Overproduction (music)
{{Short description|Excessive use of audio effects}}
Overproduction is the excessive use of audio effects, layering, or digital manipulation in music production, which generally decreases audio fidelity and listening enjoyment.
Uses of the term
It is not always clear what critics mean by "overproduction", but there is a minimum of a few common uses of the term:
- Heavy use of audio processing effects such as reverb, delay, or dynamic range compression.
- Heavy layering or multitracking; in the context of pop and rock music, this may refer to the addition of elements such as chorused vocals or backing strings.
- Radio versions of songs pushed to be more "pop" through the use of loud drum beats or other instrumentation changes.
- Heavy use of pitch correction, time correction, or quantization.
- A recording overseen by a producer who "imposes" their own distinctive "sound" or techniques on a band or artist; Producers frequently accused of this kind of "overproduction" include Phil Spector{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/2x54/|title=The Beatles Let It Be...Naked|access-date=2 April 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://cd.ciao.co.uk/Let_It_Be_Beatles_The__Review_5298993|title=Let It Be - Beatles (The) - Review - Goodbye, George Martin--Hello, Phil Spector|access-date=2 April 2008}} and Mutt Lange.{{cite web|url=http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MuttLange|title=Mutt Lange}}
- Participating in the loudness war (or loudness race), which is a trend of increasing audio levels in recorded music over time, which reduces audio fidelity and creates distortion.{{Cite news |title=The Loudness Wars: Why Music Sounds Worse |url=https://www.npr.org/2009/12/31/122114058/the-loudness-wars-why-music-sounds-worse |access-date=2025-02-14 |work=NPR |language=en}}
All of these meanings share the idea that a record producer or mastering engineer has made "unnecessary" additions or changes to a record in the production process and, in doing so, has decreased the quality or enjoyability of the music.{{cn|date=February 2025|reason=overproduction is sometimes used as criticism for being overly clean and accessible for the genre}} There is little consensus among music critics or producers about when the use of an effect or production technique becomes excessive. For this reason, some producers consider the term unhelpful, confusing, and subjective.{{cite web|url=http://www.venetowest.com/musing/overpro.html|title=Record Production and the "Over Production" Myth|access-date=18 Oct 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071408/http://www.venetowest.com/musing/overpro.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}
Current trends
The excessive use of dynamic range compression has been bemoaned by critics as part of the "loudness war". In August 2006, Bob Dylan criticized modern recording techniques, saying that modern records "have sound all over them" and that they sound like "static".{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5277574.stm|title=Dylan rubbishes modern recordings|access-date=2 April 2008 | work=BBC News | date=23 August 2006}} Those responding to Dylan's comments seemed to assume that he was referring to the trend of increasingly compressed music.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17777619/the_death_of_high_fidelity|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071229013915/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17777619/the_death_of_high_fidelity|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 29, 2007|title=The Death of High Fidelity|magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=2 April 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9819637-1.html|title=Music + digital + compression = atrocious sound?|access-date=2 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215212038/http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9819637-1.html|archive-date=15 December 2007|url-status=dead}}
See also
Notes
{{Reflist}}
{{Music production}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Overproduction (Music)}}