What's your favorite mix?

During a recent flight home I was listening to random tracks when Joni Mitchell's "Free Man in Paris" came up.  Even though an airplane cabin isn't the best listening environment, I found myself really listening to the mix, the different instruments, how the vocal tracks blended, etc.

So I'd like to hear from you: What tracks do you think are examples of an excellent mix?

digi2ns


Pink Floyd-The Entire Pulse DVD Set  

That IS a good one!

Heh, David sure acts weird in that video!  Singers...
 
I got the impression he would make a good church leader (you know, the kind that play with snakes, ya?).

Hi,

The early stuff by Tangerine Dream that came out on the "Ehr" label, and was recorded on a quadraphonic system, that did not take hold. All of these recordings were really "deep" and "intense" and made the electronic music even stronger, than just a theme, or soundtrack. On really good speakers, and system, the music just flew around you like crazy. And, of course, there is no better music for it, than what they used to do. And Klaus Schulze was the same thing.

The later music was ok too, but even in my speakers, things like Porcupine Tree sound magnificent, but the really lively 4 way thing, of the sound around you, which is a 360 experience, is not visible, and too much of the "compression" and "compressed" stuff these days, takes out this "reality" from the music ... the subtleties that were in the background, like hearing a child cry on the other side of the street, while a bus passes by, or many cars ... is totally lost ... and the value of the "experience" dies out.

Wait until you hear "Herd of Identity"! Yeah .. .Bapu, you too! ... from a neighbor of yours, too!

I like this one.
 
http://vbox7.com/play:6a24e1f9&al=2&vid=279259
 
Not so good on this stream but it's on the UK CD version of India's Acoustic Soul album from around the turn of the century and it sounds stellar whatever you put it on.

Cosmosquad, "Acid Test"

them crooked vultures, "them crooked vultures"


soundgarden, "King Animal"


black country communion, "Afterglow"


and one from the Vaults, 
PF DSOTM

Obviously depends on the genre but, besides the classics,  I've always dug Somewhat Damaged by Nine Inch Nails, the way it builds up from that tiny 4 notes acoustic motif into that humongous wall of sound. 

The whole album in fact...

And Tool. Anything off Lateralus or, better yet, 10 000 Days.

The album Band On The Run .. McCartney ....... mixed by Geoff Emrick.  Mixed in 1973 but still sounds fantastic to this day, everything is panned and eq'd perfect. 

Favorite "live" mix: "Soul" by Seal. Big band, live audience, but crystal clear and nuanced. Produced by David Foster (who also played faux-bass using Trilogy), engineered and mixed by Jochem van der Saag (who also played keyboards and programmed drums using Addictive Drums). It's a mixture of live tracks and studio overdubs. Feels live, sounds studio.

For a by-the-book tutorial on pop mixing: "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. Widely criticized for being overly bright, but the mixing is superb even if not particularly imaginative - but it is, after all, mainstream pop.

For pop-country: "Wide Open Spaces" by the Dixie Chicks. The year that record came out, the Chicks sold more records than the entire country music industry combined. That was mainly due to the catchy pop-country tunes, but the quality production didn't hurt.

For acoustic modern folk: "New Favorite" by Alison Krauss and Union Station. So clean that on good headphones, it's like being there. Jerry Douglas' dobro is especially detailed, and with a master of that caliber playing you want to hear every squeak.

Considering this is live, the mix is simply incredible:    

Rain
Obviously depends on the genre but, besides the classics ...

 
Not really.
 
It's mostly that some things have stood out the test of time, and the newer ones have not gotten there quite as well.
 
Remember that in the late 60's, even RCA, had the "Red Seal" label, that was used for outstanding recordings, that went above and beyond a lot of styles and things. And there were some magnificent things done ... Alan Stivell's Renaissance of the Celtic Harp ... Tomita's Snowflakes are Dancing ... as two of them I remember vividly ...
 
In many ways, straight ahead rock, is very limited ... there is nothing for you to add to it to make it better ... and there is nothing "underneath" to make it better and this was something that broke out in those days, and it was one of the things that FM radio, took on ... loudness, instead of fidelity ... and then you had some average music, recorded better, which made it sound way better than it really was, and it was never as good in concert!
 
Other albums that went above and beyond in quality of recording:
 
Nektar - Recycled (With Mr. Fast - Synergy guesting on electronics, recording and mixing!)
 
