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What is the best sounding CD available (any genre) in terms of recording and mastering job out there? I know opinions will differ, but I an wanting to buy a CD to use as a learning too (listening and learning about what I should go for in terms of sound).

Comments

Michael Fossenkemper Wed, 03/23/2011 - 06:55

The Dangerous album was the first one I remember seeing that really embraced all the new digital technologies of the time. It did bounce around a little in analog from what I remember but pretty much everything was samples. I agree with audiokid that it was right in the birth area of the loudness wars. I do remember at that time that projects I was working on would each come back a little hotter then the last and not all were sounding good as a result.

Thomas W. Bethel Fri, 03/25/2011 - 07:24

Big K, post: 367168 wrote: Easy, Thomas..
I'd say, you listen to it and you say ..WOW!
A combination of excellent sound, mix, composition and performance...

Kinda like Paul Simon's Graceland???

or

Michael Jackson's Thriller

or

a 1000 other really good CDs or Vinyl Records...

There is IMHO no such thing as a ?BEST? Sounding CD EVER!!!! but that is only my opinion.

song4gabriel Fri, 03/25/2011 - 12:48

one of three things happen for me when i know im hearing something magnificant

1. I get chills
2. I say "daaaaaaamn" a lot
3. I am temporarily unable to engage my own music

This happened to me last week when i heard this:

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://soundclick.c…"]SoundClick artist: Bulb - Hello! I am Bulb! Enjoy the tunes![/]="http://soundclick.c…"]SoundClick artist: Bulb - Hello! I am Bulb! Enjoy the tunes![/]

i lost about 2 hours of recording time listening to this over and over

Herbeck Fri, 03/25/2011 - 15:07

song4gabriel, post: 367199 wrote: one of three things happen for me when i know im hearing something magnificant

1. I get chills
2. I say "daaaaaaamn" a lot
3. I am temporarily unable to engage my own music

This happened to me last week when i heard this:

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://soundclick.c…"]SoundClick artist: Bulb - Hello! I am Bulb! Enjoy the tunes![/]="http://soundclick.c…"]SoundClick artist: Bulb - Hello! I am Bulb! Enjoy the tunes![/]

i lost about 2 hours of recording time listening to this over and over

I found the drum sound really annoying, but it is probably OK for the genre.
We all have different taste and references, and that's cool.
So I have to agree with Thomas, it all depends.

Cheers,

Herbeck

Big K Fri, 03/25/2011 - 16:06

There may be millions..but only a few that really get to you personally.
Maybe I would not make an issue out of what are the best CDs and come back to " best sounding production ".
The air becomes thin when I only think of best sounding music production.
Amongst professional audio workers the properties for excellent sound are commonly well known and accepted.
That varies depending on the style, but still.. U all know what I mean...

BobRogers Fri, 03/25/2011 - 17:10

song4gabriel, post: 367199 wrote: one of three things happen for me when i know im hearing something magnificant
1. I get chills
2. I say "daaaaaaamn" a lot
3. I am temporarily unable to engage my own music
This happened to me last week when i heard this:
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://soundclick.c…"]SoundClick artist: Bulb - Hello! I am Bulb! Enjoy the tunes![/]="http://soundclick.c…"]SoundClick artist: Bulb - Hello! I am Bulb! Enjoy the tunes![/]
i lost about 2 hours of recording time listening to this over and over

Not my thing so I didn't get chills, but I thought it was well done. If I had spent two hours listening to it my motivations would have been (a) wondering what it would be like when it grew up to be a "real" song (b) wondering how I could steal it and make a song out of it. I hope there aren't too many people who have reaction (b). I had better get to church on Sunday - Brother Curtis says I need some churchin' up.

SharkFM Wed, 04/13/2011 - 00:20

I'm listening to Joey's work Reckless and Relentless (Asking Alexandria). AA- these guys are going to be superstars, they are the new Beatles - if they can survive the ethanol and tobacco ingestion that is.

Relentless producer -> also does, Attack Attack [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.joeystur…"]Joey Sturgis Custom Drum Samples, Store[/]="http://www.joeystur…"]Joey Sturgis Custom Drum Samples, Store[/]

Reckless and Relentless just came out last week and besides sounding like a flipping major motion picture soundtrack masquerading as a metal-core album, the spatial processing is pretty cool. I have to say that it is wider and bigger and has more depth than most anything I've heard. Feels like there are sounds not only far off both sides but also two points behind you and in front. But some have complained about loss of vocals - all depends on the playback system how that is setup I guess.

We are finishing up an EP for my son's band and I went to Ultimate metal to search to see what I could find about this album. Didn't get that but found OZONE4. I plugged that in and boom I've got some kickass volume and width. Learned alot about width (mid/side) I can now do that manually if I want it's pretty cool.

DrGonz Wed, 05/18/2011 - 04:46

Gotta add some more to this... XTC - Oranges & Lemons was a great sounding CD. I first listened to it on a tape cassette. Also, U2 - Joshua Tree sounds amazing to me after all these years. I always really loved OMD - Dazzle Ships an album I remember first listening to when in Kindergarten and still have a soft spot in my heart even today when I hear it. Maybe it was cuz they used a SpeaknSpell on it...? Radiohead - Kid A Still scares me in a great way!! Janes Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual is a great sounding CD and even sounds good on my tape deck in my car. Of course there are millions more that I want to say but this is a small measure...

leopoldolopes Fri, 07/01/2011 - 03:29

I have to say that since I've heard this album back in '93 there was not another one that cold surpass in terms of recording, mixing and mastering art...

Robert Plat - "Fate Of Nations"

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://en.wikipedia…"]Fate of Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/]="http://en.wikipedia…"]Fate of Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/]

This one I usually use it to check out mixes and live venues... I know this album in its slightest details... This is really a piece of art...

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Space Mon, 10/17/2011 - 18:39

What does that mean? Not all of the SteelyDan albums could be considered steller (sonically speaking) recordings...Aja...sure. :)

Walter Becker and Donald Fagan produced some great music...but not every album hit that mark. I admit I am a fan, so all the way back to "i'm a fool to do your dirty work" when they were still searching for a voice, I liked what they did, musically :)

Red Mastering Thu, 10/20/2011 - 07:32

Space, post: 377332 wrote: What does that mean? Not all of the SteelyDan albums could be considered steller (sonically speaking) recordings...Aja...sure. :)

Walter Becker and Donald Fagan produced some great music...but not every album hit that mark. I admit I am a fan, so all the way back to "i'm a fool to do your dirty work" when they were still searching for a voice, I liked what they did, musically :)

de gustibus non disputandum est
as ancient romans used to say:)
I did try to 'get into it', but after 4 albums, I just gave up,
but, I am sure I listen to music, which someone else wouldn't consider music...
I love to check my system with Missy Elliot - Under Construction' as for hip hop and contemporary production - it's an ace!:)