MOJO Special Spolier

[?]

There is surface noise on this but that's because it's a yellow vinyl 45.

I doubt that's the reason.  It's probably just a noisy pressing.  Most of my colored vinyl sounds wonderful and plays without any noise fwiw.

[Sam_BFC]

I'm not suggesting anything with Smile other than wondering who might be doing the mastering, thinking if Mark Linett did the mixing and assembly someone else would be mastering it. As of yet I haven't seen any credits for who was doing the nuts-and-bolts recording/mixing/mastering work on this project.

I think Mark might have done both the mixing and mastering for the Pet Sounds Sessions?

If so I guess it is entirely possible that he will do the same for Smile.

[buddhahat]

This may have been asked in the previous 15 pages, but who's Dennis Wolfe?

http://austin2011.sched.org/denniswolfe

[desmondo]

What I want to know is - as someone who has never "mastered" a song professionally but who has hired professionals to master mixes and songs I've been involved with - what is the mindset behind the current mastering of the Smile catalog? Was it going for a 2011 standard of higher volume and more compression to reach that volume (extreme examples being Metallica, Californication, etc...), or was a 1967 sensibility considered for these tracks?

To take a modern example, I would imagine and hope that the mastering will be similar to that of the reissue of Dennis' solo albums back in 2008...tasteful indeed it was IMO.

People talk about this 'extreme' mastering in such albums as Californication and Metallica and then mention TLOS in the same breath; TLOS was too 'loud' in parts I think but nothing like the 'extreme' mastering jobs mentioned, and I really can't see The Smile Sessions being anything like as loud as these!

I didn't even consider or mention TLOS - those are the extreme *to the extreme* examples I could think of immediately that are probably the most often cited when discussing the problems with modern mastering. Once someone gets away with that, others think it's OK to follow suit, and tailoring songs to sound a certain way over tiny ear buds while working out in a gym or riding a subway car becomes acceptable no matter how bad (objective statement...) the song might actually sound...and these songs are not mixed that way when the band gets done with them, it's in the hands of the mastering folks.

My really extreme historical example is one of my later Henry Mancini "Music From Peter Gunn" reissues, where they mastered it loud to the point of distortion on a few tracks, and that to me is akin to blasphemy since it is one of the finest and most sonically pure jazz recordings ever, a hi-fi staple for decades that was given the "modern treatment" and it killed my ears to hear it that way.

I'm not suggesting anything with Smile other than wondering who might be doing the mastering, thinking if Mark Linett did the mixing and assembly someone else would be mastering it. As of yet I haven't seen any credits for who was doing the nuts-and-bolts recording/mixing/mastering work on this project.

Credits on back of single

Mixed and mastered by Mark Linett
Mix produced by ML and AB

Not sure Mark will be mastering the actual box set though

[Andrew G. Doe]

Someone finally posted "Cabin Essence" from the single on youtube so us mere mortals can hear it (ahem).
http://youtu.be/8KntylDaudk
Boy, except for the surface noise—I think the infatuation with vinyl is anti-music myself—I've never heard this song sound more powerful. Great, great mix. In mono, this sounds like what I think BW had in mind all along: tender, spooky, ageless, and deep. It's also more complete-sounding as an arrangement than I've ever heard it before. I think they got the balances just right.
It's not the left side of the stereo mix. What a goofy idea, sorry. And If ya can't trust Mark and Alan, I just dunno what to say.

I agree totally. Man the fellow who even dared suggest that the 45 mixes were just fold down mixes ought to be publically executed.

Errrrr - AGD was that you 

Nope, I actually pointed out that if the "CE" was a fold-down, it would sound horrible due to the ADT. I suggested it might be a hard pan of one of the stereo channels. I'm sure we'll see who's right in the fullness of time. 

[guitarfool2002]

What I want to know is - as someone who has never "mastered" a song professionally but who has hired professionals to master mixes and songs I've been involved with - what is the mindset behind the current mastering of the Smile catalog? Was it going for a 2011 standard of higher volume and more compression to reach that volume (extreme examples being Metallica, Californication, etc...), or was a 1967 sensibility considered for these tracks?

