Name some albums.

[Perishh]

I'm talking recent albums where the production quality has really blown you away and even better if it is a relatively unknown band. I now find myself listening to the production quality as closely as the music so sometimes its hard to get into a song if you can pick it to pieces cause of all the faults.

After searching these forums I had heard good things about the new Blind Witness, I have been spinning that disc ever since I got my hands on it. So good! Love everything about it, suits the style of the band perfectly.

The new As I Lay Dying its exremely polished as well however I feel its lacking some dynamics because of how tightly it was edited. Still and excellent album.

Any others?

 

[ahjteam]

CapeNape and the Foundation - Karma Collection



Karnivool - Themata



Gojira - The Way of All Flesh



The Devin Townsend Project - Addicted!



Khoma - Second Wave



Faith No More - King for a Day, Fool for a Lifetime

 

[egan.]

The new AIC.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

King's X - Dogman. The low end is absolutely insane on this album. Check it out at once if you're not familiar!
Faith No More - Angel Dust. The beginning of Midlife Crisis, need I say more?

 

[egan.]

How far are we stretching "recent"?

 

[Perishh]

I'd say last few years... Maybe 2007 onward. Productions that are really pushing the boundaries.

ajhteam out of those bands you listed I have only heard Gojira and Devin.. I'll be sure to check the others out!

 

[Morgan C]

Recently, I love Slash's album's mix (altho the vocals are often quite flat/lifeless.. you'd think with so many awesome vocalists they'd pick better mics), the whole thing is very 70's with a modern twist, guitars and drums are really unique and awesome.

Deftone's Diamond Eyes (song moreso than the album) is pretty fucking kickass. Emery's album is decent, altho the mix varies from song to song. Same with Underoath's latest.


But the best productions I've heard in a long time are..


Bar the overly loud master (clipping the whole fucking time on some songs, for ballads! I usually don't get annoyed by loudness but this pisses me off), perfect. Natural vocals, sometimes they're doubled really loosely but totally in tune which sounds awesome. The drums are really roomy, I just think everything fits absolutely perfectly.



[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUPILO5ycqg&feature=related[/ame]
Possibly tops it, maybe just cos I like the music more. Super natural drums, everything blends yet is perfectly audible when it's needed to be. Plus no overly loud master, I honestly can't find a flaw in this mix.

 

[AboutBlank]

Emery's album is decent

+1
Yeah man,
In shallow seas... is such a sick record.
I love the snare and the overall sound of the album, just awesome.

But otherwise, they are genius, the voices are insane!

 

[Harry Hughes]

Recently, I love Slash's album's mix (altho the vocals are often quite flat/lifeless.. you'd think with so many awesome vocalists they'd pick better mics), the whole thing is very 70's with a modern twist, guitars and drums are really unique and awesome.

Deftone's Diamond Eyes (song moreso than the album) is pretty fucking kickass. Emery's album is decent, altho the mix varies from song to song. Same with Underoath's latest.


But the best productions I've heard in a long time are..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65wt6LUuxsk

Bar the overly loud master (clipping the whole fucking time on some songs, for ballads! I usually don't get annoyed by loudness but this pisses me off), perfect. Natural vocals, sometimes they're doubled really loosely but totally in tune which sounds awesome. The drums are really roomy, I just think everything fits absolutely perfectly.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUPILO5ycqg&feature=related
Possibly tops it, maybe just cos I like the music more. Super natural drums, everything blends yet is perfectly audible when it's needed to be. Plus no overly loud master, I honestly can't find a flaw in this mix.

Holy shit, you like The Reign of Kindo too
I've been obsessed with them over the last 3 months or so.
The tracking, mix and mastering on their Rhythm, Chord and Melody release is so fucking perfect.
While obviously virtually no really distorted guitars in there, for anyone that's doing stuff with clean guitars and pianos, it's basically THE perfect production reference

 

[Harry Hughes]

If we are talking metal and rock, here's my list:

Paramore - Riot!
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Nickelback - Dark Horse (musically it's one of the worst rock albums I've heard thoughuke
Katatonia - Night is the New Day (while not as technically perfect as some other metal albums out there, it has this amazing natural vibe to it and the production lends itself to a massive amount of atmosphere)
Gojira - The Way of All Flesh (probably one of the best metal productions ever, no doubt helped by the immense talent of the band itself)

While maybe not THAT recent, but Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory" album is just fucking incredible sounding. 10 years on, it still kicks the pants off many of today's production.
Mixed by none other than Andy Wallace. The guy has way too much fucking talent. It's depressing, because I'll never be that good.
For a while I was really digging the Clayman production, but I've really started to prefer how Hybrid Theory sounds.

Stabbing the Drama by Soilwork too.
I came across the album 2 years ago, but never really properly listened to it until last year, and then I started getting interested in production and then I realized just how amazing it sounds.
The separation is just unreal, yet at the same time everything gels perfectly.
It utilizes the frequency spectrum so well.

I guess I could say that for metal, Hybrid Theory, The Way of All Flesh and Stabbing the Drama are my top 3 favorite productions.

 

[nwright]

The one mix lately that I am digging more so than most is the latest Job for a Cowboy, Ruination. Everything is in your face, drums are dry but pack a huge punch, overall just different enough to stand out on it's own for me.

 

[Morgan C]

Holy shit, you like The Reign of Kindo too
I've been obsessed with them over the last 3 months or so.
The tracking, mix and mastering on their Rhythm, Chord and Melody release is so fucking perfect.
While obviously virtually no really distorted guitars in there, for anyone that's doing stuff with clean guitars and pianos, it's basically THE perfect production reference

Love them, not a weak song on the album.

Nickelback - Dark Horse
Stabbing the Drama by Soilwork too.

:S
Nickelback album sounds SO fucking squashed to me, the drum decay is weird, there's no punch, the guitar tone is weird and oversaturated, the cymbals are practically nonexistant and I'm 99% sure the drums are entirely fucking programmed.

STD.. I know it gets a lot of love around here but the more I listen to it the less I like it. The drums sound fake and plasticky, the bass is scooped to FUCK and I can't make out wtf the guitars are playing, just a fizzy mess to my ears. Was listening to one song in the car tonight and it came to a solo guitar break and I honestly struggled to hear what notes the guitar was playing (was just picked single notes too, not something complex). :/ Agree on the rest tho

 

[StefTD]

Stabbing the Drama get's my vote, most of the time when I listen to some random songs
and than switch to one of STDs songs I just get blown away, it just sounds perfect to me.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Heh, I missed the word "recent", sorry

 

[GarethSE]

Massive +1 to hybrid theory's production. that album sounds fucking TITS

 

[chrisrivalry]

he is legend, suck out the poison

 

[mjlaudio]

Both of Karnivool's albums are shockingly good.

 

[gabriel g.]

counterparts - prophets.....produced and mixed by our forum bro Jval

 

[MetalJonesy]

Recently, I love Slash's album's mix (altho the vocals are often quite flat/lifeless.. you'd think with so many awesome vocalists they'd pick better mics), the whole thing is very 70's with a modern twist, guitars and drums are really unique and awesome.

Deftone's Diamond Eyes (song moreso than the album) is pretty fucking kickass. Emery's album is decent, altho the mix varies from song to song.

I love the sound on that Slash record! and same with Diamond Eyes, total +1 on both!!!!!

Mics used on slash's were varied like.. M shadows uses his typical setup i think (AKG long thing) same with ozzy, obs the SM7 has been thrown around there, along with Neuman stuff too i think.

 

[AllanD]

Massive +1 to hybrid theory's production. that album sounds fucking TITS

+2