I don't know what equipment they were using at the time, but I always preferred the standard issue CDs over the MoFi versions, until they got there act together in the mid 90's with the gain system.
I never liked the bass on MoFi records. Always sounded "thick" or muddy to me. Very unnatural, anyway. No matter what system I heard them on.
I didn't control the rest of the production at MoFi, in fact we had a problem between us that almost cost me a lawsuit. They wanted my schematics for the unit, even though I was available to repair any problems. Apparently, they were going to make more with another competitor of mine, cutting me out of it. The bass of my analog machine was the best at 30 ips of any machine at the time, to my knowledge. I made a breakthrough in equalizing the head bump(s) and extending the frequency response to 10 Hz. I could show a respectable 25Hz and 10KHz square wave with even the early machines. Only vinyl records were made in those early years, however digital was experimented with for delay, initial master recording, as in the 'Tusk' case for the final mix. I think later, Mobile Fidelity used it at an effective 2X sample rate to make an inter-master of some kind, which was possible as the record was mastered at 1/2 speed.
John,
Truthfully, I think that the reason the Tusk album did not sell as well is that the musical compositions were not as good - that is all. It would be VERY good to ferret out those 30ips masters and NOW have at them - releasing a "new" version of the album... wonder who controls and owns that tape, and if it exists...
_-_-bear
Truthfully, I think that the reason the Tusk album did not sell as well is that the musical compositions were not as good - that is all. It would be VERY good to ferret out those 30ips masters and NOW have at them - releasing a "new" version of the album... wonder who controls and owns that tape, and if it exists...
_-_-bear
How could you have possibly guaranteed that? I mean, **** happens. What if you were run over by some crazy old guy in a Bentley or something?
Seriously, I think that was a reasonable request.
se
They tried to diversify their talents and ended up with an album bordering on new wave. No way, not gonna happen. They had finally settled in on what worked after all those years of being an unknown. Mick and John found some up and comers named Buckingham/Nicks, allowed the creative strings to be loosened from folk rock to pop and then produced two albums of similar ilk. They had to do something different or they would have faded.
Personally I like the albums before Fleetwood Mac^2 came out. Some great tunes back there.
oops, OT.
I have no doubt the quality of their equipment was good. I think their re-mixing is the common denominator that I didn't care for.
I think you're right. It's not as if the mass consumer market is terribly discriminating when it comes to recording quality.
Look at Nebraska, one of Bruce Springsteen's best selling albums containing perhaps his most popular song, Born in the USA.
It was recorded on a Tascam PortaStudio (a "prosumer" four track, and at the time, cassette-based recorder) using a pair of Shure SM-57 mics.
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se
Just three years after Tusk . . .
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another point for se
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I somehow doubt that.
He was under contract to a major studio from BEFORE the time he had any albums released... but I suppose anything is vaguely possible... like even hearing the sound of things that supposedly are inaudible...
_-_-bear
It's absolutely true.
Yes, he was under contract to a major studio before Nebraska. This piece explains how it all came about.
Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" - A PortaStudio, two SM57's, and Inspiration
se
Yup!
At the time I had a little four track, cassette-based home studio myself. My recorder was a Clarion model though, instead of Teac. And I had only ONE SM-57.
If you didn't do a lot of track bouncing, you could make some pretty decent recordings.
se
Yup!
At the time I had a little four track, cassette-based home studio myself. My recorder was a Clarion model though, instead of Teac. And I had only ONE SM-57.
If you didn't do a lot of track bouncing, you could make some pretty decent recordings.
se
A local engineer looped "Tusk" back on itself at a perfect point and made a 90min. version. He did the same thing with "Stairway to Heaven" that worked even better. That was back when even commercial FM stations had some fun.
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