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Someone mentioned 'reference recordings' in another thread. These are the recordings that you consider to be the best examples of the producers' art. I wonder what y'alls choices are?
Are there some songs or albums that most professionals say are the the industry standards? What about at your studio? Which recordings do you consider to be the gold standard, holy grail, ne plus ultra?
I have been told that "Aja' by Steely Dan is considered by some to be the best studio album ever. I do not dispute this, but it is not my favorite. I have a sampler album of Cuban jazz by Messidor that I think is close to perfect when it comes to clarity and definition. Ditto a sampler from Chesky records. I think both of these were made in the days of sm58s and 2-inch tape. For Jazz, Roger Kellaway's Cello Quartets are at the top of the list. Again, 70s vintage.
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Aja, at the time, had a certain warmth to it that was enjoyable. Great recording, writing and performances on that one.
Steely Dan did another album a few years back that won album of the year too, Two Against Nature, I listen to that one as a reference also when working that genre.
I think it's important to match the style of the music you are creating when picking a reference.
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If you visit Bob Katz's website, he lists a whole slew of well mixed/produced/mastered albums that have great dynamics and don't play the loudness war. Many of these are on various other folks 'reference recording' lists. Here it is: http://www.digido.com/honor-roll.html
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Thanks RSN!
Lots for me to learn here.
I found a couple of these tracks on YouTube. That would be kind of defeating the purpose, wouldn't it?
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Quote:
I found a couple of these tracks on YouTube. That would be kind of defeating the purpose, wouldn't it?
Yeah - the purpose would be soundly defeated!
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I had to learn to "listen through" things such as genre, style, etc. before I really got a handle on what reference recordings are all about.
The ears and the mind don't always agree. For some, the idea of listening to a recording of a genre in which they apparently have no interest is anathema, they are not likely going to be able to judge the recording only in terms of audio quality.
With time and an open mind about it, though, you may find that your ears become more able to "listen through" and only evaluate the actual audio events in the recording, which are basically going to be much the same for a good wuality recording, regardless of genre lines.
Perhaps the most important thing to consider about a reference reoording selection is that it should pretty much *match* the genre, style, instrumentation, etc. of your own recording at the moment. Thus bopping back and forth between the reference recording and your own gives you some place to stand in the way of comparison - and if you've done your homework regarding use of the Audio Tools available to you, it will also allow you to tailor your own recording's sound to better match or even duplicate the sound on the Reference Recording.
Always at low, "CONVERSATIONAL" listening levels on your nearfields. This avoids ushering in the dreaded ear fatigue sooner than later, it also really allows anomalies to seem to "JUMP" out of the speakers. At high Sound Pressure Levels, *anything* tends to sound rather good.
So if your own recording is seeking to emulate the Steely Dan "Aja" sound, then by all means use that for your reference when mixing and when mastering. But if your reccrding is seeking to emulate some *OTHER* sound, best to find a well-mixed and mastered recording that more corresponds to what you are seeking to do and use that for the reference recording at the time.
If you work with it enough, there should come a day when you find that you really don't need a reference recording anymore. The reference will then be YOU - your ability to hear, your ability to use the tools, your combined experience and knowledge. That typically doesn't appen overnight.
--Mac
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