[AmpDesigner333]

I was listening to Adele 21 on a really great system yesterday (more about the system later), and the recording pretty much sucks.  What a shame!  It sounds flat and compressed!

It took me a while to get "talked into" really listening to Adele.  Finally, I caved and bought the CD after hearing the AAC from iTunes just to determine if I like any songs.  I thought it sounded like crap due to the compression, but what I heard sounds like they decoded the AAC file and wrote it to CD as-is.

Does anybody out there agree?  She really has a beautiful voice and stunning inflection.  I'm sad to say that I can't enjoy her voice in an audiophile fashion.....

 

-Tommy O

[kfr01]

I was listening to Adele 21 on a really great system yesterday (more about the system later), and the recording pretty much sucks.  What a shame!  It sounds flat and compressed!

It took me a while to get "talked into" really listening to Adele.  Finally, I caved and bought the CD after hearing the AAC from iTunes just to determine if I like any songs.  I thought it sounded like crap due to the compression, but what I heard sounds like they decoded the AAC file and wrote it to CD as-is.

Does anybody out there agree?  She really has a beautiful voice and stunning inflection.  I'm sad to say that I can't enjoy her voice in an audiophile fashion.....

 

-Tommy O

I agree 100% and actually just made a post to this effect on another site yesterday.  It is too bad Melody Gardot's producer didn't handle the Adele album.

[mhconley]

Buy the LP.  See my post in the Music Circle for why...

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=103653.msg1053897#msg1053897

Martin

[kfr01]

Also, wtf is with the echo on Rolling in the Deep?!  Such a shame.   I ordered the Vinyl version of 21 yesterday with hopes of better a better transfer.  I don't have high hopes, but after her grammy performance I am wanting for better quality Adele recordings.  I'll report back soon on the Vinyl.

Edit:  Thanks, Martin.  I'm glad the Vinyl will be an improvement!

[mhconley]

Also, wtf is with the echo on Rolling in the Deep?!  Such a shame.   I ordered the Vinyl version of 21 yesterday with hopes of better a better transfer.  I don't have high hopes, but after her grammy performance I am wanting for better quality Adele recordings.  I'll report back soon on the Vinyl.

IMMHO The vinyl sounds great.

Martin

[Barry_NJ]

I haven't heard the Adele CD, but I've had tbe same experience with other artists/albums, and it really is one of the most dissapointing things there is...

[Mike B.]

I agree about the CD. Strictly a top 40 type presentation.

[AmpDesigner333]

I agree about the CD. Strictly a top 40 type presentation.

I think you captured the spirit of this recording with "top 40"!  Waiting to hear about the vinyl version, but also need to check out that link (above) about why it's any better.....

[AmpDesigner333]

I haven't heard the Adele CD, but I've had tbe same experience with other artists/albums, and it really is one of the most dissapointing things there is...

We played it at your house yesterday.  You must have been upstairs at the time.

People left the room since it sounded so disappointing.  They came back after we switched to other music.....

[Affordable$$Audio]

An interesting read on the recording process for "21".
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep11/articles/it-0911.htm

The CD does suffer from dynamic compression but not as much as "19".  I had a chance to hear it at ToneAudio's studio on truly one of the great setups in existence.  Much of what I heard was the rooms in actual homes with their sound limitations where tracks were recorded. I look forward to what MoFi will do with the album down the road.

[Barry_NJ]

We played it at your house yesterday.  You must have been upstairs at the time.

People left the room since it sounded so disappointing.  They came back after we switched to other music.....

Yeah, as host I was running around a bunch and didn't get to listen as much as I would have liked to

Post up the pix you took, there are some nice comments about the sound we were getting yesterday...

http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=3715.0

[coverto]

The punchline here is that the producer supervising this album was none other than the "legendary," "Grammy-Award winning" producer Rick Rubin.

[mrhyfy]

Maybe HD Tracks will come to our rescue with a better version!!   Doubt it!

[mhconley]

The punchline here is that the producer supervising this album was none other than the "legendary," "Grammy-Award winning" producer Rick Rubin.

Actually the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the CD mastering engineer - Tom Coyne st Sterling Sound - he must be freakin' deaf.

Martin

[oldmp3]

An interesting read on the recording process for "21".
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep11/articles/it-0911.htm

[old-fogy-rant]

Yup, try counting the number of PT dsps, plug-ins, and effects in-play just for "Rolling..."

Unfortunately, this is how a lot of modern post-production works:

As I [Elmhirst] said earlier, the loudness wars are a daily battle for me, because all reference mixes come in pumped, and I have to compete with that. I can’t send in a mix that sounds 10dB less loud then the reference mix. These days I use the UAD Precision Maximizer for that, which is the best one I’ve heard that doesn’t shred the sound.”

Check out the "UAD Precision Maximizer" (http://www.uaudio.com/store/mastering/precision-maximizer.html):

The Precision Maximizer is a dynamic impact processor that magically increases apparent loudness without reduction in dynamic range, by a unique combination of UA’s analog/tube know-how and digital mastering expertise. There are other products that aim to “finalize” or “inflate” a mix, but UA’s Precision Maximizer uniquely increases perceived loudness while maintaining peak level control, with little effect to the signal level and without the fatiguing artifacts.

(bold added)

[/old-fogy-rant]

[mjosef]

I don't quite get the adoration for this singer...she sure ain't the second coming of Aretha Franklin. 
I'll take the dearly departed Amy over Adele any listen of the week.
21 I bought...played once, gave it away.

[coverto]

Actually the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the CD mastering engineer - Tom Coyne st Sterling Sound - he must be freakin' deaf.

Martin

So is the harshness corrected completely with the LP? I ask partly because it also appears they used the demo versions of her vocals for some of the tracks, having decided that their raw energy simply couldn't be duplicated in the studio again with better equipment...

[OzarkTom]

Adele's first CD, "19", is fantastic on a high-end system, "21" is a waste of money. I guess she was produced as more commercial on her second CD.

Buy her first CD, Tommy.

[oldmp3]

The same engineer mixed Amy Winehouse - "Rehab" 

[FullRangeMan]

IMMHO The vinyl sounds great.

Martin

To your happyness, any bad master sound good on vinyl, even digital 16bits, it is the most euphonic format avaliable today.
Even a cassete tape master will sound very better in vinyl than any optical disc, as they are more transparent than LP.

I never forget the shock the first time I listen Brain Salad Surgery and Tubular Bells on SACD, the huge SACD deph capability show the master tape was a veery sloow analog master tape, 3ips or slower.

On CD these both albums are not great sound, but on vinyl the recordings errors are not audible and only the music shine.