Mix References with Great Front-To-Back Depth

[ITHertz]

Hi Folks,

As the subject says, I'm looking for songs/mixes that have great front-to-back depth. Film soundtracks, orchestral, any style is fine so long as it has great depth.

Cheers,

Chris

[John Willett]

You will likely need simple two-microphone stereo recordings.

One of the best recordings with depth I ever heard was a mono wildlife recording made with a single mic.

[The Elf]

Not really a musical reference, but if you can find the ancient soundfield demo done by Mike Skeet you'll have a prime example of a recording with incredible natural depth.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Not really a musical reference, but if you can find the ancient soundfield demo done by Mike Skeet you'll have a prime example of a recording with incredible natural depth.

If you mean 'The Garage Door', I included a link to it in Mike's Obit in the March 2016 issue.

...Mike’s infamous ‘Garage Door’ recording, which was released on a test CD published by Hi-Fi News & Record Review magazine in 1985. Mike wanted to demonstrate how the CD format could capture the “dynamic range of real life” and, using a first-generation Sony PCM-F1 digital recorder and a Soundfield MkIII microphone, he did just that. I won’t spoil the surprise, but it’s definitely a recording that’s well worth hearing — with a cautious initial volume setting! Visit this month’s audio homepage at https://www.soundonsound.com/people/mike-skeet-media to experience it for yourself.

[Drew Stephenson]

On a musical front, a couple that I've been listening to recently that have a good FTB mix are:
The Avett Brothers - No Hard Feelings,
The Wood Brothers - Glad, (in an interesting way)
Gregory Alan Isakov - Caves,
Grant Lee Phillips - Smoke and Sparks.

All pretty much of muchness genre-wise but may be of some help?

[The Elf]

Not really a musical reference, but if you can find the ancient soundfield demo done by Mike Skeet you'll have a prime example of a recording with incredible natural depth.

If you mean 'The Garage Door', I included a link to it in Mike's Obit in the March 2016 issue.

Yes, that's it. Never ceases to amaze me, that recording.

[Wonks]

There's always this comedy classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR1MjoFV9ug

[John Willett]

If you mean 'The Garage Door', I included a link to it in Mike's Obit in the March 2016 issue.

I first heard this from Mike himself.

He sat me down in front of a pair of loudspeakers and then played the original PCM-F1 recording to me.

Magnificent and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Never as good on the second listen, though. A bit like the very start of the original Star Wars magnificent the first time and second time you know what's happening......

[Hugh Robjohns]

Yes, that's it. Never ceases to amaze me, that recording.

It's sublime isn't it? It combines a brilliantly original concept with technical perfection and a wicked sense of humour.

I dread to think how many speaker drivers that track has taken out!

H

[Mike Stranks]

There's always this comedy classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR1MjoFV9ug

... and in a similar vein, the 'Ying Tong' song from The Goons

[Zukan]

If you mean 'The Garage Door', I included a link to it in Mike's Obit in the March 2016 issue.

I first heard this from Mike himself.

He sat me down in front of a pair of loudspeakers and then played the original PCM-F1 recording to me.

Magnificent and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Never as good on the second listen, though. A bit like the very start of the original Star Wars magnificent the first time and second time you know what's happening......

I went through a similar experience when I spent the day with MIke. Truly a Jedi in the audio world.

[Zukan]

The reference I use to calibrate my room etc is Devdas which is an album that is the score from the same named movie.

The level of separation and depth is one of the best I have ever heard from a producer who is not scared to mix orchestral with bangra and modern music.

For genre specific referencing I go with whatever represents that genre best.

[OK1]

Purely by accident a while back I got into something that may sound absolutely unorthodox.

Listening to only one side of stereo recordings, e,g left side only for a few days, and then switch over to the right side only,

Listening to only one speaker (placed centrally), it kinda separates a lot of music for me, even more, if it can sound awesome in one sided "mono", and retain, the complete sense of realism, depth, and whatever the artist intended,

Too many great recordings, to mention, so I'll stick with a shortlist of the most memorable.

Some of them revised my universe of what was possible in an audio recording, in dimensions of perceived dynamic range, frequency range, front to back, wideness -

Sounds ludicrous, how can one mono recording sound wider, bigger with such a huge contrast of tones, than another, all from one speaker, but it can !!!

Thankfully most of these examples, are available on streaming media - Deezer/Spotify, even at the reduced bit rate of the free service,they demonstrates what true masters of the audiocraft can achieve.

1. I discovered this (credit to one of the reviewers of a speaker on Stereophile - IIRC), Leonard Cohen - the album - Popular Problems. listen to the voices, and the contrast of voices, front to back - a sterling set of recordings.......IMHO, this recording and the huge range of frequencies, bottom to sparkling top. - and yes wide - even in one speaker mono.

2. Bob Marley - Legend - the album.

3. Paul Simon - Graceland - the album.

4. The Tiger Lillies - Two Penny Opera (album) - Piss on Your Grave (track) - this song might offend your sensibilities if you are sanctimoniously religious - so fair warning. Superb ambience.... also check out - My Daughter (track)

5. Bass Checkers - pretty much anything by Dr Dre. the 2001 album would be a good place to start. it is as they say - banging - about the heaviest hardest hitting, bass ever heard by mankind, ever knew bass(melodic and drums) could sound like this - deep, explosive, cavernous.!! .... (Parental advisory - ignore the words!!) - the music is a superb test of speaker transient response especially in the bass)..... it has its own sense of extension in frequencies bottom to top(including mid-range), and front to back from the balance of instruments/voices..

You'll need to adjust volume, per track, as their average loudness and dynamic range of the albums differ.

[OK1]

More good examples can be found here :

https://www.digido.com/honor-roll/