What CDs do you consider great mixes for reference?

[lunkhead]

I would like to know what CDs the "pros" think are great professional mixes, to use as reference for my own mixes? Specifically in a few catagories:

Pop/Rock
Hardcore (Limp Bizkit? POD?)
Punk (Green Day? Weezer?)
Ska
Metal (Metallica Black Album?--it's so trebelly)

Thanks ahead for your input
Chris

[Blue Bear Sound]

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly
Steely Dan - AJA
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magic
SoulFinger (a local Ottawa band)- The Buddha of Sexual Pleasure (great bass and drum relationship reference)


Bruce

[tubedude]

For a very dynamic, warm (not too brite) mix, Tools enema. Its not all one level like everything else is these days.
If you want to pick your brain apart to the point of insanity, in the hopes of learning something super valuable, try the new Steely Dan.
For brighter, heavier rock, I'll try albums that I know are well produced... Deftones, Metallica.
If you have the capability, (for fun... please dont flame me!) try using FreeFilter by Steinberg.. it reads the freq levels in a mix, and matches yours to it. Sometimes its pretty cool.

[regebro]

Rock/Pop:
Grant Lee Buffalo: Copperopolis
REM: Up

You forgot:
Disco: ABBA: Dancing Queen.

[Wallycleaver]

Rock A Perfect Circle, Incubus' new one and Weezer, but that's just cause weezer rocks and I have that cd everywhere I go anyway!
Techno Daft punk homework and Chemical brothers
I have all of those albums sound memorized. I play them constantly at home, in the car, at work, when I sleep blah blah blah. Just find a cd that if you played anywhere you would not the differences from speaker to speaker!

[skippy]

Oh, boy- this'll pull some interesting replies, won't it? Most of my favorite reference mixes don't fit any of your categories very well, but I do indeed use these to recalibrate my ears periodically, The project I'm working on may not have anything to do stylistically with the reference mix I listen to to recenter myself: the goal is not to mimic the mix, but rather to make sure that fatigue hasn't caused any shifts in the operator's perception. Even if it's a complete mismatch stylistically, it's still useful to make sure that the ears aren't going astray. Anyway, I believe that I know exactly how these are all supposed to sound, so they work for me.

Steely Dan: Aja
Human Sexual Response: In a Roman Mood
Tears for Fears: Seeds of Love
The Blue Nile: A Walk Across the Rooftops
New York Voices: New York Voices
Diana Krall: Stepping Out

Your mileage will almost _certainly_ vary!

[Gidge]

Bon Jovi- New Jersey

Bon Jovi-Slippery When Wet

Red Hot Chili Peppers-Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Tim McGraw-Place In The Sun

Steve Vai-Passion and Warfare

[db51]

Wally, which Weezer cd are you referring too? Weezer-Weezer (the blue album)?
I really love the sound of Pinkerton (the songs are amazing as well). I think this album has a real intimate 'recorded-in-my-basement' feel to it. I know it isn't homerecorded in any way (recorded at Sound City LA and Electric Lady Studios NYC among others) but it really sounds different from most commercial albums; it's very diffrent from the sound of Weezer's first album

[Prism]

I think there's something to be said for oldies! Gary Puckett's "Woman, woman" is a great recording in my opinion, despite the stupid lyrics. :-D
Sam Cooke's "Don't know much about history" is a wonderful example of great mono recording.
Loggins & Messina's "Your mama don't dance" is another one of my favorites. The Shocking Blue and "Venus" is another one I like to listen to...man, they really had it back then.

Maybe I'm just too amateurish and naive to know any better.

Isaiah

[regebro]

Originally posted by skippy
The Blue Nile: A Walk Across the Rooftops

I have to second that. And third and fourth it!

[VOXVENDOR]

Anything produced by Mutt Lange, or mixed by Mike Shipley.... (Or all of the above)....
Bryan Adams, Waking up the Neighbors (My favorite drum sound of all time.. (even though it's a machine))
Def Leppard, Hysteria, Adrenalize
Shania Twain, Come on Over (even though I despise country)
The Corrs, In Blue
The Cars, Heartbeat City
I know its all very over- produced glossy sounding mixes.. but hey, what can i say, it's my sound and These are the cd's that I try and emulate.. (Soundwise only)

[VOXVENDOR]

Steely Dan's Aja is my favorite Cd of all time, and I think as a whole, it is the best sounding one..(in my opinion.. )But for comparing my mixing, im not into that clean, dry, jazzy sound)

[Wallycleaver]

Originally posted by db51
Wally, which Weezer cd are you referring too? Weezer-Weezer (the blue album)?
I really love the sound of Pinkerton (the songs are amazing as well). I think this album has a real intimate 'recorded-in-my-basement' feel to it. I know it isn't homerecorded in any way (recorded at Sound City LA and Electric Lady Studios NYC among others) but it really sounds different from most commercial albums; it's very diffrent from the sound of Weezer's first album

I keep both on me at all times. Actually I have 3 copies of the blue album and 2 copies of Pinkerton. Weezer rocks, good guys too! Check out CMJ with them on the cover, a new tune "The Christmas Song" is on the sample CD. Great tune!

