The "bass problem" -- how do you deal with it?

[Jud]

The first thing you should do is send a smoke signal to Adele, Rick Rubin, and piss in the fire before you send the one to her label.

 

The funny thing is that Rick Rubin is fully capable of some of the best, clearest production you have ever heard. On Jakob Dylan's (yep, Bob's son) first solo album, "Seeing Things," the production is just about perfect. It gets out of the way, and Jakob and the backing vocalists and players are right there in the room with you. Paradoxically, one of the producers who is out front in speaking against the "loudness wars," T-Bone Burnett, produced Jakob's next solo effort, "Women and Country," and on *that* record the bass is very, very apparently out front in the mix, to the detriment of the overall sound. (As is T-Bone's recording of the vocals, which unfortunately sound like he stuck poor Jakob in a rather smallish plywood booth to record them. Same as he did to Ryan Bingham on "Junky Star.")

 

[JimS]

Chris - correct, I simplified based on comments earlier in the thread.

 

Jeff - try Holly Cole (I Can See Clearly Now, Jersey Girl, etc. will also get you good upright bass material) or Eva Cassidy (Ain't No Sunshine)

 

[Vic Damone]

Jud, I'm a huge Rubin fan. I think the work he did with the Chilies, both supportively as well as musically, was extremely admirable. He does know what quality is, I think he listens to Avalons. To be honest I haven't listened to the 21 album or much of her work except when she happens to come on our HT. So when his name was associated with her nomination at the Grammy's I'm assuming that's his work?

 

So, is that T-Bones, I'm in a honky-tonk phone booth vocal mix?

 

I may be showing my age but I like the sound that comes out of the Dap Kings studio. I don't know what they're doing but it certainly strikes a familiar note with me. What can I say, I'm an Oakland boy with too much East Bay grease bumpin' through my veins.

 

Spectral, Vandersteen, your down in my book.