This album sounds horrible; distortion and clipping.

The mixing is fine; it's the mastering that's far too loud.

Just as many 90's albums were this album was ruined.

Anyone with a great hi fi will notice. If you have a normal system you won't notice anything.

Yeah i noticed it's quite a bit louder than alot of the other albums too. But it's not nearly as bad as 3121, why did prince allow it be released like that!?

Everything from the mid-90s on sounds like crap.

I think it's a type of production to make the over-all sound of the album quite bombastic - like all the amps have been turned upto 11! Oasis' first album is like that, just reaching the edge of distortion on the guitars and drums, made it sound more raw. I think Emancipation could have done with a TGE-type production!

metalorange said:

you obviously know nothing about the making of music.

Oasis have horrible mastering; it's well documented.

TGE has horrible mastering; NOTHING to do with production.

just listen to shy for e.g; HORRIBLE

mikek1 said:

I don't knows much but ah knows what I likes. I like TGE. I don't think it is anything to do with the mastering. Oasis horrible? Well documented? I've never heard that, didn't stop it selling millions, did it? The re-produced it about 3 times until they got it sounding that way on purpose - now that's well documented.

metalorange said:

mastering is done after production. Morning glory is used as an example in the 'loudness war'. If you do not know what that is i suggest you do some research becuase it's spoling music for all of us.
millions of people have garbage play back systems; so must you.
i never noticed it on my old hi fi but since i have a dolby pro logic surround sound i can hear any mistakes and poor mastering.

CDs from the 90's on have progressively got worse; the mastering process has made several amazing albums sound horrificly horrible; especially the chili's last three albums.

mikek1 said:

could be that not all albums are made for dolby pro surround, but for regular old hi fi's

i can and do just turn the dolby off.

cds should be made well enough to play on the worlds best play back systems

eddie kramar has even spoken about this

mikek1 said:

lots of things should be

Did you previously post about this on Housequake? I remember reading an interesting thread a while back about this same subject.

I'm no technical expert, not at all, but it sounds like most albums you pick up today are like this... is it digital versus analogue? Whatever it is, I wish they'd stop it.

It kinda makes me think if they did ever remaster Prince's early stuff, would it lose it's charm by sounding too much like today's mastering?

NouveauDance said:

I'm sure they would make it louder like today's albums, and that would probably make it noisier, especially on a high-end system. Whether that would ruin it or improve it may be a matter of taste.

A lot of old albums were made for vinyl anyway, and on cd they don't sound full for some reason. Like Mike is saying his stereo does for many recent cd's, cd's do to older recordings, revealing limitations or imperfections.

PurpleKnight said:

I agree, on a reg'lar system the album sounds great to me.

Some of the later ones sound noisy, however, distorted. Like the rock stuff especially on Rave, Musicology

But Musicology & 3121 lack something that Gold has, depth of some kind, in terms of production. They sound flatter.

mikek1 said:

Yeah, I know that, mastering could ruin it, but it could also be that it was recorded that way and there's nothing they can do about it now. There's no way to tell.




Funny, you've spent all that money improving your sound system and yet it is giving you less joy than your old one! Ha ha, sorry, but I find that funny, sometimes the pursuit of the latest thang ain't always the way...
[Edited 11/8/06 16:41pm]

This thread is so lame. Why with all that's going on would one want to focus on what one considers poorly matered albums/cds from more than ten years ago. To add insult to injury it's very hard to create, very easy to be critcal. Granted one has every right to bring up any subject but recently there have been so many negative threads thats it's bring the community down in my opinion. Why focus on what be merely an artist experimenting with a particular type of sound when there's a lot to be positive about, there's a new beginning to a new chapter. I am sorry mikek1 I know what a major player on this site but it seems lately what a lot of others have mentioned in passing is true you seem focused on the bad or just write with a negative tone. So I give you respect but come on leave the mastering subject alone

NDRU said:

Hmm, that's actually true. I remember playing A Million Days and it sounded just...really off.

