One minor detail that probably goes unnoticed for most Tiny Desk Concert viewers is the video descriptions. They often contain interesting anecdotes about the artist or the concert itself or, indeed, the audio engineering that makes them sound so good. It's just a small detail but I appreciate it nonetheless, and it adds to the journalistic approach to live music that was mentioned in the video as well.
The way the video was titled, I thought Michael Snarington was implying that NPR Tiny Desk concerts have gotten worse and that we miss the old ones. Glad to know they're still considered just as great!
Also shoutout to KEXP in Seattle for producing amazing recordings as well. NPR Tiny Desk and KEXP sessions single-handedly turned me on to modern music and artists
Besides the T-Pain one, I LOVE the Hadestown Tiny Desk Concert. I think it really gets the energy of the show even in its most basic, boiled down state. Also, I have literally directed people to Chappell Roan’s Tiny Desk Concert when people tell me they don’t “get” her. It was my first exposure to her and it was literally one of the best first impressions I have ever gotten from an artist.
I have to point out the moment in the Mac Miller tiny desk where the keyboard player shakes his head in pure disbelief of Thundercat's bass fill. 9:40 lol
I really appreciate these types of videos where you shine a light on people who don't often get their flowers, this was really interesting and informative!
Josh actually came to my college and gave an hour long talk that was essentially this video streched to an hour, and he even showed his DAW files for the mac miller and .paak concerts Real cool guy
It would've been interesting to hear about how they tackled the tiny desk home series. Considering they wouldn't have had the same acoustic environment they were used to and not being able to direct the bands like he did with Nile Rodgers. Follow up video?
Man that Fred again tiny desk makes me cry so much. The way he performs is so personal and the tiny desk environment was perfect for making him think outside the box. Legendary performance imo
There are a lot of incredible tiny desk concerts but one of my favourites is Sampha's in 2017. Hearing him perform with just his voice and his piano and the way his songs are stripped down is just so intimate and breathtaking. The audio and sound mixing is so well done and it all sounds so rich and raw in the best way possible.
This is the most validating video I’ve ever watched, love hearing another sound junkie, arguably THE sound junkie, break down these performances I’ve gushed over for years. Your videos inspire me consistently!
I've watched a lot of them and I knew they sounded great, but I wouldn't have thought THAT much work of the kind he describes goes into it. Thanks for spotlighting him.
I love Tiny Desk performances. I really enjoy and recommend Noochie's Live from the Front Porch performances too. Tweet, Ruff Endz, and The Lox performances were amazing. 😊
I really loved Taylor Swift’s Tiny Desk. I remember thinking someone like her who has such a massive ensemble like the band, singers, and dancers but all she had was her guitar and piano was impressive. This was before I had become a fan. It was really inspiring to see her strip it all the way back.
Unironically it was then that I fully understood why many love her. Her crowd work, the introductions between songs, the stripped down songs forcing you to focus on the lyrics/melodies than the beats/dancers was eye opening.
This changed my perspective of Tiny Desk Concerts. I knew there's a lot of work to make that audio work but to specifically see it this way is really insightful.
This is soooo fascinating! Tiny Desk truly is so magical - every one I've watched sounds like velvet and everyone involved deserves to be so proud. Heck, last year's Wicked Tiny Desk even inspired me to fly from Chicago to NYC just to see the show! But thankfully we don't all have to go that far for good music, as it really is all around us. Thanks for giving me yet another reason to appreciate music and humanity 😊 hope you're doing well!
it's so interesting hearing josh mention the vocal/drum balance in the anderson .paak tiny desk -- i honestly think one of the reasons it was so successful is because of the incredible upfront clarity of the drums, making it feel almost like a live album and driving home the hip-hop/soul lineage of the music
I think the Soul Glo video hits on Josh's idea of capturing a moment in time. Soul Glo is a hardcore punk band that relies on raw, unrestrained energy. About halfway through, Pierce Jordan, the lead singer, sort of forgets there are microphones and cameras and climbs on the desk to sing directly to the gathered crowd. On a technical level, it's a disaster; he's nearly inaudible on the last two songs while the production crew desperately tries move the mic to compensate. But at an emotional level, it captures the band's energy so well and it's still great to watch. The crowd almost starts moshing in the small space, and the crowd chanting "who gonna beat my ass" in the final louder than the singer probably hits the vibe better than a "perfect" recording.
