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Why do Michael Jackson albums sound better than anything released in recent years?

MDAguy

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Were they mastered before the "loudness" wars?

Were they mastered with less compression?

I only know his mid 80's and earlier works and a lot of music from that era sounded better than music from the 90's onwards (to me).
 
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Pearljam5000

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Probably the best sounding album ever.
MJ-HIStory.jpg
 

ernestcarl

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Who do Michae Jackson albums recorded years if not decades ago sound better than anything released in recent years? Especially since the tech advanced so much in recent years.
His albums sound so good if not the best.

Maybe it's the mastering -- where most records are probably just not done well enough to sound at their best?

1607732465100.png


Hmmmn... Not really sure which version I ultimately prefer... but the remastered one of the two listed above (Remastered Version) certainly sounds more "digital" and fresh to me. :p
 

RayDunzl

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MDAguy

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Top notch musicians, producer's, engineers

that's probably a lot of it... he's a super star that is also a great musician and grew up with the likes of James Jamerson laying down the groove to his hits in the early 60s... I remember when Eddie Van Halen played on Thriller... it gave me a reason to buy the album as I was a die hard hard rock fan by the early 80s... I then remembered that MJ had some good music and re-discovered a lot of his older works as a result.
 

RayDunzl

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MDAguy

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I believe Bruce Swedian was on record back in the early 80's as saying he didn't like the way digital made Michael Jacksons voice sound... mind you this was in the very early days of digital.. he really wasn't a fan back when he was recording MJ's big albums.
 

MDAguy

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Amazing.
It's hard listening to other music after an MJ album, most music recorded in recent years just sound like crap

try Fleetwood Mac Rumors (and a Bazzilon other albums recorded by rock and soul bands from 1980 and before).. Anything Alan Parsons touched such as Pink Floyd's stuff from the mid 70s .. (or his own band The Alan Parsons Project).. start with their Turn of a Friendly Card album...


You might be a bit biased by your affinity for MJ's music ...
 
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Pearljam5000

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try Fleetwood Mac Rumors (and a Bazzilon other albums recorded by rock and soul bands from 1980 and before).. Anything Alan Parsons touched such as Pink Floyd's stuff from the mid 70s .. (or his own band The Alan Parsons Project).. start with their Turn of a Friendly Card album...


You might be a bit biased by your affinity for MJ's music ...
Thanks.
I'm actually into rock music much more , but there's something very special about how MJ's albums sound
 

MDAguy

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Thanks.
I'm actually into rock music much more , but there's something very special about how MJ's albums sound

your name gives it away... mind you, much as I like(d) PearlJam back in the day... they defiantly came of age during the loudness era..
 

Moonhead

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Who do Michae Jackson albums recorded years if not decades ago sound better than anything released in recent years? Especially since the tech advanced so much in recent years.
His albums sound so good if not the best.

Quincy Jones
 

infinitesymphony

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It's all about the dynamic range. Most of the <=1995 albums have quite a bit of DR.

HIStory, from 1995, is right on the edge between preserving a fair amount of DR while also being loud and impactful.

HIStory CD2 DR.PNG


Like most of MJ's albums, it was mastered by Bernie Grundman, who also mastered albums like Steely Dan's 'Aja,' Joni Mitchell's 'Court & Spark,' and Prince's 'Purple Rain.' He knows a thing or two about finding that compromise.
 
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