Interesting article on changing recording terminology

[KevWind]

https://www.production-expert.com/pr...20-%2011767630

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by KevWind

https://www.production-expert.com/pr...20-%2011767630

Interesting... but language evolves; it always has. The meaning of words is in constant flux and that is likely true since the first grunts too on meaning.

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by jim1960

Interesting... but language evolves; it always has. The meaning of words is in constant flux and that is likely true since the first grunts too on meaning.

I don't think it's language evolving so much as the industry changing. In particular, we have a generation of engineers who have had to reinvent the wheel because they didn't have the opportunity to assist someone with decades of experience. When you reinvent things, you often change the name of some of the parts.

[Bob Womack]

Yeah, it is interesting. I read the article as soon as you posted it but had to sit on my reply for a bit. Without yelling at clouds, I got into the industry at a time when you didn't just assign those titles to yourself - they were assigned to you by either a client or the record company and they were earned. I worked for years doing the work of a producer but not having the title, probably because of its association with earning points on an album. I remember to this day the first project where I was finally given the title. In fact, I remember being given a promotion to "recording engineer."* Before that I was an "audio operator" or "audio editor."

But it is an age of isolation and the prevalence of social media ,where folks have to openly sell themselves so they take on the title "producer" aspirationally, as the article says. Matter tends to go from higher to lower concentration and language tends to go from greater specificity to lower specificity.

But an associated change that also reflects the changing culture in the business is name-dropping. My young colleagues will get a session with a "name," ask to shoot a selfie at the end, and instantly paste it all over social media. No-one is bothered. For much of my career it was considered gauche and a breach of trust to name-drop artists except in professional circles. I watched the wind change dramatically on that one when artists themselves began using social media to publicize themselves. I can remember my first selfie with an artist. We'd just finished a session with Máire Brennan of Clannad. There was a cameraman lurking about and so Máire physically grabbed me with a twinkle in her eye and said, "Hey, let's shoot a selfie!" Fun. See there? I did it... I dropped a name. Before that, any fanboy stuff immediately lowered the temperature in the room. You had to learn to treat the artists strictly as human beings and avoid the fanboy thing or you made them very uncomfortable and were ostracized.

The times they are a chaaaaaaaanngin'.

Bob

* Yes, I am aware that certified classic engineers are uncomfortable with the title, even though I studied recording in college. I also started in broadcasting, where the term wasn't bandied about either. My own father, an environmental engineer, was uncomfortable with my title until Solid State Logic brought us up to their plant and gave us the tour and he saw how deeply I was involved with the physics and electronics of recording.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

I don't think it's language evolving so much as the industry changing. In particular, we have a generation of engineers who have had to reinvent the wheel because they didn't have the opportunity to assist someone with decades of experience. When you reinvent things, you often change the name of some of the parts.

Isn't that one of the ways language evolves?

[KevWind]

Couple thoughts
I think is likely both rapid evolution and a significant and rapid change in the recording industry

First I would suggest the internet has contributed to a fairly quick evolution in language in general , and then analog to digital has definitely created a fairly rapid and significant change in audio and recording. From the analog days of mostly professionals in purpose built studio's , to now a gigantic realm of home enthusiasts, or as it is sometimes referred to as "the democratization of recording and publishing"

And the situation is arguably exacerbated by digital audio software manufactures using proprietary and different terminology .
Is it a "session' or a "project" ? An event , object, or clip ? etc.etc.etc.

The article mentioned the change in the word "tracking" > Not to long ago in a thread here, I asked a poster to clarify when they wrote "export a track " what they actually were attempting to discribe was exporting an entire multi-
track session or project.

And so it goes

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Yeah, it is interesting. I read the article as soon as you posted it but had to sit on my reply for a bit. Without yelling at clouds, I got into the industry at a time when you didn't just assign those titles to yourself - they were assigned to you by either a client or the record company and they were earned. I worked for years doing the work of a producer but not having the title, probably because of its association with earning points on an album. I remember to this day the first project where I was finally given the title. In fact, I remember being given a promotion to "recording engineer."* Before that I was an "audio operator" or "audio editor."

But it is an age of isolation and the prevalence of social media ,where folks have to openly sell themselves so they take on the title "producer" aspirationally, as the article says. Matter tends to go from higher to lower concentration and language tends to go from greater specificity to lower specificity.

But an associated change that also reflects the changing culture in the business is name-dropping. My young colleagues will get a session with a "name," ask to shoot a selfie at the end, and instantly paste it all over social media. No-one is bothered. For much of my career it was considered gauche and a breach of trust to name-drop artists except in professional circles. I watched the wind change dramatically on that one when artists themselves began using social media to publicize themselves. I can remember my first selfie with an artist. We'd just finished a session with Máire Brennan of Clannad. There was a cameraman lurking about and so Máire physically grabbed me with a twinkle in her eye and said, "Hey, let's shoot a selfie!" Fun. See there? I did it... I dropped a name. Before that, any fanboy stuff immediately lowered the temperature in the room. You had to learn to treat the artists strictly as human beings and avoid the fanboy thing or you made them very uncomfortable and were ostracized.

The times they are a chaaaaaaaanngin'.

Bob

* Yes, I am aware that certified classic engineers are uncomfortable with the title, even though I studied recording in college. I also started in broadcasting, where the term wasn't bandied about either. My own father, an environmental engineer, was uncomfortable with my title until Solid State Logic brought us up to their plant and gave us the tour and he saw how deeply I was involved with the physics and electronics of recording.

Spot on!

I try not to name drop...and I rarely grab selfies (my wife is always asking me when I get home from the studio "did you get any pictures to post?"). I'm just not wired that way. I'd rather be in the moment than documenting the moment. Plus, I'm working. I'm not the photographer...I'm the engineer...and often the producer as well (traditional sense of the word/title). I'm trying to keep the session going (I mean, someone is paying hourly, I need to be efficient).

That article came about because of a private conversation a few of us were having, kind of being frustrated about, what we perceived as, the misuse of the terms. It was all started by Cyndi Lauper's music director (see, now I did it, too).