Top Ten Albums All Recording Engineers Should Own
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It's astounding to me that this thread got this far without anyone mentioning the two of them. Just astounding.Nick Sevilla wrote:Les Paul and Mary Ford - All Time Greatest Hits.
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Probably not the universal best of the best, but here's ten good ones and why:
1. Sufjan Stevens, WELCOME TO MICHIGAN and
2. Heptones, PARTY TIME (produced & rec'd by Lee Perry
Both of these are good examples of how great people can rule with less than great gear.
3. Ruben Blades, METIENDO MANO
How to fit a lot of stuff into a mix and still have it feel good. The most musically adventurous Fania album, under its smooth veneer. Engineered by Jon Fausty.
4. Miles Davis, KIND OF BLUE
5. Steely Dan, AJA
6. Beatles SERGEANT PEPPER... and/or Beach Boys, PET SOUNDS
Like 'em or not, they're well known reference albums of their types. The Miles is sort of the ultimate "live jazz recorded with German equipment" album, and oddly enough Rudy Van Gelder had nothing to do with it.
7. My Bloody Valentine, LOVELESS
For the guitar sounds.
8,9. [insert orchestral and chamber albums I am too tired to think of here]
10. [insert Lomax and/or Nonesuch field recodings of your choice here]
Wow, so much missing . . . Two more:
11. Gregory Isaacs, MR. ISAACS: reggae again, so maybe not of interest to everyone, but a fantastic example of recording a busy rhythm section, with horns and bg vox, mostly dry and close-mic'd with a few dub moments, and making everything fit. Also a nice vocal sound on a guy with kind of a unique nasal timbre.
12. BEST OF SAM AND DAVE and/or Aretha Franklin's LADY SOUL:
Really thick sounds with tape, Neumanns, and ribbons. The S&D is a great example of how a well-arranged band with few parts can sound really huge, without a lot of effects . . . There's a spacious home somewhere in the frequency range for everybody playing.
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This should be "best 99 albums," at least. But hope this is helpful . . .
michael.
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Probably not the universal best of the best, but here's ten good ones and why:
1. Sufjan Stevens, WELCOME TO MICHIGAN and
2. Heptones, PARTY TIME (produced & rec'd by Lee Perry
Both of these are good examples of how great people can rule with less than great gear.
3. Ruben Blades, METIENDO MANO
How to fit a lot of stuff into a mix and still have it feel good. The most musically adventurous Fania album, under its smooth veneer. Engineered by Jon Fausty.
4. Miles Davis, KIND OF BLUE
5. Steely Dan, AJA
6. Beatles SERGEANT PEPPER... and/or Beach Boys, PET SOUNDS
Like 'em or not, they're well known reference albums of their types. The Miles is sort of the ultimate "live jazz recorded with German equipment" album, and oddly enough Rudy Van Gelder had nothing to do with it.
7. My Bloody Valentine, LOVELESS
For the guitar sounds.
8,9. [insert orchestral and chamber albums I am too tired to think of here]
10. [insert Lomax and/or Nonesuch field recodings of your choice here]
Wow, so much missing . . . Two more:
11. Gregory Isaacs, MR. ISAACS: reggae again, so maybe not of interest to everyone, but a fantastic example of recording a busy rhythm section, with horns and bg vox, mostly dry and close-mic'd with a few dub moments, and making everything fit. Also a nice vocal sound on a guy with kind of a unique nasal timbre.
12. BEST OF SAM AND DAVE and/or Aretha Franklin's LADY SOUL:
Really thick sounds with tape, Neumanns, and ribbons. The S&D is a great example of how a well-arranged band with few parts can sound really huge, without a lot of effects . . . There's a spacious home somewhere in the frequency range for everybody playing.
------------
This should be "best 99 albums," at least. But hope this is helpful . . .
michael.
