Comments for Capital Mastering. http://www.capitalstudios.net My ears are golden-er than the next guy's. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:23:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 Comment on nelly furtado by SJL http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-3947 SJL Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:40:59 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-3947 Six months since my original post and the song just appeared in shuffle on iTunes so I've had another critical listen through some nice-ish headphones. I'm wondering now if there is some sort of real reason behind this... any or all of the following: a) the story of the songs creation describes it as a late-night jam that just happened to produce a million selling single (love that!) - so maybe to keep the original vibe they had to put up with keeping the scratchy sounds that they came up with at the time b) the song has incredible DEPTH to it, like it is breathing, with lots of ghosts too. Perhaps to create that space, the relative level of the synths and the kick HAS to push it to that clipping level to allow the space to exist? c) it was mastered like this so as to push past the natural compression of a radio signal and thus further enhance the effect described in point b) But doubt we'll ever know the truth, right?! They might even not know what we're talking about! Maybe Timbaland has the Brian Wilson thing of not hearing certain frequencies! Maybe just all the people involved in the decision making process of the record do too! Six months since my original post and the song just appeared in shuffle on iTunes so I’ve had another critical listen through some nice-ish headphones. I’m wondering now if there is some sort of real reason behind this… any or all of the following:

a) the story of the songs creation describes it as a late-night jam that just happened to produce a million selling single (love that!) - so maybe to keep the original vibe they had to put up with keeping the scratchy sounds that they came up with at the time

b) the song has incredible DEPTH to it, like it is breathing, with lots of ghosts too. Perhaps to create that space, the relative level of the synths and the kick HAS to push it to that clipping level to allow the space to exist?

c) it was mastered like this so as to push past the natural compression of a radio signal and thus further enhance the effect described in point b)

But doubt we’ll ever know the truth, right?! They might even not know what we’re talking about! Maybe Timbaland has the Brian Wilson thing of not hearing certain frequencies! Maybe just all the people involved in the decision making process of the record do too!

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by Ian http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-3568 Ian Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:38:06 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-3568 So I'm not going mad then. 3 copies of this from various sources (inc a rip from the Album) and all heavily distorted on the kick. What a terrible shame to ruin an otherwise good song. Glad to have found the site! So I’m not going mad then. 3 copies of this from various sources (inc a rip from the Album) and all heavily distorted on the kick. What a terrible shame to ruin an otherwise good song. Glad to have found the site!

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by SJL http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-3212 SJL Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:07:21 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-3212 I emailed iTunes to complain and they gave me a song credit. Still love the song though! I emailed iTunes to complain and they gave me a song credit. Still love the song though!

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by Pekka Rossi http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-2785 Pekka Rossi Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:25:35 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-2785 Today I heard Madonnas new album Hard Candy and I was extremely disappointed. Thank god I heard it before buying it. Just as with Nelly Furtados Say It Right, Timbaland has been there and completely destroyed a great album. Not to mention the last and in my opinion the best melody on the album. The bass on the track Voices is so distorted that my ears bleed. How can a producer that mutilate music like that be one of the most popular, and why do the artists accept it? I didn't buy Nelly Furtados album and I will definitely not buy Madonnas. Today I heard Madonnas new album Hard Candy and I was extremely disappointed. Thank god I heard it before buying it.
Just as with Nelly Furtados Say It Right, Timbaland has been there and completely destroyed a great album. Not to mention the last and in my opinion the best melody on the album.
The bass on the track Voices is so distorted that my ears bleed. How can a producer that mutilate music like that be one of the most popular, and why do the artists accept it?
I didn’t buy Nelly Furtados album and I will definitely not buy Madonnas.

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by Illya Zubaryev http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-2770 Illya Zubaryev Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:38:29 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-2770 I have now edited the Wikipedia page for Madonna's Hard Candy album to mention this practice of bass distortion from Timbaland and co. Let's make this a topic of discussion among the public. I have now edited the Wikipedia page for Madonna’s Hard Candy album to mention this practice of bass distortion from Timbaland and co. Let’s make this a topic of discussion among the public.

