Dwight Yoakum on Late Night

[Russ Jordan]

http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-sh...t-ll-be-mine-/

[FLATROCK HILL]

I liked it much more than I did "The Genius".

[montana]

Good band!

[mtucker]

Where'd he pick up those characters in his band, hanging around the union hall? Here's the link.

[Bob Bass]

Adam Steffey on mandolin. the banjo sounds like a towel has been stuffed into the pot. however, playing is all good+!

[sgarrity]

Looks like Steffey is playing a Prucha?

[mandobassman]

The playing is great, as you would expect from that lineup of players, but the tone of the instruments was just awful. The banjo and guitar in particular. Vestal plays with a pickup all the time now and it sounds terrible. Overall I could do without this kind of bluegrass. Dwight Yokam's voice just doesn't fit this style of music in my opinion.

[Pilot172000]

I loved it!! Dwight was one of the most important musical influences for me as a kid. Back in the mid to late eighties, my Uncle would cover a lot of his songs at his gigs. We got a healthy dose of it at home too. He sounds good with an all acoustic set.

[f5loar]

Typical Country Star ain't making it no more gone bluegrass for a ride! Look for him to get on MerleFest this year or next.

[sgarrity]

I agree Tom. One exception is Joe Diffee's Homecming album from 2010. Sure helps he had Compton on mandolin. I liked Haggard's too but it was really acoustic country music.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Typical Country Star ain't making it no more gone bluegrass for a ride! Look for him to get on MerleFest this year or next.

One thing Dwight is not, is a "Typical Country Star".

[mtucker]

One thing Dwight is not, is a "Typical Country Star".

Agree 100%. A highly talented songwriter and singer and a very solid actor. He doesn't need to do this if he doesn't want to, he 'made it' a while ago.

[Caleb]

Top notch players all, obviously. But one has to wonder, after all the techie advances in electronics, why is it still so hard to get a good sound? The instruments sounded awful to my ear, especially the acoustic guitar.

[Mandoplumb]

Top notch players all, obviously. But one has to wonder, after all the techie advances in electronics, why is it still so hard to get a good sound? The instruments sounded awful to my ear, especially the acoustic guitar.

I think the techie advances is the real reason it is so hard to get a good sound. They just won't record the instruments, they have to mess with all the electrons,computer, buttons they can. Listen to Lester and Earl recorded on a single ribbon mic. Have you ever heard a better recording of the sound of a banjo. Say what you want about the 3ply maple, how many holes sound ring, pre-war banjo the recording of it is superb.

[JTMartin]

Barry Bales on bass for sure. Isn't that Stuart Duncan on fiddle?

[Chanmandolin]

Mmmmm... not my cup of tea. But good to see those guys having fun.

[Charlieshafer]

Top notch players all, obviously. But one has to wonder, after all the techie advances in electronics, why is it still so hard to get a good sound? The instruments sounded awful to my ear, especially the acoustic guitar.

In a live studio setting, it's tough to balance broadcast sound with the live sound for the in-house audience. Also, some players want to shoot for that crispier sound, and they probably did muffle the banjo as it was too bright to balance the sound for the audience. Those studios that house the late night programs aren't very large. In short, it's tough to say something about a youtube video when none of us know what the limitations were for that particular setting.

[AlanN]

Some of the same cats who did the DLR Jump. About the same level of interest, for me.

[foldedpath]

In a live studio setting, it's tough to balance broadcast sound with the live sound for the in-house audience. Also, some players want to shoot for that crispier sound, and they probably did muffle the banjo as it was too bright to balance the sound for the audience. Those studios that house the late night programs aren't very large. In short, it's tough to say something about a youtube video when none of us know what the limitations were for that particular setting.

Generally true, but in this case I think we can make a statement because we have a good comparison from that same venue, just two days earlier when Chris Thile sat in with the house band. See other thread with clip. Same venue, same house sound system and engineers. A world of difference in tonal quality in the YouTube clips.

The material was vastly different, sure, but it's also a demonstration of how bad a band can sound when they only use pickups and EQ them for "cut," and then blast away with no dynamics. If they had used a few external mics -- not even the single-mic BG approach -- they could have at least worked the mics a little for dynamic shifts, and the mics would have sounded better. It's not like the house system couldn't handle it. Heck, Thile even managed that playing into a single SM57 while fronting a horn band in that other clip!

[Chris Daniels]

Some of the same cats who did the DLR Jump.

At least the fiddle and banjo for sure. Great eye as usual Alan.

C.

[Charlieshafer]

Generally true, but in this case I think we can make a statement because we have a good comparison from that same venue, just two days earlier when Chris Thile sat in with the house band. See other thread with clip. Same venue, same house sound system and engineers. A world of difference in tonal quality in the YouTube clips.

The material was vastly different, sure, but it's also a demonstration of how bad a band can sound when they only use pickups and EQ them for "cut," and then blast away with no dynamics. If they had used a few external mics -- not even the single-mic BG approach -- they could have at least worked the mics a little for dynamic shifts, and the mics would have sounded better. It's not like the house system couldn't handle it. Heck, Thile even managed that playing into a single SM57 while fronting a horn band in that other clip!

Right, but who knows what the engineer was sending to the sound track for the video feed. Might have sounded good live, or over the airwaves, but with a different aux send for this particular clip. Don't get me wrong, I hate pickups on instruments virtually all the time, but we just don't know the tech history of this particular clip. Youtube, in general, is a waste that way. All this comparing of instrument's tones or critiquing a guy's tone over youtube?

[foldedpath]

Right, but who knows what the engineer was sending to the sound track for the video feed. Might have sounded good live, or over the airwaves, but with a different aux send for this particular clip. Don't get me wrong, I hate pickups on instruments virtually all the time, but we just don't know the tech history of this particular clip. Youtube, in general, is a waste that way. All this comparing of instrument's tones or critiquing a guy's tone over youtube?

And how much bandwidth is spent here on the Cafe, comparing the sound of different instruments or showcasing our individual performances on YouTube?

In this brave new world of the second millennium, YouTube is a primary distribution channel for band promotion. It matters how it sounds, because if we accept a thin and harsh piezo acoustic guitar tone as something acceptable, then we'll never hear anything else in a local bar from a talented songwriter. I've been fighting that battle for years.

A few years ago we could discount YouTube clips because the audio was compressed in sync with the video bit rate. That's different now. Last time I looked at it, the audio bitrate for YouTube streams in 720p or 1080p video was 192k kbps stereo. If you know anything about audio compression (and I assume you do), that's outstanding audio quality for streamed delivery. Put on some headphones with a decent DAC and listen to that clip of Thile and the band at 720p video quality or higher and you'll see what I mean. Then do the same with the Yoakum clip and see if you don't want to tear off the headphones (not a comment about the music itself, just the presentation). Same venue, same audio engineers, two performances just 48 hours apart on the same stage.

It's getting to the point now where if it's a decent upload to YouTube -- and you can bet the CBS network knows how to do that -- we can't blame the medium if a guitar sounds bad in a clip.

[Charlieshafer]

I know what you're saying, but the levels on the whole track seemed oddly clippy to me. It might be because they were aiming for that tube break-up sound. That's the case with a few fiddlers we've had; they're looking for the over-stressed sound. Personally, I retch every to9me some young hot shot shows up with a small eq-able preamp for a clip on mic. I just tell them we can make them sound a lot better without it. It may be necessary for the cruddy venues, but once you start playing better places, loose the gear. But then, that's me.

Wo knows, though. Dwight may have been trying to pull a Bob Dylan thing, where he was going for distorted and hard to understand.

I will disagree how the piezo's might ruin the music in the future. I mean, yeah, the piezo's stink, but I'm finding a huge number of younger musicians, especially coming out of Berklee, where they get a tech education, are very concerned about a pure sound. I think we'll be all right.

[Russ Jordan]

I don't get hung up on the audio quality that bands get on late night TV, award shows, etc---no need, will most times be disappointed.

In regards to Dwight recording this album---he's certainly got his bona fides, growing up in Kentucky, and having a long relationship with Ralph Stanley. The first I ever heard of DY was from a performance on Austin City Limits, and he opened with a smoking version of Sweetheat of Mine, Can't You Hear Me Calling. I saw him play (and the word was, he played for free as a gift) an acoustic set at Ralph Stanley's 50th Anniversary festival. Lots of fun.

[mandobassman]

I will disagree how the piezo's might ruin the music in the future. I mean, yeah, the piezo's stink, but I'm finding a huge number of younger musicians, especially coming out of Berklee, where they get a tech education, are very concerned about a pure sound. I think we'll be all right.

I have to disagree with that. I am hearing more and more live shows where everyone is using pickups and quite often in situations where it is just not necessary. Every time I hear a band using pickups i can always hear it first before I even see the instruments because it usually sounds terrible. The entire band plays at one volume with little or no dynamics and the instruments sound muffled and thin. I always read about how great certain pickups sound and have yet to hear a good one. I can't tell you how many times I have heard a solo musician playing a show with just a guitar in a quiet, small venue, and yet he or she is still using a pickup where a mic would sound so much better. I really think that bands use pickups because it is "safe" and easy. I really think it is just lazy.
Obviously, in a situation like this late night TV show, the band is not in control, but it is still entirely possible to get very good sound in that setting. The engineers just don't want to bother.