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Table of
Contents
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Toad the Wet
Sprocket - Coil
**
Dixie Chicks - Wide Open Spaces
**
Nickelback -
Silver Side Up
*
Alison Krauss + Union Station - New Favorite
**
Fuel -
Something Like Human
**
Eden's Crush
- Popstars
**
Ritter/Petito
- In The Silence
*
*
Sarah
Brightman - La Luna
**
Deep Forest - Deep Forest
**
weezer - (the green album)
*
Beck - Sea
Changes**
blink-182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
*
Shawn Colvin - a few small repairs
**
Sarah
McLachlan -- Surfacing
*
Dido - No
Angel
*
Vertical
Horizon- Everything You Want
*
blink-182 -
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
*
Bruce Hornsby - Songs From The Southside
*
Peter Cetera - One Clear Voice
*
Linkin Park
- Hybrid Theory
*
Sting -
Brand New
Day
Celine Dion
- Let's Talk About Love
Nine Days - the madding crowd
Edwin McCain
- Messenger
Depeche Mode - Ultra
The Goo Goo Dolls - dizzy up the girl
Corrs- In Blue
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Eve6 -
horrorscope
Metallica - S&M
Journey - Trial By Fire
Third Eye Blind - Blue
garbage - G
Joe Bonamassa - so, it's like that
*
Seal
*
Dr. Dre - 2001
**
Vanessa Williams - The Comfort Zone
**
Snoopdogg - tha Last Meal
**
Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee
*
No Doubt - return of saturn
Creed - Weathered
Journey - Trial By Fire
Juice Newton - The Trouble with Angels
Shania Twain - Come On Over
Madonna - ray of light
Mariah Carey - Rainbow
Tevin Campbell - T
The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
Stone Temple Pilots - 12 Gracious Melodies
Donna Lewis - Now In The Middle
Amy Grant - Behind The Eyes
Bryan Adams - So Far So Good
Hootie & The Blowfish - Cracked Rear View
Don Dokken - Up From The Ashes
David Foster - Symphony Sessions
*
Kenny G -
Faith
*
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I always recommend
listening to commercial CDs at every stage of a
recording. CDs allow us to hear the end result of
the biggies who are making musical history and to
learn from their success. NOTE: These CDs
all sound very different - and the more your system
reveals those differences, the more accurate it
is.
Depending on how many years you've had behind a
console, I recommend spending lots of time
referencing your mixes to some of these masters.
It's not the most important thing to duplicate the
volume on these CDs - let the masteirng engineer do
that. Instead, use the DMC-8 or the COMMANDER's A-B
functions to equal out the volume of your mixes so
you are only listening to the sonic textures -
otherwise volume wins every time. Level-match and
listen to the blend, the balance, the spread of the
sound stage, the smoothness, the punch, the vocal
placement, the vibe... and most importantly....
enjoy the process. More A-B tips here.
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Toad the Wet Sprocket -
Coil - 5-Star
Reference
CD*
Even as the level wars have gotten even
hotter, this CD is still my favorite reference.
It's well engineered, nice smooth and punchy mix,
and superbly mastered by
Stephen Marcussen. The
level on the meters is excellent, and the apparent
level is excellent (it even sounds louder than it
looks on the VU meters). This is great processing
and frequency selection. The bottom is big, the top
is clear and smooth, and the limiting/compression
strategically keeps this musical. A pleasant,
exciting album to listen to, and no wonder it's at
the top of my list.
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Dixie Chicks - Wide Open
Spaces - 5-Star
Reference
CD*
One of my all-time favorites - staying at
the top year after year. Analog-sounding, smooth,
punchy, not too hot, a great reference CD (even
better than subsequent Dixie CDs). The production
is excellent - open, silky highs and a clean bottom
end. Plenty of excellently recorded instruments to
hear on this CD.
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Nickelback - Silver Side
Up
*
An excellent reference - I listen to it
often for clear, lasting "radio" up-front vocals
and aggressive tracks. The high end is a hair more
generous than some CDs, and the lows go very low,
but it really works. For a nice top-end contrast,
compare this with Linkin Park or Seal (see below)
and you'll hear that different sounding CDs still
sell records whether they're brighter, fatter, etc.
The songs, the singer and the performances are the
most important thing...
