Tierney Sutton - Dancing In The Dark - Personal Summary [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

PDA

View Full Version : Tierney Sutton - Dancing In The Dark - Personal Summary



WmAx
05-14-2004, 06:50 AM
Artist: Tierney Sutton
Album: Dancing In The Dark
Cat No.: Telarc CD-83592

The subtle, pure sound of Tierney's voice is a delight to listen too.......on headphones.

On speakers, it is a different matter, IMO of course. This album is overall disappointing, not because of the quality of performance, for this is certainly excellent. But instead, the sound quality of this ablum is abysmal. This is suprising since the record company releasing this album is Telarc -- usually known for producing works of higher than average sound quality. The sound quality issues are specific. No realistic playback is possible. The singer was close miced; apparently no e.q. was applied to her voice afterwards to try to mimick a more realistic perspective. The second problem is that the ambient field of the vocals and the band seem like they are in very different venues. It's just not possible for this ever to sound realistic. How many times have you gone to a live performance(unaplified) and had the vocalist sing 2 feet from your face? When did you get to experience the effect of the vocalist and band sounding like they are in two different venues, but were really in the same? This is why I find the CD okay on headphones. With headphones, you pretty much give up any sense of realism, and such close mic/mix ambient techniques sound acceptable, at least too me. But on quality speakers, where some sense of realism is to be expected, this recording method is unacceptable. THis would be a different matter, possibly, if it was some surrealistic performance like pop music, etc., which is not composed of real, predictable acoustic instruments and voices. BUt this jazz release contains all acoustic instruments/components.

Telarc -- what in the hell is wrong with you? I know that is is the 'norm' for many recordings to be made exactly in this fashion. But why did you decide to use this approach? I frankly expected a recording done in a real acoustic venue at a mid field recording range. Too bad. Telarc, listen to some Mapleshade releases --- while they have a lot of mediocre artists and audible tape hiss, they typically do a great job in mic placement and in using a real acoustic/ambient environment.

-Chris

Davey
05-14-2004, 07:35 AM
I haven't heard it myself but I do know that Michael Bishop is usually very responsive to questions and comments about his recording techniques in the SACD forum at Audio Asylum, so if you would really like some feedback from the recording engineer you could post over there since it is available as a SACD hybrid disc. Some of the comments about her previous releases on Telarc have been very favorable, though.

WmAx
05-14-2004, 08:15 AM
I don't normally use Audio Asylum. But thank you for the information.

I should add something to my summary: the CD is also mastered poorly. It has several spots where the signal clips/distorts. This is confirmed in an audio wave editor, viewing the waveforms. Setting overall levels to where the peaks do not clip(or using some judicious compression) is a simple/basic issue in digital production. I wonder who fumbled? Maybe this was purposeful, in order to make the CD sound worse then the SACD? Whatever it is, it's rediculous to find clipped waveforms in professinoally produced CDs.

http://www.linaeum.com/images/sutton_clip.jpg


I haven't heard it myself but I do know that Michael Bishop is usually very responsive to questions and comments about his recording techniques in the SACD forum at Audio Asylum, so if you would really like some feedback from the recording engineer you could post over there since it is available as a SACD hybrid disc. Some of the comments about her previous releases on Telarc have been very favorable, though.-Chris