Well Mixed 'n' Mastered?

Counterparts · Post by **Counterparts** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 8:40 am

I'd like to gather a few opinions as to what Z people think are particularly good examples of a well mixed & mastered album, regardless of musical genre, taste etc.

Royston

samplaire · Post by **samplaire** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 9:13 am

Strange, but only old titles come to my mind... I mean Dire Straits (I don't remember the album title - the one with Telegraph Road), Sade, hehe - it seems to me modern albums are mastered to be just as-loud-as-possible - it's just simplifiing but for me it looks like

The above artists are not my favourite BTW

Very interesting mastering is to be found on Future Sound Of London latest release. It's not straight forward "nice" and "warm" but I would call it interesting and that's why good.

Counterparts · Post by **Counterparts** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 9:29 am

Of the albums I personally have, I find Zappa's stuff to be very well put together (again, fairly old).

I'm looking for a few examples of 'reference material' to put through my monitors...as a temporary work-around, I'm going to EQ the monitors as best I can such that a good reference source sounds 'right' played through them.

Ultimately, I would like to change the monitors for something better, but financially, that's some way off (I might yet use the B&W speakers as monitors, but that means I lose my hi-fi!)

Royston

Post by **Neil B** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 11:12 am

I've found that Klaus Schultze albums are often a cut above the rest in terms of clarity and quality.
Beyond Recall is the main album that springs to mind.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 11:36 am

Tears for Fears: Woman In Chains, truly a WORK OF ART, it is just too much! It is a "momentum" mastering piece unique in its own right.

The engeneer was Bob Clearmountain, a real golden ear man!

Read about him and learn:

http://mixonline.com/ar/audio_bob_clearmountain/

[ This Message was edited by: Nestor on 2004-04-22 12:37 ]

Spirit · Post by **Spirit** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 12:50 pm

Pink Floyd: The Wall

samplaire · Post by **samplaire** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 1:21 pm

On 2004-04-22 12:36, Nestor wrote:
Tears for Fears: Woman In Chains, truly a WORK OF ART, it is just too much! It is a

Oh my God, I forgot about that masterpiece!!!!

Post by **hubird** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 3:13 pm

Less old: Kruder & Dorfmeister.
You really can use it to check your songs and system!

[ This Message was edited by: hubird on 2004-04-22 19:57 ]

scary808 · Post by **scary808** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 8:57 pm

Coil - Love's Secret Domain. I've listened to that album hundreds of times over the course of the last ten years & I'm still unearthing new layers.

wavelength · Post by **wavelength** » Thu Apr 22, 2004 9:18 pm

NIN - The Downward Spiral

pretty amazing that "a warm place" can transition so well into "eraser"

such gentleness inside remarkable brutality on this album, Tom Baker (mastering) is incredible.

bosone · Post by **bosone** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 2:39 am

for metal:

dream theater: images and words. maybe the sounds are a bit "old", but still the mix is very good and clear. i partilcualrly like the drums.

metallica - black album

and if you like to listen how sould sound like a solo guitar, go for steve vai's passion and warfare

Counterparts · Post by **Counterparts** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 3:25 am

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I've made the decision to 'demote' my monitors to being a hifi system for the kitchen

I'll break out the soldering iron this weekend and make up a couple of cables so I can incorporate my B&W speakers into my studio.

Royston

samplaire · Post by **samplaire** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 3:46 am

On 2004-04-22 21:57, scary808 wrote:
Coil - Love's Secret Domain.

"daddy do you have a cigarette for me" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Fingers of the right hand spell -love"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Besides great songs this album is indeed very well produced! Selective sound, amazing stereo image!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW
Psychic TV "Peak Hour" is also great for system tests!!!!

[ This Message was edited by: samplaire on 2004-04-23 04:48 ]

AudioIrony · Post by **AudioIrony** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 5:56 am

I'll go with "The the - Mind Bomb"
I also agree with Wavelength's nomination for NIN Downward Spiral . . . . favourite Pink Floyd is Animals - loved the morphing effects

Billy goat gruff · Post by **Billy goat gruff** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:11 am

Jeff Beck's Grammy winner from a few years ago. The mastering was so over the top all he could mutter when he collected the award was "it didn't sound like that when I played it...."