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"Why does the Creator send me such knuckleheads?" - Sun Ra
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listening to this right now and yeah that is a hell of a snare. also, the opening lyric sounds like he's saying my name. i do a double take every time.mjau wrote: 5. Son Volt / Trace - Have you heard the snare sound in "Drown"?
snare on track 4 is real nice too. track 5 though, man, the poor drummer is just nowhere near the pocket. he seems fine on everything else, i dunno why that one's so off...
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Such an impossible list...
Has any one said Mr. Bungle - California?
Can't argue with the standards: Beatles, Stones, Floyd, Zep, Beach Boys, Thriller, Electric Ladyland, Back In Black/Highway to Hell...
I want to find out who recorded Earl Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Banjo. That record is 50 years old and sounds pristine. Another great sounding acoustic record that sounds really natural to me is the first David Grisman Quintet album.
I know this thread is about more of a universal sort of thing, but I'm sort of a metal guy, so I'll stick with that for a second. I think if an engineer wants to be fluent in recording metal, they should be familiar with these:
Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve - I think they were still using real amps and drums at this point, and it is just ridiculously heavy. Everything is huge but has a lot of space too.
Iron Monkey - s/t - another real (reel?) sounding record. one of my favorite mixes in metal. Good example of huge drums, huge guitars and huge bass that don't get in each other's way. Back before Andy Sneap's stuff got homogenized-sounding (IMO).
Motorhead - Orgasmatron - Not the slickest sounding Motorhead record, but probably the meanest. How much can you distort a bass? How much can you smash the drums? This record will show the way...
Morbid Angel - Covenant - Again, real sounds. Fast as hell, and you can hear all of it. Nice and dark sounding record too, instead of the typically uber-bright mix a lot of metal productions go for.
Necrophagist - Epitaph - In stark contrast to the previously listed albums, this one is slick, precise, clean and whatever other adjectives without being too sterile. Not as aggressive or bombastic as some of the modern sounding records. Speaking of aggressive and bombastic...
The last few Testament albums sound pretty huge and would be a good benchmark if you're recording a band that wants to sound "current" or whatever. Municipal Waste's Art of Partying is another good one for the super-tight-and-punchy modern thing. These newer records are all ProTooled to hell and back though. Give me the old-school shit where it sounds like a real performance. (Not that the old shit wasn't edited ever)
Has any one said Mr. Bungle - California?
Can't argue with the standards: Beatles, Stones, Floyd, Zep, Beach Boys, Thriller, Electric Ladyland, Back In Black/Highway to Hell...
I want to find out who recorded Earl Scruggs' Foggy Mountain Banjo. That record is 50 years old and sounds pristine. Another great sounding acoustic record that sounds really natural to me is the first David Grisman Quintet album.
I know this thread is about more of a universal sort of thing, but I'm sort of a metal guy, so I'll stick with that for a second. I think if an engineer wants to be fluent in recording metal, they should be familiar with these:
Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve - I think they were still using real amps and drums at this point, and it is just ridiculously heavy. Everything is huge but has a lot of space too.
Iron Monkey - s/t - another real (reel?) sounding record. one of my favorite mixes in metal. Good example of huge drums, huge guitars and huge bass that don't get in each other's way. Back before Andy Sneap's stuff got homogenized-sounding (IMO).
Motorhead - Orgasmatron - Not the slickest sounding Motorhead record, but probably the meanest. How much can you distort a bass? How much can you smash the drums? This record will show the way...
Morbid Angel - Covenant - Again, real sounds. Fast as hell, and you can hear all of it. Nice and dark sounding record too, instead of the typically uber-bright mix a lot of metal productions go for.
Necrophagist - Epitaph - In stark contrast to the previously listed albums, this one is slick, precise, clean and whatever other adjectives without being too sterile. Not as aggressive or bombastic as some of the modern sounding records. Speaking of aggressive and bombastic...
The last few Testament albums sound pretty huge and would be a good benchmark if you're recording a band that wants to sound "current" or whatever. Municipal Waste's Art of Partying is another good one for the super-tight-and-punchy modern thing. These newer records are all ProTooled to hell and back though. Give me the old-school shit where it sounds like a real performance. (Not that the old shit wasn't edited ever)
Great thread!
