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Rock songs with good recording quality?

7K views 29 replies 23 participants last post by  Airsculpture 
#1 ·
Do you know rock songs with good recording quality(especially more than a few instruments playing at the same time)? When I listen to rock songs, generally what I hear is muddy music.I am not sure if there is a relation between me unable to play the song loud(due to neighbours) and muddy rock music, but I am not able to hear the clarity of jazz or classical music while listening to rock music, especially when there are more than a few instruments(plus vocals) playing at the same time.
 
#3 ·
Almost all of the 'Steely Dan' recordings have exceptionally good quality.
 
#7 ·
Can you give some examples of the rock music you've been listening to? The muddiness that you're hearing may be the result of poor recording or mastering, but it may be an intended effect.

The thing is while poor sound quality can certainly ruin a piece of music, the opposite is not really true. You're not going to enjoy a pristine recording of music that doesn't appeal to you. Unless you're someone who "likes everything", the primary challenge is to find music you like.
 
#10 ·
... while listening to rock music, especially when there are more than a few instruments(plus vocals) playing at the same time.
Sounds like "loudness wars" music. Very common among pop and rock music over the last 20 years or so. And that's when I too notice it the most, i.e., when there are several instruments in the mix. They've all been mixed or mastered louder and to be presented to the listener at relatively similar volumes. Keyboards have equal presence/volume/weight to the drums which have equal presence/volume/weight to vocals and so on and so forth. And when you try to crank the volume too much, sometimes a digital type distortion kicks in.

It's not bad when there are fewer instruments.

The link to the dynamic range database posted by pooperscooper above is a decent guide. Not perfectly accurate nor inclusive of all or most recordings available but it can serve as a rough guide.
 
#14 ·
There are bands that take long time to record in studio and pay attention to every detail, that way one is at risk to suck all the life out of the music. Steely Dan is a good example of this, Becker and Fagen spend a lot of time in the studio, also hired lots of very competent studio musicians. And there are bands who want to keep it fresh who only do a few takes, don't hire studio musicians, who kind of like the imperfections that come with that approach.
 
#15 ·
I love to demo Rock and metal songs when evaluating gear. Here are a few albums to try out in wildly different sub-genres but all really lovely recordings

Steven Wilson - Raven that refused to sing (Entire album is Gold, super tight, very fast rhythmic music with excellent dynamic and spatial qualities)
Megadeth - Rust in Peace (My reference tracks for speed and tightness in bass and bass drums, especially Poison was the Cure)
Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake (Big fat bass drum kicks with excellently tuned toms)
Alt J - An Awesome Wave (Lush sounding album with excellent dynamics)
Dredg - El Cielo album (This is a real tough one on MOST setups, it can sound absolutely terrific or like something is not right, take your time with this to get the nuances)
Ozric Tentacles - Spirals into Hyperspace (Lots of stuff going on with good clean hits)
Glass Animals - Zaba (Some of the nicest bass you will find on a modern recording)
Quo Vadis - Defiant Imagination (Silence calls the storm \m/) (Might well be one of the best recorded death metal)
Chris Isaak - Baja Sessions (Good retro style male vocals with good clarity and space and well recording guitars)
Cowboy Junkies - Whites off Earth now (soundstage and space and dynamics)
Extreme - III sides to every story (tight recording with good amount of detail listen to Cupids Dead LOUD)
Godsmack - The Other side (Nice live recording with acoustic guitars, pleasing sound overall, Kinda like Eagles - hell freezes over)
Iced Earth - Burnt Offerings (Solid metal recording)
Jeff Buckley - Grace ( Amazing recording, a true reference especially on the Stereo SACD, dynamics, space, depth, its all there)
Karnivool - Themata (Very dynamic alternative rock album)
Nine Inch Nails - The downward spiral (the most well recorded noise, its important to be able to pick out the details in all the chaos)
 
#22 · (Edited)
Thanks for your answers

Thanks for your answers.

I have listened to some of the songs/albums you recommended.

For example, while listening to Dredg - El Cielo - Same Ol' Road song, in some places, the seperation between vocals,instruments and also clarity get lost( from 1:38 to 1:57, from 3:31 to 4:04).

I wonder if it's my perception, my system or if it's something intended(or problem) in the source.
 
#26 ·
For example, while listening to Dredg - El Cielo - Same Ol' Road song, in some places, the seperation between vocals,instruments and also clarity get lost( from 1:38 to 1:57, from 3:31 to 4:04).

I wonder if it's my perception, my system or if it's something intended(or problem) in the source.
Depends. The original CD is compressed with little dynamic headroom. I think it's the same version I have. I too seem to recall some issues with it (too loud, congested at times).

Another version might be what the previous poster (who suggested this title) might be referring to.
 
#23 ·
Cars - Dire Strait - Pink Floyd, all have some incredible sounding releases.
 
#25 ·
Here are a few of my favorite recordings which tend to be of good quality.

Pink Floyd
Dire Straits
Rolling Stones
ZZ Top
Neil Young
The Alan Parsons Project
 
#29 ·
Do any of you consider ELO to be rock and has anyone heard their remastered CD's. I haven't heard them for decades but I bet it would sound great on my new system vs the $129 car stereo I had in the 80's, you know the one, hanging from 2 brackets below the ashtray, just above the CB radio that would tilt over the transmission tunnel every time you went around a corner.....
 
#30 ·
I have all the remastered versions and some in 24/96

They do sound wonderful especially Out Of The Blue, El Dorado and Face the Music

Do they sound better than my original CDs ? I’m not sure, but they do sound wonderful, a very under appreciated band imo


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