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.

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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.

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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.

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Last edited by kadomony on Sep-20-2009 at 17:24

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

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