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Posted
  On 13/12/2013 at 10:37 PM, Adam said:

This thread is alarmist and wrong.

 

Look harder before falling into the trap of 'back in the day' (like many arguments in many fields).

Could you clarify this? 

 

Cheers

 

M

Posted

Most modern recordings I buy end up in the car - especially indie pop/rock.  Recent examples include releases by Arcade Fire and Cloud Control that are well and truly overcooked.  Very depressing.  Atlas by Rufus sounds great though :) John Maher also sounds good, and Nick Cave's latest is OK.

 

When will the madness end?

Posted

In the car, it is hard to tell the difference, given the volumes with the window open..............although, I can still hear the difference between MP3 and CD.

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

At a recent GTG I brought my JJJ like a version CD and played this track through the hosts pair of $25k Vivid K1 speakers. No complaints about the recording, in fact a number of folks wrote down the details so they could get a copy.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hzoDg0PYQ0Q&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DhzoDg0PYQ0Q

Yeah, there is plenty of rubbish out there, but I am coming to the conclusion that most recordings have always been a lucky dip at best. Just enjoy the good stuff and the almost good stuff.

Obsessive compulsive tendencies. I believe that's what they call it, obsessive at least ( I think the compulsive thing is when you can't stop compulsively cleaning your records or whatever the behaviour might be. I'm being a bit lose with my terminology I know) Best to recognise it for what it is and try not to over indulge. Now go and smash you best sounding LP. Bet that is just as much fun as listening to it. I'll go smash one if you like.........we'll maybe tomorrow I will.

Edited by Briz Vegas
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Posted

Briz - your Missy Higgins example raises a good point.  Modern recordings that are spartan, or sections of songs where all instruments aren't simultaneously firing on 11 can sound good. 

 

Perhaps my favourite recording 'quality wise' is Jill Scott's first album.  Sounds amazing and a bonus if you like that sort of thing.

 

What's the best SNA forum topic for posting/identifying 'best recordings'?

Posted

I would do a search in the music discussion. I'm sure this has come up before. Nothing is new. I find myself recycling previous comments and examples.

Audiophile recordings do tend to be spars. It gives the instruments space to breathe so it can sound more impressive. I used the example but the JJJ recordings are pretty good if you check them on YouTube. You will find many more full band recordings and we'll as the simple stuff.

Recordings can be good and ok, it's the horrendous ones that I lament.

Posted (edited)

Just been surfing the tube. I found this interesting and maybe relevant to the discussion. If the engineer is using the right gear maybe we get better sound at home, all other things being equal.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-U5hOCB7Jo8

So, here is an example of their work. I only have an iPad mini so it's hard to tell much, sounds fine for what it is through the mini. What do other folks think ( maybe your computer has a "real" speaker on it)

http://www.gravitystudios.com/index.php/page/3/

Edited by Briz Vegas
Posted

I have been buying Clannad since the 70s.  (Irish folk rock)

 

They have had some really nice recordings over the years.

 

I bought their latest album (Nadur) but unfortunately someone has gone overboard with the knob twiddling.  Not only is it greatly compressed but the vocals are clipped and distorted.  Surely no one listened to the final version - or if they did then they were deaf - well, deafer than me.

 

I played it once.

 

On the other hand, the latest Mike Oldfield re-mixes of his catalogue, which is a huge work still in progress, are clean, bright, fresh and alive.

 

I guess that it all boils down to intent and attention to detail.

 

Music buying is such a mine field.

Posted

Hey Aechmea

 

I loved 'Macalla' back in the mid-eighties.  Bet it sounds good thru' your Maggies.  What would you recommend from their back catalogue both for recording quality and quality of songs?

 

Good to know about the Mike Oldfield.

 

PS: I also read your post re: room treatments, and was wondering if Maggies can work in a small room (i.e. 3.8m x 3.5) if you use enough panels especially behind them.

 

Back on thread: Quiet Letters by Bliss and Peace Beyond Passion by M'cello(?) are great modern recordings (but not recent).

 

Cheers

Posted

I think it is getting better to be honest, the grunge period of the 90's produced some of the most heavly compressed music ever made as production went low fi as a rebellion, but of late there have been some noticeable pop/rock releases which have stellar production

 

Angus and Julia Stone

The Jezzabells

360

Blood Orange

Lorde

 

to name a few

Posted

I love when i disappear off SN for a few months and come back to find one of my threads has come back to life :) . After thinking for a few months after my initial rant in my first post i have come to a few conclusions. I think one of the reasons i come by so many bad recordings is the fact that it seems to be that the majority of the music i like is always recorded tragically :/ to add to this my system is in no way even close to as impressive as many members on heres systems, yeah if i give it a well recorded album it can sound quiet good but it has a tendency show up bad recordings something fierce while at the same time sounding like it is a very nice system with the right albums. The latest song i have heard that has really impressed me sound quality wise was Daft punks Get Lucky on vinyl played on some rega player fitted with a at440mla. It was nice and dynamic with very crisp and clean sound that did not feel offending to my ears at all.

