Man, I wish Steve could remaster "Californication" and "By The Way."

I know the loud mastering of these albums is old news, but I tried to listen to both of these albums on my iPod today (my own rips from the CDs), and I couldn't get through one song. Ouch!

If anyone ever asks you what you're ranting and raving about with the "loudness war," just tell them to listen to either of these two albums on headphones.

 

Sometimes I wonder just WHO can sit through a whole CD of that? Why really listens to this maximized stuff?

 

Both albums sound like total crap

Steve's magic touch would be appreciated

 

I could tell the first time I heard the song "The Other Side." Great, great song that has been rendered unlistenable...

 

I've never listened to these albums. How does it compare with Raw Power? I love Iggy, but that album is unlistenable.

 

I always though that By The Way sounded a lot better than Californication. I could never understand when that disc first came out why it sounded so horribly distorted. I found it so odd and bad sounding that I thought I had a defect and took our local store's play copy home to compare. When I realized their's was the same horrid sounding disc as the one I had, I figured I'd have to live with it. The fact that I NEVER play it is proof of how crappy it sounds. By The Way I liked much more (sonically and musically) and Stadium Arcadium sounds OK to me to. Not nearly as loud and in-your-face as Californication.

 

Today i received my copy of Cash's "American IV: The Man Comes Around'. Such a great album! And such an awful mastering! This is one of the worst sounding CD in my collection

 

I can't listen to either. But here is what I did. I love the live at slane dvd's sound. I took the live and made a dts cd and a fold down of the dts and it sounds way better than their later cd's. I know this isn't the studio work but they are great live. If you don't own this dvd get it!

 

When I listened to "Hurt" on "The Legend of Johnny Cash" (that single disc career retrospective that was released two years ago) I thought that it was a fault of the mastering engineer - the older tracks do sound better on "The Essential Johnny Cash", which I purchased later. No, when I bought "The Man Comes Around" I discovered that it's still that awful clipping and distorsion festival. Was it also released on LP?

I have "Californication" on cassette (Warner Bros) and the sound quality is horrible.

 

With this loud music maybe the artists wanted to sound like that. So it would be ruined if the music was tampered with !!!LOLOL!! Even if for the better.

 

I bet the dynamics in that song are incredible. Too bad we may never know.

 

Hey, that's a great idea! I've seen some of the Live at Slane and it's amazing. John does a lot of impromptu stuff.

 

Hi,

I agree with all of you wholeheartedly! This issue is making many CD releases unlistenable and fatiguing! Those boneheaded record producers and labels should learn not to do this. Radio stations should have the same processor they use on air on the program director's/music director's office stereo system. All portable/car CD players and all changers should be equipped with a 2 stage compressor/limiter with a bypass if desired. This way those who want loud/maximized and even volume could have it if they want and we audiophiles can leave this disabled.

 

The only pre-Californication RHCP CD I have is Blood Sugar Sex Magik (I have the 2003 "remastered" Mother's Milk), and it sounds wonderful.

 

This is genius.

Oh, in a better, finer world, that's exactly how it would be.

Gotta say that the two RHCP albums cited above were the two that killed my interest in the band, pretty much solely because of the final sonic product. I'd like to be able to sit down and actually hear the albums, but I can't bear wading through the gawdawful mastering to figure out how good the music is, or not. (Couple this with prolonged radio exposure to "Under the Bridge" and I'm almost not a fan at all at this point.)

 

But is the recording itself all right? Or is the damage permanent? With Stadium Arcadium, they had good sources which had only been hammered during the CD mastering, but I've no idea if the same is true of Californication. It may not be possible to successfully replicate the mixes. If the masters are also "smashed" and they can't be successfully remixed, there's nothing Steve or anyone can do to make those masters sound right.

Obviously I wish Steve could remaster the rest of Nat King Cole's catalog too

Was just listening to the Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics and while it's not the absolute worst I've heard, darn that unprofessional mastering really got in the way. I'm borrowing it and I'm glad: I'd be insulted paying somebody for botching my goods. I've been insulted enough over the years by Capitol/EMI. Is the LP any better?

 

To my knowledge, their is no "smashing" of the 2 track master tape. The "smashing" takes place when it is transferred to the stamper or whatever the final process before production is. When Steve masters something, he isn't remixing multitracks.

 

I was never that big of a Chili Peppers fan, so I passed on Steve's latest job with the new LP, but if they ever remastered a nice vinyl pressing of "Blood Sugar Sex Magic", then I would be there in a second, as it was one of the big-played collections during my senior year in High School.

I have the Warners Back-2-Back hits 45 issue of "Under The Bridge" & "Give It Away", but would love to hear a well-cut platter of the whole LP.

Did it ever get a vinyl treatment back when it was "current"?

 

In the case of Californication, I can say that the damage was done in mastering.

 

Yes. Two-record set. To this day, I wish I'd bought it that way. Considering also the six or seven songs left off to make it a single CD, I'd love to see it restored to its original, longer configuration.

 

But only in Europe. There was no U.S. version, except as a "radio ready" promo in a white jacket with a sticker on it.

 

I'll have to listen again, but I recall liking the way my 45 of this sounds. Of course, earlier ones are even better, like "Under the Bridge"; I used the 45 when I compiled a CD that included the song. Sounds great!

 

I've got a double vinyl pressing of Californication for my wife who really likes the RHCP. While, I haven't listened to it critically, I don't think its sounds as bad as the CD version you dicribe on this thread.

Has anyone compared the vinyl and CD versions of Californication?

 

Huh, never knew Californication had a vinyl release.

 

He has performed remixes in the past when found to be desirable, but obviously the mega-multi-track, effects laden, digital workstation jobbers aren't his particular areas of activity.

Only the mastering? Good news if so