Hank Mobley & His All Stars - Sound Quality Issue

[couw]

As JAW pointed out, Davis Cup (TOCJ24) sounds real bad. So we listened very attentively and there was even some distortion in places. So we whipped up a graph and parbleu, it fits. So the graph may not tell much, but it looks too much like a graph of a Christina Aqualung song not to be worried. It *is* squared at the edges during the real loud passages, so it is likely there is compression or limiting applied. Modern day rock and pop CDs show one big ugly block of sound if you make a graph. Jazz CDs do not, but they have their fishy moments as well.

And one more time: the graphs were merely meant as an illustration of something that was *heard* and not the other way around.

[J.A.W.]

And one more time: the graphs were merely meant as an illustration of something that was *heard* and not the other way around.

Exactly!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

WWPSD...

what would phil spector do (other than shoot the messenger)?

[Late]

From this page:

In March 2010, mastering engineer Ian Shepherd organized the first "Dynamic Range Day," a day of online activity intended to raise awareness of the issue and promote the idea that "Dynamic music sounds better." The day was a modest success, and a follow-up has been announced on March 25th 2011, with industry support from companies like SSL, Bowers & Wilkins and Shure. Shepherd cites research showing there is no connection between sales and "loudness," and that people prefer more dynamic music. With music sales moving towards digital downloads and away from CDs, there is hope that the loudness war will be blunted by normalization technology such as Replay Gain and Apple's Sound Check.

... compression algorithms have been engineered specifically to accomplish the task of maximizing audio level in the digital stream. Hard limiting or clipping can result, affecting the tone and timbre of the music in a way that recording engineer Rip Rowan described as "sounds like dogshit." The effort to increase loudness has been referred to as the "Loudness Wars."

TOCJ 50086, The Fabulous Slide Hampton Quartet is the loudest jazz reissue I have ever heard. I think this session may have originally been recorded on the "hot" side, but for me this particular reissue is almost instantly fatiguing. A shame; it's one of my very favorite trombone-led quartet sessions. There are at least three different CD reissues of this album. I'll have to search others out.

Of the new "Jazz 999" TOCJ 500xx series, I've heard three titles so far. All are unusually loud. Even more of a shame; some titles are seeing their very first issue on compact disc. Maybe some other titles in the series will have more dynamic range than the ones I've heard.

[clifford_thornton]

That Slide record is great. I have a few contemporaneous Pathe LPs that are also pretty hot so it's not too surprising.

[Late]

That Slide record is great.

If it were on Impulse or Blue Note, I think it would have far greater recognition. The lineup — Hampton, Joachim Kühn, Neils-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and Philly Joe Jones — is badass, and they all seem exceptionally pumped up for the proceedings, giving 110% of their effort and concentration. The year, 1969, makes it an interesting record too. Kühn probably had to reign things in a bit, but he still goes wild in his solos, often reaching inside the piano. (His Keith Jarrettisms are distracting, I will admit.) As for Hampton, hmmm. It's the most "fourthy" advanced modal trombone playing I've heard. Flippin' great. Philly's playing, at this time, would be a good blindfold test, I think. The great snare licks from his time with Miles are no longer as prominent.

I should probably talk about this record in a different thread. I already double-posted the loudness comments.