max martin sound

[nznexus]

i wanted to discuss this...

i want to comprae max martins old sound vs his new sound.
which one do you think sounds better?

if you listen to max martins older productions they have that signature sounds and effects you dont hear today...

in my  opinion his old sound *2000 was cooler, because for example in one song they make the vocals very cool like they play with the panning ...
i just wonder if they did the effects all manually because i think back then there was no effect plugins like for example stutter edit..
so they must made everything in the piano roll?

also if you listen to the songs they have very good strong baseline..
another thing i noticed is use of scratches, and cowbells in his songs...

well if you listen to his new songs... they sound more like... other songs by other artist i think..
but of course he has his sound... but not as strong as before i think.

do you hear difference when you listen to his songs?

how much have  his sound changed?

if you could describe his sound.. how would it be?

[georg_e]

 
     Hmmm good question.....I like both (or one over the other at different times) I'd have to say in the long run it will be his earlier stuff that will be his signature sound that he'll be most remembered for. And that are the most classic records. But I know you're asking about SOUND, specifically (ie sonics, effects) and I think today's SOUND keeps getting better and better. So for actual sound, I like today's stuff better........STYLE is another story, but also important of course.  I think style was better on earlier Max records.

              Part of this I think has to do with with how many freaking people are involved in tracks these days...it's becoming way too diluted, imo. Like with Beauty & The beat there's Max, but there's also Zedd. So who knows who did what?   And then another record will be with Shellback, who has his own sound.  Same with Dr. Luke.....it's like he has a mega-sized team, but where is he?   No, I liked it much better when there's at the most two or three steady collaborators, like Max/Rami or Max/ Luke.   And I truly think the best records came out of those two (or at most three) collaborator teams..........

       So, back to your question...I'd have to say I like earlier Max (including the early Max/Luke duo team records) that I like the best    Hope I didn't digress too much from your question

[B Steady]

Like with Beauty & The beat there's Max, but there's also Zedd. So who knows who did what?   And then another record will be with Shellback, who has his own sound.

Beauty and a beat was completely programmed by Zedd, Max only co produced vocals and probably issued commands as he was named as a producer in the credits.

P!nk's Please don't leave me is interesting as well. Max is named as the only producer but actually the instruments were all played by Shellback.

[Joshua]

P!nk's Please don't leave me is interesting as well. Max is named as the only producer but actually the instruments were all played by Shellback.

That still makes sense though doesn't it? As in, Max produced the whole track but used Shellback as his session player. I guess it is becoming more and more common for the producer to also be the instrumentalist though, especially when it comes to using synths and samples.

As for my preference of Max's sound over the years, I must say I prefer his earlier work. He had his signature pop sound in the late nineties, then his pop/rock sound during the next decade, and to me both were absolute gold. Now it's so varied that his work gets a little lost amongst everything else. Once upon a time you could pick a Max track within seconds of the intro, now it could be anyone's work. Not to say that he doesn't do an amazing job, it just doesn't pack quite as much emotion and excitement as it used to. There are still gems in his new work, but for me it's getting a little too generic. I also wish there was less emphasis on effects and samples, and the arrangements went back to being a little less complex, but with every element breathtakingly perfect.

[royeei]

I am sure that 2000's sound is much better, and in ten years from now we will see that the 2000's sound will be remembered more than Max new sound.
i think that in the sound today, it is need to be really really good song for letting it sounds like a king created it, and even when it is good song, it is still sounds like it could have been for example Redone's song or Luke/Blanco's song.
Kristian said in an interview that his grandma told him that she knows when it is Cheiron on the radio, and he also said that the main reason is that they just didnt have free time to find new sounds.

i read here someone who wrote something very interesting, he describe just his feeling but i think that it is relevant for this issue, he said that in the 2000's songs there is a feeling that Max invest much more time on witing and producing.

[Rebecca]

I love both sounds, but I prefer Max's early sound. I agree with other comments that the early sound is his signature sound. It is more unique and stands out. However, I still love his more recent work, they are still brilliant catchy songs, but just the sound is more similar to other producers today. Maybe that is deliberate to fit in with what's popular today. It is probably also, as George says, because Max works with so many more producers/songwriters these days.

[nznexus]

i also prefer his old sound tho. i dont know why, cant explain it but its something unique with his old sound..

when u hear his production u could recognize its max martin..

funny... is... back then i hear the songs but i never tought it was max... who wrote them.

i guess i was just not old enough 

[B Steady]

How can you say Max Martin sound?

There is the Denniz PoP / Max Martin / Kristian Lundin / Rami Yacoub sound

and the

Max Martin / Dr. Luke / Shellback / Benny Blanco sound

Cheiron was, is and will always be the best sound, second best is the new Max Martin & Team sound

His productions will always be the measuring stick for other pop producers but back in the days he (and the Cheiron team) didn't have only the best but also an unique sound. That's why the "earlier Max Martin" is the better one!

[nznexus]

was listening to the radio today and i usually don't do this but was very curious what they play and so on..

after a while someone mentioned max martin.. 
i was very glad lol..
it was a taylor song..
im so glad they talk about max on the radio

[rebekahELLE]

That's interesting that radio referred to Max Martin.  Possibly because he is now finally getting more recognition and is making rare public appearances. So many listeners still have no idea who he is.  When I first heard I Knew You Were Trouble, I didn't like it.  But now after hearing it more often, it has grown on me.  The signature MM guitar opens the song.  This shows up in a lot of his songs.  I also noticed similarity in sections of the song with one of Katy Perry's, The One That Got Away.  I don't know if this is more a Cheiron sound or Max/Dr. Luke influence.

I like both sounds, but I prefer his earlier work.  Now they mix so many sounds and repeat sounds that work.  Dr. Luke admitted to that in one of his interviews about how he puts a song together.

[B Steady]

Now they mix so many sounds and repeat sounds that work.

Didn't do they the same thing at Cheiron?

[Joshua]

Didn't do they the same thing at Cheiron?

Haha they sure did, even more so than they do now. At least then it was for one really iconic style, now I think there's too much variety in their sound, hence why it gets a bit lost amongst everyone elses.