Re: OT That 'sizzle sound' of Mp3s

[Dan Ash <Daniel.Ash@Verizon.net>]

>
> Subject:
> Re: OT That 'sizzle sound' of Mp3s
> From:
> Miko Biffle <biffoz@gmail.com>
> Date:
> Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:29:10 -0700
>
> To:
> Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
>
>
> Just to clarity: I revere Hendrix and am clearly descended from his 
> lineage. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to his (and Eddie Kramer's) 
> godly contributions to the modern vernacular, both conceptually and 
> electronically. 8-)
>
> Maybe my beef is with Noel Redding specifically? I can listen to Zep, 
> Sabbath and many others on vinyl and feel the bass is adequate (for 
> the day)—I just don't find Redding's bass that satisfying. Mitch 
> Mitchell OTOH ranks right up there with Bonham in my book! -m

I think your generalization is not 'off-bass'. The bass was not overly 
emphasized. We can look to Jimi himself for decisions about the low-end 
sonic content - although presumably the mastering engineer had the final 
say. The needle would jump out of the groove if you got carried away! 
Engineers were still learning to work with the then-new Ampex 8-channel 
recorders (first produced in 1967) and technical issues related to 
low-frequency program material. And most engineers checked their final 
mixes to ensure that it translated to mono playback on tiny speakers and 
to car stereos!

IIRC Redding's contributions were limited WRT mix decisions like this. 
The details are sometimes sketchy, but actually Hendrix played bass on 
most/all the more intricate tracks. I don't think Billy Cox concerned 
himself with these things either - he was charged with holding down the 
groove with Buddy Miles and keeping Mitch Mitchell in line when he came 
back to the fold.

Another aspect of the discussion of the Hendrix recording legacy is that 
we're really talking about three or four studio albums completed during 
Hendrix's lifetime, one of which wasn't completed before he moved on. 
We're still talking about them as sonic statements forty years later.

Since then there has clearly been a shift in what a contemporary rock 
band sounds like - bass guitars and bass amps have both evolved since 
these recordings were made - all of them recorded in a three or four 
year period. I remember how use of synth bass changed the recording 
landscape - wow those low notes had never even been recorded outside of 
classical organ repertoire.

Anyway - I didn't mean to imply that Miko hadn't acknowledged Jimi's 
often revolutionary sonic contributions. I just said that it took me a 
moment to adjust to the idea that like music, all analog audio 
reproduction will have a stamp that makes it identifiable with a certain 
period. These days there are clearly some things you couldn't do in an 
all-analog recording environment.

Along a similar line - but a slightly different topic: Who would have 
thought that guitar,bass, and drums could remain the core of most 
popular music for fifty years? Someday that rhythm section configuration 
alone will date the recording!

Dan Ash
White Plains, NY