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Alison Krauss + Union
Station - New Favorite -
5-Star Reference
CD*
Amazing amazing amazing. Excellent dynamics,
clear transparent engineering, astounding musical
performances and arrangements.... a work of art and
it is truly... my new favorite. More clarity than
the Dixie Chicks (which has a superbly even top
end) and more hear-the-vocal-anywhwere
articulation. A must-hear.
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Fuel - Something Like
Human - 5-Star
Reference
CD*
Mastered by Tom
Baker at Precision Mastering, this has a
massive rock sound with a dose of
limiting/compression for cookin' levels. A nice
reference for a big kic drum sound, huge guitars
and well placed vocals, but you may not want to
process your project to match this hot level.
You're better off with the natural dynamics of your
music in place when you mix except that you
may want to exaggerate the kic so that it still
punches post-mastering. (POD's "Satellite" CD is
another good reference.)
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Eden's Crush - Popstars -
5-Star Reference
CD*
R&B fans unite! A rich production,
topped off by genius, David Foster.... you can't go
too wrong... great apparent level, smooth top end,
but still bright, even if there is more Pro Tools
sound to this than some other Foster albums.
Mastering by... er,... not sure, but it sounds
excellent for entertaining vocals, big bass and
sparkly (but meaty) production.
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Ritter/Petito - In The
Silence - 5-Star
Reference
CD*
I cannot stop listening to this incredibly
recorded album. It has peaceful, lasting, amazing
songs, melodies, and top-of-the-line musicianship.
A full sound wrapped up by
Toby Mountain at the
mastering helm, with some extra bottom, but still
terrific. As an excellent reference CD, you'll hear
a variety of acoustic instruments, beautiful vocals
(betters many a Grammy winner, in my opinion) and
classic verbs. Certainly not the typical (but
stellar) Enya sound, this album is uplifting and
can make you believe that there is still musicians
who express and truly feel peace. If you love Enya
for that spiritual, relaxing experience, you'll
love this for a little more pop-song experience.
Click on the image to go to the site of the record
company that sells it!
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Sarah Brightman - La Luna
- 5-Star Reference
CD*
What a voice. What a production. Non other
than Bob Ludwig
rounding out powerhouse talent and production, and
an emotional journey in music. Taking the power of
contemporary production and putting next to a
classical symphony... and making it all work is
truly the art of mastering at its finest. With some
exciting sizzle on top, this is a must-compare if
you are engineering/producing a female artist.
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Deep Forest - Deep Forest
- 5-Star Reference
CD*
This is my favorite album along with Sara
Brightman. World music, incredible
engineering, 3-D and all that stuff. Silky
mastering by Vlado
Meller at Sony New York. Nice level. Not as
hot as the newer Deep Forest CDs... but if it was
up to me, I'd make the new Deep Forest CDs more
like this one by Vlado. Inspiring, spiritual,
emotional, I can't say enough about this
production. Aw... yes I can.... The panning coming
out of the walls sends shivers up my spine. Reverb
artistry is unmatched - congratulations on this
timeless piece of art.
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weezer -(green album) -
5-Star Reference
CD*
Vlado Meller
kicks buns here and makes a hot (but not too
smushed) clear and smooth CD, superbly mixed by Tom
Lord-Alge. Lots of big sound here, but of course
the hot level means there's much that is
even sounding - like the kic is big but it
doesn't hit you in the chest like Beck (above) -
but that's only natural since there is a lot of
music filling up the spaces...
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Beck - Sea Changes -
5-Star Reference
CD*
An amazing recording. Great production,
incredible vocals, awesome kick drums (best
mid-bottom around) and mastered by the best of the
best, Bob Ludwig. This has excellent dynamics,
excellent apparent level (top of the line recording
experts on this one) and it's a great reference for
many mixing and mastering concepts.
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blink-182 - Take Off Your
Pants and Jacket
Mastered by Brian
Gardner with Tom Lord-Alge doing his usual
brilliant work on this production. If children are
around, the Parental Advisory sticker is
good to pay attention to... but as far as sound,
it's a great reference for a very clear, clean mix.
I don't know if I would attempt these levels at
home! This one is a great example of how the actual
arrangements of the songs help the end product
achieve that top-of-the-sqare wave volume level.
This would get a 5-Star reference from me if it
wasn't so friggin' loud!
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Shawn Colvin - a few small
repairs - 5-Star
Reference
CD*
Mastered by Bob
Ludwig with Bob Clearmountain at the mixing
console. Musical, even, great levels, non-hyped top
end, vocals just right, full but clean mid-bottom,
it's a great reference. Sarah (next) has more
hyped-highs and will make your speakers glisten,
whereas this one will add some velvet to your
room.
