Does Steely Dan sound bright to you?
This is going to sound like a somewhat random question but I’m wondering how many of you find Steely Dan’s recordings to sound a bit bright. I’m particularly thinking of Gaucho, and Aja but some other recent recordings, too, such as Fagen’s Nightfly.
My typical media include streaming (CD and HD quality) and CD’s. I have not played my old vinyl because I’m presently without a turntable.
At first I thought it was my system and it was driving me a little bit mental; eventually, I decided it wasn't my stuff, it was their stuff. Because most other recordings on the same system with no other changes don’t typically have the brightness of Steely Dan.
Whether or not you’re a fan (I am) Steely Dan has often been a go-to for testing out equipment, so I imagine there will be experiences people have had about this.
P.S. Any other recordings which, for you are unnaturally bright?
@tablejockey Thanks. Would like to hear on vinyl again. @artemus The brightness has always been there. If anything, the system changes have all helped with brightness, overall -- I'm now at the point where only a couple Steely Dan tunes (and some random others) sound bright. The streaming is "ultra hd" on Amazon. I believe that is beyond CD quality. The brick wall is not affecting other things -- the deflecting boards help with that. (An amazing hack which deserves a detailed write up.) @ebm NO! It’s not about music to listen to, try out, etc. It’s an *example* of music-that-sounds-bright and it’s open to other examples. But thanks for your help in categorizing my posts. Maybe I can check with you first, next time. Trying it in a store is a good idea. Here’s a bit from the band and their longtime engineer. Vinyl fans, get ready to crow. "Three years ago Scheiner, and to a lesser degree Becker, went into fairly great detail about the analogue versus digital debate, while Fagen only let slip that he felt that "digital sound loosens the fillings in your teeth". So three years on, with the dramatically fast developments in digital technology, has anything changed for Scheiner, and how are Fagen’s teeth? Did they survive his work on The Nightfly, which was one of the first best-selling albums recorded to digital, and for years a popular demonstration record in hi-fi stores across the globe? Surely it didn’t sound that bad? And what does he make of digital today? "I haven’t listened to The Nightfly since I made it," replied Fagen, "but the people in these hi-fi stores must have liked something about it. I think most of the way a record sounds is independent of whether it was recorded digital or analogue. So much has to do with the miking, the material, the studios, and the engineer. Having said that, I do think that digital has improved a lot over the years. It doesn’t have that weird scratchy high end any more, and the bass sounds a little better too. But frankly I don’t hear that much of a difference between the two media. As long as bass and drums are recorded to analogue you’re OK. So we recorded the basic tracks to analogue, and for convenience’s sake we loaded them into Pro Tools for overdubbing. To use analogue for overdubbing is just too much of a pain in the ass." Many would agree with Fagen on these points, but strikingly, Scheiner’s attitude appears to have hardened in the last three years. "I don’t think digital will ever catch up with analogue," he says uncompromisingly. "Digital is convenient and it is good for doing trench work, but as far as sound is concerned, it’s definitely analogue. I recorded the basic tracks to Quantegy GP9 tape, 15ips, +3dB operating level, Dolby SR. All edits on the backing tracks were done in analogue, and we then digitised everything, transferring stuff to Pro Tools HD at 24/96." https://www.soundonsound.com/people/donald-fagen |
'Some are great, some horrible (Pretzel Logic, anyone?)." ozzy62- I'm more of a pre Aja fan on LP. Pretzel Logic on LP has to be heard from an original press. https://www.discogs.com/Steely-Dan-Pretzel-Logic/release/512366 It took me several tries until I found one intact and in good condition. The album version of "Rikki" with flapamba(marimba) intro is a litmus test for any LP based system. Better Records sells this hard to find(they're out there, if you have the patience)copy for $500. This of course is for the "white hot stamper" I think the "regular stampers" are under $300. Most copies in the bins are the later yellow label 2-3rd run prints. The black label ABC gatefold delivers the goods. Taking my copy to shows and noticing it gets everyone's attention confirms I found a good pressing. Hearing the title track at full tilt on an uber setup reminds you what the fuss is all about. |
