The best sounding (produced/mastered) tracks/albums

[thebraketester]

Funk said:

If it's a sub workout you guys like then check out Erykah Badu's - Rimshot (Intro):



Great album in fact.

Edited by Funk on Sunday 26th February 22:26

Yeah that doesnt happen on my speakers. It goes down to 33hz, mine stop just under 40hz..... *goes to look at subs on ebay

[Funk]

thebraketester said:

Funk said:

If it's a sub workout you guys like then check out Erykah Badu's - Rimshot (Intro):



Great album in fact.

Edited by Funk on Sunday 26th February 22:26

Yeah that doesnt happen on my speakers. It goes down to 33hz, mine stop just under 40hz..... *goes to look at subs on ebay

My Kef Ref 3.2s stop at 40Hz. My Celestion A3s go down to 35Hz, they're just nuts for low-end.

Deranged Rover said:

..Bella Fleck & the Flecktones - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo...

Yarp, another great suggestion!

Edited by Funk on Tuesday 28th February 00:37

[RichA35]

Antony and the Johnsons - Hope there’s someone

Juzzie Smith - Rise and Shire (live) - a one man band as well

A.A. Williams - Lovesong

Jasmine Thompson - Halo

Edited by RichA35 on Tuesday 28th February 01:25

[tdm34]

Marillion F.E.A.R.
Anything by Steely Dan
Karen Griebling Fractal Heart
Tears for Fears Songs from the big chair
any of the recent SACD Cleveland Orchestra recordings
Claudio Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 by Apollo's Fire
Ottorino Respigi Fountains of Rome/ Pines of Rome SACD Chicago Symphony Orchestra/ Fritz Reiner
Ludovico Einaudi Primavera

[Ferodocastrol]

Stuart's drum sound in particular.

[H6Nathan]

Pretty much anything by The Carpenters. Their production remains a masterclass.

Turn it up loud. Turn it down quiet. You can still hear absolutely everything from the quietest ride cymbal to the loudest guitar lick.

That’s what we used as a reference/ ear refresher in the studio when mixing down, regardless of genre.

[ShortBeardy]

It's old and I don't know how it stands up to something produced with more recent tech, but `Joan Armatrading' by Joan Armatrading 1977 is really good.

[TorqueDirty]

Funk said:

thebraketester said:

Funk said:

If it's a sub workout you guys like then check out Erykah Badu's - Rimshot (Intro):



Great album in fact.

Edited by Funk on Sunday 26th February 22:26

Yeah that doesnt happen on my speakers. It goes down to 33hz, mine stop just under 40hz..... *goes to look at subs on ebay

My Kef Ref 3.2s stop at 40Hz. My Celestion A3s go down to 35Hz, they're just nuts for low-end.

Deranged Rover said:

..Bella Fleck & the Flecktones - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo...

Yarp, another great suggestion!

Edited by Funk on Tuesday 28th February 00:37

Not sure what my Kef Reference 203/2s go down to but my BK XXLS400 sub goes down to Australia and some of these tracks shake the sofa 5m away (even with the high level input gain set to just 3 on the sub)

[Funk]

TorqueDirty said:

Funk said:

thebraketester said:

Funk said:

If it's a sub workout you guys like then check out Erykah Badu's - Rimshot (Intro):



Great album in fact.

Edited by Funk on Sunday 26th February 22:26

Yeah that doesnt happen on my speakers. It goes down to 33hz, mine stop just under 40hz..... *goes to look at subs on ebay

My Kef Ref 3.2s stop at 40Hz. My Celestion A3s go down to 35Hz, they're just nuts for low-end.

Deranged Rover said:

..Bella Fleck & the Flecktones - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo...

Yarp, another great suggestion!

Edited by Funk on Tuesday 28th February 00:37

Not sure what my Kef Reference 203/2s go down to but my BK XXLS400 sub goes down to Australia and some of these tracks shake the sofa 5m away (even with the high level input gain set to just 3 on the sub)

[MC Bodge]

Funk said:

thebraketester said:

Funk said:

If it's a sub workout you guys like then check out Erykah Badu's - Rimshot (Intro):



Great album in fact.