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Sarah McLachlan --
Surfacing- 5-Star
Reference
CD*
What a pleasure to listen to! Smooth, round,
even, emotional, clear.... draws you in... The, ah,
writing is so small on the CD I couldn't, well
didn't, get out my magnifying glass to see who
mastered this, but it's very very nicely done. The
production is rich with great arrangements and
originality, not to mention great vocals. The
levels work for me and the tonal balance and
musicality will last for years. The City of
Angel's CD is a great reference too.
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Dido - No Angel -
5-Star Reference
CD*
A big sound with Tom
Coyne at Sterling Sound mastering. Vocals
and drum loops are big and musical, and the levels
are hot but not squashed. Some songs have a
different flavor on the top, but keep listening -
it's a truly great (and lasting) addition to any
mix reference collection.
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Vertical Horizon-
Everything You Want -
5-Star Reference
CD*
Ted Jensen
works his usual silky-smooth magic, with a little
extra wide-body low end here. Check back and forth
with "Coil" (above) and Nickelback and you'll hear
the difference in these well presented productions.
Ted's work is super-smooth with very even mids, yet
still sounding clear.
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Bruce Hornsby - Songs From
The Southside -
5-Star Reference
CD*
Another one of my all time favorites, this
piece is well engineered, with a good punchy bottom
and very clear mids and highs. Vocal very
intelligible, piano clear and present, nice clean
kic drum, good placement of the guitars. Mid-bottom
and bottom is not as full as more modern records,
but Bruce shops at Clean-Records-R-Us.
Terrific mastering by Bob
Ludwig, this one will stand the test of time
even if the bottom isn't as robust as today's
records. Bruce's sibilance edges out just a bit for
me, but anyone on the production end could have
made the call to de-ess or not to de-ess. This
older CD level is a good 4 - 6 dB shy of today's
artists, but the definition of the sound is
excellent. This used to be my favorite reference
CD! If you crank this one up to the same volume as
today's CDs, it will out-punch 'em in a heartbeat.
The midrange in this record really comes out if you
hear it in a grocery store, hence the fuller
mid-bottom of today would have warmed it up a bit
.
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Peter Cetera - One Clear
Voice - 5-Star
Reference
CD*
Well done, nice level, smooth top, and
always a pleasure to listen to in the smooth pop
vocal catagory. This one keeps holding up over the
years, despite the CD level war - in fact, the
lower level contributes to it's lasting appeal.
Ted Jensen's
compression is invisible, and over all, the
frequencies are nice and even - even if a hair
conservative. Bernie's stuff is a little crisper,
and perhaps more apparent in the mids, but then
much of that lies in the hands of the tracking and
mixing engineers.
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Linkin Park - Hybrid
Theory
Brian Gardner
gets this one loud as usual, but the amazing broad
spectrum of very evenly and effectively
placed frequencies makes this a great reference.
Big lows that won't blow up your boom box... highs
that are smooth and won't make your ears bleed...
hey it's a good thing given the aggressive feel of
this CD. It's a good reference to the blink 182
because the top is less bright but the fullness in
the low-middle is a great tone to consider.
Ok, now I'm going to throw in a personal comment -
and trust me, it's not a criticism, it's an
observation. I admire Brian's work for sure - but
the unrelenting level thing wears you out after a
while. The newer Linkin CD won't make my fav list
because of that. Forget that my age is over 20.....
even my teenage son (who enjoys this band) can't
listen to relentless blistering non-stop chain saw
guitars and drum loops that never breathe. Who's
idea was it anyway that you had to be louder
than the other band?
Yes, you want your album to sound hot, but could
you be losing record sales by hammering people to
the point where they turn to another CD after a few
brain-blowing songs? How many ways do the record
companies subtly turn off potential customers with
square wave mania? I don't have a complete answer
to that one, but I have pondered it.... I guess we
should just enjoy what we enjoy and somebody out
there will figure out how to get the music business
on the upswing somehow... Maybe fewer swear words
will get some groups more airplay and thus
more exposure to the public (not to mention
pre-teen kids will have a bigger selection that
language-conscious parents out there will
allow them to buy)! Ok, I'll get off my soap box
now!
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Sting - Brand New Day
Mastered at Abby Road Studios, this one's
hotter and crisper than some previous Sting
offerings. Take 5 different Sting cds, listen to
them all, and you'll hear some variety that has
never stood in the way of his ability to make hits.