Posted
  On 23/12/2013 at 6:55 AM, Crosscourt121 said:

Hey Aechmea

 

I loved 'Macalla' back in the mid-eighties.  Bet it sounds good thru' your Maggies.  What would you recommend from their back catalogue both for recording quality and quality of songs?

 

Good to know about the Mike Oldfield.

 

PS: I also read your post re: room treatments, and was wondering if Maggies can work in a small room (i.e. 3.8m x 3.5) if you use enough panels especially behind them.

 

Back on thread: Quiet Letters by Bliss and Peace Beyond Passion by M'cello(?) are great modern recordings (but not recent).

 

Cheers

I don't want to pollute the OP's thread so I will be brief.

 

Of the earlier Clannad stuff, I like "Fuaim" and from the middle period "Anam".  Really just personal preference tho.

The better of the recordings is probably "Magical Ring".  But they are all pretty good except the recent ones.

 

Guess it depends on the model of Maggie in a small room like that.  The 3s and the 20s would be physically too large and would just about touch in the middle.  Maggies aren't as hard to position as a lot of people make out.  There is little or no side-wall, ceiling or floor bounce because of the planar nature and therefore you only need to consider the out-of-phase back wave.  Treatment on the front wall diminishes the back wave and gives greater perceived depth, but diminishes some immediacy/focus.  Personal preference rules again.  I have only heard them briefly once by accident but I was impressed by MMGs.  At about $1100 I would like to hear them again.

 

Back to normal programming.

 

Sorry to OP.

Posted

It is unfortunate that the quality of the final product relies mainly with the sound engineer.  

 

The older they are, the more experienced they are, but unfortunately the deafer they become.  It happens to all of us, unfortunately.

 

The younger ones, better hearing, but less experience in producing the final product.

 

Finding a happy medium becomes difficult especially if you are relying on what you thought it sounded like 20 odd years ago.  :(

Posted
  On 27/12/2013 at 12:33 AM, leewood said:

It is unfortunate that the quality of the final product relies mainly with the sound engineer.  

 

The older they are, the more experienced they are, but unfortunately the deafer they become.  It happens to all of us, unfortunately.

 

I don't think there is a connection to age of the sound engineer, except his / her experience in what sells creating a bias for loud compressed crap (that sells). Hearing loss should be a minor issue.

Posted
  On 27/12/2013 at 12:03 AM, aechmea said:

I don't want to pollute the OP's thread so I will be brief.

 

Of the earlier Clannad stuff, I like "Fuaim" and from the middle period "Anam".  Really just personal preference tho.

The better of the recordings is probably "Magical Ring".  But they are all pretty good except the recent ones.

 

 

I only like the earlier Clannad albums, as they were more of a traditional sounding Irish band back then. Their later albums are far too synthy and new-age sounding for my tastes. Once again, just personal preference.

Posted
  On 30/12/2013 at 1:10 AM, emesbee said:

I only like the earlier Clannad albums, as they were more of a traditional sounding Irish band back then. Their later albums are far too synthy and new-age sounding for my tastes. Once again, just personal preference.

Yeah, thats right.  I'm really only buying the recent ones because I can.  If I was limited to 4 then it would be the first 4.  One of the live albums is quite good - sorry can't remember off the top of my head which one it was.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

These days I'm finding many examples of very nicely or reasobably well recorded music especially among indie artists and others who may be saddled with a label but aren't necessarily considered mainstream.  On the whole I'd say that outside of the mainstream things are looking up. Examples include Porcupine Tree, Over the Rhine, Emily Jane White, Cowboy Junkies, Tom Odell, Simone Felice, Royal Hunt, Anders Osborne, the recent Thin Lizzy and Pink Floyd remasters, Sara Bareilles, Glen Hansard, Lissie, The Civil Wars, Dead Sara, The Walkabouts, Richard Hawley, David Grey, Beth Orton, Jonathan Wilson etc.

