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Compare and Contrast Recording Techniques in Two Songs from Different Eras

I thought it would be fun to compare one of my favorite bands from the late 60's/early 70's to what I think is the quintessential modern pop artist. I am going to compare "Pale Blue Eyes" by The Velvet Underground to the number one song on iTunes right now, which is "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Though they are completely different in terms of style, these two songs were recorded far enough that they show how much recording technology has advanced from the late 60's to now.

First, I will look at "Party in the USA." The song begins with guitars that sound so clean, and the body of the sound stretches. Once Miley starts singing, I notice that her voice is auto-tuned, but it's less obvious than something that Kanye or T-Pain would do. There is just enough auto-tune to keep Miley on pitch. Also, I hear 808 basslines in the background, tambourine, or sleigh bells accompanied by these synths that roll up and down in pitch, like something is being torn. I want to say that the synths remind me of Hard NRG which is a style of dance music, except slower obviously. I think there is actual bass guitar coupled with harmonic frequencies on top, but it could be merely synths. These synths become more prominent during the chorus. In fact, it feels like everything gets turned up during the chorus. Miley's voice is doubled to create harmonies, and some phasing occurs which causes her voice to echo. The song builds, constantly shifting focus from instrument to instrument. Overall, I think the creators of the song have taken techniques, and ideas that have become really popular in recent times, to make a song that cannot help but sound so manufactured, and yet they have put the focus on sounds, and frequencies that are so pleasant to my ear that it feels easy to overlook all of the manipulation of the sound.

Finally, I will talk about "Pale Blue Eyes" by The Velvet Underground. This song could not be more opposite of "Party in the USA." First off, the volume is significantly lower compared to "Party in the USA." I think it was mentioned in class that back in the day, recordings were much quieter, and not as full in terms of sound clarity than more modern recordings. In the recording that I listened to, I noticed that the lead guitar was playing into the right speaker, and the left speaker was playing organ. That remained constant through the entire song. I'm not sure if that means it was recorded in mono, but I know for a fact that the vinyl copy I have says it was a stereo recording. Everything else, like vocals, tambourine, and bass were being played in both sides. There isn't any doubling on the vocals. It's just Lou Reed almost singing monotone. The loudest parts of the song are definitely the bass, and the guitar, with the organ being slightly quieter than everything else. This rarely changes, maybe only slightly during the guitar solo, but hardly noticeable. It's difficult to notice more than that in this song compared to Miley's track. Everything in "Pale Blue Eyes" just seems to have been put in place, possibly some fine-tuning took place, but it all feels very natural. The instruments sound what they're supposed to sound like, and Lou Reed sounds like he's actually singing because his voice waivers, and fades. This track is an excellent example of not only how music was recorded in the past, but The Velvet Underground were all about doing provocative, and interesting music with as minimal sound, or volume as possible.

SMELLS LIKE BS NO?