Maroon 5 - "Maps" quite possible the worst soundin

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leftofthedial
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Maroon 5 - "Maps" quite possible the worst soundin

Post by leftofthedial » Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:14 am

Now I listen to a lot of music I would normally not listen to because I stream a lot on apple itunes radio while futzing around with my studio setup. But this song stood out to me as being either horribly mixed or destroyed during mastering. Anybody heard it on a CD feel the same way? I think I even hear spots where the console power supply on the console they used is gasping for current. Gee, I hope it is not my console doing that. hmmmmm.....
They mostly come at night..... Mostly.

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Post by kslight » Wed Jan 27, 2016 8:33 am

I have not listened to Maroon 5, but Imagine Dragons' debut album is possibly the most shockingly-destroyed-by-strange-mixing-and-or-mastering-production-values major label release I've heard.

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alex matson
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Post by alex matson » Wed Jan 27, 2016 4:35 pm

I feel compelled to add that I actually had to look up that godawful tune 'Kingdom Come' by ID. That melody, that 'Axis of Awesome' four chord progression. It made me feel like Mulder in Episode 2 of the latest X Files. Amazing that something like a stupid pop song could make me rage like that.

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Post by kslight » Wed Jan 27, 2016 5:17 pm

Oh, you must mean Demons?


Yeah anyway?that song is a perfect example of that album's apparent goal to have less dynamic range than RHCP and Foo Fighters. Not sure who decided that was a good thing.

leftofthedial
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Post by leftofthedial » Thu Jan 28, 2016 8:23 am

Yep, Demons sounds just as God awful as M5 Maps. It does appear my power supply is the reason I hear the gasping for current effect on these horribly mastered songs.

Funny that a shitty mix/master exposes a possible problem with my system.
They mostly come at night..... Mostly.

kslight
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Post by kslight » Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:27 am

Yep that is horrible irony.


You know I had to look it up and of course ID uses Sterling Sound to master. I had a hunch. Now these guys obviously put out way more work than I do, but everything I have heard out of them I have been consistently...unimpressed by. I feel like I have earned the right to say that because my band's release on Sony a few years back was mastered by them. That is to say, they were paid an embarrassing amount of money (not by me personally, thankfully) and then I re-mastered the mixes, in my very modest not technically very great setup, and with my inexperience in mastering.

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Nick Sevilla
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Post by Nick Sevilla » Mon Feb 01, 2016 7:27 am

kslight wrote:Yep that is horrible irony.


You know I had to look it up and of course ID uses Sterling Sound to master. I had a hunch. Now these guys obviously put out way more work than I do, but everything I have heard out of them I have been consistently...unimpressed by. I feel like I have earned the right to say that because my band's release on Sony a few years back was mastered by them. That is to say, they were paid an embarrassing amount of money (not by me personally, thankfully) and then I re-mastered the mixes, in my very modest not technically very great setup, and with my inexperience in mastering.
I have used Sterling Sound on a few releases. Specifically we used Greg Calbi, who is very very very good. I was happy with their work.
But then again, we did not ask them to squish the shit out of the mixes.
So I would suspect someone else in the decision chain forcing this horrific lack of dynamics upon the fans, but not Sterling Sound.

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Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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