To take a modern example, I would imagine and hope that the mastering will be similar to that of the reissue of Dennis' solo albums back in 2008...tasteful indeed it was IMO.

People talk about this 'extreme' mastering in such albums as Californication and Metallica and then mention TLOS in the same breath; TLOS was too 'loud' in parts I think but nothing like the 'extreme' mastering jobs mentioned, and I really can't see The Smile Sessions being anything like as loud as these!

I didn't even consider or mention TLOS - those are the extreme *to the extreme* examples I could think of immediately that are probably the most often cited when discussing the problems with modern mastering. Once someone gets away with that, others think it's OK to follow suit, and tailoring songs to sound a certain way over tiny ear buds while working out in a gym or riding a subway car becomes acceptable no matter how bad (objective statement...) the song might actually sound...and these songs are not mixed that way when the band gets done with them, it's in the hands of the mastering folks.

My really extreme historical example is one of my later Henry Mancini "Music From Peter Gunn" reissues, where they mastered it loud to the point of distortion on a few tracks, and that to me is akin to blasphemy since it is one of the finest and most sonically pure jazz recordings ever, a hi-fi staple for decades that was given the "modern treatment" and it killed my ears to hear it that way.

I'm not suggesting anything with Smile other than wondering who might be doing the mastering, thinking if Mark Linett did the mixing and assembly someone else would be mastering it. As of yet I haven't seen any credits for who was doing the nuts-and-bolts recording/mixing/mastering work on this project.

Credits on back of single

Mixed and mastered by Mark Linett
Mix produced by ML and AB

Not sure Mark will be mastering the actual box set though

Thanks for the info on the single credits! Joe Gastwirt mastered "Pet Sounds Sessions", but his name was mis-spelled in the liners (as Gaswirt). Usual procedures would have the mixing and mastering done by separate engineers through different equipment, but we can only wait to see how this Smile project plays out.

Man, I wish Mark Linett would jump in on some of these questions, he'd answer this stuff in a flash...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Man, I wish Mark Linett would jump in on some of these questions, he'd answer this stuff in a flash...

I hear he's kinda busy right now.

[guitarfool2002]

Man, I wish Mark Linett would jump in on some of these questions, he'd answer this stuff in a flash...

I hear he's kinda busy right now.

Maybe we can catch him reading posts on a lunch break, get a few Yes or No answers from him...

[rab2591]

Someone finally posted "Cabin Essence" from the single on youtube so us mere mortals can hear it (ahem).
http://youtu.be/8KntylDaudk
Boy, except for the surface noise—I think the infatuation with vinyl is anti-music myself—I've never heard this song sound more powerful. Great, great mix. In mono, this sounds like what I think BW had in mind all along: tender, spooky, ageless, and deep. It's also more complete-sounding as an arrangement than I've ever heard it before. I think they got the balances just right.
It's not the left side of the stereo mix. What a goofy idea, sorry. If ya can't trust Mark and Alan, I just dunno what to say.

thanks for posting. Mike's lead in the coda has never sounded so pronounced.....Love it....I can't wait to hear the other mixes!

[desmondo]

Someone finally posted "Cabin Essence" from the single on youtube so us mere mortals can hear it (ahem).
http://youtu.be/8KntylDaudk
Boy, except for the surface noise—I think the infatuation with vinyl is anti-music myself—I've never heard this song sound more powerful. Great, great mix. In mono, this sounds like what I think BW had in mind all along: tender, spooky, ageless, and deep. It's also more complete-sounding as an arrangement than I've ever heard it before. I think they got the balances just right.
It's not the left side of the stereo mix. What a goofy idea, sorry. And If ya can't trust Mark and Alan, I just dunno what to say.

I agree totally. Man the fellow who even dared suggest that the 45 mixes were just fold down mixes ought to be publically executed.

Errrrr - AGD was that you 

Nope, I actually pointed out that if the "CE" was a fold-down, it would sound horrible due to the ADT. I suggested it might be a hard pan of one of the stereo channels. I'm sure we'll see who's right in the fullness of time. 

But you started it

No I didn't

Yes you did

No I didn't

Yes you did

See posts 43 and 90

[desmondo]

Someone finally posted "Cabin Essence" from the single on youtube so us mere mortals can hear it (ahem).
http://youtu.be/8KntylDaudk
Boy, except for the surface noise—I think the infatuation with vinyl is anti-music myself—I've never heard this song sound more powerful. Great, great mix. In mono, this sounds like what I think BW had in mind all along: tender, spooky, ageless, and deep. It's also more complete-sounding as an arrangement than I've ever heard it before. I think they got the balances just right.
It's not the left side of the stereo mix. What a goofy idea, sorry. And If ya can't trust Mark and Alan, I just dunno what to say.

I agree totally. Man the fellow who even dared suggest that the 45 mixes were just fold down mixes ought to be publically executed.

Errrrr - AGD was that you 

Nope, I actually pointed out that if the "CE" was a fold-down, it would sound horrible due to the ADT. I suggested it might be a hard pan of one of the stereo channels. I'm sure we'll see who's right in the fullness of time. 

Respectfully of course

[Shady]

Can anyone help me with this.

The picture of Brian on the cover of the magazine, is that a new unreleased one or does anyone have a copy they could post?

[The Shift]

Maybe we can catch him reading posts on a lunch break, get a few Yes or No answers from him...

I love the idea that Mark has nothing better to do in his lunch break than read this board and post here! Surely he's got a real life – no-one's that sad! Right? Erm… 

[bgas]

Maybe we can catch him reading posts on a lunch break, get a few Yes or No answers from him...

I love the idea that Mark has nothing better to do in his lunch break than read this board and post here! Surely he's got a real life – no-one's that sad! Right? Erm… 

I don't think Mark has time for lunch, dinner or breakfast; he's losing wight fast as he spends 24/7 working on this box to get it ready in time for its imminent and ever closer release date.

[Roger Ryan]

Maybe we can catch him reading posts on a lunch break, get a few Yes or No answers from him...

I love the idea that Mark has nothing better to do in his lunch break than read this board and post here! Surely he's got a real life – no-one's that sad! Right? Erm… 

Actually, Mark has been quite kind in the past to occasionally post here and answer technical questions and correct misunderstandings. He has visited this site since the official SMiLE SESSIONS box set announcement, but has not commented. I'm sure once the set has been released, he will field a few questions and try to keep us in line...if we haven't completely torn each other apart by then!

[The Shift]

Maybe we can catch him reading posts on a lunch break, get a few Yes or No answers from him...

I love the idea that Mark has nothing better to do in his lunch break than read this board and post here! Surely he's got a real life – no-one's that sad! Right? Erm… 

Actually, Mark has been quite kind in the past to occasionally post here and answer technical questions and correct misunderstandings. He has visited this site since the official SMiLE SESSIONS box set announcement, but has not commented. I'm sure once the set has been released, he will field a few questions and try to keep us in line...if we haven't completely torn each other apart by then!

Aye, I'm aware, I was just poking fun at those of us who seem to have been here 24/7 since March!

[buddhahat]

Aye, I'm aware, I was just poking fun at those of us who seem to have been here 24/7 since March!

Guilty!  

As far as Mark answering questions goes, presumably Capitol would not be best pleased if he was giving away information before this thing is released. Might he even have signed some confidentiality agreement?

[guitarfool2002]

Aye, I'm aware, I was just poking fun at those of us who seem to have been here 24/7 since March!

Guilty!  

As far as Mark answering questions goes, presumably Capitol would not be best pleased if he was giving away information before this thing is released. Might he even have signed some confidentiality agreement?

