couple choice sessions, "Turn down the suck knob and use the talent plug in!" There is no substitute for talent. I have had some clients say, "well can't you tune that?" I say, " you have to get closer to the pitch as the software has limitations."

[Ultraslide]

I dont think new technology would have changed much in the way the Beatles records were made. George Martin came from a background recordinmg classical music and for him it was all about trying to capture great performances, getting the inspirational moments on tape, and pushing technology beyond it's accepted limits.

That said, if you look at Air Studios today, you'll see its all about superior audio tools, and pristine recording methods, not digital gimmicks.

the 'slide

[dans]

duderonomi, congratulations on (re)discovering one of the best bands ever. I think your observations just back up what I and others on these boards have often said, it's really about talent and resourcefulness. You can have every plugin in the world and an HD TDM wizbang system, but if you suck, you still suck!

Check out The Who and The Clash if you're into discovering some more of the best music out there. In fact, go buy or rent The Who Live at the Isle of Wight concert on DVD. Talk about minimal technology, yet one of the most powerful performances...that show ROCKED.

[duderonomi]

thanks Dans I will check out the Who show. I thought that they were the best performers on the concert for New York.

In reply to the guitar tones of today, yes they are pretty much awful. One thing about the Beatles guitars you still hear the room. I don't think that there was much close micing at all. Think about it. Who listens to a guitar amp with their ear right in front of it. HELLO!

I had the fortune to meet and talk with Glynn Johns, one of my all time favorite engineers (Exile On Main Street, one of my favorite albums)he told me to walk around the recording space listening to the subject of record and see where it sounds the best and put a mic there. Sound advice as I use a Shure VP88 stereo mic to get the room as well as direct micing and it ads a missing dimension to most modern records.

Also todays music seems to be to cluttered, I think to make up for the lack of talent. Maybe the thought is that the more elements you put on tracks it takes away from the weakness of the artists.

[redshifted]

If the Beatles had ProTools back then , it would cause a tear in the space/time continuum, which would spread like a cracked windsheild throughout the universe, eventually casting all of existence into eternal chaos.

[Ken Niguma]

I think sometimes people forget that the Beatles were the first ones to use a synth in a commercial recording (Maxwell's Silver Hammer) and they weren't afraid to use samples either (Revolution #9). They even did time shifting (the 2 parts of Strawberry Fields Forever). If the Beatles were around today, they would absolutely be using Pro Tools and plug-ins, and be using them in ways that more limited people couldn't even dream of.

Technology doesn't make artists less talented, it makes the less talented think they're artists.

[DesertDude]

If the Beatles had ProTools back then , it would cause a tear in the space/time continuum, which would spread like a cracked windsheild throughout the universe, eventually casting all of existence into eternal chaos.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">And, when I get to the bottom
I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again


[img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[BlackOctopus]

The Beatles didn't need Pro Tools....i wish there was an artists even remotely comparable to them today, in terms of really pushing the boundries. They re-invented 'music' with every release. I was listening to some of the white album the other day..it's staggering how much their music is still the standard by which we judge ourselves.

I think Radiohead (who i don't even like) came the closest to changing the rock n roll form...with Ok Computer. That is all i can think of. I think Lennon would dig it.