Where the mainstream is concerned I simply boycott the artists because the truth is I don't enjoy listening to stuff that lacks dynamic range or is balls to the wall loud from beginning to end. There no reason to make Rock music sound crap - hard rock albums of the 60s through 80s were often not very well recorded but they were and are still very listenable e.g. Blue Cheer, Mountain, Rainbow, Led Zeppelin, Steve Morse, Van Halen. Deep Purple's latest offering, anything by Foo Fighters, most of Coldplay etc. don't deserve to be heard, neither does the high res remaster of Bob Marley Legend. I'm afraid the only way to beat it is to vote with your wallet by refusing to buy crap.  Some things are simply unlistenable, no matter the kit in the audio chain.

Edited by audiomuze
Posted
Quote; leewood Posted 27 December 2013 - 08:33 AM

It is unfortunate that the quality of the final product relies mainly with the sound engineer.  

The older they are, the more experienced they are, but unfortunately the deafer they become.  It happens to all of us, unfortunately.

The younger ones, better hearing, but less experience in producing the final product.

 

  On 20/12/2013 at 11:37 AM, Crosscourt121 said:

Most modern recordings I buy end up in the car - especially indie pop/rock.  Recent examples include releases by Arcade Fire and Cloud Control that are well and truly overcooked.  Very depressing.  Atlas by Rufus sounds great though :) John Maher also sounds good, and Nick Cave's latest is OK.

 

When will the madness end?

 

I think that most recordings start their life in the studios being as good as they can be. The treatments after that from producers mixers and mastering etc is where it is decided just how compressed or contorted these recordings will be and that is often at the behest of the artist or their manager.

 

I believe that Metalica's first few albums were considered excellent quality but they have since declined in standard to be dire of late (I am drawing on other's comments here). It's hard to imagine the mighty Metallica not getting exactly what they wanted.

 

Here's a little extract from my thread about my daughter as a sound engineer and her take on the fate of most modern day recordings.

 

post-105765-0-58047700-1389667540_thumb.

 

She has credits on the sleeve of Nick Cave's "Push the Sky Away" for part rec. engineer so thanks crosscourt. She always does her best but MUST do what is wanted of her.

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Posted

I will be tarred and feathered but this is why I like to have the option of EQ on any pre amp I own, one can at least make it sound sort of bearable and get the speakers working a bit, as all of the good recordings around are of music that I am just not into.

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Posted

Hi VA50, I started a thread in the Music discussion section that was a very similar vain to this one.

 

I also echo your thoughts re modern recordings, finding a lot of these harsh.

 

I also think my system is partly to blame - my speakers have quite forward mids, and sound quite harsh with rock. The distorted guitar I find is the main offender which sounds scratchy and over the top.

 

But there are also some fine rock recordings, My favs are:

 

Bubblegum - Mark Lanegan

The Thirteenth Step - A Perfect Circle

The Shape of Punk to Come - Refused

Axis: Bold as Love - Jimi Hendrix

Superunknown - Soundgarden

Shame - Brad.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  On 19/07/2013 at 3:59 PM, VA50 said:

does everyone else on SN often feel frustrated with peoples lack to hear decent sound? And does anyone know the reasoning behind record company's new mixing strategy's?

 

I hear you. A lot of the music I like is squashed to hell. I guess it comes with the territory. That being said, the music is what it is and I just find the best version of it available. It's unlikely my or any other interested party's shouts will change anything soon since they represent such a small amount of total sales.

 

Sometimes I just want to listen to something and I don't care how bad the recording is, other times I can't stand it. I think I've come to some sort of balance though.

Posted (edited)

The risk is, with young people listening to so much "swisse cheese" music they're dumbing down their hearing to the extent they won't be able to hear the difference between a well mastered XRCD24 pr DXD disc at one end of the spectrum vs garden variety mp3's. I agree MP3's sound awful. As you said, no dynamics, flat, lacking correct timbre and image specificity. And I find listener fatigue sets in pretty quickly.

I made a point of ordering an Iphone 5 with 64gb of memory so I can store a good amount of lossless rips. Mindful not to dumb down my hearing, I rip all my cd's as Wav lossless. That said, the most important factor in whether a cd or album sounds good or bad is the original recording and mastering process, not the media itself. A poorly recorded/mastered album will always sound bad. Remasters just make them suck less. As Barrack Obama said "You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig!"

Edited by Bodhi
Posted (edited)
  On 28/01/2014 at 7:27 AM, Bodhi said:

Remasters just make them suck less. As Barrack Obama said "You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig!"

 I know where Obama got his lines.   :P

 

We all know that Rodriguez was heard to sing " And don't try to enchant me with your manner of dress, cos a monkey in silk is a monkey no less".

 

Song: Like Janis

Album: Cold Fact

Year:1970

Edited by soundfan
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