Robert Schroeder - Floating (LP was originally recorded so you could play it at 45RPM and 33RPM, and it was AWESOME at the lower RPM! Very teutonic!) (Produced by Klaus Schulze)
 
Klaus Schulze - Mirage (incredible ripping around of various themes)
 
EgbertoGismonti - No Caipira (Assault on your senses with samba and bossa nova and Villa Lobos!) .. Also Sanfona ... with Academia de Dancas.
 
Terje Rypdal/David Darling - Eos (Chamber music in space!)
 
Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery and Blah
 
Can - Soon Over Babbalooma (Special details are to the low/quiet moments on the two long cuts coming together!)
 
XTC - The Big Express
 
Steve Hillage - Green (Produced by Nick Mason!)
 
The Chef ... Mr. Hayes ... His first album was nice, and Shaft was actually really well done!
 
And if you get a chance on the Klaus Schulze DVD, there is a special bit with him talking to engineers about details of his recording ... and to hear them discuss WHERE to place this detail and that, and how to make it work, is totally insane! Beautiful too, even though it is so subtle that you have no idea where it is on the real mix! But you know, that the whole thing is a treat to listen to in detail, and that he is no floozy when it comes to mixing, and running his own mixer on the stage! On the stage! While he is playing!

Moshkiae

Rain
Obviously depends on the genre but, besides the classics ...

 
Not really.
 
It's mostly that some things have stood out the test of time, and the newer ones have not gotten there quite as well.
 
Remember that in the late 60's, even RCA, had the "Red Seal" label, that was used for outstanding recordings, that went above and beyond a lot of styles and things. And there were some magnificent things done ... Alan Stivell's Renaissance of the Celtic Harp ... Tomita's Snowflakes are Dancing ... as two of them I remember vividly ...
 
In many ways, straight ahead rock, is very limited ... there is nothing for you to add to it to make it better ... and there is nothing "underneath" to make it better and this was something that broke out in those days, and it was one of the things that FM radio, took on ... loudness, instead of fidelity ... and then you had some average music, recorded better, which made it sound way better than it really was, and it was never as good in concert!
 
Other albums that went above and beyond in quality of recording:
 
Nektar - Recycled (With Mr. Fast - Synergy guesting on electronics, recording and mixing!)
 
Robert Schroeder - Floating (LP was originally recorded so you could play it at 45RPM and 33RPM, and it was AWESOME at the lower RPM! Very teutonic!) (Produced by Klaus Schulze)
 
Klaus Schulze - Mirage (incredible ripping around of various themes)
 
EgbertoGismonti - No Caipira (Assault on your senses with samba and bossa nova and Villa Lobos!) .. Also Sanfona ... with Academia de Dancas.
 
Terje Rypdal/David Darling - Eos (Chamber music in space!)
 
Alan Parsons Project - Tales of Mystery and Blah
 
Can - Soon Over Babbalooma (Special details are to the low/quiet moments on the two long cuts coming together!)
 
XTC - The Big Express
 
Steve Hillage - Green (Produced by Nick Mason!)
 
The Chef ... Mr. Hayes ... His first album was nice, and Shaft was actually really well done!
 
And if you get a chance on the Klaus Schulze DVD, there is a special bit with him talking to engineers about details of his recording ... and to hear them discuss WHERE to place this detail and that, and how to make it work, is totally insane! Beautiful too, even though it is so subtle that you have no idea where it is on the real mix! But you know, that the whole thing is a treat to listen to in detail, and that he is no floozy when it comes to mixing, and running his own mixer on the stage! On the stage! While he is playing!

Yeah, but the question was what's your favorite, not what's the best - so yes, really. ;)


For example, I am no fan of Steely Dan (heresy, I know) so I couldn't mention their stuff among my favorites. That being said, the quality of those records is mind-blowing.



On the other hand, I doubt very much that Tool would ever be put on the equivalent of the red seal you mention if it still existed, yet, there's some excellent work on their last album. Joe Barresi is definitely one of my favorite producers/engineers.


Same for Nine Inch Nails - Reznor is usually quickly relegated to the "loud and noisy category". But an album like The Fragile goes way beyond that.

bapu

craigb

digi2ns


Pink Floyd-The Entire Pulse DVD Set  

That IS a good one!

Slightly OT, but Jan and I saw Alan Parsons (in person) on a "MIDI 30 Years" panel discussion at NAMM yesterday.

Did you guys talk about RAM? :P

I love that mix where Ken Scott had the hi-hat 1db too loud.

It DID NOT affect the sale of the record, BTW.