My #1 Tiny Desk concert has to be Juvenile. At first he had no idea what the hell it was, but after some convincing and logistics, dude delivered an absolutely amazing set alongside Mannie Fresh. The Tiny Desk version of "Rodeo" with The Amours is absolutely amazing.
Sofar Sounds has the same exact origin story. Couple blokes went to see their favorite band and couldn’t hear them over the crowd and bar folk so they invited the band over to their place to play an intimate show and to their dismay the band said yes. They then turned it into a real thing and you can go to Sofar Sounds concerts all over the world. Always in intimate and interesting venues and with a crowd full of music lovers who just want to appreciate the artist. It’s a really beautiful thing
I think Chappell Roan's Tiny Desk Concert might go down in history as an important one because it was right after that performance that she really started blowing up.
The two I think about the most is Tyler the Creator’s concert (and how exposed he was at this pivotal time) and Daniel Johnston’s performance (there’s something MAGICAL about seeing him) Extreme props to you getting this interview, btw. Phenomenal insight from the man who started it all.
Hearing an artist’s work out of the usual format is always fun, and sometimes produces a total gem of a recording that lives in forever. Dave Grohl playing acoustic Everlong on Howard Stern became almost more famous than the album version.
Gaelynn Lea, a disabled Duluth violinist and one of the best musicians out of Minnesota got the chance to be on Tiny Desk years ago and I’m still so so grateful, check out her songs Someday We’ll Linger In The Sun (her submission song for NPR Tiny Desk) and Lost in the Woods
One of my favourite ones is Thandiswa Malawi's. Affectionately known as King The, she is a living legend from South Africa who was one of the pioneering artists of the South African genre Kwaito birthed in the 90s at the tale end of the apartheid regime. Many decade later and she is still continues to mesmerise listeners and enchant hearts with her striking yet consoling voice, ocean-deep songwring and lively bounce to the sounds of the South African Jazz, Folk and Contemporary music.
I would just like to mention that when they had to change location they did a Tiny Desk Concert THROUGH the move by splicing together some two hundred takes shot at different points of the move. (Don't worry, as is obvious it was OK Go, so that was enrichment for them.)
two of my favorites are caroline rose’s. they’ve been one of the most under-appreciated artists of the past 10 years, and their OG performance along with the one they did for the Superstar album rollout are great showcases of their versatility. happy to see a video all about the sound and makings of these tiny desks
Mic may you never stop making these awesome videos. Hearing from Josh and understanding better the npr tiny desk story was absolutely the highlight of my day :) Also, not my favorite, but up there is the Car Seat Headrest concert. Music sounds beautiful, but what really sells me is Will Toledo deciding to bring like four of his friends who just. sit there. While he's playing. And the drummer Andrew Katz brings a very tiny drumming kit. It's awesome
A very interesting and informative piece; thank you, Mr. the Snare! Really great to learn more about the people behind the scenes who make the magic of things like Tiny Desk possible.
They are also providing a HUGE platform for latin artists. Many young artists from my country, Argentina, have already been featured. The latest ones were Ca7triel & Paco Amoroso last month, and the reprecussion have been enormous
"Everybody watches them on their phone or tablet." That made me realise that I always watch the Tiny Desks on my TV. It really doesn't pop on a small screen.
I definitely didn't know there were that many Tiny desk concerts! One of my favourites is the one by Lianne La Havas. Kind of random, but it's so much better than the recordings of those songs, it's crazy. And Hadestown, obviously, but that's just because it's Hadestown.
