Hiss and Noise: Does It Really Matter?

[brandondrury]

We recording guys get so sucked into doing this and that because we are "supposed" to. There is a lot to learn, but sometimes I wonder if I need "unlearn" a few things.

On the subject of hiss and noise, we consider it unprofessional to have hiss and noise in our recordings. "Unprofessional" is more of an objective thing that looks bad on us and doesn't really necessarily involve the intensity of the music.

So maybe there are a zillion songs that lose something because of all the damn hiss and noise. However, I've got two songs that I want to talk about that have TONS of hiss and I can't help but think that it doesn't make a damn bit of difference.

Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence"

and

John Lennon's "Imagine".

Both are "prettier" songs that the typical loud, piss off WW2 vets songs by The Who or Steppenwolf were and if I'm going to stereotype, I'd say that "prettier" songs suffer more from noise than rockers do.

These are two of the most powerful recordings of all time. So if John Lennon can make a masterpiece with hiss, what do we care? More importantly, is there something about the hiss that actually adds something?

Brandon

[Cailyn]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

These are two of the most powerful recordings of all time. So if John Lennon can make a masterpiece with hiss, what do we care? More importantly, is there something about the hiss that actually adds something?

Maybe. I just think this proves that while a shitty song cannot be saved by brilliant recording technique, with a truly great song, people will either overlook or fail to notice minor imperfections. In some cases, the hiss or other imperfections might be endearing to the average listener. We all focus on recording technique--perhaps too much sometimes and lose sight of what is truly important, the music.

However, for the rest of us who are not writing brilliant timeless masterpieces, we need every advantage we can muster including as little noise as possible. In some cases and certain genres, the noise could be an asset. Me, I hate hiss so I ruthlessly stamp it out whenever I find it.

[String7th]

Another example of great tape hiss and noise is the entire first Jimi Hendrix Album. "Castles Made of Sand" would sound wrong if that noise wasn't there. I think some parts are actually the snare being vibrated by the guitar. Sounds like they recorded all in 1 room and some of the drums were shaking.

[magno]

Sometimes you'll hear some hiss/hum at the end of a song when the guitar is ringing on.
You don't notice it during the song but hear it at the end.
I like this, makes it sound real.

[richiebee]

Fuck! I thought John Lennon was dead. He's still recording?

Come on, if you're going to talk about acceptable noise in 2008, at least reference a recording from the last couple of years. If John Lennon made Imagine today with the same fidelity as he did when he actually recorded it, he'd be a laughing stock. Or at least his engineer would be. The reason the fidelity was bad, is because that was the limitations of the medium at the time.

I record a lot of classical stuff. We use a concert hall. We sometimes have 15 or 16 mics open at a time to record small groups live. The amount of noise coming from a concert hall with the AC turned off, the elevator shut down, and signs all around would blow your mind, and this is the quieter of the two concert halls.

If I didn't care about noise, the results would be unusable. As it is, they're frustratingly noisy, but we take care of all that we possibly can.

Industrial and mechanical noise is very relevant and should be avoided at all costs. The more tracks you use, the more relevant it is.

Musical noise on the other hand adds life.

[P.P.T.]

I wouldn't turn away a stellar performance because of some noise, but it should be avoided when possible.

[Vulconizer]

Depends on the hiss. If it's a huge pit of poisonous snakes that is causing a ruckus on your recordings, I think you really have other things to worry about than what the listener is going to hear.

[Xplora]

Hard to say. Very hard to say. Depends how much you like using the noisegate?

Lennon and Simon/Garfunkel were from a completely different era. Where music was played through the AM, not just FM (yes?) So I'd be hesitant to draw a comparison - realistically, if you're an engineer, you have to have zero hiss IMO. Clean as a duck's tail. Your sole job is produce quality, accurate recordings.

If you're a producer, your job is to produce great recordings, and this isn't contingent on "great clean sounds". I'm thinking telephone vocals, harmony vocals, and the like. I was thinking that Seether's Fake It is a fantastic example of a song that kinda sounds like a huge Metallica tune just waiting to break out, but the laidback rock style without the super high fidelity just makes the song. Good production choices.

Artist is always going to make bad choices. They want super high fi and might not realise that it could detract from the song.

[brandondrury]

Come on, if you're going to talk about acceptable noise in 2008, at least reference a recording from the last couple of years.

That's one way of looking at it. I don't look at this whole music thing as if some kind of standard improves each year as technology does. I wonder why all this technology can't beat stuff made 40 years ago. I wonder why I'm listening to 40 year old songs when all this technology should be making this old music obsolete. Maybe it's just my own person defect, but I think there are few recordings made in the past 5 years that rival the two tunes I mentioned above.

If it's a huge pit of poisonous snakes that is causing a ruckus on your recordings, I think you really have other things to worry about than what the listener is going to hear.

HA HA HA HA HA HAAH !!! Dude, you have a way of making me laugh on a daily basis!

Lennon and Simon/Garfunkel were from a completely different era. Where music was played through the AM, not just FM (yes?) So I'd be hesitant to draw a comparison - realistically, if you're an engineer, you have to have zero hiss IMO. Clean as a duck's tail. Your sole job is produce quality, accurate recordings.

What if the reason the mentioned tunes are timeless and therefor "quality" is because of the hiss? It's just food for thought.

I guess in my quest to define what "great" is for my own recordings, I'm not sure if hiss is an issue. With that said, I can't imagine going out of my way to get it.

[dlh]

Maybe if we thought of hiss as a pad.

I grew up on 1940's and later music.
Hiss has never bothered me.
Some of these new tunes seem to be so pure, sanitized, untainted. I wonder what a bit of hiss would do to them.