I'll have to nod to many of the titans that have been mentioned like Floyd, Zep, Stones and what have you. Here are a couple that I love for one reason or many:
In the Wee Small Hours- Frank Sinatra. Sweet mother, if I could get a vocal mic to sound that warm and delicious and PRESENT I would be a multi zillionaire.
Amnesiac- Radiohead. I know this is not one of their fan favorites, but it is an amazing record in the headphones. Great balance, level, and effect control on both sides of the console.
Pinkerton- Weezer. This was generally panned as a sophmore slump, but I thought it showed the rock out capacity for a band that was pretty poppy otherwise. The space in this record really comes out in the drums for the first song. And my god, the guitars are just barbed wire through the speakers.
Joshua Tree-U2. Not a huge fan of this band but this record was a revelation. I believe Eno did the production and it has a great 'in the room' feel for a lot of the songs (notably Trip Through Your Wires)
I have a great admiration for the Albini ethos and product. He's done great work with a lot of bands (as many other engineers have). One of my favorite clients of his is Silkworm. Just a great band. Great room feel on the records, but at the same time, a lot of intimacy.
Anyway, just my thouhts.
I'll have to nod to many of the titans that have been mentioned like Floyd, Zep, Stones and what have you. Here are a couple that I love for one reason or many:
In the Wee Small Hours- Frank Sinatra. Sweet mother, if I could get a vocal mic to sound that warm and delicious and PRESENT I would be a multi zillionaire.
Amnesiac- Radiohead. I know this is not one of their fan favorites, but it is an amazing record in the headphones. Great balance, level, and effect control on both sides of the console.
Pinkerton- Weezer. This was generally panned as a sophmore slump, but I thought it showed the rock out capacity for a band that was pretty poppy otherwise. The space in this record really comes out in the drums for the first song. And my god, the guitars are just barbed wire through the speakers.
Joshua Tree-U2. Not a huge fan of this band but this record was a revelation. I believe Eno did the production and it has a great 'in the room' feel for a lot of the songs (notably Trip Through Your Wires)
I have a great admiration for the Albini ethos and product. He's done great work with a lot of bands (as many other engineers have). One of my favorite clients of his is Silkworm. Just a great band. Great room feel on the records, but at the same time, a lot of intimacy.
Anyway, just my thouhts.
I make a living as an electrician, not recording in the basement.
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Yup.agauchede wrote:Was "Trinity Sessions" the one done with one mic?
I'll keep that on my list.
Nebraska - Springsteen
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straights
Vol 1 - The Traveling Willburys
Songs to Warm the Heart - Jim Reeves
Rubber Soul - Beatles
Shine A Light - Contstantines
Pacific Milk - Frederick Squire
The Rising of the Moon - The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
Guitars, Cadillacs, etc, etc - Dwight Yoakam
Ready to Die - Notorious B.I.G.
Shit the list is really never ending. But there is a good cross section in there I think. I think all of those albums speak to something different, but obviously it's hard to narrow down.
1. Skip Spence - Oar
2. Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat
3. Micheal Jackson - Thriller
4. Mama's & Papa's - If You Believe Your Eyes & Ears
5. Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
6. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
7. Spritualized - Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
8. Queen - The Game
9. Mercury Rev - Deserters Songs
10. Cannibal Ox - Iron Galaxy
....all really incredible high marks of creative engineering, imo - k
2. Velvet Underground - White Light / White Heat
3. Micheal Jackson - Thriller
4. Mama's & Papa's - If You Believe Your Eyes & Ears
5. Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
6. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
7. Spritualized - Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
8. Queen - The Game
9. Mercury Rev - Deserters Songs
10. Cannibal Ox - Iron Galaxy
....all really incredible high marks of creative engineering, imo - k
Full Disclosure: I probably can't record your band any better than you could w/ a few trial & error shitty records under your belt. Thanks.
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