Fav album

[Martinez]

Hey there people,


was just interested in expanding my cd collection,
not for the purposes of an enjoyable listening experience,
but for good sound reference.

so I was wondering what everyone consideres masterpeices of sonic excellence.

ie.......best drum, best imaging or depth, that sort of thing.

[Kris]

Amy Grant's "Lead Me On". It's from 1987, was recorded on Mitsubishi digital multi track and sounds flippin huge. It has all the best Nashville guys (Dann Huff, Jerry McPherson, Paul Leim, Benmont Tench et al) and sounds great.

I also just bought Switchfoot's new cd and it's got some great sounds. Bob Clearmountain and Chris Lord-Alge mixed it.

And one cd I can't stop listening to at the moment is El Cielo by a band called Dredg. It is so cool. You know how "intelligent" metal (Perfect Circle etc) is reallllly well recorded? Well, this isn't so much metal but it sounds amazing. Such great recording.

[smash]

I assume that you already have Dark Side of the Moon...

[Matthew Dawson]

Lucinda Williams - Essence
Just an amazing atmosphere to that record. I really love the electric guitar sound. I never seem to get tired of that one. Great songs too.

It is not an album - just one song ... but, 'Little Wing' on 'The Sky is Crying' by Stevie Ray Vaughan - I love that guitar sound!

I really like the sound of some of the older folk/pop records. Janis Ian (Between the Lines), James Taylor (Sweet Baby James), etc. That is how bands sound in my head.

Cheers,

Matthew

[Sheer Noise]

I agree with Kris - the sound of Switchfoot's new album "Nothing is Sound" is unreal. For that matter, their previous album sounded killer as well.

I can't find better (if modern rock sounds are what you're after) than anything mixed by either Lord-Alge brother, or Bob Clearmountain. Jack Joseph Puig is one worth mentioning as well.

Dave.

[Linear]

so I was wondering what everyone consideres masterpeices of sonic excellence.

ie.......best drum, best imaging or depth, that sort of thing.

OK, here's my list:

Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (Listen to "The Ocean" for drums)
The Breeders - Last Splash (For some textbook Albini production)
Leona Naess - Leona Naess (Fantastic earthy stuff)
Crowded House - Temple of Low Men (Clearmountain mix perfection)
AC/DC - Back in Black (for guitar & kick sounds)


I know I go on about it, but all of the above were done on tape and I think it shows.

Cheers

Chris

[Kurt]

Fear Factory - Demanufacture
Machinehead - Burn my eyes
Opeth - Blackwater park
Nile - Amongst the catacombs of Nephren-Ka
Psycroptic - Sceptre of the ancients

All great sounding modern metal albums

[Peter Knight]

. You know how "intelligent" metal (Perfect Circle etc) is reallllly well recorded?

It just occured to me today - Thirteenth Step by APC - Andy Wallace magic.

[Virtual Aaron]

Chris - you should check out 'Kill the Moonlight' by texan band 'Spoon'. And so should everyone else for that matter.
You can just hear every bit of gear working its arse off on this album.
It's not subtle at all, compressors cracking like whips, sping reverb, tape saturation and beatles style panning. Very cool, and recorded in a home studio in a double garage. (albeit a garage full of neuman tube mics, trident desk and 24 track 2")

For reference CDs a good place to start is Bob Katz's CD Honour Roll
http://www.digido.com/portal/pmodule_id=11/pmdmode=fullscreen/pageadder_page_id=93/

[Sheer Noise]

That's a great link Aaron!

After reading that, I think I need to go download some iTunes.... bugger it - I'll get on the bike and grab the "real" thing... sounds better!

Dave.

[heathen]

REM for a mega commercial sound,Black Sabbath -Sabbath Bloody Sabbath for a good guitar reference kind of grungy. Anything by Dr Dre for hip hop.Faith no more. Iron maiden especially for a guitar reference,AC/DC as well. Chemical Bros and Endorphin for electronica. U2 also. Pink Floyd. Janes addiction's Just because for a hyper compressed reference,it's on the border of too extreme but the mega compression makes it sound huge like a pa being protected by it's limiters after the band has readjusted thier own levels on thier amps,grrr, the impression I get from this mix is a huge live stadium type sound,the mix is ducking under the vox slightly,sounds great.
Anyway this is the music I like to bash my ears with.

[Adam Dempsey]

DSOTM, without question (compare the orig '80s CD release vs the 30th anniv edition - I thought I knew it well but I'd not heard the music (bleed??) at the very tail end before. Better transfers.

Also think the mixes and arrangement on REM's Reveal are outstanding. Certainly the songs are stronger than what they've done since.

Cowboy Junkies - the album made in the church with one mic, with Blue Moon and Sweet Jane captures the vibe so well.

Aussie albums? Still love INXS The Swing, although largely US production(get a copy & crank up Original Sin on a really good system!).

[Martinez]

Thanks very much for that people.

that should keep me busy for a while.

