To me the new modern sounds aren't as gritty and funky as the old ones. I miss the old Linn drums, his old maple telecaster with the leopard strap, vintage keyboard sounds and live drums all recorded on a analog board.

There's something about these old analog boards that sounds better to me...not necessarily a "cleaner" sound, but they give records a more classic feel.

Now his studio A is all the way top of the line and the stuff sounds great...but those modern souing records like Emancipation seem to lack the spirit of the older stuff. I would love to hear him record a new album using all vintage analog gear like Lenny Kravitz does.

Now that would create the classic raw Prince sound I've been missing for so long.

I think it would be great if he didn't own his own studio. Too much time and too many toys to over-do it.

errant said:

This is not the first time I've heard this. Kinda reminds me about how we've discussed how P's Dirty Mind was recorded in his kitchen back in Mpls in an old house of his. We're not going to hear anything like that now. It's like the $ he has now is a curse and he's got the Paisley Park Studios now where he can shine that song up nice and have a tight, tight sound. Everything being perfect. That's the difference with putting on headphones back then to the first 10yrs of P's music to the music now. Totally different sound. I'd welcome the "older" sound too but, it'll never happen unless some of that vault music comes out as is and we KNOW P'd never do that ... LoL

The strange thing is that his Modern music tends to sound more dated than the vintage music to me.

Prince has, in recent years, brought his old sound back on albums like Musicology (the title track especially) and MPLSound sounds exactly like 1999 music.
So what's your point exactly?

Yes he can do modern polished music too and it's nice that he varies it otherwise the complainers would be complaining that he just does old sounds all the time!
Some people have got nothing better to do than complain.

DecaturStone said:

You`re soooo on point with what you said.

I think the problem is not the equipment or the fact that it's his equipment or that he's moving the knobs. I think the problem is easy access and his addiction to recording.

If he did not have his own studio, there's a chance he might spend longer in the songwriting process and only book a studio once the song was ready.

But he actually does use outside studios, too, if he's in LA or wherever. I'd like to see a comparison of songs recorded at Paisley Park vs other studios and see if there's any noticeable difference.

He's been there and done it, i want new. I like the direction he's taking at the moment.

PurpleLove7 said:

I love all the old prince materiel recorded in the home studio he did "Dirty Mind" Controversy" and the first two TIME records!!

The hell it does. Yeah, maybe it sounds like music from the actual year 1999 (which sounded horrible) but it sounds nothing like the album "1999". There's nothing shit hop sounding on "1999" like "Ole Skool Crappery" or "Valenshita". And those fast songs at the beginning of "MPLShit" sound like something from Justin Timberlake or one of these new so-called artitsts. I don't hear no real drums mixed in like the album "1999" had either. There's no power on it and it's a complete sellout album.

I think if P were in a situation where he had limited funds for studio time the quality of product would increase tremendously.

It's not the recording equipment that put the kibosh on Prince's genius.

Gangstaglam said:

I totally agree with you

Gangstaglam said:

nice thread