The bottom isn't as big on this one as some
American alternative stuff, but that might fare
better on some people's home/car systems that have
the Big 'ol Bass button pushed in... I'd also
de-ess this one a tad more, but it's still
inspiring to listen to.
Yours truly mastered Sting's
Live Concert Series show on the Warner Brother's
web site (a while back)- and yep, I was on that
de-esser a lot. What a pleasure to work on the
music of one of the true genius' of our
time.
Celine Dion -
Let's Talk About Love
For a beautifully smooth reference disc, this one
keeps holding up. Stephen Marsh (chief engineer at
Sony LA) told me that Vlado
Meller put the mastering magic on this one.
Vlado's work always is pure silk on the top. With
mixing genius, Humberto Gatica and the
creme-de-la-creme of talent from all over the
world, how can you miss? (For grins, listen to
Humberto's classic mixes of Chicago and numerous
other platinum artists... you'll hear a more crisp
and immediate sound as was found in those days).
The goal of this production was to retain dynamics
and have a warm, ultra silky-smooth sound. As a mix
reference, this is opposite of Mariah's album
[see below], which just goes to show...
there are no rules. Hits are more about songs and
singers than they are about frequency tone
spectrums.
Nine Days - the madding
crowd
Once again up at the top is
Stephen Marcussen and
this one's important because it's brighter than
Toad the Wet Sprocket and has a mid range that
stands out in a good way. It's hot but not too hot
- full but not bloated - hey it's really well done.
The combo of this and Toad is an excellent
reference for clarity, articulation, fullness,
punch and delivery. Great teamwork on this
record.
Edwin McCain - Messenger
Bob Clearmountain does a top-of-the-line mix
job here, making it easy for
Stephen Marcussen to
master this puppy ultra-loud and ultra
clear. Do not try to get this volume level at home!
This is an example of incredible work at every
stage of the process which is the secret to how
that volume is achieved. No wonder Clearmountain
gets three-grand a day for his work. Well ok, maybe
he doesn't get three grand, but trust me he's well
paid! Match the volume of this album with your mix
and then listen-compare-adjust. Match levels,
listen-compare-adjust. A superb reference CD.
Depeche Mode - Ultra
For years this was the winner of the rad
rock CD Level Contest - this thing was huge in it's
day, and it still hold up to all the new CDs. Mids
and highs have a bit of edge, but it's smooth and
the bottom is huge on this puppy. Mastered by
Mike Marsh at The
Exchange (in England, I think). Good job, Mike.
The Goo Goo Dolls - dizzy up
the girl
Great mastering by Bob
Ludwig - put right where the level should be
if you want a CD to be more timeless and lasting.
Yes, other CDs are louder, but the sonic content of
this album shows Bob's expertise. He keeps things
sounding big, but not over the top with the
limiting and compression. Crisp highs and even
mid-bottom sound excellent here, although some boom
boxes with super-duper hype-a-mundo tweeters may
make this one spit a little. But then chances are
that the buyer heard some of that hype in the first
place when they bought the unit... and liked it.
(Bob Ludwig and I both have classical music
backgrounds - he plays trumpet, I play violin.)
Corrs- In Blue
Bob Ludwig
masters a smooth, lasting sound into this CD that
seems to have a variety of mixdown source formats,
from what I can tell. Bob's not out to win the
level wars here, just make it sound excellent.
There is some sonic variety here and it should be a
lasting favorite for many years.
Eve6 - horrorscope
One of my heroes, Ted
Jensen (who also has a classical background)
did a terrific job of putting the
pedal-to-the-metal on this one. Yikes this thing is
hot! It's got a huge bottom end (beware
mega-death-bass-boom-boxers) and great mid-to-top
sonics. How can you go wrong when Tom Lord-Alge
mixes for you, though? I don't think this was a
difficult one for Ted to master. Usually, the best
mixers know how to get it right up front.... an
excellent record to hear a great way to mix
cymbals.
Ahem. However, it wouldn't be my choice to master
it this loud, as you can really hear the
compression in places. Now then, that's not a bad
thing. That's just part of the new trend... it's ok
that we're hearing the compression. We can't help
it. CDs can only be so loud at the peaks, which
cannot exceed a certain level. That means we have
to bring up the RMS (overall) level while leaving
the peaks where they are. Presto! You are now
experiencing extra compression, but in this case,
it's well done, and I dig Ted's work.
