by TheEqualizer on 27 Jan 2015 16:17
These are some comments by David Singleton on the mixing of the Orpheum CD:
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PS. As a mastering engineer it is fascinating to read the various thoughts on the sound of the Orpheum - particularly as it shows how many people listen to music with their hifi’s already in strange settings. There is, of course, no right answer. Music can be delicate and music can hit you over the head. When compiling BBOOM, RF asked why bootlegs were often more exciting than proper releases. And the answer is absurd amounts of compression. Hence the brickwall limiting on that album, which deliberately mimicked a bootleg (and which conveniently cures some of the defects of the live mixing). The same approach has been used on most of the board recordings in the various 1970s boxed sets. The Orpheum takes the alternative approach. There is also the question of what, in a live context, is a "good mix" - Brian May used to say that the secret to an exciting live recording is that something should be too loud ie. that a well-mixed live show is not the same as a studio recording. Again, the Orpheum, rightly in my opinion, takes the alternative approach. Vive la difference.
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There is no bigger gong.