Should sound quality determine reviews? |
Post Reply | Page <1234 6> |
Author | ||
BaldJean
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 28 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 10387 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
|
||
A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
||
Lewian
Prog Reviewer Joined: August 09 2015 Location: Italy Status: Offline Points: 14830 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
I belong to those who say "leave this to the individual reviewer's taste"; it may but doesn't have to, all fine by me. Surely music is for the ears and is about how it sounds, so sound quality is a part of the experience. I tend to be forgiving though as long as the quality of the music can sufficiently shine through. Then there's music for which the sound quality is more or less important. Much electronic music is about the sound; Talk Talk's last two albums needed their brilliant sound for all the detail to be appreciated; Eloy end 70s and early 80s sounded stunning and that was a major selling point; on the other hand I don't think that sound quality, or the lack of it, would be a major factor in anyone's appreciation of, say, "Close to the Edge", or some instrumentalist-focused music such as much fusion. That Cardiacs are maybe not the best when it comes to production affects the Sea Nymphs albums much more than the actual Cardiacs output that probably works with any kind of sound.
But you are contradicting yourself - you actually say you do care about it, too, except in different ways ("too sterile") from many. And I can identify with that to some extent. I like a "lively" sound, and I often prefer live albums for this reason. (Although they can be awful when done wrongly.) Edited by Lewian - March 06 2020 at 09:37 |
||
Guldbamsen
Special Collaborator Retired Admin Joined: January 22 2009 Location: Magic Theatre Status: Offline Points: 23104 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Scratch that! What am I thinking?
I actually do have a huge problem with a lot of productions. Many sound like they were recorded in a vacuum with players completely seperated from each other - like jamming in individual soundproof phonebooths. There’s no life, no warmth, no ‘mistakes’ or anything remotely humane about the final product. ...yet it is openly trying to ressurrect the prog of yore with the same kind of instrumentation and motifs Seems like the musical equivalent to making a huge classic roast dinner and willfully omiting the sauce. |
||
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- Douglas Adams |
||
BaldJean
Prog Reviewer Joined: May 28 2005 Location: Germany Status: Offline Points: 10387 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
yes, I was aware of this apparent contradiction. perhaps it would be more accurate to say I don't care about it the way others do. what really astonishes me though is that no-one else seems to have this issue with the lacking overtones. for me these overtones are such an important part of the music
Edited by BaldJean - March 06 2020 at 09:44 |
||
A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
||
SteveG
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 11 2014 Location: Kyiv In Spirit Status: Offline Points: 20616 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
|
||
This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State.
|
||
Progosopher
Forum Senior Member Joined: May 12 2009 Location: Coolwood Status: Offline Points: 6467 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
If it affects the experience of the music, then it matters and should affect the review. Experience, however, is a subjective thing. There was a period of time in the early 70s for example, when bands seemed to favor a clean but flat and sterile sound. I avoided getting a cop of The Yes Album for decades because I did not like the performances and sound quality, preferring the livelier sound of Yessongs. At the same time, the studio album is full of early Yes classics and because of that I would rate it five stars. Machine Head is another album with great songs but unsatisfactory sound - until it was remastered and the flatness was opened up. A controversial pick of mine, Born Again by Black Sabbath,originally sounded terrible, but a later remastered release showed that the original recordings sounded much better than people realized and so I rated the album higher than most. What it comes down to again is the experience - whether the sound enhances the experience in a positive sense or not. There are a lot of technical directions to take with this issue; most of us can hear the differences even if we do not fully understand why.
|
||
The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty"
|
||
SteveG
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 11 2014 Location: Kyiv In Spirit Status: Offline Points: 20616 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
|
||
This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State.
|
||
siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic Joined: October 05 2013 Location: SFcaUsA Status: Offline Points: 15261 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
This is a subjective thing. Personally it depends on how it affects the music. There are some albums where the production is pretty weak but the music is so good i don't care. If the production is a major part of the sound then it does matter. There are also cases where someone seems to rate an album based on the original release without having heard the newer remastered releases that corrected the original problems. There are many albums i have read a lot about complaints about production but because i purchased a new remastered copy do not understand what the limitations of the first releases. In short, it depends on context.
|
||
https://rateyourmusic.com/~siLLy_puPPy |
||
Manuel
Forum Senior Member Joined: March 09 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13451 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Sound quality is important, but not the most important part. Orchestration, composition, instrumentation, etc, also play a role in getting an overall picture of a record.
