The drums on Rather Ripped?
 

first of all i don't know a thing about recording... so excuse me if i get the terminology mixed up...


ok, so i've listened to the album like 10 times now... and i what strikes me about the albums is the way the drums sound... not the playing, steve is great as always...


but the way they are recorded/mixed... i remember reading somewhere that a lot of people feel the drums are poorly recorded on "sister"... but i love the way the drums sounds on that album...


now, as we all know mp3's and drums is not a great combo, cymbals in particular... but i doubt that's the problem here...



the drums are WAY to low in the mix... they also sound really "flat"...



does anyone of the (few) people who have actually decided to listen to it before official release agree?

I wouldnt know i'm waiting till it comes out and buying it.

I know right? How about the sweet liner notes and artwork in the little booklet it comes with?

You know what? I haven't heard the album yet so I can't really comment about how the drums sound.

yeah, well...

Oh.

Okay then.


And those parentheses around 'few' are so necessary, thanks.

I haven't heard the new album yet, but I'm one of those who thinks the drums on Sister are poorly recorded. They sound very muffled to me and the snares don't have any kick. The bass drum also sounds dead. It's most noticeable on Schizophrenia but it does sound better on Stereo Sanctity and Cotton Crown. I wish they would re-master the album, but I from what I hear they recorded over the masters with Experimental Jet Set.

i read that the drums on sister sounded funny because they were using a board that didn't have any tubes, which was one thing sonic youth was really into. The board didn't produce the warmth that tubes provide. i listened to Rather Ripped, and i think the drums are at a weird level too. it's odd, but not bad. the mix is growing on me.

yeah, i agree that the newer sonic albums are recorded badly. but i prefer the way drums are recorded than guitar... its almost like someone doing it at home or something

It was the opposite of that with the drums on Sister.

The drums on Sister sound great. It's one of the defining things about that record that make it what it is. If that makes sense.

hebbel, i agree wholeheartedly. it sounds like the drums are way back in the mix when they should be way up front, especially in "sleepin around." it's definitely a guitar heavy album, as are most sonic youth records, but that's hardly a reason to mix the drums so far back.

that said, i'm going to wait to make judgements until i hear it on vinyl.

oh and a side note, the general production of the album sounds great, better than the past couple albums. lee's vocals on "rats" remind me of the vocal production on daydream nation.

i like the production..it will sound great on vinyl!!! it will be really WARM!!

Maybe it's because you are listening to a shitty "ripped" copy of it.

mayb there jsut low off the ripped version, i rember i got some nurse songs eraly and the drums were totaly louder on my bought copy....maybe due to lower kps or whatever, or maybe idk, but the bought copy sounded totaly better clearer etc.

but im not against previewing the album, if I knew where i could listen i would; im stil going to buy it june 13, but maybe there will b a japenese version with bonus tracks; then i hav to buy that a month later! but then i just giv the regular copy to my friend.

as far as the drums sounds on sister, you might think they sound great but steve was not happy with the sound of them when the album was finished. i haven't heard the new album yet because I'm waiting for it. as for the production on the later albums, these are not recorded badly at all they are all beautiful sounding records, what is recorded badly about them, was the gain stucture all wrong, maybe the eq, maybe too much compression i'd love to know your opinion

it might be that the bad sound of drums you can hear is caused by a rip, that is only 128kbps... wait for original cd, maybe the drums will sound much better. mp3 ripping ussualy destroys drums the most, expecially cymbals, hi hats and so on...

in the mixes that i am hearing now, the drums sound very compressed and the levels are way down. theres basically no dynamic range, and the snare sounds a little out of phase at times (especially on "incinerate"). as far as width, the drums don't seem to be panned nearly as widely as the guitars. the EQs are pretty bottom-heavy, not just on the drums, but on the entire mix. sounds a little muddy sometimes, but then again, it does seem to work with kim's voice.

that said, i had similar feelings before sonic nurse came out, and everything sounded great when i bought the official cd. i hope the mix is a lot better on the actual album, and i have a feeling it will be.

mp3 will kill some of the dynamic range. when you say the snare sounds a little out of phase what do you mean? it is either in phase or it is out of phase. i guess though if there were multiple mics used on the snare close toghether and both used in the mix you are likely to have phasing issues. is there no bottom end in the snare at all? i guessing all these mixes are just rough mixes any way and not the final mixes for release.