Edited by Funk on Sunday 26th February 22:26

Yeah that doesnt happen on my speakers. It goes down to 33hz, mine stop just under 40hz..... *goes to look at subs on ebay

My Kef Ref 3.2s stop at 40Hz. My Celestion A3s go down to 35Hz, they're just nuts for low-end.

Deranged Rover said:

..Bella Fleck & the Flecktones - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo...

Yarp, another great suggestion!

Edited by Funk on Tuesday 28th February 00:37

That's an unusual track. I'm not sure that I liked it.

My little sub & my Mission 731s seemed to cope in my 1.8m x 2m home office.

[H6Nathan]

When it comes to a high end mastering & mix engineer Bob Clearmountain has golden ears.

Geeky technical interview - https://www.soundonsound.com/people/bob-clearmount...

His work with Nile Rogers on Chic and Bowies Lets Dance is definately up there.

I'd also search out the ZTT label/ Trevor Horn/ Art of Noise/ Propaganda/ FGTH stuff from the mid 80's for some superb production and dynamic mixdowns.

Moments in Love by Art of Noise. Dr Mabuse by Propaganda, Power of Love by FGTH. Slave to the Rthymn (Ladies and gentlemen....) by GJ. All epitomise that digital reverb/ Fairlighty mid 80's 'We spent ALL the money on studio time' aesthetic

[GSE]

TheThe Mind Bomb.

Great dynamic range, jumps right out of the speakers every time I play it.

[popeyewhite]

oldaudi said:

London Grammer - all albums

[Funk]

popeyewhite said:

oldaudi said:

London Grammer - all albums

<eye-twitching>

But yes, all LG albums are beautifully-recorded (and beautifully-performed!).

[popeyewhite]

Highway to Hell ACDC

I always remember how clear this 1979 album was compared to others of the genre. Crisp sounds, wonderful bass and a lead guitar that didn't test my teenager's speakers when the high notes were hit. And they were similarly refined when they played live. The only band who I can honestly say the live songs were note perfect in the way they matched the recorded songs. Alas that was many years ago.

RUSH albums were well produced in the early eighties IIRC.

I think anything post 2000 should be just about perfect given advances in recording technology.

[Funk]

popeyewhite said:

I think anything post 2000 should be just about perfect given advances in recording technology.

You'd think - but unfortunately the production went down the tubes on so much stuff as the Loudness War began.

I think the sweet-spot for mainstream audio production and recording is actually the mid-eighties; the benefit of digital with the careful production of analogue. CDs from that era generally sound superb. A lot of modern stuff just gets smashed to the limits unfortunately.

[MC Bodge]

Funk said:

You'd think - but unfortunately the production went down the tubes on so much stuff as the Loudness War began.

I think the sweet-spot for mainstream audio production and recording is actually the mid-eighties; the benefit of digital with the careful production of analogue. CDs from that era generally sound superb. A lot of modern stuff just gets smashed to the limits unfortunately.

Oddly, this seemed to be the case even to my non expert ears, even listening to Absolute 80s in the car...


What is the "Loudness war"?

[Deranged Rover]

MC Bodge said:

Oddly, this seemed to be the case even to my non expert ears, even listening to Absolute 80s in the car...


What is the "Loudness war"?

It's basically a modern method of mixing stuff 'loud' with compression applied so that the dynamic range is drastically reduced.

More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

[Tony1963]

H6Nathan said:

When it comes to a high end mastering & mix engineer Bob Clearmountain has golden ears.

Geeky technical interview - https://www.soundonsound.com/people/bob-clearmount...

His work with Nile Rogers on Chic and Bowies Lets Dance is definately up there.

I'd also search out the ZTT label/ Trevor Horn/ Art of Noise/ Propaganda/ FGTH stuff from the mid 80's for some superb production and dynamic mixdowns.

Moments in Love by Art of Noise. Dr Mabuse by Propaganda, Power of Love by FGTH. Slave to the Rthymn (Ladies and gentlemen....) by GJ. All epitomise that digital reverb/ Fairlighty mid 80's 'We spent ALL the money on studio time' aesthetic

Agree 100%. I’ve a very nice disc of Welcome to the Pleasuredome, and it’s astonishing.

[thebraketester]

I am already running for cover here…….


Billie Eilish - When we all fall asleep… I personally think the production is almost the entire USP of the album.