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O well, parang nagkaayusan na while I was writing this post (mabilis ang action!). I'll post it anyways.
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Makisingit lang....
As someone who has worked and talked with Skunk na, I feel that Skunk has been misinterpreted a lot. In the past few months, I've observed some points in how he thinks that probably is helpful for everyone:
Skunk is tired of the usual sound heard in radio... what it is he means, I'm not entirely sure, but I have a feeling that it's related to my certainty that I myself am tired of some particular sound that I hear real often... which is probably what you recording guys hear too.
Since the recording guys are people who get the sound to record, he feels (as a recording guy) some responsibility in offering to the artist some options that are different from what's usually out there (meaning, dito sa Pilipinas). Of course, the artist should be the boss in what sound he wants, but in some cases, he feels that the approach in getting a sound is done wrongly, e.g. POD as first choice in getting a Marshall tone, rather than a Marshall getting a Marshall tone. I'm assuming that the spiel of the recording guy who does not have a Marshall amp would say "We don't have a Marshall, but unless you can get a Marshall, I can offer you a similar tone with this (say) Laney, or a simulation". In a way, he's trying to initiate a culture of resourcefulness and dedication to craft (i.e. of sound-engineering) that is bordering on kung-fu discipleship, despite and in the middle of (insert recording-involves-money argument here).
Skunk does not like shortcuts (not to be confused with technology or merely making things easy) in recording as much as possible (which, I'm sure, is everyone's attitude, economics aside). E.g. if reverb is needed, the initial source he thinks about is the room. If not achievable, next na ang plug ins (or whatever you recording guys call these).
Now, his approach in communicating these values... Now, there's one that created a lot of flak.
Most important to consider in reading his posts is his intentions in posting them. My impression of his intentions is that, firstly, he doesn't want to put recording people down. I remember a thread that he started a few months back saying that if you want to be good at your craft (i.e. recording chorva), you have to take in criticism at its most bitter (or something to that effect). The recent threads (POD thread 1,2 & 3) seems to be his way of being bitterly criticizing.
Second, he really, really, really wants (in an Oas sorta way) to improve general taste in sound. As taste is very subjective, as is how it can be improved, Skunk at least wants to tell many artists that there are other options other than what you can usually get here, and they should go out of their way to find it if they feel that it expresses their music better. Oftentimes, the average musician doesn't know how to get a certain tone (ang sasabihin lang, "yung parang lead tone ng Parokya") but the recording guy has some idea. So, (see "recording guy's responsibility" argument above), considering (maximizing) one's economic situation.
Now, these, the way I understood it, are Skunk's "situation", so to speak. You all know your own individual situations.
I did personally observe that some restraint and tact should have been practiced... and I'm saying this also taking into account the times that we've personally talked, Skunk and me. But as someone who has little tact myself, I kinda understood where he came from, and I got to have the impression that his posts are challenges worth considering, not insults worth defending from. BAMF put it nicely when he said that he wants polite criticism rather than hostile criticism, but I should say that both are criticisms and I think all types and approaches of criticism should be constructively received. I'm taking the pizza, not the delivery guy.
Yun lang muna. Friends kami ni Skunk and I like (some) of his ideas. I am, however, rejecting his Randall because it sounds ugly (haha). I hope to interact with KitC, ChuckSabbath, MarvinQ, Alroyt (etc) too someday, at baka makakuha rin ako ng tunog na magagamit ko.
