What are some of the most "poorly engineered" albu

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LFF
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Post by LFF » Thu Nov 26, 2009 3:54 am

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication gets my vote for the worst.
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tonewoods
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Post by tonewoods » Thu Nov 26, 2009 8:25 am

LFF wrote:Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication gets my vote for the worst.
It actually sounds pretty good if you compress it a little bit... :wink:

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Post by JGriffin » Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:41 am

tonewoods wrote:
LFF wrote:Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication gets my vote for the worst.
It actually sounds pretty good if you compress it a little bit... :wink:
funniest thing I've read on this board in a while! :wink: :lol:
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Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Fri Nov 27, 2009 3:01 pm

yeah that made me chuckle.
thegeek wrote:Pearl Jam - Ten was just a horribly mixed album... to much reverb and the stereo image was just not there. A lot of parts sounded like a garbled mess of mono tracks.

The remixed versions are, however, a vast improvement.
gotta completely disagree with this. the original sounds fine (and holds up sonically way better than say 'nevermind', which sounds like a plastic facsimilie of a rock band rather than an actual rock band.). the remixes sound like "let's make it sound like 2009! we're gonna need 3 of every compressor ever made! intern! don't step foot in the control room unless you're carrying an armload of distressors! someone call bob ludwig and make sure he's got his limiter ready! ok! let's mix!"

sorry. it just sounds like hell.

i did get to hear the new pearl jam record the other day, and although i am not really a fan and was expecting the worst, it was actually quite pleasant all the way through.

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Post by emrr » Thu Dec 03, 2009 9:59 am

I don't know that anyone said it yet, but there are so many records that sound like they might be decently engineered, yet have poor mixes, bad mastering, or are being made from multiple generation tape duplication masters. That could be it's own separate thread.

I'd like to hear clearer versions of:
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Deep Purple - In Rock

There's a Deep Purple remix out there, but I haven't heard it, or anything about it.

The new 13th Floor Elevators box presents some new mixes of some later material, and some better master dubs of other bits. Nothing like hearing a much better copy, after hundreds of listens.
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Post by Gebo » Sun Dec 06, 2009 6:28 pm

I love love love the Embrace LP (post Minor Threat pre Fugazi Ian M), but it sounds so strange. I know that's probably how they wanted it to sound, but I really wish it was a little more natural sounding.

I also really love the last two Party Of Helicopters LPs, but they both sound pretty bad. The snare is my biggest problem, but the mix over all just pumps way to much. Both records suffer from unnecessary compression on everything.
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Post by alex matson » Tue Dec 08, 2009 4:00 am

This is more a production choice then anything - but I REALLY hate that weird phased saxophone on V.M.'s 'Wild Nights' It always reminds me of weird old British shows where they added canned laughter that sounds as though they put a flanger on.

Fwedeet dodeedooweeoohweeeoohhwee...

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Post by JGriffin » Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:51 am

alex matson wrote:This is more a production choice then anything - but I REALLY hate that weird phased saxophone on V.M.'s 'Wild Nights' It always reminds me of weird old British shows where they added canned laughter that sounds as though they put a flanger on.

Fwedeet dodeedooweeoohweeeoohhwee...

What I hate about it is that the sweep of the phaser is totally out of time with the song.
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Post by junomat » Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:21 am

LFF wrote:Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication gets my vote for the worst.
agreed. what happened to the snare drum. it sounds like a rat getting crushed by a log.

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Post by centurymantra » Tue Dec 08, 2009 1:34 pm

emrr wrote: There's a Deep Purple remix out there, but I haven't heard it, or anything about it.

The new 13th Floor Elevators box presents some new mixes of some later material, and some better master dubs of other bits. Nothing like hearing a much better copy, after hundreds of listens.
I have been soooo tempted by that Elevators box. As a massive fan of the band, I feel like I really just need to own it. Is the sound quality really that much better? I have a Charly records Bull of the Woods CD reissue that is nothing short of terrible sounding. Sounds like they applied totally fucked up EQ, among other things, in the mastering and turned it into a scraggy, unengaging mess while they were at it. I picked it up thinking it may be an improvement on my pseudo-bootleg LP, but the LP I have sounds way better.

And...speaking of Deep Purple, I recall that my vinyl copy of the 'Book of Taliesyn' was bad sounding in a way that approached unlistenable. I may have one of those second rate vinyl re-issues, but I'm pretty sure that suffered from some mixing missteps.
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Post by firby » Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:14 pm

I have always thought that my vinyl 12 of The Power Station "bang a gong" sounds terrible coming off of the 12 inch. Maybe it was better on the album or something ?

Sometimes, though, it's just the thing if I am lounging around in my parachute pants trying to figure out that darn rubik's cube.
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Post by Jay Reynolds » Wed Dec 09, 2009 7:20 am

Did we really need that much verb on the drums on Doolittle? I'd like to find out.
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Post by emrr » Sat Dec 12, 2009 4:51 pm

The 13th Floor Elevators box sounds better than anything but an original pressing, of which I can attest to, owning 'Easter Everywhere'. Even my cassette copy of my vinyl sounds better than all previous reissues.

But, the box is gone. They are getting ready to roll out new CD's next year with both mono and stereo versions. The mono will likely come from needle-drops, as masters seem vanished. Stereo masters that have surfaced on the box are copies Lelan Rogers made in the mid-70's for licensing at that time; those were also 'lost' until recently. Original masters are all lost, currently. The mind-blowers in the box are Walt Andrus (sp?) original alt mixes and his recent new mixes from unheard multi-tracks. IF you can find the box, it's worth it for the book alone.
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Post by Acoustikitty » Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:32 pm

superaction80 wrote:Did we really need that much verb on the drums on Doolittle? I'd like to find out.
Yes indeed. I had this same thought about Bossanova just a few weeks ago. Timeless material, but a little hard to listen to now in a way that, say, "The Joshua Tree" is not.

Speaking of which, the latest U2 does have some good songs, but man that production is blander than an early peach. If I was Larry Mullen Jr. (drummer), I'd punch Eno and Lanois in the teeth. Except violence is wrong.

And I fully disagree with the original poster's view of "Idioteque" - that song is so, so good sounding, in a perfectly abrasive way.
+1 for the Electric Ladyland appraisal though.

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Post by vvv » Sat Dec 12, 2009 10:53 pm

St. Anger, anyone?

EDIT: Eh, already mentioned, sorry. :oops:

The songs sound so much better on the accompanying DVD, with the big guy on bass, BTW.
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