2-track of "Didn't It Rain"

RE: 2-track of "Didn't It Rain", posted on July 11, 2014 at 18:40:49
jamestavegia@gmail.com Audiophile Posts: 275 Location: Atlanta, GA Joined: November 26, 2013	Now it is your turn to put your Mastering Engineer's hat on and make it great. Jim Tavegia

RE: 2-track of "Didn't It Rain", posted on July 11, 2014 at 19:20:58
Marantzguy Industry Professional Posts: 2848 Location: Berkeley, CA Joined: June 21, 2002	Hi, James: I could indeed re-master this recording and re-eq the entire thing. I was just surprised by the quality of the sound. I wonder if the actual master tape still exists? Incidentally, the title tune was released as a 45 around the early sixties and it was actually a very popular item then.

RE: 2-track of "Didn't It Rain", posted on July 12, 2014 at 03:58:02

jamestavegia@gmail.com
Audiophile

Posts: 275
Location: Atlanta, GA
Joined: November 26, 2013

I said that only because I have an LP of some very early Nat King Cole Trio performances from radio broadcasts and the recording quality is pretty bad. The techniques of mic placement needed to make great recordings just was not up to par. I know this as the spoken word part of the presentations is very clear and full bodied.

It is too bad as the performances from the Torcodero Club (CA) are very interesting. Even if they had some old Shure Unidynes put in the right places it would have been better than this. It is hard to fix now.
Jim Tavegia

RE: 2-track of "Didn't It Rain", posted on July 12, 2014 at 12:03:06
ironbut Audiophile Posts: 1370 Location: OR Joined: February 21, 2004	Hey Richard, Long time,.. I have a few very early Bel Canto's myself and I don't recall any of them being shrill. Perhaps this is a release of a field recording or otherwise made in less than idea circumstances. And maybe there were some unwanted low mid sounds that were filtered out leaving the highs forward? Just a WAG. But that's what I do!

RE: 2-track of "Didn't It Rain", posted on July 14, 2014 at 10:00:50

Botanico92007
Audiophile

Posts: 729
Location: San Diego
Joined: March 15, 2006

Hi Richard:

I've had this tape for a long time. It's a very realistic recording, and the foot stomping can shake the room. Evelyn Freeman's wailing is near screaming at times, but live gospel singing can be this way with female voices. I've never thought of the Bel Canto tapes recorded in L.A. as being shrill.

I heard a live performance of Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2 yesterday in our local library. The three young virtuosos were coached by a Russian couple who both studied under Shostakovich in his composition class. The couple is responsible for the iPalpiti Festival (the full chamber orchestra performs in Disney Hall). I was in the third row, the performance was very aggressive and loud at certain points, and the room acoustic is less than ideal. It was a knockout performance, but I have to say there were moments of shrillness. I considered them part of the performance.

Still doing dumpster diving? I miss your field reports.

--Jerry

RE: 2-track of "Didn't It Rain", posted on July 18, 2014 at 12:14:36
orthophonic Audiophile Posts: 861 Location: Central Florida Joined: January 21, 2003	I have the 4 track version of the tape and it sounds superb, maybe slightly midrange forward but not shrill. I also have the UA release of the 45 single and the album, the 45 sound great, the LP sounds thin.

Tape Trail

2-track of "Didn't It Rain"

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