Counterparts · Post by **Counterparts** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:11 am

Sudddenly, coming out of nowhere down the blind side...

Madonna, Ray Of Light

William Orbit's production on that album is amazing.

Royston

edit: hey, I'm a "disciple" already - when did that happen?

[ This Message was edited by: Counterparts on 2004-04-23 07:12 ]

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:32 am

I prefer the follower 'Music' for it's lo-fi stuff in a hi-fi environment.
Orbit and Ahmadzai complete perfectly - my favourite pop production.

In the more traditional sense I like almost anything produced by van Geldern.

cheers, Tom

scary808 · Post by **scary808** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 6:14 pm

On 2004-04-23 04:46, samplaire wrote:
On 2004-04-22 21:57, scary808 wrote:
Coil - Love's Secret Domain.
"daddy do you have a cigarette for me" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Fingers of the right hand spell -love"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Besides great songs this album is indeed very well produced! Selective sound, amazing stereo image!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW
Psychic TV "Peak Hour" is also great for system tests!!!!

[ This Message was edited by: samplaire on 2004-04-23 04:48 ]

"Further Back & Faster" is such an epic!!! "Peak Hour" is very cool album too! I'm so excited about the Throbbing Gristle show next month. Coil, Chris & Cosey, & Genesis P Orridge will also be performing on thier own as well.

DigiSUN · Post by **DigiSUN** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 9:26 pm

Tori Amos' "Scarlet's Walk" - Sounds fantastic - Loud, clear, deep and crystal. You can really notice how each and every album of her sounds better than the previous. In terms of sound, that is

As for Sade, I really love "Love Deluxe" (1992), yet i believed it can sound even better when i compare it to newer recordings. If i put a PSY-Q on it, i can really make a large difference. I know that this album has been remastered along with all Sade albums in 2000, but i didn't hear the remastered version yet. Also, since the original is not that old, i expect that differences would be minor.

I also find Beck's Sea Change warm and pleasing for the ear. But it seems that this album sounds even better if the listener is... lonely

Duran Duran's re-recording of "Ordinary World" in 1993 (Not the faint original one!) and "Come Undone" were once used by me to check monitors. It's quite cool that "Come Undone" has this weak synth effect in the Mid-Range that is much better heard on good flat-response-monitors than on regular hi-fi systems.

Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms (Whole Album,1984) sounds great for me, very warm (PSY-Q had very little positive effect on it!) yet if you rip the CD and look at the audio, it's not even normalized!

Wavelength, NIN's Downward Spiral (1994) indeed sounded quite innovative when it came out, since the industrial genre wasn't well known in the mainstream up until then (I really like the dead-left-speaker on "Hurt"... I almost went to the shop to replace the 'damaged' CD

The mix is fantastic; a great dialog of weak faint parts and bright parts "take-over" attempts. I think, however, that "The Fragile" (1999) Sounds louder and clearer (But not as good if taste is considered

)

The album "Poem" by Delerium - Great mix, sounds big. It is rich, lush sounding - a colorful collage. Each track runs in my brain as a different color combination... anybody knows what i mean, or am i that psycho...?

[ This Message was edited by: DigiSUN on 2004-04-23 23:04 ]

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 9:44 pm

Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon
Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick
Chick Corea Elektrik Band: Downside Up
Frank Zappa: Make a Jazz Noise Here
Van der Graaf Generator: GodBluff
Vinnie Colaiuta: Self titled
Brecker Brothers: The Return of the Brecker Brothers
Prokofiev 7 symphonies conducted by Seiji Ozawa(Deutsche Grammophon)
Refugee: Refugee
Ravel's L'enfant et les Sortilèges directed by Lorin Maazel(Deutsche Grammophon)
Spock's Beard: The Light

And the beat goes on.....

_________________
Paul R. Martin - Are we listening?

[ This Message was edited by: paulrmartin on 2004-04-23 22:51 ]