Re: SOUND - “Why Do We Need 60-70 Strings For A Pop Album? It Makes The Difference.”

By Peter Nordahl, Producer of the new Agnetha Fältskog album, A.

“Why do we need 60-70 strings for a pop album? The answer is simple, it makes the difference.

First of all it makes the difference just to record with real strings rather than to use sample sounds or any other artificial sound library because real strings are alive and breathe. 

Normally we would use 15-20 strings for pop projects but we felt that we needed something special because we were working with one of the finest voices of our time.

Agnetha’s mature and clear voice needed the back-up of the warmth that only a full orchestra could create. An orchestra with its own sound and richness of overtones. An orchestra where you almost can smell the sound of wood while playing. An orchestra that would lay out the red carpet for Agnetha to tell her stories… 

...I wish everybody could be in front of a large orchestra to feel the power that is totally unstoppable.”

Read the full article at the official Agnetha Fältskog website.

A Myrra Malmberg-filmed video clip of producer Peter Nordahl conducting Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in the new song I Should've Followed You Home can be seen below. This song comes off Agnetha's new album, A, and features Gary Barlow singing a duet with Agnetha.

Extremeties: The Heaviest Producers Of Hardcore, Thrash Metal, Death Metal And Grindcore Speak

An excerpt of a must read article by David Konow for Guitar International on the recording history of some of the greatest metal albums ever.  

"When the music of the eighties comes to mind, you often think of hair bands, and one hit wonder new wave groups. Yet the mid to late eighties was a great time to be a fan of hardcore, speed / thrash / death metal, and the other genres and sub-genres that metal and punk morphed into. 

For every Metallica, there were innumerable smaller bands trying to get their music out into the world. There were also several go-to guys working behind the scenes who understood the music, and knew how to record it right, namely Randy Burns (Megadeth), Scott Burns (Sepultura), Casey McMackin (Randy Burns’ engineer), Alex Perialas (Anthrax), and Colin Richardson (Carcass, Machine Head). Now for Guitar International, they all take a look back on their careers and track the evolution of extreme metal from the eighties to today. 

If you were a thrash / speed / death metal fan back in the eighties, you saw the names Randy Burns and Casey McMackin on the back of a lot of albums. Burns usually produced, McMackin usually engineered, and their partnership first came together on the Megadeth classic Peace Sells.

Before their merger, Randy played guitar in bands, and had a little home studio. Burns at first wasn’t looking to be a producer, but as a favor he recorded a neighbor’s punk band, and soon word got around that he knew what he was doing.

Burns then worked as an engineer on a punk compilation album called Hell Comes to Your House in 1981 (the album reportedly cost $550, and featured Social Distortion among many other L.A. punk bands). Burns’ production work on Hell got him another engineering gig, the self-titled debut album from Suicidal Tendencies."

Continue reading about Possessed, Megadeth, Dark Angel, Anthrax, Testament, Napalm Death and Carcass.