SH Spotlight Why I became a mastering engineer. Here's an example of 2 versions of the same song. MOON MULLICAN

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Mar 7, 2019.

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  1. JM Jones

    JM Jones Forum Resident

    Location:
    ohio
    Mitch Miller probably did it.....to screw with Sinatra! :{^>
     
  2. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    I like both versions,
    but then .. I'm a reverb man !


    I agree in this case that the dry version has more punch, more step .. better dance incentive. True as well the vocal is laying back with the reverb and someway comes across as slightly less convincing.

    In my assessment each version has a place in some compilation, though probably each in a separate comp.
     
  3. Mal

    Mal Phorum Physicist

    Sounds to me like this one is closer to the correct recorded speed - sounds more natural (reverb notwithstanding). It would mean the song was performed in E♭ which seems to fit nicely.

    Are you saying the slower one doesn't match the original release speed or the original performance speed?
     
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  4. Rhett

    Rhett Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cool City
    Yeah that needs to happen!
     
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  5. Scopitone

    Scopitone Caught the last train for the coast

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    o_O
     
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  6. Rhett

    Rhett Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cool City
    I sorta liked the reverb version. I think I liked his voice lower than the original higher pitch. The higher pitch (natural?) makes his voice sound like a cartoon character. I felt the reverb version made his voice sound better - reverb not withstanding.
     
  7. SKATTERBRANE

    SKATTERBRANE Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    I always prefer a dry version over the "radio friendly" reverbed up versions.
     
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  8. This.
     
  9. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    Me, too! Grace makes me dizzy.
     
  10. anth67

    anth67 Purveyor of Hogwash

    Location:
    PNW USA
    What a difference indeed...! I listened to the echoey version first, after which the dry provoked an audible sigh of relief.
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2019
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  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    They all are so talented, they give me the Quebe-jeebies.
     
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  12. GerryO

    GerryO Senior Member

    Location:
    Bodega Bay, CA
    Now I have to dig out my lone Moon King CD to hear what it sounds like...
     
  13. hitmanhart408

    hitmanhart408 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Miami, FL
    great exercise, thanks for sharing!!
     
  14. LC2A3

    LC2A3 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    vancouver
    But when that release was made the mastering engineer wouldn't have been the one adding the echo reverb. Mastering used to be a straight forward mechanical process, no mixing.
     
  15. O Don Piano

    O Don Piano Senior Member

    Unfortunately, Frank Zappa himself thought his 60s and 70s recordings needed to be "modernized" when he got his old masters back in the early 80s and supervised the remastering. He added yucky digital reverb and re-EQed harshly.
    Luckily, the Zappa Family Trust remastered and rereleased his output in 2012, with the 60s and 70s albums sounding normal and pretty good.
     
  16. O Don Piano

    O Don Piano Senior Member

    But completely un-natural sounding! The balance of the instruments get lost in the reverb wash.
    But if washy and unnatural is what you prefer, great.
     
  17. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    Thanks, Steve, for posting on the topic of reverb, a subject I've been toying with to make thin sounding CD music sound bigger in size and the room they occupy.

    The Moon Mullican reverb sounds similar to what was applied to a lot of '60's country music. Digital reverb today has quite a few varieties like Hall, Small Room, Cathedral, Plate, etc.

    Were there as many back in the day of Moon Mullican's.

    Came across a strange mix of The Guys And Dolls tune "Fugue For Tinhorns" I heard played at the beginning of a late '80's Richard Dreyfuss movie called "Let It Ride". The orchestra is huge sounding as if recorded in a big auditorium or stage but the vocals sound like they are laid on top and disconnected from the stage and in mono. It's kinda' weird...



    I bought and downloaded the Amazon MP3 and found it quite easy to make those vocals sound like they are on the same stage. I can't get this song out of my head. I love it.
     
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  18. gohill

    gohill Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow, UK
    What version of Muddy Waters 'Folk Singer' does not have all that reverb? Only have the Classic Records pressing. I know Steve has talked in the past about that recording being a particularly egregious example of unnecessarily added reverb that is not on the master tapes.
     
    McLover likes this.
  19. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Another example is Jimmy Reed’s Carnegie Hall. I do prefer Steve’s dry version over the MFSL.
     
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  20. Anonamemouse

    Anonamemouse my other pink shirt is black too

    I actually like the slower and tonal a bit lower version, but that reverb... Whoever thought that would be a good idea should be forbidden to ever have anything to do with music.
     
  21. Sex Lies And Master Tapes

    Sex Lies And Master Tapes Gaulois réfractaire

    Location:
    Nantes, France
    I don't know what's natural sounding unless you're in the same room with the musicians.
    A recording can't be "natural". Ever.
    My personal taste goes toward the first version of the song (the more "natural" sounding one) but i must admit that i like also the echoed/reverbed version. For different reasons : one is the guitar solo sounds more articulate to me.
     
  22. milankey

    milankey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, Ohio, USA
    The sisters or a recording?
     
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  23. ZenArcher

    ZenArcher Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham, NC
    Just popping in to say, I love Moon Mullican! Hard core honky tonk and a strong songwriter. He’s unjustly forgotten now. But for sheer listening pleasure, you can’t beat Moon.

    Thanks Steve for posting this...
     
    McLover likes this.
  24. frummox

    frummox Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Curious, is there a way to digitally remove echo from a recording?
     
  25. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    No.
     
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