worst mixing on a CD? (1 Viewer)

[Ryan L. Bisasky]

this is basically when you can't stand the way the cd was mixed for what ever reason (too much bass, overtly compressed, ect)

my take would be Damien Rice's "O", mainly because the bass is mixed WAY to loud, and has a compressed sound as well. listen to "blowers daughter" from about 2:10 to about 2:39, the vocals kind of have a muffled sound because of the extreme bass use. if a dueldisc version of this album comes out, i'd be all over it.

i also think there is a lack of a full bass on all pre black album metallica albums. sure the bass drum is fine, but the bass is mixed too low, hell, the only time you can really hear the bass at all is when Cliff solos (and untill i saw "live shit binge and purge" on dvd, i always thought the bass solo on "for whom the bell tolls" was a guitar solo. so if they can some how remix the early metallica albums, that would be great. Even st. anger lacks a deep bass (but thats probably because Bob Rock played bass on the album and they wanted a not so polished sound.)

 

[Tim Hoover]

Why would a DualDisc version of that album be any improvement? Knowing the track record of the main DD players, it'd most likely contain the exact same audio content as the CD...

 

[Ryan L. Bisasky]

doesn't duel disc or sacd clean up the sound quality?

 

[Phil A]

The bass on the Damien Rice disc is fine. You might want to check your settings. For music, if you don't have an RTA, I'd recommend a test disc or test tones along with a SPL meter at the listening position. For a test disc I'd recommend http://www.delosmus.com/cgi/cart/ite...77451112825724

It has test tones that count down from around 162 HZ from memory. For basic test tones you can download you can try here: http://mdf1.tripod.com/test-tones.html

A system can be set-up properly for home theater and not optimized for music.

 

[Ryan L. Bisasky]

its mostly like this in my car. i just think the bass was recorded too loud for the type of music.

 

[NickSo]

Only of it uses a different, better master than the CD...

if its from the same one, its not going to make much of a difference

 

[Phil A]

You can do the same thing in the car as you would do in the home with a test disc and an SPL meter. There's nothing absolutely wrong with the recording, it's very good quality and I just re-listened to it on the bedroom system. The bass is not overpowering at all. You obviously have a problem with the system or set-up (I have an RTA and SPL meter to set-up systems and I've done my own and others).

 

[Tim Hoover]

Well, technically they CAN, but only if the master recording is better, or if the entire shebang is remixed and remastered. Regular redbook CD can also offer a good sonic improvement providing the original elements are in good shape and care is used during the production process. The MoFi redbook releases are good examples of that.

 

[Sheldon C]

I actually think that the classic Metallica albums sound great. Sure the bass is a little lacking but the way those guitars sound... wow. They have the best thrashy/crunchy sound I have ever heard.

I even love how And Justice For All sounds. Sure they turned off the bass guitar, but that just lets the crunch of the guitars come through even more. Lars kick drum packs quite a punch as well.

I can't stand how Iron Maiden's new album Dance of Death sounds. It sounds like I put a blanket over the speakers it's so muffled. It's pretty disappointing because the album before that was the best produced album they ever did.

 

[Jason Hughes]

Rush - Vapor Trails. Ugh.

 

[Ryan L. Bisasky]

is it possible that i have the bass in my car all together too loud? I am a fan of the loud distorted bass (im the prick who you don't want to sit next to at a red light), so could that be a reason? all of the cd's and xm works and sounds fine in my car.

 

[Brian Perry]

I second the motion...

 

[Phil A]

Ryan, I was at a high end stereo store a few weeks back and they had a $53k 2-channel system playing. I went with a friend and listened to a couple of things and then listened to a cut from a CD I was familiar with (as was my friend) and told the owner there was a problem with the set-up on the sub. I used to have a car system like that and told my old neighbors not to blame any of the kids in the neighborhood. The cut on Damien Rice's CD does not have any excessive bass. The only way to tell for sure is to have a disc with test tones. The download on my earlier post is free. Sometimes a recording may emphasize a certain frequency that just makes the problem on a system come to light. Everyone has different tastes. If you like the system the way it is, leave it. Take the Daminen Rice CD to a high end stereo shop and listen to it.

 

[Joe D]

Megadeth - Killing Is My Business, and Business Is Good.