Recently I borrowed a copy of A Year and a Half In The Life of Metallica. So far, this documentary has been completely amazing. Looking back, the decision to have some idiot with a video camera running around while recording one of the (arguably) most important rock/metal records in history was brilliant.

While the documentary is meant to be entertaining to the layman, there are tons of hidden lessons in the video for the recording engineer, musician, and producer if you pay attention.

I love hearing the raw sounds versus hearing the sounds after they have been mixed. I love hearing the drums in the room being captured by a video camera's microphone. I love hearing Bob Rock speak about groove and fills. (Again, this is not a lesson on producing by any means, you but you can pick up subtle hints that could have dramatic results on your own producing / recording efforts). I love hearing the guitar tones which appear to be recorded with just a SM57 and a MD 421. (You see an awful lot of vintage Marshall heads throughout the recording).

I love seeing Lars and Kirk play crappy. You can see Lars screwing up parts and compare them to what made the album. I love the part about “guitar players who don't do their homework” that shows Kirk playing a solo terribly. Of course, it's a new solo that he had not perfected, but it shows how important it is to take time on the recording process and not stop until you've got exactly what you want. It also shows that the producer needs to really push the musician to be his best and go beyond what he initially expected.

Basically, this stupid little blog is not meant to be a review of the documentary. In fact, I haven't even finished watching the video yet. I just wanted to point out to recording people and band people that there is an awful lot to learn in this documentary if you pay attention.

Brandon