Here it is - my final blog post for Music History II. Just like every other blog post, I've included a list of questions for you to follow along with. Just in case you're a slightly below average reader like myself, I've got a podcast for you to listen to. Check out this recording site to check out who I'll be talking about throughout my podcast.
The included song is called "Reindeer Age" by Australian band Closure in Moscow off of their 2009 album, First Temple.
1. Choose a composer, producer, technical innovation, or recording of your choice to profile in this blog entry
Kris Crummett is an engineer/producer based in Portland, Oregon. Kris Crummett has been recording, producing, engineering and doing anything music for over 10 years in locations all around the world. He opened up a professional multi-studio in Portland, Oregon by the name of Interlace Audio a number of years ago. Since then, he has continued to work with some of the most prominent experimental and upbeat bands today.
Kris Crummett is an engineer/producer based in Portland, Oregon. Kris Crummett has been recording, producing, engineering and doing anything music for over 10 years in locations all around the world. He opened up a professional multi-studio in Portland, Oregon by the name of Interlace Audio a number of years ago. Since then, he has continued to work with some of the most prominent experimental and upbeat bands today.
2. Discuss what impact the producer, technical innovation, or recording has had on popular music.
z
Kris' style of engineering and unique sound is what keeps him in business and keeps people listening. Although I dont have firsthand experience with Crummett, I've noticed a trend in the bands he's come to work with. Many of the artists are still relatively new, whom range anywhere from local indie bands to those signed by Rise Records and beyond. I've noticed several artists come to employ Crummett as the sonic sculpter on many of their follow-up records. Like I said, I can't say first hand - but it appears as though he is assisting upcoming bands in their transition to in-the-box albums to out-of-this-world sound quality and recording. Kris Crummett is slowly but surely setting the standard and bringing back true music production.
z
Kris' style of engineering and unique sound is what keeps him in business and keeps people listening. Although I dont have firsthand experience with Crummett, I've noticed a trend in the bands he's come to work with. Many of the artists are still relatively new, whom range anywhere from local indie bands to those signed by Rise Records and beyond. I've noticed several artists come to employ Crummett as the sonic sculpter on many of their follow-up records. Like I said, I can't say first hand - but it appears as though he is assisting upcoming bands in their transition to in-the-box albums to out-of-this-world sound quality and recording. Kris Crummett is slowly but surely setting the standard and bringing back true music production.
3. Discuss a minimum of two characteristics of the composer, producer, artist or innovation that you have chosen e.g. the producer, composer or artist’s works, influences of the artist or composer, who the artist or composer has influenced creator of the innovation, uses of the innovation, examples of the innovation in music.
Another trademark of Kris, and probably the aspect I'm most fond of, is his use of tape machines - yes, old fashioned, magnetic tape machines. The kind that you probably won't see unless you were lucky enough to be involved in a project with a huge budget that can afford a stellar studio. Whether it be through his pre-production, recording & mixing of an album from start to finish or just an album mastering gig, his use of tape helps build warmth and character in music that is often otherwise stale and heartless (not just sonically speaking!).
4. What impression does the producer, composer, technical innovation, recording or artist leave with you as a listener and as an industry professional?
In an industry that is over saturated with perfectly tuned vocals, digital guitar amps, and quantization to the millisecond, Kris Crummett is a breath of fresh air. Yes, I do enjoy listening to the bands he produced; but often, I find it's because he was able to breathe life into their music and remain sonically transparent at the same time. You don't know he's there, but he's there. If you hear guitars that sound like guitars, a snare drum you've never heard in any sample library, or vocal harmonies that actually sound like two singers, it's because Crummet went through the process of extracting the best sounds from the real world performances first. Throughout all of his work, I have yet to point out a single sonic flaw. Although I have my own opinions on how things could be mixed, I find myself very hard pressed to seek out a vocal tuning error or a dull moment in his recordings. And yet, everything I've heard that credits him as the producer or engineer still maintains just as good of timing and structure as that of their digital counterparts. How is that possible? Ask him yourself.
So that does it for all of my Music History II blogs. As always, I hope you were able to grasp at least one thing out of all of my rambling. And, as always, I'm more than happy to be contacted with questions, comments, or just saying hi.
-Matthew Morrison
In an industry that is over saturated with perfectly tuned vocals, digital guitar amps, and quantization to the millisecond, Kris Crummett is a breath of fresh air. Yes, I do enjoy listening to the bands he produced; but often, I find it's because he was able to breathe life into their music and remain sonically transparent at the same time. You don't know he's there, but he's there. If you hear guitars that sound like guitars, a snare drum you've never heard in any sample library, or vocal harmonies that actually sound like two singers, it's because Crummet went through the process of extracting the best sounds from the real world performances first. Throughout all of his work, I have yet to point out a single sonic flaw. Although I have my own opinions on how things could be mixed, I find myself very hard pressed to seek out a vocal tuning error or a dull moment in his recordings. And yet, everything I've heard that credits him as the producer or engineer still maintains just as good of timing and structure as that of their digital counterparts. How is that possible? Ask him yourself.
So that does it for all of my Music History II blogs. As always, I hope you were able to grasp at least one thing out of all of my rambling. And, as always, I'm more than happy to be contacted with questions, comments, or just saying hi.
-Matthew Morrison
I like your blog. It's very simple and to the point as far as what you like about the engineer, what he does that stands out as far as what area of work he is associated in, and what impresses you about what he does. One thing I would recommend with this blog is citing some sources which help expand on what he does in his work, such as directing to a website of his, or putting a few examples of albums he has worked on that highlights his work. You could even expand on negatives that you mentioned, such as Steve Slate and how his work can become very repetitive; you could provide some examples of how that is so. Otherwise, great blog!
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