[Tom Cram]

For clean dynamic balanced mixes I reference;

Anything by Peter Gabriel.

Pink Floyd, The Wall, or Momentary Lapse of Reason.

Talk Talk, The Colour of Spring

King Crimson, Thrak.

Midnight Oil, Diesel and Dust.

Blue Nile, Walk Across the Rooftops, or Hats.

Seal, Bring It On.


For super squashed rawk mixes I reference;

Prong, Rude Awakening.

Helmet, Aftertaste.

Tool, Aenima.

RadioHead, The Bends.

This thread is a great peek into everybody's frame of reference...cool idea.


Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com

[VOXVENDOR]

I was sure, you would have listed the theme song to your show.... Some great violins in that song.....

[Tom Cram]

I'm seeing a lot of white, how about;

Public Enemy, It Takes A Nation Of Millions.

Sly and Robbie and BDP, Criminal Minded.

George Clinton, Maggot Brain.

Youssou N'Dour, Guide.

Tom Cram
dbx Senior Technical Support
(801) 568-7530
tcram@dbxpro.com

[VOXVENDOR]

I said anything by Mutt Lange.... He did Billy Ocean....And a fine job. I might add...

[CyanJaguar]

the only two I use for reference are:
----
ELvis Presley: Burning Love

and

Andrea Bocelli: Romanza

----


These are two examples of high class sound. You can hear every detail clearly.

I have most of bocelli's cds and even though they are all excellent, a side by side listen proves that Romanza in outstanding. THe tracking, mixing and mastering engineers were on adrenaline .

One thing that stands out about these two albums is that they don't sound as airy as most albums out right now. You can tell that they are singing in a room, and not outside like many other albums try to do. There was no 10 k boosting on the vocals.


For what its worth, I also use the song "secret heart" as a reference. The sound is clean, the vocals are awesome, the bass is awesome. It was mixed and mastered by our own sonusman.

[struberg]

studio recording:
.) Roger Waters - amused to death
always good for testing audio environment

THE best sounding live recording
.) Dizzy Gillespie - live at the royal festival hall

[lunkhead]

... a couple that still stand up for me after 15-20 years:

Rush--Moving Pictures (the perfect album?)
Yes--90125 (so much to listen to on that one!)
Def Leppard--Pyromania (I think Mutt made his mark on the drum sound here and on the Cars album)

[Tom Hicks]

Roger Nichols mix on Aja

Tom

[enemyofthesun]

vision of disorder - Imprint

This is well produced modern hardcore. Not the MTV b.s. that is being shoved down little kids throats these days.
not my fav band but a good example of well produced chaos

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally posted by Tom Hicks
Roger Nichols mix on Aja

Tom

You betcha!
Aja's got a KILLER sound...................... so does Fagen's Nightfly...

(but hey, I'm a Roger Nichols fan period!)

Bruce

[tubedude]

Do you really think the Perfect Circle CD is a good reference? To me it sounds way to scooped out, and doesnt seem to have everything it needs. Although I like the album alot, I can't seem to get over what seems like a less than standard production. They recorded it themselves using ProTools. ALthough I think it DOES sound good, it just doesnt sound as good as most major releases do. Just my opinion though, we all have them... I've thought about trying to remaster it myself and see if I can get it more to my liking.
Paul

[musicsdarkangel]

Pop/Rock = Rob D's song Clubbed To Death
Hardcore = well, first of all, limp bizkit isn't hard core, neither is pod, a great mixed cd is any cd by Cradle Of Filth.......get any of there songs, brilliant song writing and recorded very nicely
Punk = Pennywise's Straight Ahead or Full Circle (2 great cd's)
Ska = Suicide Machine's Desturction Of Definition
Metal = hmm......i'd have to say Tool's Enema

stuff that would be amazing in my mind period, I won't put in a category cause i'm so obsessed is anything

by Trent Reznor (nine inch nails) (including new cd Fragile)
and especially: Finger Eleven
they have 2 cd's out, Tip, and The Greyest Of Blue Skies....both have best songwriting, drums, vocalist, guitarist, bassist, its all just so amazing
and for fusion check out Dream Theater.