Perhaps a bit of both. Synthesizers and electronic drums were coming on strong at that time, both capable of a literally unnatural amount of high-frequency energy. Maybe those new sounds tended to drag the rest of the mix along with them?
It's worth checking out any recordings on the 'Naim' lable as they are of very high quality but in particular their 'True Stereo' unprocessed analogue recordings. These (according to the info.) are recorded using AKG 414EB microphones in ORTF stereo array to Nagra IV-S reel to reel. They are recorded live with no overdubbing. There are also detailed notes on the acoustics of the venues and artists themselves.
I'm sure it would sound fine if you put the cassette in your boom box and turned the 'Tone' knob to somewhere near the 1 o-clock position.
Keep meaning to get myself a copy of this one again - remember enjoying it years ago.
For the most part I think the actual song/s is/are irrelevant. The only criteria is that you should be intimately familiar with the song/album so much so that it is part of your DNA. So this thread could become as longstanding as the 15 Song thread.
I'm new to the game and its only recently had more than one piece of equipment at a time such that I can swap things around and learn to hear the differences and to properly describe the differences i might be hearing.
At the moment my test album is Pink Floyd's Darkside of the Moon. Nice vocal, studio tricks with panoramic sound, quirky sampling and some great rock.
Yes, interesting production, but noise and resolution are not spectacularly good.
The upside is that a really good system will play this album loud and pretty clear, as you go down in system quality the distortions can become exaggerated, but still fun sounding.... that is the skill in the recording, mixing and mastering.
DSOTM is an example of great mastering translation to any system despite the shortcomings in the actual tracking recordings.
As your system improves, a lot of familiar recordings may become 'old hat' and substandard but still reveal production values surprises.
Enjoy your journey.
Dan.
Thanks for your comment and encouragement Dan
Been listening to and enjoying music with mid-fi? kit for years but when I first caught the bug - fitted some shielded mains cable and snipped out the muting transistors of the Rotel RCD965BX I was using at the time - I seriously thought I had broken my music collection (not the hifi equipment but the music) - the difference was that stark. For some tracks it was like I was hearing them for the first time.
Occasionally I do have to remind myself when I am busy swapping tracks before they have even finished that it is about enjoying the music not about whether I can hear improvements/differences because I fitted a new cap or something.
I already have some of the other titles listed here on order - not all are easy to come by.
I also plan to reach out to someone in my local area that has high end kit that I could listen to because I have never had the pleasure so do not have any real frame of reference
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This is my reference song, low notes, tinkly bells, spacy effects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCwIHwSt8RU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCwIHwSt8RU
Indeed, it is my pleasure.
Get used to it/expect it....as your system improves.
When you get your system sounding how you like it, is when you can totally kick back and enjoy just the music.
The journey is long Grasshopper....it has taken me 40 years to find my sonic nirvana.
There are plenty of sources, PM me.
A visit to a decent hi-fi store with a handful of your favorite tracks in hand (burned cd/thumb drive), and politely ask to be impressed works.
Just explain that you are not buying but would like to hear something decent for a few minutes...most salesmen will bend over backwards to help.
Each step up experience will revise your expectations of what is possible....or to be expected.
Most mid-fi is well performing but needs tweaks like cables, power conditioning etc to make it shine.
Tweaking need not be expensive, and there are close to infinite DIY resources available online.
Music is all about fun...go with it.
Dan.
Hey, someone else out there has this record!
I also go to "I Don't Need a Hero"* from Bloodletting. Not particularly difficult, just a song that I really like, and know well; sometimes good for checking balance in the midbass. Johnette Napolitano has such a great voice, and a bit deeper than the typical female singer.
-- Jim
*Jesus, that 2010 remaster on YouTube sounds compressed to death and beyond.
Glad you liked it! We've gotten to know those guys over the years (Peter Mulvey played a show in our living room), and besides being remarkably talented musicians, they're incredibly nice people. They would get together twice a year to play Redbird shows, but this year apparently not, because of the difficulty of coordinating their tour schedules. Well, at least I saw Redbird five or six times before it came to an end.
If you see any of them playing in your area, go. Trust me on this.
If you see any of them playing in your area, go. Trust me on this.
Glad you liked it! We've gotten to know those guys over the years (Peter Mulvey played a show in our living room), and besides being remarkably talented musicians, they're incredibly nice people. They would get together twice a year to play Redbird shows, but this year apparently not, because of the difficulty of coordinating their tour schedules. Well, at least I saw Redbird five or six times before it came to an end.
If you see any of them playing in your area, go. Trust me on this.
I wasn't familiar with any of them before today. Did some Spotify listening to some of their solo stuff and ended up picking up a few older Peter Mulvey albums from Murfie Music for $8 total. I liked some of the Kris Delmhorst and Jeffrey Foucault stuff too but not as much as Peter Mulvey. I did add several to my Spotify lists though.
Not to get too off topic but how do you end up with Peter Mulvey playing a show in your living room?
-Chris
My wife is far more charming than I am. Mulvey's actually been here twice, once to do a few songs for just the two of us and once for an actual concert (some of the diyAudio people were here for that). "Notes From Elsewhere," "Letters From A Flying Machine," and "The Good Stuff" are my faves, but his most recent, "Silver Ladder" has been his most popular.
Foucault's best album, IMO, is Ghost Repeater. If you like something more rock, Cavalcade by his project Cold Satellite is terrific.
Mulvey's actually been here twice, once to do a few songs for just the two of us and once for an actual concert (some of the diyAudio people were here for that). "Notes From Elsewhere," "Letters From A Flying Machine," and "The Good Stuff" are my faves, but his most recent, "Silver Ladder" has been his most popular.Foucault's best album, IMO, is Ghost Repeater. If you like something more rock, Cavalcade by his project Cold Satellite is terrific.
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