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by Illya Zubaryev http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-2769 Illya Zubaryev Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:13:47 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-2769 I too noticed this distortion immediately. It sadly turns out it's either Timbaland himself or his trusted engineer(s) who leave the distortion. Why? Because the recently leaked Madonna album has this distortion on at least 2 songs: Devil Wouldn't Recognize You and Voices. Pathetic and disgraceful. Timbaland is just an egoistical moron sometimes. The distortion on Voices clearly shows it was left distorted in the mixdown during production. I too noticed this distortion immediately. It sadly turns out it’s either Timbaland himself or his trusted engineer(s) who leave the distortion. Why? Because the recently leaked Madonna album has this distortion on at least 2 songs: Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You and Voices. Pathetic and disgraceful. Timbaland is just an egoistical moron sometimes. The distortion on Voices clearly shows it was left distorted in the mixdown during production.

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by Dustin Harris http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-2366 Dustin Harris Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:26:34 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-2366 I completely agree. I'm a professional recording engineer, and one who is quite familiar with Timbaland's production style. He definitely embraces some outside techniques and sounds (especially with Missy Elliot) but 'Say It Right'... I'm not sure that distortion was a production call. It sounds like a mistake. The distortion is clipping distortion, which was likely pre-mastering. I really wish it wasn't so distorted. Like previously mentioned, its distracting from an otherwise great song. I completely agree. I’m a professional recording engineer, and one who is quite familiar with Timbaland’s production style. He definitely embraces some outside techniques and sounds (especially with Missy Elliot) but ‘Say It Right’… I’m not sure that distortion was a production call. It sounds like a mistake. The distortion is clipping distortion, which was likely pre-mastering. I really wish it wasn’t so distorted. Like previously mentioned, its distracting from an otherwise great song.

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by Eric http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-919 Eric Sun, 05 Aug 2007 12:55:46 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-919 Well, what I had feared is true. I love music, but not distorted music. I actually love "Say It Right" but thank goodness I found this website before I purchased the CD. I, too, had thought that something was wrong with the radio station that was playing it and then I heard it from a friend and they also thought something was wrong with their stereo. I brought the CD home and put it on my system and I was so badly disappointed. I googled "say it right distorted" and found this. Well, they lost a CD sale over this one. I love the song, but I just cannot tolerate badly recorded distorted music. How sad to ruin such a good song that I'm sure sounded so good in the studio before they ruined it. Well, what I had feared is true. I love music, but not distorted music. I actually love “Say It Right” but thank goodness I found this website before I purchased the CD. I, too, had thought that something was wrong with the radio station that was playing it and then I heard it from a friend and they also thought something was wrong with their stereo. I brought the CD home and put it on my system and I was so badly disappointed. I googled “say it right distorted” and found this. Well, they lost a CD sale over this one. I love the song, but I just cannot tolerate badly recorded distorted music. How sad to ruin such a good song that I’m sure sounded so good in the studio before they ruined it.

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by Ray http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-867 Ray Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:07:16 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-867 I had high expectations when I bought the CD, especially for 'Say It Right'. Given its production, I doubt I'll play it at all. At the moment I admit I'm a little mad and thinking of using it as a drinks coaster... I googled 'nelly furtado' with various references to distortion or poor quality but this is the only hit I found, which I find worrying. Wish I could return it. I had high expectations when I bought the CD, especially for ‘Say It Right’. Given its production, I doubt I’ll play it at all. At the moment I admit I’m a little mad and thinking of using it as a drinks coaster… I googled ‘nelly furtado’ with various references to distortion or poor quality but this is the only hit I found, which I find worrying. Wish I could return it.

]]> Comment on nelly furtado by Lawrence http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-842 Lawrence Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:56:56 +0000 http://www.capitalstudios.net/?p=4#comment-842 Well me too found this page googling for nelly furtado kick distorted. I'm into producing myself and while despite of it all I still like the song, the distortion in Say it Right is of a type that should be 'not done'. It sounds as if it was mixed on some sort of digital console where the kick is really really way in the red! It distracts. Fact that some other people are making remarks about it prooves the point of it being somewhat a bad thing. Anyway, I'll live ;-) Well me too found this page googling for nelly furtado kick distorted. I’m into producing myself and while despite of it all I still like the song, the distortion in Say it Right is of a type that should be ‘not done’. It sounds as if it was mixed on some sort of digital console where the kick is really really way in the red! It distracts. Fact that some other people are making remarks about it prooves the point of it being somewhat a bad thing.

Anyway, I’ll live ;-)

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