If you like tiny desk concerts I need to recommend y'all the C. Tangana one, he's a Spanish artist mostly known for El Madrileño, but I think he made a top ten performance
It doesn't surprise me how good the sound is for Tiny Desk. I do a lot of construction jobs in office spaces. The acoustics are often phenomenal in those spaces because so many of the materials are built to deal with controlling acoustics so multiple people can take phone calls or have conversations in the same space. Music played on the job site often just pops the further along you get in a build out. Conversely, restaurant acoustics are a goddamn nightmare, especially in the era of open concept build outs. I cannot tell you how many times a client will not pay the extra money needed to do a sound survey to optimize their sound but will overpay for overpriced amps and speakers and then get pissed when sound is bouncing everywhere and nothing sounds good.
The Roots, Action Bronson, Kenny Beats, Hermanos Gutièrezz, Reggie Watts, The Free Nationals, Masego, Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Taimane, Frédéric Yonnet, Bill Frisell Phony Ppl, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, Leon Bridges and of course…GWAR
I wonder how much Tiny Desk Concerts got "inspired" by La Blogothèque's early "Take away shows". Those started 18 years ago (2006) and went for more dynamic locations (and in my opinion more interesting because of it) but would have been difficult not to be aware of as they were very present in audiophile circles when the web and social media was smaller.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the tiny desk At Home era. I found a lot of the set ups and mixes to be sometimes better than the original approach. My favourite for testing a stereo set up is the Ty Dolla $ign performance. His band plus Skrillex just sounds larger than most anything, it's so good.
this was a sweet, interesting video on Tiny Desk! the Tiny Desk series & radio station YT channels (like KEXP & KUTX), are often my way of listening to new music on TH-cam every now and then! i'll also check out Global Sound Concerts ASAP! 🎧
tiny desk is the new MTV unplugged
It's even better
It’s almost like an MTV unplugged 2.0… wait…
I've been saying this for years. And in that respect, Mac Miller's TDC is basically his Nirvana Unplugged.
Indeed
OMG you're right!!!
here after the crazy frog tiny desk announcement
Unfortunately I looked this up
real???
@@huskylluvr hes going on hot ones next week!
I'm sorry what
@@mountainousman
I love the way they "Mic The Snare" in particular Tiny Desks
One minor detail that probably goes unnoticed for most Tiny Desk Concert viewers is the video descriptions. They often contain interesting anecdotes about the artist or the concert itself or, indeed, the audio engineering that makes them sound so good. It's just a small detail but I appreciate it nonetheless, and it adds to the journalistic approach to live music that was mentioned in the video as well.
The way the video was titled, I thought Michael Snarington was implying that NPR Tiny Desk concerts have gotten worse and that we miss the old ones. Glad to know they're still considered just as great!
I read it the same way!
Also shoutout to KEXP in Seattle for producing amazing recordings as well. NPR Tiny Desk and KEXP sessions single-handedly turned me on to modern music and artists
Besides the T-Pain one, I LOVE the Hadestown Tiny Desk Concert. I think it really gets the energy of the show even in its most basic, boiled down state.
Also, I have literally directed people to Chappell Roan’s Tiny Desk Concert when people tell me they don’t “get” her. It was my first exposure to her and it was literally one of the best first impressions I have ever gotten from an artist.
Tyler the Creator's Tiny Desk was brilliant. Taylor Swift's was great in showcasing her range(this was during her Lover era before she went folk).
I have to point out the moment in the Mac Miller tiny desk where the keyboard player shakes his head in pure disbelief of Thundercat's bass fill. 9:40 lol
I really appreciate these types of videos where you shine a light on people who don't often get their flowers, this was really interesting and informative!
Audio engineering superhero. I'm thnakful that you guys featured this!
1:49 "recordings of voodoo rituals and festivals from Togo and Benin, in West Africa" is probably the most NPR subject I've ever heard
Guys my dad works at Mic the Snare. He doesn’t want you to know this but the next Deep Discog Dive is on Nav 🐐
Finally He’s covering real music
Josh actually came to my college and gave an hour long talk that was essentially this video streched to an hour, and he even showed his DAW files for the mac miller and .paak concerts
Real cool guy
Say it with me: "I didn't know that T-Pain could siiiiiiing!"
exactly cause like. it's not his fault y'all weren't paying attention lmao
Nah I did know, no one can sound that great with autotune without being able to sing
Mac Miller’s Tiny Desk performance will always be my favorite recorded performance🩶
Same here amazing last performance him
Clipping's tiny deck concert with miniature instruments/mics was exactly what I needed during covid lockdown
Thinking about these small intimate performances as a form of journalism is fascinating, I'm going to be chewing on that one.