Metallica - S&M
Being both a violinist and a lead guitar
player, I LOVE this CD. Once again mastered by
George Marino, it's
one of the best around. Once again, however, I'd
bet a buck that either Metallica or the record
company wanted this one hotter than George would
have suggested, but hey, they're out to sell
records, not cater to Audiophiles. Mixing this one,
I guarantee, was a big job. There is so much
complexity in making everything audible in a
situation where so many instruments are all
together... wow. Hats off to the production team
and the band for making history here.
Journey - Trial By Fire
Mastered by George
Marino at Sterling Sound, this CD sounds
great. It's big, it's clear, it's smooth, it's
musical. I'd bet a buck, however, that if George
had his way, he'd master it slightly softer to give
more dynamic range to this one. It would be a bit
more open and the compression would be even more
invisible.
Third Eye Blind - Blue
Brian Gardner,
at Bernie Grundman Mastering, does his magic on
this CD. The level's quite hot, but not over the
top. There's plenty of clarity in the mids and
highs, and the bottom is big but focused. This is a
good reference if you like a sound with a high edge
and up-to-date levels.
garbage - G
Creative, well done production. We've got
great electronics and great ears with
Howie Weinberg at
Masterdisk putting on the finishing touches.
Joe Bonamassa - so, it's like
that
Not only is mastering engineer,
Emily Lazar, a major
babe (with all due respect to whoever her
significant other may be) - she also puts the
golden touch to this excellent album. Very clear,
well recorded, even bottom end, smooth but present
mids, sparkle on top... hey it's an excellent
reference for guitars of all kinds and vocal
clarity. The overall level is contemporary-hot but
the dynamics speak with complete musicality.
Seal -
5-Star Reference
CD
A timeless, lasting CD made in 1994 that holds up
great today. Great dynamics and smooth, but present
sound, Trevor Horn could have gone anywhere in the
world for mastering, and
Stephen Marcussen got
the gig. It has a superb, "woody" sound that
initially could be viewed as a little dull, but it
really isn't.... this record sounds great anywhere.
It's a sound to study and appreciate if you want to
know a full range of sonic options.
Dr. Dre - 2001 -
5-Star Reference
CD*
This has got to be one of the hottest CDs
I've ever seen! This thing is slammin. I mean it's
pegging the red all day. It's not just because
Brian Gardner did such a great job. It's the
production, the arrangements, the engineering
and the mastering. The openness and space of
the arrangements just makes every beat smack you in
the cans. Also, the careful sculpting of the
frequency spectrum by Brian takes full advantage of
the Fletcher-Munson Equal Loudness Contours.
Brian knew that this audience would be playing it
on systems with a lot of bottom end, therefore, the
CD itself isn't overdone down there. A key strategy
in Hip-Hop mastering. I would have to bet that this
puppy has some pretty flat square waves in the tops
of the waveform envelopes. So what. It sells big,
and it still sounds good (except I could really
do without the gun shots - I'm a total peace-nic
and killing each other just makes no sense to me at
all). Whether this kind of level helps the
music industry as a whole.... well that's another
discussion. It's a hit record and it's a good
reference for this kind of material.
Vanessa Williams - The
Comfort Zone -
5-Star Reference
CD*
This record sounds really good
(there, I showed my age by using the term record).
The bottom end is punchy, mastering compression is
more invisible than Songs From The Southside. The
compression within the mixes is very good. The
width is very good, nice even highs have sparkle,
but nothing is harsh. Herbie
Powers did fine mastering here. I would have
left more time spread before "Save The Best For
Last", to give a little more feeling of reverence
leading into this classic ballad. This song sounds
so good on radio, and has beef in all the right
places. Excellent work by all involved in this
exciting, timeless production.
Snoopdogg - tha Last Meal -
5-Star Reference
CD*
Once again a super-superb hot CD mastered by
the Hip-Hop-Meister, Brian
Gardner. This puppy is as loud as the Dr.
Dre thing, but actually, it's an ever better
recording. This CD is smoother, wetter sounding,
and a more musical sonic follow-up to the Doc.
Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee -
5-Star Reference
CD
Steve Hall, another hero of mine did a
superb job mastering. Extremely clean highs, nice
and open sound. Pre-Manley tube compressor era, I'd
say. This has more of the "discrete" sound to it,
like Bernie Grundman's stuff (and mine) does. This
album's first cut, "Last Plane Out" is stellar, but
the rest of the songs aren't nearly as sparkly. Did
the producers want to keep this contrast? For me,
the second cut, "Turn It On Salvador" is just a
squeeze dull compared with the sheen and pizzazz of
the first cut. Here, then is a musical dilemma.
Keep the original vibe, or tweak the rest of the
album a bit more to get up to the level of one lone
song. Remember rule #1 (found
on my Secrets of Mixing page).
No Doubt - return of
saturn
I can just see it....
Bob Ludwig gets the
word... "make it as hot as you possibly can...."
Bob finally gives in and thinks to himself..."ok -
you want it hot? I'll give it to ya hot!" Bob
pushes the Kill button on his Weiss digital
compressor (I'd speculate) and turns the L2 to
"11", and presto! the compression is very very
invisible, and the level reaches quare wave heaven.
Peg those meters, baby! Nice 3-D stuff in the
mixing, and it makes interesting "Missing
Persons-meets-alternative" music. Just don't play
an older record (like some tame Led Zeppelin)
before you play this piece. Unless you're right
next to the volume control, you'll find your
speaker cones stuck to the opposite wall when this
one comes on.
Bob also mastered
Creed's "Weathered"
album super-hot-a-mundo...... I communicated
with Bob, and I asked him if the level was his idea
or someone else's request. He said
[paraphrased], "I sent two versions to the
record company, one less hot than the other. They
picked the hot version (not my preference)." Again,
do not try to get this volume at home out of your
DAW. You will flatten the heck out of the dynamics,
lose punch, and box the mastering engineer into a
corner so that any over-processing can't then be
undone. Great sound, Bob. This is a great record to
listen to guitar, drum and vocal
tones.
Juice Newton - The
Trouble with Angels
Glen Meadows
does a fine job of bringing a refined smoothness
and high-end sizzle to this cd. I would have
preferred more consistent levels from song to song,
but the producer of this CD might have asked Glen
to let more variation come through. There is some
tightly packed limiting and compression that's
apparent here, but again, I don't know how much
processing occurred at mixdown. Check my notes on
compression.
*Yours truly
mastered the Oct. '99 Juice
Newton
album, "American Girl". Check out producer,
Otha
Young's
comments.
Glen also did Shania
Twain's "Come On Over" hit CD - there's a
natural-dynamic variety within the songs. Clear and
bright with a tight but conservative low end, you
can't knock this blockbuster hit. When you compare
this more naturally breathing album with the "in
you face every second" sound of some other cds, one
wonders... years from now... what will we prefer
more?
Shania's new record "Up" is nicely mastered by
Stephen Marcussen - full bodied and even levels
from song to song.... but Shania's voice has a
sound on it that's different from "Come On Over" -
you decide which you prefer...
Madonna - ray of
light
Ted Jensen's up to his
usual great work. Excellent levels, dynamics,
warmth, smoothness, mood, musicality, you name
it.
Mariah Carey -
Rainbow
Bob Ludwig and Herb
Powers at the mastering helm(s) let the dynamics
breathe more musically than some pedal-to-the-metal
CDs. If the music industry ever decides to set a
standard for CD levels, these gentlemen should be a
couple of the chief people we listen to. I do have
to mention here that Bob and Herb have a distinctly
different sound. Herb starts off the record with
Mariah's voice being full of airy-crispy-sizzly
hype top-end (compared to Bob's more elegant,
buttery sound). As a mix reference, you may want to
carefully study the liner notes to see who's sound
you prefer....
Tevin Campbell - T
A nice variety of producers bring out
Tevin's best on this album. Prince (or whatever his
name is), Quincy, Michael Omartian, Narada Michael
Walden, Arthur Baker, Al B. Sure... I mean this is
a compilation album of producers of the world! And
of course, my hero, Bernie
Grundman at the mastering helm. Nice level,
but not as loud as newer records, but it's still
big! Bernie gets the hi-mid-low perspective as
close to perfect as I've heard. 'Course, there is
incredible talent every step of the way on this
record, so, who knows, maybe he cut everything
flat!
I spoke with Bernie about
Michael Jackson's
"Invincible" album.... the level is
chip-frying hot and
Bernie basically took no credit for the extreme
level - he gave all hat's-off to Bruce Swedien's
engineering. I believe him. The arrangement and mix
has as much if not more to do with getting a hot CD
- although some newer CDs are NOT set at
blister.... that's good news for music.
