Less pops in my pop music please

As I sit listening to the remastered version of “No 1 in Heaven” by Sparks I can’t help but notice that some of the extra tracks are sourced from vinyl. I understand that 30 year old master tapes get lost and I can accept that sometimes this is the only source available. But what I don’t understand is why they are always so badly mastered.

If an enthusiast such as DJPaulT can master vinyl to sound immaculate for his excellent “Burning the Ground” website; why can’t professional engineers do the same? It doesn’t take long to remove pops and crackles from a digital recording and adjusting EQ isn’t too complicated if performed by someone with skill.

Either record companies need to start looking harder for master tapes or employ DJPaulT to master their vinyl. Take pride in your work like Paul or don't bother I say. Music is too important for half hearted efforts.

In time?

Until recently I always thought it was pretty easy to play in time with a sequencer. Since acquiring an electric guitar I have realised it is in fact, not that easy. Yet syncopation or just plain ‘playing out of time’ drives me mad.

Nowhere is the difficult nature of playing in time with a sequencer more painfully illustrated than on records made in the late 70’s. Take ‘Beat the clock’ by Sparks – you an almost hear the drummer cursing the producer (the inimitable Giorgio Moroder) as he frantically tries to keep up with the pulsating bass sequence. I always cringe at the timing on Gary Numan / Tubeway Army records such as “Me! I disconnect from you” and especially “We are so fragile” where the poor drummer stands no change until the guitar comes in to cover the millisecond variations in timing which sound so wrong.

 

Of course Mike Oldfield couldn’t stand things being out of time either and even went as far as re-recording “Tubular Bells” so that it was quantized. But would “Replicas” sound as good if it were re-recorded? Well “Tubular Bells 2003” would suggest some bits would sound better and others not.

Personally I would love it if the multi track was stuck in pro-tools and quantized. I can hear some people saying “Oh noooooooo, that’s takes away from its charm and naivety” or “It’s the only human element in an electronic recording and adds something”. Well no, sorry, it just spoils it. And whilst yes, I now appreciate that it’s hard to play along to a click track or sequencer, it doesn’t mean I want to listen to it.