[EliasGwinn]

Hi Head-Friends!
 
Benchmark has launched a new social media project called MastersFromTheirDay.com.  It is a web-based video series, where each episode follows a hand-picked crew (musical artists, recording engineer, etc) in a world-class studio as they attempt to produce a song in one recording session. 
 
The one-session production harks back to the days of Sun Records, Stax Records, Parlaphone, etc, where many classic singles where recorded in one session.  This series is a fun way to reprise that work-flow.
 
The video shows the process of producing the song and concludes w/ the final mastered song in its entirity.  A lossless download of the song is also available for each episode in its native format (88.2 kHz / 24-bit) as well as CD-quality (44.1 kHz / 16-bit). 
 
Each episode will feature a different band/artist/genre, recording engineer, and recording studio.  All recordings are mastered by 3-time Grammy Award winner Gavin Lurssen (T. Bone Burnett, Allison Krauss / Robert Plant, Tom Waits, etc).
 
So head over to MastersFromTheirDay.com, and be sure to sign-up to be notified when new episodes are posted.  Also, feel free to jump into the conversation in the 'comments' section.  It can be a bit polarizing, but always fun!
 
Thanks!
-Elias

 

[slakmoh]

Pretty neat to see everything come together out of all of that chaos, I'll have to dl the track when I get home, good idea, thanks!

 

[CSIR]

Really like the idea behind this.  In terms of how the video was edited I would recommend watching some of Ryan Leslie's Making videos.  Like this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd4h8xSKpCg.  If you cut out most of the "oh this is gonna be so hard to do" parts and just showed more of the creative process it would be more enjoyable to watch.  I did really like the end product. Thanks.

 

[EliasGwinn]

Awesome! Thanks for that link!
 
In our videos, we want to show the interaction between the personalities as well as the technical aspects, as these interactions can be a huge factor in the outcome of a production. We want the viewer to feel like they were at the session, and they know the personalities because of the experience we shared.  Its a big goal, but I feel like the video director achieved it pretty well!
 
-elias

 

[kingtz]

That was actually a very catchy beat! I would also consider this a much more enjoyable song than most of what passes for "pop music" on the radio these days.
 
And of course, I couldn't help but notice the Fostex T20 headphones...

 

 

[bhjazz]

Elias,
 
Thanks so much for posting this link here on Head Fi.  It's a nice reminder of where all this stuff comes from.  I'll stay tuned for more!
 
Brian

 

[EliasGwinn]

Thanks for watching our video!  We are very close to releasing the next episode, so be sure to sign-up to be notified.
 
Also, if you enjoy the videos, please consider sharing them w/ friends, family, co-workers, other music-loving people on forums, etc.  The folks sponsoring these videos are watching the 'view count' on the YouTube video, so by sharing this, you are encouraging the sponsors to continue supporting this project.
 
Thanks so much!
-Elias

 

[XaNE]

Wow this was great i really love the idea of this. The only thing is the track, there is compression and distortion in the track.

 

[EliasGwinn]

Quote:

Wow this was great i really love the idea of this. The only thing is the track, there is compression and distortion in the track.

Did you download the lossless track, which is available on the side of that page?  Because the YouTube audio engine is really disgraceful. 
 
Regarding compression, I addressed this in the 'comments' section of the project page.  The only significant compression is on the kick drum - intentionally to achieve the sound we wanted - but the rest of the instruments are very raw and natural.
 
The next episode features a much more 'natural' sounding production, so make sure you check that one out.  Sign-up on the site to be notified when it is posted.
 
Thanks for watching!
-Elias

 

[revolink24]

Indeed, that's what I got. There wasn't any compression that really detracted from the music, to my ears at least.

 

[dex85]

i downloaded the lossless track and i'm hearing serious distorion too. interestingly, it's not present at the YouTube video. maybe it's sort of incompability with foobar and the format of the song(AIFF)? i have some HD songs in FLAC format and it plays without any problems with my equipment.
 
otherwise, this is a great idea. i'm signing up and looking forward to next videos

 song is great btw 
 
EDIT: i just downloaded the CD version, no distortion there. maybe it's the 88.2kHz sample rate that's causing the problem for me, depsite my soundcard's drivers claiming to support that sample rate.

 

[revolink24]

Yes, I downloaded the CD version, since there is no difference between CD and SACD on the same mix, to my ears. I will try the other version later and see, but it seems odd since theoretically that should be capable of a higher dynamic range.

 

[revolink24]

I downloaded the 88.2/24 version and ABXd it with the CD version. Sounded the same (in about 3 minutes of noisy environment testing, but I'm pretty sure they're the same.) Played with 0404 USB.

 

[XaNE]

Quote:

Did you download the lossless track, which is available on the side of that page?  Because the YouTube audio engine is really disgraceful. 
 
Regarding compression, I addressed this in the 'comments' section of the project page.  The only significant compression is on the kick drum - intentionally to achieve the sound we wanted - but the rest of the instruments are very raw and natural.
 
The next episode features a much more 'natural' sounding production, so make sure you check that one out.  Sign-up on the site to be notified when it is posted.
 
Thanks for watching!
-Elias

I was listening to the 88k 24bit version, it was a problem with some new equipment; I apologise.

 

 

[EliasGwinn]

Glad to know that you've resolved it!!