I don’t think they committed to tape, but there is a huge amount of warmth and saturation from all of the transistors and tubes that you just don’t hear any more. Recommended Tracks: Assassin & Heartbreak Warfare In this world of digital recording they made it a point to use analog hardware in every stage of the recording process. It’s John Mayer so you know the vocals, playing, and songwriting are top-notch.īut it’s the production quality that really makes this record stand above his others. Not only are they both the studios where the albums were recorded, but they are both that good. #7 – John Mayer – Battle Studiesīattle Studies… it’s like the modern day Abbey Road. You can focus on the performance, the mixing, the fact that it’s live, the types of songs being played… perfection from every angle. I don’t care who you are and what type of music you like, you’ll never take a greater adventure than listening to this. They must have recorded stems off the master outputs and taken them into the studio later. Now, I doubt they committed the house mix to the record. Recommended Tracks: First Circle & Have You Heard To describe the album, it’s like fusion jazz with hints of progressive rock without the rock. No punching in, no overdubs, nothing but raw talent. They do it all in one go, together, on the spot. What will then blow your mind is that this album, The Road To You, is recorded live, and the performance is tighter than any other band who gets infinite takes. If you know anything about Pat Metheny, you’ll know that he only hires the best of the best musicians from all around the globe. Whether you like the style of the SynthPop sound or not, nobody can deny the complete ear-candy of the mixing. He manages to build a dry song up to the most washed-out reverb extravaganza you’ve ever heard while maintaining perfect clarity for every element in the song.Īnd that’s partially because he chooses his orchestration carefully. I’ll flat out say it, this guy Adam Young has mastered programming, engineering, and arrangement. Recommended Tracks: Meteor Shower & Cave In He also takes everything that made the Postal Service awesome and cranks that dial over to 11 on Ocean Eyes. “He ripped off Postal Service! It’s too cheesy, it’s for dreamers and teenagers!” This guy acknowledges his influences, which you’d know if you listen to the album. #9 – Owl City – Ocean EyesĪny time I mention this, people get all silly. But you’re toasty warm listening to folk tales and world-class musicianship. It feels like you’re listening in a cabin under a blanket in a rocking chair with the fire burning, knowing it’s freezing cold outside. That’s hard to do without things becoming muddy and boomy, but they pulled it off. What I like as much as the perfect separation and EQ’d clarity of each instrument is that the mixer managed to create the perfect amount of warmth across the album in the low-mid range frequencies. Recommended Tracks: The Fox & The Lighthouse’s Tale It has a very wide stereo spread with each instrument taking its place in the pan-space, with just the right amount of reverb that it’s not nearly completely dry like Ricky Skaggs and those guys. It plays out like you’ve come to expect from Bluegrass. Alison Kraus heard the group and put them in the studio with the best of the best engineers and it shows. It’s not often that a Bluegrass group gains a national fanbase, but Nickel Creek did it starting with this Self-Titled masterpiece. I recommend two tracks per album as the best mixed songs on each. Everyone can get something out of this list!īy the way, you can click on any of the album covers or links to jump over to Amazon and stream some samples. You’ll notice that these are all over the map in terms of genre too. And of course, a shout out goes to the artists and performers themselves. And that means that it started with top of the line production and were topped off with elite-level mastering as well. These are my favorite albums and songs in terms of mixing. And since it’s based around my opinion, it’s limited to the albums that I’ve had the fortune to listen to and become intimately familiar with. Before we jump right into my list of best mixed albums, let’s remind the jimmy rustlers… this is an opinion post.
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