Tutchi's "Taiko Kidan" 23rd episode | Digital is getting closer to analog as it evolves

Dear readers of the JPC newsletter, the time has come for the familiar taiko stories.
It's already April this year.

The scent of spring fills the streets, and fresh young people walk around the streets with vigor.
The season of budding, full of hope and energy.
In early spring, 50 years ago, something happened in Tokyo. The year is 1969.Japanwas the era of high economic growth. Phrases such as ``Consumption is a virtue,'' ``The Three Sacred Treasures,'' ``Izanagi Economy,'' and ``This is no longer the postwar period'' were thrown around.JapanHumanity is in a period of transition, undergoing explosive development after recovering from defeat in war, undergoing technological innovation, and the first Tokyo Olympics. On TV, it was also the year that many programs that even young people today have heard of were born, such as Drifters' ``It's 8 o'clock! Everyone gather!'', ``Sazae-san,'' ``Mito Komon,'' ``90 Minutes of Kyosen and Maebu,'' ``Key Hunter,'' ``Moretsu Ataro,'' ``Hakushon Daimaou,'' ``Attack No. 1,'' ``Quiz Time Shock,'' and ``Untitled Concert.'' Also, in the music world, LED ZEPPELIN, GENESIS, CARPENTERS, etc. made their debut, and in Japan, there were many people and programs that were still active or legendary, such as Kenji Endo, Yosui Inoue, Naomi Chiaki, Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five, etc.
The Woodstock Festival was held in the distant (really far away at the time) America, and humans were running at incredible speed, with Apollo landing on the moon.
Yes, it was around this time that the Beatles disbanded.
Student movements were also active. I think it was February of 1969?
There was the Yasuda Auditorium incident at the University of Tokyo.

In 1969, time was moving like a living thing.

At that time, a baby boy was born in Itabashi Ward, which quietly existed as one of the most modest wards in Tokyo. I am the long-awaited boy of the family, born to a father who enjoys martial arts and a mother who loves music, acting, dressmaking, and fashion.
He goes so far as to say that he was born and will be turning 50 this year, going so far as to earn a palliative number of words.
My personality may be due to the lively atmosphere of the era of high economic growth.
So, I am finally in my fifties.
I never imagined that I would be working in the music world until this year when I turned 50 years old, and it's not like I have any special feelings about it.I still live a frivolous life as a guest, worrying about my parents, my daughter, and my partner.
When it comes to people in their 50s...they hold a certain position at a company, have children in college, own a house in the suburbs, work hard and have a stable income (this is really important), and some of them are considered wealthy. In comparison, when you come to me...I'm an old man who lives hand to mouth, an overweight man who's been around all year round.
Tohoho….
Having said that, I can say with certainty that nothing could make me happier than being able to continue to do what I love, work with people I admire, and experience great music from around the world right in front of my eyes. Well, there are tons of jobs that are tough or that you don't want to do, but that's the same for everyone.

There are many things in life.

It's been over 30 years since I've been involved with music and the instrument called drums, and it's been about 40 years since I started playing drums.I'm impressed that this easily bored man has been able to continue playing drums for so long.
This is all thanks to everyone who remembers me.
These are days of gratitude and gratitude.

Quiet topic Q.

Recently, my year has been filled with activities such as [Alexandros], Sakanaction, Eikichi Yazawa's tour, and local crews at summer festivals such as Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic. Last year, I also went on a tour with Hikaru Utada. As I go on big tours with the most exciting bands and artists of the moment, I often feel that the technology of audio equipment has advanced and the quality of the sound itself has improved tremendously.
The world of concert sound, which is controlled entirely digitally, is progressing day by day, or even second by minute, at an incredible speed. This means that there are more and more things that humans can control, and even when it comes to the sound of a single snare, there are a ton of options.

As the name suggests, the job of a drum tech is to manage the sound of the drums, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is impossible to produce good sound in this day and age without cooperating with the sound crew.
A few years ago, people used to say, ``As long as the instrument makes a good sound, that's fine,'' but now it's more than that.
If we don't work together to find out, ``What can we do to make this snare sound that's playing here even better and deliver it to the audience?'' our work will not be complete.
The days of just tinkering with musical instruments may be over. Musical instrument technicians also incorporate specialized knowledge from the world of acoustics and master the latest technology. I feel that such things are important.
Of course, I will continue my work while also using old-fashioned, simple methods.
I can't help but have fun experiencing these various technologies. It's exciting to be able to get effects that were previously unimaginable during concerts and recordings.
Specifically, a while back, if you wanted a kick attack, for example, you would first change the aim of the microphone. Change the tuning, change the beater.
Things around here haven't changed, but things are going to be very different. The content is the same, but the method has changed.
A long time ago, a sound engineer would say, ``Hmm, I want more attack...it sounds like a bang.'' I would respond, ``I changed the tuning a bit, but I can hear the attack here, what do you think?'' Sound: ``Ah, it's still a little lacking...''
It felt like it was progressing somehow. In the end, I think I put it all together using some pretty powerful EQ and compression. I think it was a good sound for the times. So what about now...?