Edited by Manuel - March 07 2020 at 10:18 |
||
Atavachron
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 30 2006 Location: Pearland Status: Online Points: 65289 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
All good observations, though I'd say your first point is probably only true for women listeners, whereas women musicians I imagine are quite aware of and concerned with mix and production. I think of Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Adele, many others. And I'd agree with your second point about overproduction, or 'overgrooming'. It can remove the character of the set and sterilize the music. Also a great observation about live-in-the-studio being an underused approach. |
||
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy
|
||
Grumpyprogfan
Forum Senior Member Joined: July 09 2019 Location: Kansas City Status: Offline Points: 11732 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
^ The production on Steely Dan's Aja or Jellyfish's Spilt Milk is overdone, but I would not call either mix sterile. Superb is a better description.
|
||
Atavachron
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 30 2006 Location: Pearland Status: Online Points: 65289 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
^ 'Superb' is subjective, I'd say 'immaculate' .
|
||
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy
|
||
Man With Hat
Collaborator Jazz-Rock/Fusion/Canterbury Team Joined: March 12 2005 Location: Neurotica Status: Offline Points: 166183 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Yes. If I can't hear the music clearly it's a big drag on enjoying the music.
|
||
Dig me...But don't...Bury me
I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
||
Squonk19
Forum Senior Member Joined: April 03 2015 Location: Darlington, UK Status: Offline Points: 4782 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
No - a great song can survive indifferent production, but a good mix can enhance a good song and make it great. However, it doesn't mean a classic song can't hit new heights if the remix/remastering is done well.
|
||
“Living in their pools, they soon forget about the sea.”
|
||
Hercules
Prog Reviewer Joined: June 14 2007 Location: Near York UK Status: Offline Points: 7024 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Sound quality matters enormously to me.
My hi-fi (Pink Triangle Anniversary TT, SME V arm, Ortofon Cadenza Blue cartridge + Audiolab 8000C/8000P amps + Mission 753 Freedom speakers) is incredibly revealing. Any faults in the mix/recording can make some music unlistenable, unenjoyable and hence it colours my review.
|
||
A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life.
|
||
Kempokid
Collaborator Prog Metal Team Joined: November 01 2018 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 331 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
I think I'm the one being mentioned here in the original post haha. My view on it is that while mix and sound quality isn't the be all end all, it definitely is able to exacerbate issues or alternatively, bring a great album to new heights. In the case of Aenima, I personally found its mix to take away from the overall feel of the album, especially since Tool is often so beloved for their amazing interweaving riffs and amazingly tight jamming and interplay in the instrumental sections, both of which I felt were less prominent in this due to the muddy production taking away from the emphasis on these sections. I also feel like in this case, the muddiness took away from some of the power and impact that some of the more aggressive sections could have had.
I definitely don't always judge the quality of production and mixing, since a lot of the time, it doesn't really affect the overall listening expereince to a huge degree, but I did feel like it was worth mentioning in this particular case along with my personal views on the music, as they were both issues I had with the album as a whole, even after the countless listens I've given it through the last couple of years.
|
||
The Dark Elf
Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: February 01 2011 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 13091 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
In the immortal words of Ian Gillan, "Yes, can we have everything louder than everything else?"
|
||
...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
||
Snicolette
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 02 2018 Location: OR Status: Offline Points: 6042 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
I think that it can be a segmentof the reviewer's description of the material. However, again, it is subjective, just like all music is. And I do agree with whomever wrote that too sterile is not good (as in overly-produced, or too perfect, lacking in human element).
|
||
"Into every rain, a little life must fall." ~Tom Rapp
|
||
AFlowerKingCrimson
Forum Senior Member Joined: October 02 2016 Location: Philly burbs Status: Offline Points: 18454 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
Yes. I can't imagine anyone giving King Crimson's "earthbound" a five star rating.
|
||
Enchant X
Forum Senior Member Joined: July 31 2014 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 871 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
|
It is a good question , my answer is yes sound quality certainly matters .. remember all the fuss people made when vapor trails from Rush was first released it was a good album had some great songs on it but people focused more on its sound quality than the material itself (it was an over compressed brick wall mess as far as recording quality goes). I have several albums in my collection that I would have added an extra star to had they been better recorded , so yes sound quality is important for a good review these days. But if we are talking a late 60's early 70's album review sound quality isn't as important because we don't expect perfection, technology had not advanced enough at that stage it's amazing yes, jethro tull and King crimson etc albums sound as good as they still do. I noticed a big leap in about 1972 in sound quality then another leap in about 1975. I don't think the modern trend of volume wars is helping sound quality brick walling the dynamic range really bothers me, it hurts the feel of the music I think. Anyway a good question I hope I've helped in some way answer
Edited by Enchant X - March 06 2020 at 22:10 |
||
Post Reply | Page <1234 6> |
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |