I got this one today from the Record producer:


How can a record be a hit, yet sound terrible? Is the quest for audio quality pointless in today's market?
By David Mellor

Take a clever song, add a capable performer, record, mix and master with the best in the business, and you end up with...
http://www.recordproducer.com/audio/110830/firework.wav
(IMPORTANT - This is a 5 megabyte .wav file, which we recommend that you download to audition. Please wait until it has downloaded completely otherwise it is unlikely that it will play.)

If you don't know this song, then you must have been living under a rock since it was released. A quadruple-platinum award confirms its commercial success, and presumably its appeal to the market.

So why does it sound so terrible?

You don't have to listen carefully to hear the huge amount of distortion, which seems mainly on the kick drum. It's as plain as day that something went dreadfully wrong in the recording process, or dreadfully right if that's what the market wants.

But the fact is that you, dear reader, are an audio enthusiast. You're listening on quality equipment that can reveal the distortion. (And if you're not, then you are probably on your way to the studio where you can hear it in the highest of fidelity.)

The market doesn't listen on hi-fi these days. They don't even aspire to hi-fi. They are happy with their car stereo, kitchen radio, TV, ear-buds, computer speakers (click here if you want a laugh) or phone on speaker mode.

So they can't hear the distortion. What they can hear however is excitement. That's how they interpret the distorted kick, which has to be extremely distorted for the 'excitement' to get through.

The rest of us, with decent-quality audio systems, hear something that is really rather objectionable and spoils a nice song.

Two questions...

In the light of this, I have two questions for you...

1. Should we just give up on audio quality and give the market what it seems to want?

2. Is there any other hit record that actually sounds worse than this?!



I actually never heard this song but after listening to the file I think humanity is doomed...

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Pro. violinist who likes some experiments...
www.myspace.com/pagannini

This isn't really a record but the worst sound hit song ever is definitely Friday

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Sonos Wordpress II Sonos Blogger II Sonos Ezine

Quote Johnny Stecchino:

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1. Should we just give up on audio quality and give the market what it seems to want?

2. Is there any other hit record that actually sounds worse than this?!

I actually never heard this song but after listening to the file I think humanity is doomed...

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1. Go back a century or so, and this debate existed in a similar form - cylinders versus disks. Edison's machines even went out on tone test tours, where a singer would cut in during playback to demonstrate the totally lifelike and superior reproduction, though there was a bit of cheating involved. Fast forward to the sixties and along came people like Joe Meek who, yes, shock, horror, deliberately distorted things, and them there dadblasted pop buying teenagers loved it. And its a repeating feature - artists and producers are always finding new ways to mangle sound to surprise and delight emerging generations of pop lovers, while purists and reactionaries listen in horror and bemoan the end of the world.

2. Who cares? :-)

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http://www.piethaag.com

"Livin' la vida loca" is about the most distorted "hit" I recall hearing.

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There's nothing we can't face... Except for bunnies

Sugababes - "About you now". There's a decent pop song under all that over-produced shite, trying to get out. Trouble is, the producer simply won't stop throwing stuff at it, and the result is a garbled mess.

Just looked up who was responsible for it. Dr Luke. Checked what else he's done. Yep, he's come up with a load of other sh1te too. Only someone this awful could give the world the disaster that is Katy Perry's recordings. She was on the radio last year (Radio 1?) and I honestly didn't recognise her - she can really sing well, and she did brilliant live performances of a few songs. But her recordings are all just an over-autotuned, distorted fizzy mess.

He does have a few decent songs to his credit. Presumably those artists sat with him in his studio and threatened to cut his f**king hands off if he touched that f**king mouse one more f**king time...

Quote Sheriton:

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"Livin' la vida loca" is about the most distorted "hit" I recall hearing.

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Apparently it was the first entirely ITB No.1 hit .... http://www.mixonline.com/mag/audio_recordin_la_vida/

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www.piethaag.com

Quote Soundseed:

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Quote Sheriton:

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"Livin' la vida loca" is about the most distorted "hit" I recall hearing.

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Apparently it was the first entirely ITB No.1 hit .... http://www.mixonline.com/mag/audio_recordin_la_vida/

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www.piethaag.com

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Yes, the reason it won a Grammy I believe.

I always thought it sounded quite harsh like the the early days of digital sound, and it really shows when it's played loud.

Firework has nothing to do with Dr Luke. The clue in the sound should be "produced by Sandy Vee"...... Brian Gardner is also heavy handed.... but hey... it's the style of the track. The sound quality is spot on - i.e. - it's as intended. The decision making may be questionable to some (me included) but that's pop for ya!! All attention grabbing distortion.

Quote Johnny Stecchino:

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The rest of us, with decent-quality audio systems, hear something that is really rather objectionable and spoils a nice song.

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Eh? Nice song?

Quote Johnny Stecchino:

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2. Is there any other hit record that actually sounds worse than this?!

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I can't be bothered to point y'all at an example, but there are countless K-pop (Korean Pop) hits that are so poorly produced they, er, ah hell, here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH01RKvKUNs

OK, it might not have been a hit over there but I get assaulted with this stuff all day in coffee shops, ringtones, subway ads, etc...

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http://ryanmead.net

Listen to the new Calvin Harris song, it's sounds terrible to me, you can here his looped cuts in the main guitar parts, it's really wooden and jumpy at parts and not mention the piano sounds terrible.

I didn't realise it was Calvin Harris but when they play it at my gym the guitar really hurts my fraking ears!

I'll contribute in adding my vote for Black Eyed Peas as worst sounding record/s.

Quote smash4686:

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I'll contribute in adding my vote for Black Eyed Peas as worst sounding record/s.

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I dislike their current output, but their first album has some very good stuff on it, plus the first two Will I Am albums are very good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzB0KufYdxA A beautiful track.

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http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

Quote ryan mead:

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I can't be bothered to point y'all at an example, but there are countless K-pop (Korean Pop) hits that are so poorly produced they, er, ah hell, here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH01RKvKUNs

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Man.. has someone been reading my dreams?

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'These are my principles and if you don't like them...well, I have others' (Groucho Marx) www.ownlittleworld.net/tunes.html

I think this slightly misses the point.

Firstly... Most of us on this forum aren't in danger of winning a grammy any time soon. Sorry, but there it is.

And secondly...

I don't know about you, but personally when I record and mix someone's music I don't try to produce the very best sound I can because I think someone else will like it, I do it for me.

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Daniel Davis
Edinburgh Recording Studio Windmill Sound

Quote Daniel Davis:

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I think this slightly misses the point.

Firstly... Most of us on this forum aren't in danger of winning a grammy any time soon. Sorry, but there it is.

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begging your pardon.... ahem....

Quote Pangloss:

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Quote ryan mead:

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I can't be bothered to point y'all at an example, but there are countless K-pop (Korean Pop) hits that are so poorly produced they, er, ah hell, here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH01RKvKUNs

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Man.. has someone been reading my dreams?

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It's actually quite pleasant listening if you keep your eyes on the screen, hit "mute" and put on, say, the stone roses...

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http://ryanmead.net

Ok this isn't a hit, as its not released. But as far as mainstream productions go, it surely has to be the worst of all time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtLaRDvREC8 - far worse than Rebecca Black

Quote Wilsonitex:

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Listen to the new Calvin Harris song, it's sounds terrible to me, you can here his looped cuts in the main guitar parts, it's really wooden and jumpy at parts and not mention the piano sounds terrible.

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yes! i thought it was just me that got really irritated by that dodgy loop...

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