Here are some songs that I like which are badly mastered. So far I can name 3:
Rank1 - Top Gear
Deep Dish - Say Hello
Thomas Bronzwaer - Close Horizon
These songs sound too muffled. It's like these tracks are wearing a gas mask. I often have to increase the WOW effect as well as the treble (or 'highs' as some people call it) to get a decent sound. What are some of your favorite tracks that should have spent more time in the mastering studio?
Dec-21-2005 00:21
RapidFire
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Feb 2005
Location: toronto
depeche mode - songs of faith and devotion. all of it is badly mastered. i think it was to add to the grungy sound of the time but damn is it annoying
rob dougan - furious angels. again im sure it was done to add rawness to the sound because I know rob d can make some well mastered tunes (hard times) but it tends to hurt the listening experience
Dec-21-2005 00:25
tylerc
wannabe ballaz
Registered: Nov 2004
Location: MN USA
santiago nino - sudden death
i played it out before listening to it - bad idea. i had to mix out of it almost immediately. the kick sounds like buttshit.
jan johnston - silent words (lyric & natali remix)
might just be the vinly pressing, i don't know. was gutted when i first played it cos it's one of my all time favourite tunes, but sounds HORRIBLE on my decks. i found an mp3 rip on audiogalaxy which was much better in comparison though, so not sure what the deal was there.
oh and fred baker vs nyram - confirmation, whilst having a nice melody, sounds like something i knocked up when first getting to grips with an early version of fruityloops
Dec-21-2005 00:45
Az
took me all the way back
Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Walking to John O'Groats for some spastics
I think you have to charge the bulk of how a production sounds to the producer who made the tune, not the masterer. If a tune is produced poorly than no matter how good a professional masterer is, it still is likely to sound bad, only maybe a little improved from before. Whereas, if a tune is produced to a pro quality, than the masterer's job becomes much easier and they can improve upon an already great sounding tune. But in the end, a production's overall quality rests with the producer.
___________________
M.I.K.E. IS GOD
Dec-21-2005 07:27
[mart]
PSN: mart_likes_fluke
Registered: Jun 2002
Location: England
quote:
Originally posted by RapidFire
rob dougan - furious angels. again im sure it was done to add rawness to the sound because I know rob d can make some well mastered tunes (hard times) but it tends to hurt the listening experience
Oh? Sounds great to me.
Dec-21-2005 10:57
aloep
REDIICULASE!!
Registered: Nov 2000
Location: Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, UK
quote:
Originally posted by Az
anything by the digital blonde
Was just thinking that. Only his post 2001 stuff though.
Dec-21-2005 12:39
RebeL9
The Digital Blonde addict
Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
the reason to why Digital Blondes tracks are badly mastered can be the fact that he produced them with an Atari with 4 mb memory. The same he had been using for over 10 years.