Sound: “Tsutchi, I want a little more kick attack.”
Me: “Okay, where are you?”

As I was saying this, a young sound staff member came up to me with an iPad. What's going on? As I was thinking about this, I was able to see the frequency bands on my iPad, and when I stepped on the kick right now, I was able to visualize the frequency range of the sound coming out to the audience seats in a graph. By sharing this information with the audio engineer in the audience, they can instantly determine what frequency band is desired.

That's why I can see very well which bands will be output or not output depending on the tuning I change, and how it will change depending on the mic's aiming position.
This is quite amazing, and the tuning that used to be done abstractly can now be completely recognized as data. When you tighten the kick this much, this band comes out a lot, and I'm now able to think carefully about how it will resonate with the ensemble, how the appearance of this band will change the way other instruments are heard, and whether it's necessary or unnecessary, or rather, how to create a natural ensemble.
Once you understand these things, you will be able to tune with your ears, even in places where you don't have the equipment.

This may or may not be very good.

This is a very fine line. The good thing is that you can tune quickly and accurately. This is something that is required almost everywhere. The faster you can work, the more leeway you will have. On-site jobs with plenty of leeway can be extremely tiring.
We receive good reviews from both engineers and musicians. It looks like a lot of good things.
So, what is a bad scene?
The answer is simple. ``If you rely too much on data and analysis, you will lose sight of the true sound of music.''

When computers became popular in the world of music production in the 1980s, they were able to input performances and create innovative sounds that were impossible for humans. Music created through sampling, sequencing, and technology has traveled around the world.
That's what I love about it, but one day I suddenly notice it. When I was listening to music from the 1950s and 1960s, I wondered, ``How could such rich music be played with simple instrumentation in this era?''
It was music that could never be expressed by typing into a computer. Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Cab Calloway, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Al Green, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Carole King, Motown, musicians like a never-ending star. Their music has a rich sense of dynamism. It is still being heard today. The subtle sway of the ensemble, the lively jumping of the band members' playing, and that feeling of getting into a deep groove. I can't get enough of it. Having said that, I have no intention of denying computer music. As you all know, I'm a true techno-pop fan.
There is also the magic of typing.
There is a romance of automatic performance, and if I were to give an analogy to everyone around me, it would be easy to understand. Wrap the screw, place it on the desk, and press the switch. Or, when you open the lid of the jewelry box, beautiful music with a cute tone will play for a while.
The feeling of the tempo slowing down as the mainspring power weakens is also fleeting and cute.

Early techno pop was actually very human-powered and full of warmth. The equipment at the time was delicate, and if it got a little hot, the automatic performance would immediately stop, giving it a fuzziness that felt like a godsend. In short, what I'm trying to say is that no matter what you do, it's not enough just to have a ``correct answer or right argument.'' Even if you analyze the expression of music, collect data, verify it, and reproduce it based on that, you still end up feeling like ``something is missing.'' This is probably because the ``lack of grace'' that comes from matching every corner of it too closely robs it of ``emotion and sex appeal.'' Of course, it is very important to experience detailed analysis. However, once you have mastered this, let's take care of ``Kuma'' again. Nowadays, computers can express that feeling of excitement. Even if an old man like me doesn't say such things, modern young people use computers to easily express them.

I love listening to new music like that.
I also love listening to old music.

To summarize, there is still a lot of music in this world that I don't know about. This year, as I turned 50, I decided to try to experience as much new music as possible, without any prejudice or preconceptions, and to experience all kinds of art from a more global perspective, and to approach this turning point with gratitude for the position I am in now that allows me to think of such things.
It's spring, and I'm dreaming of how wonderful it would be to go to work enjoying both the warmth created by human hands, the feeling of products that fit in your hands, even if they're warped and uneven, and the feeling of products created with cutting-edge technology that fit your hands perfectly.
As I always say, in a world like this, where there is so much news that is so disturbing, I think it is very important to use art as a form of self-defense in a world like this. You want to live better, right?

The more digital develops, the closer it becomes to analog. The roughness of the choppy bits becomes smoother and smoother. I hope that the world of the future will move in such a smooth and soft direction. As a result, more and more radical and radical expressions will emerge. But that bottom must have a heart and blood flowing through it.
Don't you get excited just thinking about it? Is it just me? lol
At the end of the day, when you go to sleep, try thinking about it for a moment. Oh, I don't know if I can't sleep lol
It's nice to stay up late and have fun.

The page is almost full, so I'll say goodbye for now. Thank you for your continued support.
Until we meet again somewhere, I hope your days are filled with love and wonderful days.