[SoundSnob]

lenny kravitz from memory used the trident studios built console for the first 4 albums until he added protools for the album 5.it is interesting to hear the difference."mama said"is a good album for a retro sound.
also jimi hendrix experience albums are fantastic.
i remember dire straights later albums being described as clinical at the time-for reference.
hope that helps.

[ottowr]

One i often play when checking studio monitors is the soundtrack to "The Mission" composed by Ennio Morricone. Some tape hiss apparent (should sound like tape hiss!), huge orchestral bass sounds with tympani on some tracks, delicate oboe and strings on others.

I also recommend you look for some stereo mic'ed classical and jazz albums to get an appreciation of width, depth and dynamics that goes far beyond anything "radio friendly".

[walding]

One that I am constantly listening to these days is Brian Eno's 'Another Day On Earth' which came out earlier in the year. Also 'With Teeth' by Nine Inch Nails which came out this year as well.

You'd probably have some Eno though. My two cents.

[scott]

25th anniversary edtion of the CLASH London calling

Great packaging too, Big thick booklet, 'Making of' DVD and the lost 'Vanilla tapes' as a bonus disc. makes me go mental


The Ravonettes - Whip it on .ep dicordant fun in B minor

[Peter Knight]

Also 'With Teeth' by Nine Inch Nails which came out this year as well.

You like the engineering on "With Teeth"? It's a bit messy sounding to me... ?

[Martinez]

Knowing Trent (not personaly)

its probably like that on purpose.

[walding]

re: with teeth

yeah, well as was mentioned, the music generally does get quite dense, but i think the overall sound to it is killer. the bass drum on the first track is probably one of my favourite kick sounds.

i dunno, i always enjoy nine inch nails records sound wise. sound wise the fragile might have been a better example.

[Martinez]

still an absolute killer album though,

I've kaned it!

[Mark Bassett]

Ah, [ N I N ] talk that I didn

[walding]

I got the hybrid CD/DVD version of With Teeth, but I've only heard the DTS version, I'm still yet to hear the DVD-A audio in surround.

I've been meaning to get my hands on the SACD version of the downward spiral too - anyone checked it out?

I have the SACD version sitting right in front of me. Unfortunately I don't have an SACD player and am not financially able to at the moment. I would recommend getting this version though as the album has been remixed and remastered and sounds unbelievably good in stereo.

Hats off to Trent too for making the two singles off his record available on the net as multi-track pro tools and garage band sessions.

I had fun with the sessions as well. Care to share your results?

[Martinez]

I never really was into the downward spiral,

it was a bit to much of a rambling incoherent mess for my liking.

[Jason Dirckze]

I've been getting into King Crimson a bit more lately, as far as engineering goes, Im not so sure it is up there with the best, but in terms of musicality, and progressive ideas, it is just exquisite!

That and some early Jethro Tull....

Oh wait, I know one. Steely Dan's AJA. Thats some nice engineering for ya. A great album with amazing players.

[Linear]

re: NIN

I've never really been into them, in fact I've never really listened to their stuff much. This has changed however since I learnt that a good friend of mine from Adelaide has just become their tour drummer for their current (upcoming) US tour. I'll have to try and get the inside word - it's interesting as NIN always seems to polarise - either people like 'em or they don't.

Chris

[walding]

from all the reports i've read on message boards and so on alex is doing great on tour with nine inch nails at the moment.

also, the drummer he replaced, jerome dillon, has officially left the band so maybe alex can get a fulltime gig with reznor and co? he must be having the time of his life on tour at the moment.

[scott]

So anybody got a worst sounding album/song?, a Still love it even though it sounds shit album? .Actually I must have 20 late 70s punk records that sound all the better for being shitty. Just spossed to be that way I guess. Raw power anyone? (BTFW iggy at the bdo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)- Hope he plays some club shows as well)

Some of the pop radio stuff anoys song wise but sonically its not all bad. Not that I can listen for more than a minute at a time. :D

[rick]

worst sounding record that sold heaps...?
what about flowers/icehouse.
i remastered that cd 17 or 18 years ago and i remembered it sounding incredible from when i was a kid when it was in the charts

before we started the mastering session i thought it was going to be amazing, then we put up the master tape.... they were shocking !,
so i checked out the vinyl copies they were shocking, checked out the cassettes & they were shockers, watched the videos they were horrible,

but this was a huge album in its day and a really big selling cd (the version i did) but really it is a very ordinary argricultural sounding record.

just goes to show what a couple of good songs can do !

i just got a remastered cd version of kiss- dynasty for a bit of a laugh the other day
the remastering was so horrible i stopped the car and checked that my speakers were all connected i cannot stress how lame it sounded.

this record was remastered at sterling sound and the guy that did it must have hated kiss ( or has no idea what he is doing).
worst cd i have heard in 20 years
the vinyl and original cd sounded fine !

actually this record is so bad i am going to contact kiss about it !

[Martinez]

Rick,

I,d perfer it if you didn't,

I hate Kiss!