It's very likely that happened! Isn't it amazing to step back and think how all this revolves around music which is now 44 years old? Not trade secrets, not military-industrial espionage, not the secret data-mining formula Google uses to track web browsing habits...just a collection of unfinished tracks from 1966-67. Amazing.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Someone finally posted "Cabin Essence" from the single on youtube so us mere mortals can hear it (ahem).
http://youtu.be/8KntylDaudk
Boy, except for the surface noise—I think the infatuation with vinyl is anti-music myself—I've never heard this song sound more powerful. Great, great mix. In mono, this sounds like what I think BW had in mind all along: tender, spooky, ageless, and deep. It's also more complete-sounding as an arrangement than I've ever heard it before. I think they got the balances just right.
It's not the left side of the stereo mix. What a goofy idea, sorry. And If ya can't trust Mark and Alan, I just dunno what to say.

I agree totally. Man the fellow who even dared suggest that the 45 mixes were just fold down mixes ought to be publically executed.

It was Andrew who first suggested that it may one channel of the 20/20 mix. And it was me who synched the tracks and discovered that it most probably was.

I do hope tp god you are not directing this execution threat to me!

I expressed an educated opinion, and in no way criticised the track, and was careful to say that due to  missing tapes this was probably their only course of action.

I am always very respectful of other people on this site, even if I do not agree with them.

If this was directed to me booger fooger or whatever your name is then this is unacceptable. Don't even joke about killing someone. I find it extremely threatening and offensive.

Would this offend anyone else to be told you should be executed, or am I over reacting?

I'm all for debate, and have a thick skin, but I feel this crosses a line.

And if you don't agree with me, then synch the f*cking tracks yourself. To me it seems pretty obvious, unless you don't have the intelligence to understand  my earlier posts.

Aplogies to everyone else for this outburst, but this really p*ssed me off.

[bgas]

Off wit 'is head!!

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Off wit 'is head!!

Offensive.

And not just because I'm Jewish.

[bgas]

Off wit 'is head!!

Offensive.

And not just because I'm Jewish.

being Jewish would make you more offensive?

[stack-o-tracks]

If this was directed to me booger fooger or whatever your name is then this is unacceptable. Don't even joke about killing someone. I find it extremely threatening and offensive.

Would this offend anyone else to be told you should be executed, or am I over reacting?

Are you... actually serious? Or do you just not spend a lot of time on the internet? A place where people say and do the things they can't in real life.

Now if he shows up at your house wielding some sort of weapon, you should feel threatened and offended.

[rab2591]

If this was directed to me booger fooger or whatever your name is then this is unacceptable. Don't even joke about killing someone. I find it extremely threatening and offensive.

Would this offend anyone else to be told you should be executed, or am I over reacting?

Are you... actually serious? Or do you just not spend a lot of time on the internet? A place where people say and do the things they can't in real life.

Now if he shows up at your house wielding some sort of weapon, you should feel threatened and offended.

Stack-O-Tracks kinda has a point here.

The original comment was tasteless but obviously made in jest - however, I'd still feel odd about being told I should be publicly executed over something so trivial. Now, if I said that Summer In Paradise was a FAR better album than Pet Sounds, well, the person may have a point

[Mr. Cohen]

As far as Mark answering questions goes, presumably Capitol would not be best pleased if he was giving away information before this thing is released. Might he even have signed some confidentiality agreement?

I don't get why Capitol would care so much. It's not like these are strategic weapons secrets. It's just a 40+ year old Beach Boys project! And honestly, people who are going to buy The Smile Sesssions are going to buy it no matter what information is or isn't leaked. In fact, a few more leaks would generate additional excitement for the release!  The only way keeping everything secret could be working out in their favor is if they haven't found much of anything that isn't already booted, meaning that we're only going to get higher quality versions of what we already have. That's why the "Cabin Essence" single didn't impress me much. For example - an unheard alternative "Heroes and Villains" mix - even if it was from a scratchy acetate - would've been considerably more exciting.

Don't get me wrong, getting high quality versions of what we already have is a GREAT thing, but it's not the earth-shattering breakthrough all the silence has some people preparing for.