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Best engineered / best sounding album


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I'm going to have to go with This Binary Universe by BT.

 

I believe it was mastered and produced by himself, which is certainly understandable... he knows that field probably better than anyone else in the business, having developed not only many of the techniques now being used by other electronic artists but also his own programs which he used on the new album.

 

It was created specifically for 5.1 surround

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YaGOuFNuZU

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But you bring up a great point because first and foremost, great engineering and sound should support the artistic statement and emotion. If it doesn't do this, then it really doesn't matter how great the microphone was or how "hi-fi" or "lo-fi" the sound is or how great the editing was or any of it. Every single creative and sonic decision should support the artistic and emotional statement.

 

 

Good point. This could explain why we see so many nods for Nine Inch Nails. Most of their/his almost have "intentionally bad" production, so while I'd hesitate to call it "good", it certainly works in the context of the group's music.

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Please don't dismiss this right off because of a prejudice that you may or may not harbor against the Dave Matthews Band, but I think Steve Lillywhite did an incredible job on their Before These Crowded Streets album. If you're not familiar, a few good examples from that cut would be The Stone, Crush, and Dreaming Tree.

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Good point. This could explain why we see so many nods for Nine Inch Nails. Most of their/his almost have "intentionally bad" production, so while I'd hesitate to call it "good", it certainly works in the context of the group's music.

 

 

You where I think the great engineering for NIN comes in? The creativity, which you touch upon, and the mixing. Anybody who can mix all those distorted and midrange elements together into such a gorgeous sounding work of art should be hailed as a genius. Even though NIN is "effed up" sounding, I think it's still technically (and artistically) great engineering.

 

Also, Trent Reznor had said before that he wanted much of his music to sound really loud even at low volumes. And I think he's achieved that.

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Please don't dismiss this right off because of a prejudice that you may or may not harbor against the Dave Matthews Band, but I think Steve Lillywhite did an incredible job on their Before These Crowded Streets album. If you're not familiar, a few good examples from that cut would be The Stone, Crush, and Dreaming Tree.

 

 

He has fantastic sounding stuff. There's a song from a ways back called "Crash" which I actually really love, and I'm not a DMB fan (they're okay, I don't dislike 'em either). Also, it really helps that he's working with fantastic musicians. I especially like their drummer. It's difficult to say something different and interesting and new on drums in a pop format, but I think he manages to do that while still keeping a nice pocket going.

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He has fantastic sounding stuff. There's a song from a ways back called "Crash" which I actually really love, and I'm not a DMB fan (they're okay, I don't dislike 'em either). Also, it really helps that he's working with fantastic musicians. I especially like their drummer. It's difficult to say something different and interesting and new on drums in a pop format, but I think he manages to do that while still keeping a nice pocket going.

 

 

I agree with you about Carter. If you like his studio stylings, you should check out some of the things he can do live, he has such amazing control.

 

As for Crash, that entire album is another Lillywhite masterpiece. I particularly like Carter's kick sound (Check out So Much to Say or #41).

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Abbey Road - The Beatles (just perfect:love:)

Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd (same)

Quadrophenia - The Who (extremely clean)

Tommy - The Who (Although not perfectly recorded, it sounds extremely powerful)

 

Those are the ones that come to my mind at the moment, Im still missing a lot..

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i think meddle by pinkfloyd. some of the tracks on side 1 conjur up the feeling of an english summertime in the country side ,you can almost smell the flowers and cow {censored} .side 2 echoes must have been a dream to complete, some of the guitar sounds are just mind blowing ,the album sounded great back then and still does now

are you experienced by hendrix is incredible, it`s simple and complicated all rolled into one.

electric ladyland also, voodoo chile(slight return)(that is the correct name) just before the second solo there is a drum roll which kind of phases into itself ,and if i`m sat in the right position between my speakers and if its loud enough the phasing makes me loose all sence of ballance ,nearly knocks me over .but there again i might be just stupid ,but what an incredible album made all them years ago.

oh and i`ll just bung this in -seals first album is amazing. i thank you.:blah:

www.myspace.com/catscurl

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Talking about old rock there is only one record I've heard which makes me smell in the air the slightly burnt dust of overdriven tubes. Its balance, its saturation color and drive, its compression and the outstanding amount of cleverness in any detail makes of it the n.1 rock record of all times, for me. The incredible thing is that it sounds in its own way and i've never heard, even from the same band, anything similar. It must have been also the particular and unusual recording location, a big hotel's rooms and corridors, dampened with carpets and sofas.

 

Machine Head by Deep Purple. So tight and so natural at the same time, with a certain darkness which shines somehow.

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As far as tones, and not being an automation and editing masterpiece, I like the latest from Wilco and Death Cab a lot.

 

Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is great too.

 

Nothing too complex, but just fantastic sounds.

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The incredible thing is that it sounds in its own way and i've never heard, even from the same band, anything similar. It must have been also the particular and unusual recording location, a big hotel's rooms and corridors, dampened with carpets and sofas.

hey` i don`t know they did a dam fine job with "made in japan"

 

www.myspace.com/catscurl:thu:

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I'm a big fan of well-recorded drum sounds, so to me that makes a good or bad recording. Bob Rock, Ron Nevison, Bob Clearmountain and Andy & Glyn Johns seem to nail it no matter who the artist is. Eddie Kramer and Kev "the Cave" Shirley get it as well.

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I remember 3 records that just sonically kicked my butt when I was a kid-


AC/DC "Back in Black"


Judas Priest "British Steel" (very crisp and 3-D)


Jeff Beck "Blow By Blow"....

 

Amazing how well VH1's Classic Albums series shared the acoustic secrets of the "British Steel" album. (So much better than the comparative episodes on Metallica's "Black Album"--waahh, a commercal producer, Iron Maiden's "Beast"--scary art and lyrics guv'nah!, and Nirvana's "Nevermind"--for the last time, double-track each vocal!):lol:

 

Mutt Lange's stuff ("Back in Black"--was there a Classic Albums episode on that?) ) always got tiring before other great, heavy rock albums though, and that Shania Twain stuff had about 12dB too much of 1kHz on the lead vocal--like nails on a chalkboard (shudder). I'm not sure if he did Def Leppard's "High & Dry," but it stayed so much fresher for me than the gazillion overdubs on "Pyromania." Just my 2 cents.

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Well, I havent heard all of their records, but considering the ones I did hear (Pet Sounds, and some others) they were quite good (production-wise). However, I think British recordings at the time (Beatles) were much better sounding, sounded much clearer than American music....

I dont know if it was because of their equipment, or because of producers themselves.

 

Im not saying I dislike Beach Boys.. Pet Sounds is quite a masterpiece:cool:

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Amazing how well VH1's Classic Albums series shared the acoustic secrets of the "British Steel" album. (So much better than the comparative episodes on Metallica's "Black Album"--waahh, a commercal producer, Iron Maiden's "Beast"--scary art and lyrics guv'nah!, and Nirvana's "Nevermind"--for the last time, double-track each vocal!)
:lol:

Mutt Lange's stuff ("Back in Black"--was there a Classic Albums episode on that?) ) always got tiring before other great, heavy rock albums though, and that Shania Twain stuff had about 12dB too much of 1kHz on the lead vocal--like nails on a chalkboard (shudder). I'm not sure if he did Def Leppard's "High & Dry," but it stayed so much fresher for me than the gazillion overdubs on "Pyromania." Just my 2 cents.

 

I'll have to find that particular VH1 Classic Album episode (maybe YouTube?)

 

Yeah, "High and Dry" was Mutt- and I couldn't agree more- it did stay 'fresher' than the overproduced/Rockman/triggered stuff.

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