Robin Bowes;542890 Wrote: > On 03/05/10 12:16, Phil Leigh wrote: > > To be really picky, unless you are talking about a crossed-pair > 2-track > > recording (or a soundfield job) in a real ambience with no EQ, > reverb > > etc there is no "natural"... there is just "engineered"... :-) > > Yes, that's true, but some recordings can sound more natural than > others. > > > Most people wouldn't like the natural (untreated) sound of a > pop/rock > > band without EQ and (especially) compression! > > Also true, and I'm not suggesting that I don't like pop/rock bands > that > use compression - far from it! I don't, for example, expect a > "natural" > sound from AC/DC or Jimi Hendrix :) > > > And before anyone says "What about the Beatles?" - their early > > recordings have all manner of EQ, compression etc on them - much of > it > > enforced by the microphones, mixing consoles, guitars, amplifiers > and > > tape decks of the day - you couldn't get a "neutral" sound to build > > from so you had to work round that. The reason they sound good? - a > lot > > of care was taken in the performance, recording, mixing and > mastering. > > This was a long time before the "fix it in the mix" mentality became > > popular... > > The reason they sound good? Because they were damned good songs, > perfectly arranged. I have some Beatles multitracks, ie. copies of the > 4-track used before mixdown and it's plain to hear that not a lot is > done in the mix - all the good stuff is on the tape. > > Funnily enough, on Friday night I popped in to a local pub who had a > Beatles/60s tribute band playing. They were basically just 4 blokes in > their 50s, average musicians - 4-piece, drums, bass, 2 x guitar, three > vox singing the harmonies. The Beatles songs sounded simply superb. > > R.
Don't disagree with any of this... my Beatles point was that the multi-tracks are inherently "pre-eq'd" by the nature of the equipment in use at the time (ie it wasn't a bunch of post-recording FX). Also they didn't have the luxury of digital reverb and spring/tank reverb had to be used sparingly... Those Abbey Road guys in lab coats who wouldn't let the meters into the red - they knew what they were doing... Yes of course the songs were well written/arranged/produced - that always helps cover over any technical issues :-) -- Phil Leigh You want to see the signal path BEFORE it gets onto a CD/vinyl...it ain't what you'd call minimal... Touch(wired/XP) - TACT 2.2X (Linear PSU) + Good Vibrations S/W - MF Triplethreat(Audiocom full mods) - Linn 5103 - Aktiv 5.1 system (6x LK140's, ESPEK/TRIKAN/KATAN/SEIZMIK 10.5), Townsend Supertweeters, Blue Jeans Digital,Kimber Speaker & Chord Interconnect cables Kitchen Boom, Outdoors: SB Radio ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=77725 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