It would've been interesting to hear about how they tackled the tiny desk home series. Considering they wouldn't have had the same acoustic environment they were used to and not being able to direct the bands like he did with Nile Rodgers.
Follow up video?
Man that Fred again tiny desk makes me cry so much. The way he performs is so personal and the tiny desk environment was perfect for making him think outside the box. Legendary performance imo
There are a lot of incredible tiny desk concerts but one of my favourites is Sampha's in 2017. Hearing him perform with just his voice and his piano and the way his songs are stripped down is just so intimate and breathtaking. The audio and sound mixing is so well done and it all sounds so rich and raw in the best way possible.
This is the most validating video I’ve ever watched, love hearing another sound junkie, arguably THE sound junkie, break down these performances I’ve gushed over for years. Your videos inspire me consistently!
I've watched a lot of them and I knew they sounded great, but I wouldn't have thought THAT much work of the kind he describes goes into it. Thanks for spotlighting him.
I love Tiny Desk performances. I really enjoy and recommend Noochie's Live from the Front Porch performances too. Tweet, Ruff Endz, and The Lox performances were amazing. 😊
I really loved Taylor Swift’s Tiny Desk. I remember thinking someone like her who has such a massive ensemble like the band, singers, and dancers but all she had was her guitar and piano was impressive. This was before I had become a fan. It was really inspiring to see her strip it all the way back.
Unironically it was then that I fully understood why many love her. Her crowd work, the introductions between songs, the stripped down songs forcing you to focus on the lyrics/melodies than the beats/dancers was eye opening.
This changed my perspective of Tiny Desk Concerts. I knew there's a lot of work to make that audio work but to specifically see it this way is really insightful.
This is soooo fascinating! Tiny Desk truly is so magical - every one I've watched sounds like velvet and everyone involved deserves to be so proud. Heck, last year's Wicked Tiny Desk even inspired me to fly from Chicago to NYC just to see the show! But thankfully we don't all have to go that far for good music, as it really is all around us. Thanks for giving me yet another reason to appreciate music and humanity 😊 hope you're doing well!
HE GOT JOSH ON NO WAY. I used watched his NPR videos constantly on how they record tiny desks just to get some advice from him
Tyler is my favorite. The way he works with his band is just so cool. Hope he makes an album with them in the future tbh
I love Tiny Desk concerts because they've gotten me into so many bands
Real. They've become such a key way for me to 'find' new-to-me artists across all kinds of genres.
it's so interesting hearing josh mention the vocal/drum balance in the anderson .paak tiny desk -- i honestly think one of the reasons it was so successful is because of the incredible upfront clarity of the drums, making it feel almost like a live album and driving home the hip-hop/soul lineage of the music
I think the Soul Glo video hits on Josh's idea of capturing a moment in time. Soul Glo is a hardcore punk band that relies on raw, unrestrained energy. About halfway through, Pierce Jordan, the lead singer, sort of forgets there are microphones and cameras and climbs on the desk to sing directly to the gathered crowd. On a technical level, it's a disaster; he's nearly inaudible on the last two songs while the production crew desperately tries move the mic to compensate. But at an emotional level, it captures the band's energy so well and it's still great to watch. The crowd almost starts moshing in the small space, and the crowd chanting "who gonna beat my ass" in the final louder than the singer probably hits the vibe better than a "perfect" recording.
My #1 Tiny Desk concert has to be Juvenile. At first he had no idea what the hell it was, but after some convincing and logistics, dude delivered an absolutely amazing set alongside Mannie Fresh. The Tiny Desk version of "Rodeo" with The Amours is absolutely amazing.
Seeing Bob Boilin without a beard feels like I've glimpsed into a star trek style mirror universe lmao.
Sofar Sounds has the same exact origin story. Couple blokes went to see their favorite band and couldn’t hear them over the crowd and bar folk so they invited the band over to their place to play an intimate show and to their dismay the band said yes. They then turned it into a real thing and you can go to Sofar Sounds concerts all over the world. Always in intimate and interesting venues and with a crowd full of music lovers who just want to appreciate the artist. It’s a really beautiful thing
Josh has the most NPR voice to ever voice NPR
The first one I watched and pushed me into the world of Tiny Desk was Maddison Cunningham’s performance. Amazing opener
I think Chappell Roan's Tiny Desk Concert might go down in history as an important one because it was right after that performance that she really started blowing up.
It’s cool seeing you do these videos where you bring in guest and interview them!
The two I think about the most is Tyler the Creator’s concert (and how exposed he was at this pivotal time) and Daniel Johnston’s performance (there’s something MAGICAL about seeing him)
Extreme props to you getting this interview, btw. Phenomenal insight from the man who started it all.
Thought that was Todd in the Shadows on the thumbnail
Hearing an artist’s work out of the usual format is always fun, and sometimes produces a total gem of a recording that lives in forever. Dave Grohl playing acoustic Everlong on Howard Stern became almost more famous than the album version.
Gaelynn Lea, a disabled Duluth violinist and one of the best musicians out of Minnesota got the chance to be on Tiny Desk years ago and I’m still so so grateful, check out her songs Someday We’ll Linger In The Sun (her submission song for NPR Tiny Desk) and Lost in the Woods
3:56 HIS FINAL FORM
One of my favourite ones is Thandiswa Malawi's. Affectionately known as King The, she is a living legend from South Africa who was one of the pioneering artists of the South African genre Kwaito birthed in the 90s at the tale end of the apartheid regime. Many decade later and she is still continues to mesmerise listeners and enchant hearts with her striking yet consoling voice, ocean-deep songwring and lively bounce to the sounds of the South African Jazz, Folk and Contemporary music.
I would just like to mention that when they had to change location they did a Tiny Desk Concert THROUGH the move by splicing together some two hundred takes shot at different points of the move.
(Don't worry, as is obvious it was OK Go, so that was enrichment for them.)
in love with the way the last sentence is worded
@xX_MC_OvU_PvP_YT_Xx my years of training over at Tumblr are finally paying off
I never really thought about just how immaculate the audio is in Tiny Desk concerts. NMIXX's Tiny Desk is probably my favorite.
two of my favorites are caroline rose’s. they’ve been one of the most under-appreciated artists of the past 10 years, and their OG performance along with the one they did for the Superstar album rollout are great showcases of their versatility. happy to see a video all about the sound and makings of these tiny desks
Hey Mic!
Some of my favorite Tiny Desk concerts are Usher, Mac Miller, JID, and Fujii Kaze
Mic may you never stop making these awesome videos. Hearing from Josh and understanding better the npr tiny desk story was absolutely the highlight of my day :) Also, not my favorite, but up there is the Car Seat Headrest concert. Music sounds beautiful, but what really sells me is Will Toledo deciding to bring like four of his friends who just. sit there. While he's playing. And the drummer Andrew Katz brings a very tiny drumming kit. It's awesome
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s performance is one of the greatest. i loved Bandana and the live version is just incredible.
one of my personal fav tiny desk concerts was with rufus wainwright. the version he performed of 'montauk' still gives me chills
A very interesting and informative piece; thank you, Mr. the Snare! Really great to learn more about the people behind the scenes who make the magic of things like Tiny Desk possible.
Great timing, I just listened to the Raveena tiny desk today
Me just finding out NPR did other stuff besides Tiny Desk 👁️👄👁️
now we need the Mac Miller deep discog dive!
dj premier has one of my all time favorites tiny desk concerts
Finding Ssing Ssing's tiny desk late one night changed my life.
Thanks for making this. Reminded me of the genius of NPR tiny concerts
They are also providing a HUGE platform for latin artists. Many young artists from my country, Argentina, have already been featured. The latest ones were Ca7triel & Paco Amoroso last month, and the reprecussion have been enormous
love love love the carly rae jepsen tiny desk! so much fun
"Everybody watches them on their phone or tablet." That made me realise that I always watch the Tiny Desks on my TV. It really doesn't pop on a small screen.
One of my favorite performances is tank & the bangas, highly recommend if you haven’t seen it!!
I'd also recommend the Dua Lipa Tiny Desk one (the 2020 one). I think that the Levitating and Love Again versions are the best ones.
The best tiny desk concert is Wilco in 2011 in my opinion
Sting and Shaggie's one is just perfect
My favorite Tiny Desk Concert was Ne-Yo’s
My favorite tiny desk rapsody and sa-roc and Mac Miller. And anderson paak. paramore.
Ooh big sponsor! Well deserved. (Also, the video is great.)
I definitely didn't know there were that many Tiny desk concerts! One of my favourites is the one by Lianne La Havas. Kind of random, but it's so much better than the recordings of those songs, it's crazy. And Hadestown, obviously, but that's just because it's Hadestown.
If you like tiny desk concerts I need to recommend y'all the C. Tangana one, he's a Spanish artist mostly known for El Madrileño, but I think he made a top ten performance
Death Cab for Cutie’s is nuts.
It doesn't surprise me how good the sound is for Tiny Desk. I do a lot of construction jobs in office spaces. The acoustics are often phenomenal in those spaces because so many of the materials are built to deal with controlling acoustics so multiple people can take phone calls or have conversations in the same space. Music played on the job site often just pops the further along you get in a build out.
Conversely, restaurant acoustics are a goddamn nightmare, especially in the era of open concept build outs. I cannot tell you how many times a client will not pay the extra money needed to do a sound survey to optimize their sound but will overpay for overpriced amps and speakers and then get pissed when sound is bouncing everywhere and nothing sounds good.
The Roots, Action Bronson, Kenny Beats, Hermanos Gutièrezz, Reggie Watts, The Free Nationals, Masego, Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Taimane, Frédéric Yonnet, Bill Frisell Phony Ppl, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, Leon Bridges and of course…GWAR
Love that you got a cool sponsor!
Mic the Desk
Josh Rogosin just looks like an older Mic
My favourite one is definitely RTJ's
My favorite one Mac Miller and paramore and anderson paak rapsody and sa-roc
I wonder how much Tiny Desk Concerts got "inspired" by La Blogothèque's early "Take away shows". Those started 18 years ago (2006) and went for more dynamic locations (and in my opinion more interesting because of it) but would have been difficult not to be aware of as they were very present in audiophile circles when the web and social media was smaller.
They sure know how to mic you.
John Prince not getting screen time at the very least is a fail, his Caravan of Fools is perfection
Still obsessed with Lianne La Havas’ session
NPR is about to wonder why all their old videos are getting tons of hits suddenly
I would love to hear your thoughts on the tiny desk At Home era. I found a lot of the set ups and mixes to be sometimes better than the original approach. My favourite for testing a stereo set up is the Ty Dolla $ign performance. His band plus Skrillex just sounds larger than most anything, it's so good.
So I noticed that you didn't mention one of the best TDCs recorded... GWAR
Josh seems super cool
Great content as always.
omg I just was talking about mic, this is crazy
this was a sweet, interesting video on Tiny Desk! the Tiny Desk series & radio station YT channels (like KEXP & KUTX), are often my way of listening to new music on TH-cam every now and then! i'll also check out Global Sound Concerts ASAP! 🎧
Ambisonics mentioned TWICE
I love them so much
Where my Tom Misch fans at?!!!
My Favorite tiny desk rapsody and paramore sa-roc Mac Miller tank and the bangas. anderson paak
the king krule tiny desk rules
wait, i finished the video and i dont know whats missing about the new episodoes of Tiny Desk lol
I love you mic
Forgive me for what I do if The Strokes or Geese ever do a Tiny Desk
number one certified hater of big desk right here 🙌🏼
please check out ca7riel and paco amoroso's tiny desk
So fun
Bear necessities !!?
ayy youtuber's first sponsorship that isn't like the Qobuz thing, get that Mackie's money then spend it on Mac Donalds
You can always tell when someone works at NPR because of how softspoken they are