Metallurgist goes Homebound

[The_Metallurgist]

I'm not too sure about the top end though, the voice sounds just a little muffled to my ears....

i'm not sure either.

i had a CD recommendation from a regular forum participant concerning a mixing technique that i found interesting. i took a quick preview on some dodgy 128kbps streamer then went out and bought it. within seconds of the first audition, i felt robbed! it was as muddy as hell and i actually found it fatiguing in the low end. i checked out some reviews....2 from the US and 2 from the UK. only one commented on the warmth, it was the Brit. our ears are used to a more balanced spectral distribution, but it was the genre which characteristically necessitated it's uncharacteristic warmth of delivery....uncharacteristic that is, to my ears. i'd never come across a master like this before. ever. but the genre is outside of my Terms of Reference. but i am a fan of Knopfler's...harping back to the Dire Straits days, so that's perhaps why i was caught off guard by the mastering.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateering_%28album%29

it would have been interesting to know the tracking signal chain with the Secretariat material. the reason for doing so concerns my challenge in seeking a brighter presentation. the first thing that happened was the revelation of harshness in the guitar. it's not helped by the fact that we have two entirely dissimilar instruments on one track, of course. naturally, each will necessitate a different approach in the sound shaping, and while applying one EQ to help the vocal, the same parameter will simply nail the guitar and release a few gremlins; something of a vicious circle then commences. same with compression too, of course.

difficult choice...so i took the coward's way out and cried genre! yeah, it's cheating, but this part of the mix process had me well beat. though perhaps we were trying to fight something that didn't need fighting? it would be nice to get some ideas and views, especially from our American cousin forum participants on that.

thanks for dropping by and sharing your ideas and so forth. appreciated.