Album Reviews?

[JulienG]

Wondering if it would be good to have a section to do album reviews from an engineering standpoint.

I've recently bought "Life in Cartoon Motion" by Mika and am really impressed, it would have to be the best Pop album I've heard in quite a while, nicely varied in content, styles and sounds.

Oh, and a freebie, play "The White Albun" in reverse track order, it actually fits better that way. (This bit was an accident in iTunes that turned out to sound really great)

[Peter Knight]

I think it might end up bogged down in subjective arguments - my favourite sounding album ever is A Perfect Circle's "Thirteenth Step", but I've never had anyone agree with me about that.

Same thing with the folks who rave about the sound of Dark Side of the Moon... sure it was incredible for its time, but it wouldn't pass as world class engineering if it was done now.

Now go ahead and flame me!

[JulienG]

Same thing with the folks who rave about the sound of Dark Side of the Moon... sure it was incredible for its time, but it wouldn't pass as world class engineering if it was done now.

Going to have to agree with you there, I picked it up a few months back, it's decent, but just doesn't seem like the amazing thing I kept hearing about.

Perhaps the LSD makes it better ;-)

[heathen]

The Wall was a much better sounding album. Same here, Ive never been blown away by Dark Side.

I think album reviews would be a great idea.

Anyone like "Ozzy's" new album? It's growing on me, sounds a little sterile though. I heard it was done totally "ITB". Sounds awesome through a nice tube limiter with no GR and just a very very slight roll off in the top end with a nice eq. I could'nt resist doing that.

Also "Red Gone Wild" by Redman. It's a damn great master as the final levels are very conservative, one of the first new albums I've heard in ages where it can be cranked and sounds better the more you turn it up. Was mastered by Chris Athens. Great job I thought.

[Jason Dirckze]

You guys are clearly all insane...

DSOTM is one of my favorites, not only from an engineering point of view, but the arrangements and song writing are just brilliant. The Wall was a bit flat in my opinion.

Steely Dan's "Aja" is one of my favorites from an engineering point of view.

[TimS]

You guys are clearly all insane...

DSOTM is one of my favorites, not only from an engineering point of view, but the arrangements and song writing are just brilliant. The Wall was a bit flat in my opinion.

Steely Dan's "Aja" is one of my favorites from an engineering point of view.

I must agreee with you Jason. I love DSOTM (and The Wall) - actually most PF stuff..
I have the making of Aja on DVD - very cool.. also Queen's Night at The Opera.
Also, Donald Fagan's The Nightfly album - it is superbly engineered..

TimS..

[Mark Bassett]

"I think it might end up bogged down in subjective arguments - my favourite sounding album ever is A Perfect Circle's "Thirteenth Step",

One senior mastering engineer who perhaps may or may not own this forum once said to me in reference to "The noose" on 13th step..

"They're the best sounding drums i've ever heard".

He didn't rate Josh Freeze's playing though...

I must add RATM self titled to the list.

[Peter Knight]

"They're the best sounding drums i've ever heard".

He didn't rate Josh Freeze's playing though...

Er.... wow.....

A guy who doesn't rate Lexicon reverbs, doesn't like gates on drums, and (I presume) would have a moral difficulty with using drum samples in mixes - said they were the best drum sounds he ever heard?

Well now I've heard everything!

[rick]

i will say anything out loud that comes to mind at the time
usually before my brain catches up

i cannot remember anything about marks favorite record except
i usually ask mark to turn that noise off within sixty secounds of entering the room

btw pete i do rate lexicon reverbs
in fact i think they are totally overated
and i have used heaps of drum samples
but i dont think i will need to do it again

[smash]

btw pete i do rate lexicon reverbs
in fact i think they are totally overated

Lol... Rick you are quite funny especially since you posted this at 3 am.

[Mark Bassett]

Is this where we tell them that we now own BFD Rick?

[Chris H]

You guys are clearly all insane...

DSOTM is one of my favorites, not only from an engineering point of view, but the arrangements and song writing are just brilliant. The Wall was a bit flat in my opinion.

Steely Dan's "Aja" is one of my favorites from an engineering point of view.

I must agreee with you Jason. I love DSOTM (and The Wall) - actually most PF stuff..
I have the making of Aja on DVD - very cool.. also Queen's Night at The Opera.
Also, Donald Fagan's The Nightfly album - it is superbly engineered..

TimS..

Keep in mind there are different versions of DSOM, depending on who re-mastered it for CD. Also if you listen to the vinyl pressings from the UK they were mastered differently than the pressings here in Australia.

I hadn't listened to in for years and a mate gave me the CD and i was quite dissapointed in how it sounded. Not like i remembered at all. The bass and sax particularly had none of the explosive dynamics i remembered. I gave up listening to it after a few trys But just two weeks ago someone gave me another copy (mastered elswere ) and it was how i remembered it, .... and now i enjoy listening to it. Sort of leads to the topic of "who's killing the music" but thats another thread.

[Peter Knight]

and i have used heaps of drum samples
but i dont think i will need to do it again

Yeah, but if you do a production you've got a real nice recording studio in the same building as you, Andy Wallace on the other hand has no real control over the recording process, so samples are part of his day-to-day reality.

[Dave Shore]

G'day,

Wondering, what if we changed the original question to focus ONLY on the recording/engineering/mastering aspect of a song/album?

Regardless of whether the artist is an utter joke/utterly crap (in your opinion) etc.

What would be your #1 song/album that has the most perfect sound? As in, what song/album should all sound engineers use as a Bible today, in this day and age of Production quality?

No restrictions at all in terms of music style or success of the Artist etc...

[chris p]

I like the piano and the "black backdrop" on Superchick's Beauty From Pain title track. The vocals and drums aren't bad either. Pity about the strings ....

Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes for accoustic guitar crispness.

Drums - Epilogue (Instrumental Version) off Brooke Fraser's Albertine.

I'm trying to think what else is one my own reference CD. First 30 secs of Back in the USSR, Floyd's Time from DSOM, that sort of thing.

[Jeremy H]

I'll go out on a limb here - love DSOTM - but have been revisiting The Beatles Abbey Road of late.... and I reckon (with regard to the CD's I have of each, anyway) Abbey Road craps all over DSOTM in sonic terms.

I still have never heard anything that blows my skirt up like the sound of the bass on Abbey Road.

And for more recent sonically beautiful albums - what about Ryan Adams "Heartbreaker"...recorded to tape I believe.... and it IS all subjective......and I'm not sure you can judge only sonic quality without being influenced by the songwriting, arrangements, musical choices etc, etc, etc....

[heathen]

Speaking of Pink Floyd, I've listened to Animals 3 times in the last 3 days, dunno why but.....jeez it sounds good, no hang on, amazing. I think I'll go listen again.

I know why actually, it was the first time I listened to it on my Apogees and Event monitors. Yeah awesome.

Jeez I'll be digging out Steely Dan and Supertramp next.

[TimS]

Speaking of Pink Floyd, I've listened to Animals 3 times in the last 3 days, dunno why but.....jeez it sounds good, no hang on, amazing. I think I'll go listen again.

I know why actually, it was the first time I listened to it on my Apogees and Event monitors. Yeah awesome.

Jeez I'll be digging out Steely Dan and Supertramp next.

Go Heath - SD and the Tramp are awesome bands..
Enjoy even more thru Apogee!!
Tim..

[jkhuri44]

Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come.

amazing punk/metal engineering....heavy heavy heavy...precise heavy guitar tone...sorta makes me imagine this is what hiphop and rap would sound like if you added guitars to em...


Tool - Lateralus

Dave bottrill...doing what he does best...fantastic shit...clean, wide, expansive, everything you want in engineering...and incredible music!

cant think of anything else from the top of my head...

[tim]

Same thing with the folks who rave about the sound of Dark Side of the Moon... sure it was incredible for its time, but it wouldn't pass as world class engineering if it was done now.

Going to have to agree with you there, I picked it up a few months back, it's decent, but just doesn't seem like the amazing thing I kept hearing about.

Perhaps the LSD makes it better ;-)

WTF? You or on drugs and ya ears need a swabbing!!

[Mark Bassett]

I think it might end up bogged down in subjective arguments - my favourite sounding album ever is A Perfect Circle's "Thirteenth Step", but I've never had anyone agree with me about that.

Agreed several times there pete.

[Dave Shore]

Cool. I've been having a listen to all the stuff mentioned above. I wish I could record vocals like that 'Beauty From Pain' by Superchick.

Oh well, practice makes perfect I guess!

[Son of Sam]

One album everyone thinks is the bomb is metallica's the black album, but I really don't think it's that great except for the drums.

The guitars and the vocals don't sound particuarlly special IMHO, The guitars sound like thin fuzz to me.

I think garage inc sound much better, it has a real crispness to it.

Braces for onslaught.

[Ausrock]

Hmmmmm.............Joe Cocker's "Have a Little Faith", Robbie Robertson's "Storyville", Gov't Mule's "Life Before Insanity", definitely a lot of Steeley Dan stuff'