Recordings to Separate the Men from the Boys

[fas42]

... as far as systems go. I was hinting to Tim it would be worthwhile creating a list of "worst" CDs to really see what is available as killer recordings to point out how "badly" mastering can be done, and to be used as reference material to assess how well systems handle them ...

I humbly submit the following: "The Most of Jan & Dean", an el cheapo version of the stereo remixes of their material, guaranteed to send you screaming from the room to escape ear shredding treble if things are not the best ....

Frank

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Almost any current metal record. Bruce Springsteen's "Magic." Amy Winehouse "Back To Black." Lots of contemporary pop, rock and country. Brickwalled and "exicted" masters bother me a lot more than the limitations of older recordings.

Tim

 

[c1ferrari]

"exicted"

Brickwalled and "exicted" masters bother me a lot more than the limitations of older recordings.
Tim

Elaboration, Tim, please

 

[RBFC]

EXCITED, meaning boosted and equalized, etc. Everything up to "11". Right, Tim?

Lee

 

[JackD201]

Maybe even more literal. There are post processing boxes named Aural Exciters. I always hated the darned things. I had one built in to my DJ Numark mixer in the 90s. It could clear a floor faster than a fire alarm.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Elaboration, Tim, please

Sorry, that was a fuzzy, imprecise and ultimately meaningless use of a word that actually has a pupose in another context. Perhaps it is the evil twin of "musical?"

Lee nailed it. When compressing the life and dynamics out or a recording to make it jump out at you is not enough to demand attention, instead of writing better songs, these days the juice up the eq to make it sound even more obnoxious.

Tim

 

[c1ferrari]

Ah, thanks Lee and Tim...

Sorry, that was a fuzzy, imprecise and ultimately meaningless use of a word that actually has a pupose in another context. Perhaps it is the evil twin of "musical?"

Lee nailed it. When compressing the life and dynamics out or a recording to make it jump out at you is not enough to demand attention, instead of writing better songs, these days the juice up the eq to make it sound even more obnoxious.

Tim

I imagined it was a reference to a specific piece of gear/effect that producers/artists/labels employed to "differentiate" their music...creativity is a curious thing

I see an EQ in my life...I'll affectionately refer to it as my "de-obnoxious-izer".

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

I imagined it was a reference to a specific piece of gear/effect that producers/artists/labels employed to "differentiate" their music...creativity is a curious thing

I see an EQ in my life...I'll affectionately refer to it as my "de-obnoxious-izer".

EQ does help. Can't do anything about the compression but EQ helps in other areas. I find it particularly useful, though I don't use it often, for older CD transfers that are just kind of thin and flat.

Tim