The Eagles - Hell Freezes
Over
Smooth, warm, full sound mastered by
Ted Jensen at
Sterling. Nice level... and kinda mellow, but a
great study for the natural sounds of incredible
musicians.
Stone Temple Pilots - 12
Gracious Melodies
This one used to be my winner for being
loud,
but it's a good 2 - 5 dB softer than stuff that's
out there now. Bob
Ludwig at the mastering helm. This CD is
extra smooth on the warmies, but if you listen to
the voice, you'll hear an appropriate amount of
highs. This means that the guitars and drums were
somewhat dull in the mix. Ok, it's that early
alternative sound. I would have added slightly more
highs, some mids to make the guitars grind and the
snare snap more, and then de-essed it so that the
vocal didn't bite on the ss's. I think it would
have retained the alternative vibe, and been more
immediate sounding. Keep in mind, however, anyone
(the band, the label, the lawyers) could have
influenced the sonics on this record.
Donna Lewis - Now In The
Middle
I think the producer of this record wants
that warm analog sound, and it's there, but it
could be more transparent and immediate sounding.
It's got that big level, and that smooth
Bob Ludwig (sigh)
sound, but there's some audible compression here
(and many places along the engineering path where
it can show up). I think there's something to be
said for a little less sound saturation when you're
not trying to do blood-and-guts punk alternative
metal music. If it's metal, then hey, make it hurt
(just kidding)!
Amy Grant - Behind The
Eyes
The previous winner of the CD Level Contest
for the middle-of-the-road music category.
Mastering by Bob
Ludwig is smooth and loud (louder than some
CDs by rocker Bryan Adams). I wonder if Amy's
producer wanted it this loud, or if it was Bob's
idea? I mean, it's Amy Grant, not Courtney Love!
(Yours truly mastered
Courtney Love and Hole on Sympathy For The Record
Industry label.) Either way you look at it,
Bob always gives a nice hi-mid-lo balance to
everything, letting a little extra high-end hype
come out on Amy's wonderful voice.
Bryan Adams - So Far So
Good
Classic rock tunes compiled and mastered by
Bob Ludwig. This puppy
is rock, it's got a sane amount of level,
it's clean and not harsh, got a smooth mid-bottom,
and Bob's limiting/compression is probably as
invisible as it gets at this level. 'Course Bob
Clearmountain's engineering expertise makes any
project easy to master. More clarity than some of
today's alternative records that emphasise more
warmth.
Hootie & The Blowfish -
Cracked Rear View
I would guess that a Manley tube compressor
is in the chain somewhere here, but it's a guess
folks. Nice level - it's a loud CD, but I can hear
that limiting/compression! Ok, it's a sound. It's a
hit. So what if you hear the compression. Good
point. Remember Rule #1.
There are no rules.
This tonal treatment makes for hot cassettes
because the levels are so contained. Less tape hiss
that way, too. Mastered by
Eddie Shreyer at
Future Disc, one of my fave mastering houses. Make
sure you've got a record company paying the bill
for ya, though.
Don Dokken - Up From The
Ashes
1990 was a while back, and I remember using this CD
as a reference for my own mixing. It's got the
ultimate '80's clarity - blazing guitars and hyper
eq'd drums (samples, maybe) designed to rip your
ears off. Terrific as a crystal-clear bright sound,
but not the way to go for that big warm robust
sound of today. Mastered by
George Marino, it has
all the edge we were shooting for in those days,
but not the bottom you would get from George now.
Times have changed, especially when you hear how
low the level is on this CD (assuming it hasn't
been remastering for current copies). I've included
this one as an example of the contrast that's
possible in making a top-of-the-line product.
David Foster - Symphony
Sessions - 5-Star
Reference CD
The esteemed Wally
Traugott at Capitol Records mastered this
well balanced, lasting recording. Forget the level
contest, this is about sonics for piano, pop
instruments, orchestral stuff and more. Lots to
enjoy from the genius of David Foster, one of my
all time heroes.
Kenny G - Faith -
5-Star Reference
CD
Talent all over the place, including genius
Humberto Gatica doing his tracking and mixing magic
on this holiday album. Mastered by
Vlado Meller at Sony
Music Studios in NYC, it's a masterpiece. The level
is perfect, the dynamics right on, and tonal
balance is clean, big and natural. Spatiality,
musicality, it's just the top of the line.
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