Great Music Ruined By Poor Sound Production

WJGreer · #1 10-20-2005, 01:54 PM

Have you ever bought a recording and found that you didn't like it as much as you could have, simply because the sound production was sub-par?

I wonder how mature, well-funded bands manage to release recordings that, even if the songs themselves and the quality of the playing are good, just sound two-dimensional. Are people just afraid to tell them their baby is ugly?

For instance, I was listening to Rush's "Vapor Trails" the other day. Not a bad album, but a seriously murky mix. Level 42's "Staring At The Sun" comes to mind also, and that album pretty much killed them as a commercial act.

Any other examples?

**Adam Barkley** · #2 10-20-2005, 02:04 PM

Bitches Brew; combination of many things going on at once with the addition of two seperate bass tracks. It's still good, but I prefer Pangaea or In a Silent Way. For 11 people on a four track, it's pretty good quality.

Wrong Robot · #3 10-20-2005, 02:27 PM

I'd like to think all of my tunes are great songs ruined by me not knowing anything about how to produce.

gweimer · #4 10-20-2005, 02:52 PM

Deerhoof - The Runners Four.
Great band, but the production is awful, and their bass player has a penchant for using cheap basses. This new release kills the drums and bass pretty thoroughly.

DaveBeny · #5 10-20-2005, 03:05 PM

Miles Davis - 'Get Up With It'. Some of the tracks are appallingly mixed - soupy mixes, guitar solos that you can't hear etc. It does spoil my enjoyment of the music, which is a real shame, as the Miles band of '73-'75 is one of my favourite jazz units.

sotua · #6 10-20-2005, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WJGreer

Have you ever bought a recording and found that you didn't like it as much as you could have, simply because the sound production was sub-par?

For instance, I was listening to Rush's "Vapor Trails" the other day. Not a bad album, but a seriously murky mix.

Any other examples?

Vapor Trails is a great album - with an horrible production. Crackling clipping and a wall of sound (as opposed to a disc with dynamics) are not anybody's idea of great sound

Rush's Exit... Stage Left also has a bad production... the instruments are mixed really sweet, but on the whole it sounds far away and kind of muted... like you are a couple of blocks away from the concert arena

Metallica's St. Anger - a deaf chimp with my first sony gear could get a better recording quality. Ringing on the snare drum? How much did you pay for the studio again?

WJGreer · #7 10-20-2005, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sotua

Rush's Exit... Stage Left also has a bad production... the instruments are mixed really sweet, but on the whole it sounds far away and kind of muted... like you are a couple of blocks away from the concert arena

Totally.

Flanders · #8 10-20-2005, 03:44 PM

Kyuss

The Mock Turtle Regulator · #9 10-20-2005, 04:55 PM

Metallica's And justice for all. was Newsted's bass abducted by aliens on that one?

Psychedelic Furs' Book of days. murky reverbed-out bass-light mix.

Matt Till · #10 10-20-2005, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flanders

Kyuss

Damn, beat me to it..

I like Kyuss... with good production, I'd love Kyuss.

Tash · #11 10-20-2005, 05:32 PM

Samael "Blood Ritual". Not ruined but its pretty muddy, soem of the basswork sounds cool but the mix is very boomy and its hard to really hear much of it.

I'd have to add both original Dissection albums, and pretty much everthing by Emperor. Actually most black metal is ruined by bad production, the only question is how much was actually worth listening to in the first place.

Audiophage · #12 10-20-2005, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tash

Samael "Blood Ritual". Not ruined but its pretty muddy, soem of the basswork sounds cool but the mix is very boomy and its hard to really hear much of it.

I'd have to add both original Dissection albums, and pretty much everthing by Emperor. Actually most black metal is ruined by bad production, the only question is how much was actually worth listening to in the first place.

Thats the thing about black metal, its almost supposed to not be recorded well. When you really get into the genre it seems to add a certain dissonance which is something that would be an "acquired taste".

lemur821 · #13 10-20-2005, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sotua

Crackling clipping and a wall of sound (as opposed to a disc with dynamics) are not anybody's idea of great sound

I hear way too much of that. A little less compression would be wonderful.

Kink Rimson · #14 10-21-2005, 11:05 AM

[quote=sotua]
Rush's Exit... Stage Left also has a bad production... the instruments are mixed really sweet, but on the whole it sounds far away and kind of muted... like you are a couple of blocks away from the concert arena

QUOTE]

I really like that one! All the World's a Stage is a bit murky.

Tash · #15 10-21-2005, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Audiophage

Thats the thing about black metal, its almost supposed to not be recorded well. When you really get into the genre it seems to add a certain dissonance which is something that would be an "acquired taste".

To a degree. I can appreciate the "raw" feeling of some black metal records, but when its taken to the degree that some bands push it it seems more like they are masking a lack of real writing while aspiring to the ideal of the tr00...which is pretty silly.

I'll take my black metal with enough polish that I can hear all the instruments.

ProgressiveFan · #16 10-21-2005, 12:57 PM

One word- TRESPASS by Genesis. It has some amazing bass playing in it (in my opinion some of the most dynamic lines ever produced) yet it is obscured by crappy production (tin-can style). I would love a quality remaster of that album to be made one day.

Rasmuth · #17 10-21-2005, 01:14 PM

I always thought Ozzy's "Blizzard of Oz" was recorded horribly...

the whole tone of the record was just awful.

**Winston TK** · #18 10-22-2005, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProgressiveFan

One word- TRESPASS by Genesis. It has some amazing bass playing in it (in my opinion some of the most dynamic lines ever produced) yet it is obscured by crappy production (tin-can style). I would love a quality remaster of that album to be made one day.

Actually, there IS a remastered edition of this album. It's part of their "Definitive Edition Remaster" series. However, it is extremely rare and seemingly only really available in the UK. I've tried to track one down as an import, but only with limited success. You might want to try and find this, if you haven't already.

**Winston TK** · #19 10-22-2005, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winston TK

Actually, there IS a remastered edition of this album. It's part of their "Definitive Edition Remaster" series. However, it is extremely rare and seemingly only really available in the UK. I've tried to track one down as an import, but only with limited success. You might want to try and find this, if you haven't already.

Forgive my error. After doing a bit of research, it appears that the remastered edition of "Trespass" is not part of the "Definitive Edition Remaster" series, but some kind of stand-alone remaster. It might still be worth purchasing and comparing, though.

Peter Squire · #20 10-22-2005, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sotua

Vapor Trails is a great album - with an horrible production. Crackling clipping and a wall of sound (as opposed to a disc with dynamics) are not anybody's idea of great sound

Rush's Exit... Stage Left also has a bad production... the instruments are mixed really sweet, but on the whole it sounds far away and kind of muted... like you are a couple of blocks away from the concert arena

Agreed. Also, Presto is chockers with good songs, but sounds like Rupert Hine deliberately decided to suck all the oomph outta it.