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Old analog recordings...

Was wondering if anyone has ever listened to these old classic rock recordings on their professional setups? I've been listening to Fleetwood Mac, CSNY, Genesis, Rush, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Supertramp ect..

I believe this is what a quality recording is supposed to sound like. Haven't heard much these days that can compare.

Listen to Jefferson Airplane - "White Rabbit."

The sense of space in that recording / mix is amazing IMO.

I love ELP as well.

It seems like making a record these days is all about packing up the spectrum and dynamic range to get it as loud as possible in a club or bar. Very little breathing room...

In the old days recording was a real art. I'm sure analog captures something digital doesn't, but it's much more than that. They experimented and inovated a whole lot back then. Each producer brought his own distinct sound to an album. Producing really meant something back then, now days it seems so cookie cutter and sterile.

The Killers are putting out some well produced music, reminds me of the old days. Talk about dynamics, they leave all the dynamics in. Reminds me of some of the early Rush records, the dynamics were so intact you had to raise the volume to hear the softer parts, then when the loud parts came back on they'd blast you away.

Rush basically had 4 distinct "sounds" that were pervasive on their albums throughout the years:

RUSH (1974) - Hemispheres (1978) - This was what I like to call the "Zepplin Rush". They were producing a very Zepplin type sound on their albums, which was the popular production method of the time. Most of the bigger bands in the late 70's were putting out this type of production.

Permanent Waves (1980) - Grace Under Pressure (1984) - This is where they really started bringing the synth sound forward in all their tracks. Lots of ooey, gooey analog goodness in these tracks. They had a very dark sound during this period, which coincided with a lot of turmoil in the band at the time.

Power Windows (1985) - Roll The Bones (1991) - This was what I like to call the "digital Rush". The synths were still real forward, almost to the point of the competing with the guitars (which Alex later said really annoyed him). However, they started incorporating a more clean, clinical sound in this era. Again, this was the popular production method of the time.

Counterparts (1993) - Snakes & Arrows (Present) - This is what is now the "modern Rush". Along with minimizing the role of the synthesizer in their music, this is when they started getting away from the prog rock sound and trying to write more straightforward tracks. The arrangements and played were much less complex and the production took on a very modern sound.

I loved all eras equally, though, and I loved how they could continually reinvent themselves as time went on, thereby keeping themselves relevant to their fans without alienating themselves from those same fans. They remain my favorite band of all time to this day.

Supertramp's "Breakfast in America" is one of my favourite albums. It still sounds incredible, 30 years on. I love albums without "filler" songs.

When I want to hear somthing that was very well done 10/20 years ago, I listen to 80s pop. Mostly Michael Jackson. Great stuff.

True, but also quite a different sound from the records the OP is talking about.

Another great '80s pop example is Peter Gabriel's So. Mixing on that album is amazingly clear.

quote:

Originally posted by alanzo When I want to hear somthing that was very well done 10/20 years ago, I listen to 80s pop. Mostly Michael Jackson. Great stuff.

The MJ stuff is great. Quincy Jones is an excellent producer. Those songs just had so much going for them.

Yea was gonna say, got FLACs of Rock With You and Thriller a while back and the placement is just STUNNING. You can hear EVERYTHING

Madonna's stuff is good too.

Dire Straights - Borthers in Arms is stunningly well recorded. I believe it was recorded
somwhere in the Caribbean, at an outside recordig facility. There�s one track where you could
hear crickets in the background. But I don�t remember what track it was.

whats all this ghey rock muzack lol fags

loljk

quote:

Originally posted by Beyer Dire Straights - Borthers in Arms is stunningly well recorded.

Funny you should mention that, listened to "Money For Nothing" earlier.

I listen to a lot of older rock too.

But if you want to hear a great production on a dance music track check out Leftfield - Phat Planet.

Someone made a reference to Michael Jacksons stuff. This is the period and genre for me that start to squeeze the life out of music. I find MJs stuff very lifeless and lacking in character and depth in terms of production values. There is something in those productions that just gets on my nerves. That probably makes me weird though... he he.

Cheers
Nem

quote:

Originally posted by Nemesis44 Someone made a reference to Michael Jacksons stuff. This is the period and genre for me that start to squeeze the life out of music. I find MJs stuff very lifeless and lacking in character and depth in terms of production values. There is something in those productions that just gets on my nerves. That probably makes me weird though... he he

Doesn't really make you weird at all, a lot of people criticize the 80s as a period of very plastic, artificial-sounding recording and mixing, with overuse of effects like reverb and gating and some pretty tinny keyboard and FM synth sounds.

Personally I can appreciate both the "cold" sound of the 80s and the more "natural" warm sound of 60s and 70s, but I know lots of people prefer either one or the other.

My mixing tutor at uni has some original multitracks for queen bohemian rhapsody he lets us make or own mix of them in the analogue studio. its crazy you can hear the band messing around before and after and all the audio they never used.

You be amazed at how rubbish the technology was if you dont know already. You will have bass bleed on vocal tracks, hiss on the others, crackling leads you name it. Still sound brilliant that must be where the mixing engineers skill came in.

Modern recording genius can be heard on Keane's album from 2006 ish, but the name escapes me.

Jacko's team totaly revolutionised sonic scuplting, making music pump and sound so tight. Compare 'don't stop' (till you get enough) from 1978 to Kraftwerks stuff. The latter was great and quirky but lacks energy and pump not too mention being very quiet.

Anyone like jean michelle jarre recordings - things like equinox. Utter genius and for me the god father of trance. Knew how not to be cheesy before cheesy synth sounds were even invented

I like JMJ as well, and he really is like proto-trance. A lot of his sounds are just like those you would hear in trance, especially the early to mid 1990s stuff.

Check out Talk Talk- 'I believe in you'
I still maintain one of the best recordings I have ever heard..

quote:

Originally posted by Sonic_c You be amazed at how rubbish the technology was if you dont know already. You will have bass bleed on vocal tracks, hiss on the others, crackling leads you name it. Still sound brilliant that must be where the mixing engineers skill came in.

Its not rubbish technology as such - its an undertanding that everything doesnt need to be absolutely seperated and clinically isolated in order to get it sounding fucking great, and that if the band is working together well playing at once then who the hell needs so much seperation anyway! Thats where things went wrong in the 70s and 80s- too much isolation and everything sounding dead.

In modern dance music things have to be isolated because the kick, bass, and often the lead are all huge and hog the mix, so lots of EQing is necessary to separate them all and then compression to cram the track together and squash the peaks resulting from the huge sounds.

or you could just lower the volume 10dB

I absolutely agree with some things having so much life added to them by the producer/the mastering. I can definitely appreciate good mastering.

quote:

Originally posted by Darkarbiter I absolutely agree with some things having so much life added to them by the producer/the mastering. I can definitely appreciate good mastering.

Though all the above discussion was about recording and mixing. It's unknown (to me) how much the mastering changed the sound of those records, if it changed it at all. Ideally, (and this used to happen) the mastering engineer would be secure enough in themselves to say "this sounds great, I don't need to do anything to it".

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