27 Sep
2009
27 Sep
'09
9:30 a.m.
Fons Adriaensen wrote:
Hi Dave,
LOL!. Yep, I think that's exactly the effect they were aiming for. It's
a bit hard to believe that a trained studio engineer would do that kind
of thing. It was probably a producer's decision.
In the 1960s American Decca damned near ruined the releases of Andres
Segovia by pouring a bucket of reverb on the pseudo-stereo recordings.
Thankfully I got hold of the European recordings and enjoyed the Maestro's
works without the faked "castle hall" ambience.
Of course some people *do* like Segovia and classical
guitar in general with this sort of 'ambience'. Maybe
also some crackling noises from the fireplace and some
chilly wind outside, between the tracks. And some castle
maiden vocalising in the spiral stairs (even more reverb).
But I agree it's horrible !
Just awful. The sonic difference is of course notable. Btw, the fake
stereo was an annoyance by itself. IIRC they simply copied the original
mono track to the second channel and delayed it slightly. Add the bucket
o' verb and you have a truly awful mix. Actually, those releases are my
standards for how NOT to treat a classical guitar recording.
Think how much better off they would have been with jconv. :)
Best,
dp