When I switched from flute to mellophone for marching band in high school. The last time I played good on flute. But, anywho, When I came back to the flute for concert band, I would sound completely flat. There was nothng I can do about it. It will come back to sharp towards graduation. Our band plays for the senior's gradutations. Then the cycle continued my senior year. I switched my junior year. Now, at college, it is not a good idea to do that. Marching Band is for the instrument you know how to play, but concert season band is for the instrument you can play. I know it has nothing to do with the topic. But, it came to mind with the double flat on A Million Days.

vinaysfunk said:

wtf?!

why bother opening the thread if it bothers you?

these type of threads, unlike most, are actually interesting when people know what they're talking about.

prince's mastering is fine. u just need 1000 dollar speakers.

anniechristian said:

Agreed

kinaldo said:

From reading this thread does it sound like mikek1 and orangmetal know exactly what thier talking about? There both intelligent people who can't agree on a single point. So when I open a thread like this I say wtf? Haven't U ever read a discussion that simply bores you and you've said so. Not really that big of a deal it's just lame. But I agree basically U need some good speakers and it will be all right.

PurpleKnight said:

Yeah, actually for this particular album, TGE, and Prince's intent on making it sound like a 'live' album, I think it works here.... but in general I agree with the point of the thread regarding albums today.

vinaysfunk said:

There's nothing 'bad' or 'negative' in this thread, it's a valid critical opinion.
[Edited 11/9/06 1:36am]

mikek1 said:

Mastering can't save shit music.

All I know is that The Downward Spiral is fucking brilliantly mastered and that's mid-90s.

I agree though. TGE sounds like poo.

Speakers aren't the only issue - you put some good speakers on a crap amp or source and you will get crap. All components during playback will affect the sound reproduction and won't reproduce what was heard in the studio.

I think choosing and living with hi-fi is a very personal choice and some very good individual components just don't work together. Personally I have used TGE when trying out new stuff since I know how it sounds. However I recall after replacing my bridged amps, and putting on a few discs, TMBGITW sounded awful with vocals just hurting my damn ears, however after slipping in my new Marantz CD player - lovely sweet noise again.

Again, personally I haven't listened to TGE for a few months but 3121 to me sounds bad and hurts my ears. I also find that TRC suffers from something I can only liken to compression since when the music gets really busy it just doesn't have breathing space - IMO it sounds like a low bit rate computer file (perhaps this is due to the digital recording process?) but it does slightly ruin the listening experience.

The "problem" with good quality hi-fi is that it offers more clarity and can reveal stuff to just ruin the performance (this could from chair noises in a live setting to the odd bum note). However it does make you want to source well recorded music and thus opens up your musical taste and collection.

g3ajg said:

yes you are 100% correct. Alot of albums are compressed for a louder sound e.g californication. This makes them sound awful.

Something need to be done; it's obsurd that with todays technology cds are sounding so bad. Some engineers have said the record labels have pressured them to create 'a loud sound that can compete'. This is nonsense becuase if we want something loud we can just turn it up. However with certian cds you can not turn them up becuase of the distortion and clipping; similiar to if a t.v is turned right up and the words are distorted and hurt your ears
[Edited 11/9/06 4:11am]

mikek1 said:

That is why I am listening more and more to older vinyl - they sound different of course to the CD version, and maybe they don't have exactly the same high resolution but they sound better because of this. Maybe I am just getting older and can't take the abrasive harsher sound - I want the music to "make love" to my ears not "fuck them stupid".

We should be able to listen to the latest cds with pleasure.
With todays capabilities good mastering should be easy but all the record labels care about is money.

Prince should oversee the mastering himself like hendrix intended to do.

even bob dylan has commented on how todays cds sound shit!

I'm regretting paying alot of money for my hi fi because shitty sounding cds have made it pointless.
[Edited 11/9/06 7:20am]

mikek1 said:

it's worth it when the music moves you and it will when you find well recorded stuff. However as a fan of a particular artist you will be disappointed if their albums sound bad. Why not try some vinyl? even TGE was available.

I always get the impression that Prince get's bored with a project once it has been completed and therefore the final shipped product doesn't overly interest him. I woud guess he is always working on the next big thing!

I remember listening to a podcast by one of his former engineers who commented that Prince offers no opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the period once a project is completed - always on to the next.