Worst commercial mix you've ever heard? MIX CRIMES

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The Strokes & White Stripes

What about "Is This It?" by The Strokes. Sounds terrible. They sounded better live on SNL than on their own album. And what about the new White Stripes album "White Blood Cells". Sounds friggin nasty.
 
jitteringjim said:


Ooops, sorry - missed this thread over tha last few days.

Wasn't part of the album recorded in that big honkin' mansion that was shown in the video? If I remember correctly, it was. Very little room treatment, just set up and record. What a way to record an album. You know though - I still don't think it sounds so bad - just a bit dark & muddy.

R.E.M.'s Monster that I mentioned - They might have been going for a more "rock" sound, but regardless - the guitar tone sounds like shit, the vocals are buried too far back in the mix, so on, and so on. I've always dug R.E.M., but I can't stand to listen to that album.
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Well, without going into a 2000 word detail, which would properly explain how it all came about....

The demos for the album were done here in Hamilton, and they kept a few of the bed tracks... Some drums, some bass.....

Then they flew all the gear over to that castle...... Recorded the rest of the album there.

Daniel Lanois owned Grant Ave. here in Hamilton, and he was responsible for putting together that studio in the castle...

Somehow Grant got left off the credits, but I don't think Dan really cared, cause his newer and awesomer (is that a word) castle set up was gonna get the respect.

At least thats how I was told the story...... Coming from Paul Reimens, who is the current co-owner of Grant Studio. Not second hand info either.. He told me the whole thing directly when he was mastering my first album..


Joe
 
cloudchamber said:
Makes me want to learn how to suck.
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Between discussions like this and reading Mixerman's ProSoundWeb diaries, I'm starting to think it's not just "who you know" rather than "what you know," but also, "what you do to who you know"... :o
 
geekgurl said:


Really?? I'm not an expert, so .... is there something specific about it?
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It's yet another victim of "Loudness Wars". I can only listen to a few songs before my brain is overloaded, my ears are fatigued and I have to turn it off.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com
 
VOXVENDOR said:


Well, without going into a 2000 word detail, which would properly explain how it all came about....

The demos for the album were done here in Hamilton, and they kept a few of the bed tracks... Some drums, some bass.....

Then they flew all the gear over to that castle...... Recorded the rest of the album there.

Daniel Lanois owned Grant Ave. here in Hamilton, and he was responsible for putting together that studio in the castle...

Somehow Grant got left off the credits, but I don't think Dan really cared, cause his newer and awesomer (is that a word) castle set up was gonna get the respect.

At least thats how I was told the story...... Coming from Paul Reimens, who is the current co-owner of Grant Studio. Not second hand info either.. He told me the whole thing directly when he was mastering my first album..


Joe
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Very cool. I remember when that album was released.
The jump from the production on UFF to Joshua Tree, was light years. I've spent a lot of time studying the Joshua Tree mix (just by listening over and over) - and we also know why that one turned out as it did. :D A very interesting, complex mix - but sterile sounding IMO.
 
wow, I think of Unforgettable Fire as one of the best sounding recordings of all time. I think what Eno and Lanois do is just a beautiful thing. It's nice to hear something that doesnt sound like every other thing out there.

To me, as soon as I saw this thread title, I thought of Metallica's ...And Justice For All.

A lot of the choices I've seen here are forgetting the style of the time, and every recording had that certain sound going for it, just as the most recordings nowadays have their own certain sound that will sound like crap in retrospect 10 years from now.

But ...And Justice For All sounded like crap from day one and still does today. Metal should be all about power and this recording is so thin and brittle it makes me scared that I might break it. The drums are a cardboard box and the guitars are a good example to use on someone for a sound not to have.
 
NobleSavage said:
To me, as soon as I saw this thread title, I thought of Metallica's ...And Justice For All....

...And Justice For All sounded like crap from day one and still does today. Metal should be all about power and this recording is so thin and brittle it makes me scared that I might break it. The drums are a cardboard box and the guitars are a good example to use on someone for a sound not to have.
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No doubt. Regardless of songwriting, I can't get past that album's crappy sound.
 
Re: Re: how about 'OVERCOMPRESSION' Crimes?

chessrock said:

Probably two of the most disasterously-produced albums I've heard take me way, way back to my youth (and my heavy metal days) . . . when I barely knew what production meant. And they both came out around the same time, come to think of it. :D

. . . "Bark at the Moon," by Ozzy Osbourne, and "Born Again," by Black Sabbath.
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In line with what sjoko and BrettB said, the abrasiveness of "Born Again" is either hated or loved. I love it because it just sounds so nasty. It's another perspective on metal as a genre that no one but grossly evil people are really supposed to love.. It's like a turd that felt great going out, and no matter how much you try, you can't flush it. It's sounds like the word "trash", and the cover art alone can be an indicator of whether you'll like the album or not.

However, that mix sound doesn't work with everyone. I love the stuff from the NWOBHM era, but no matter how good the songwriting was of Savage, the ebony mix of "Let it Loose" is horrid on anything but headphones. I tried to eq it in line with all the tapes I make for the car, but it's just impossible to get to the meat of the cd..

I really hate how Randy was recorded on "Blizzard of Oz", and only minor improvements were made on "Diary of a Madman". I realize it again has to do with the mixing trends at the time. But hell, the lead guitar is either way too far out in front, or it's honking like an obnoxious duck.

I suspect the guy who mixed AIC's "Jar of Flies" had never heard Led Zeppelin III or had any clue how to handle making a soft rock album from a loud, heavy group. The guy was gun shy about loud instruments, keeping the drums far too back, and the guitars too homey and mellow.

I once read an article in Guitar FPM about "And Justice" that said the problem with that mix was the complete lack of kick. Dumbass should stick to articles about whammy bars. "And Justice" has assloads of kick. It's everything else that sucks. Too dry, stinky bass sound, with the latter half of the album an assortment of badly written (or overwritten) songs that are quickly forgotten because no one can sit through an entire album of that sound. I'm sure to get flack for this, because that's the same mix style used by Pantera and Down who have sold tons of albums.

Cy
 
cloudchamber said:
Its ironic that the majority of the poorly mixed songs mentioned in this thread made LOADS of money. Makes me want to learn how to suck.
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:D I've sucked since the late '60's
 
I have found that Led Zep's II, III, & IV on CD sound as good with the
vacuum on as they do with it off.

Perhaps on vinyl the quality is better.

Sean

PS

This is the best post ever !!!!
 
R. Kelly & Jay-Z's "Best Of Both Worlds". There's an annoying hum all the way through that song, actually it doesn't sound like it was mixed at all.
 
The original Zeppelin cd releases were messed up. Page had them remastered and later reissued. Which version do you have?

Cy
 
The Betty Serveert CD "Lamprey" has several excellent songs, but the mixes SUCK!

It's easily their best CD, but the poor mixing job probably kept them from getting airplay.
 
Buck62 said:
The Betty Serveert CD "Lamprey" has several excellent songs, but the mixes SUCK!

It's easily their best CD, but the poor mixing job probably kept them from getting airplay.
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Buck, you know Betty Serveert???? Wow, I thought nobody outside Belgium knew the band.

btw Buck, terrible I couldn't make it to Chicago this year, but Expect me one of the following years if the offer still counts ;)
 
Anyone who has heard Kiss, Creatures of the night knows it is one of the worst sounding tapes ever produced. The thing is if I remember right, the vinal version sounded way better so I think they may have had a shity remaster done.

Any way it sucks. sounds like you have cotton balls in your ears.


Later

F.S.
 
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