RawDepth
New member
I was kicking back listening to old albums and realized that one in particular stood out as being very well mixed.
Back in 1984, Scandal featuring Patty Smyth put out an album called “Warrior”. A few side two songs on that LP seem to really have that clean and open airiness, depth, and separation that I enjoy so much. That was sometimes rare on rock recordings with loud crunching guitars and hammering drums. Albeit at times, some of the instruments sound sampled.
Mixing sampled instruments must be easy as pie. (if that is the case) Half the work is already done for you. They are already sonically perfect and EQ’ed. All you have to do is ride the levels.
I can’t tell if the drums are sampled or not. At some points they have that linier, almost fake, sound and at other spots they have the human element all over them. Like a near miss or an off-center hit which gives a drum a different striking tone. I don’t think electronic drums were that advanced in 1984 enough to fool even another drummer.
At any rate, getting back to the overall mix, it was engineered by Bill Wittman. Track nine, a song called “Tonight,” really stands out as having that sweet spot kind of mix. I would have EQ’ed it slightly different but, that is only personal taste. I still think he hit the nail square on the head. The vocals are so perfect that I was left wanting more when the song ended. It just goes to show what good tracking can lead to. My compliments to the chef.
Back in 1984, Scandal featuring Patty Smyth put out an album called “Warrior”. A few side two songs on that LP seem to really have that clean and open airiness, depth, and separation that I enjoy so much. That was sometimes rare on rock recordings with loud crunching guitars and hammering drums. Albeit at times, some of the instruments sound sampled.
Mixing sampled instruments must be easy as pie. (if that is the case) Half the work is already done for you. They are already sonically perfect and EQ’ed. All you have to do is ride the levels.
I can’t tell if the drums are sampled or not. At some points they have that linier, almost fake, sound and at other spots they have the human element all over them. Like a near miss or an off-center hit which gives a drum a different striking tone. I don’t think electronic drums were that advanced in 1984 enough to fool even another drummer.
At any rate, getting back to the overall mix, it was engineered by Bill Wittman. Track nine, a song called “Tonight,” really stands out as having that sweet spot kind of mix. I would have EQ’ed it slightly different but, that is only personal taste. I still think he hit the nail square on the head. The vocals are so perfect that I was left wanting more when the song ended. It just goes to show what good tracking can lead to. My compliments to the chef.
