r/audioengineering • u/Dry-Panda1884 • May 08 '26
Discussion What's the single best engineered and produced song of all time?
Saw a clip of Jack Antonoff saying 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun' is the best engineered and produced song of all time. He also praised the songwriting in the same way, but I want to just focus on the engineering and production aspect.
My 'perfect engineering' answer is 'God Only Knows' on Pet Sounds. My 'perfect production' answer is 'Suzanne' on Songs Of Leonard Cohen.
If I'm not restricted to 'songs', I'd say 'In A Silent Way' by Miles Davis is the single greatest engineered and produced musical work of all time.
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u/suffaluffapussycat May 08 '26
Roxy Music - Avalon
The title track.
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u/mrspecial Professional May 08 '26
I was just listening to this the other day. Fine example of the NS10 era - perfect transients, no low end
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u/Area51Resident May 08 '26
I think a lot of LPs were issued with a bass cut to allow them to play on crappy turntables. They kept the same mix for CD releases where a bass cut wasn't needed.
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u/Selig_Audio May 08 '26
Shouldn’t something mixed on NS10s have too much low end (since the speakers have ‘none’)?
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u/mrspecial Professional May 08 '26
When I mix on NS10’s I tend to do that, but I have noticed a lot of the 80s stuff that seems to have been done on them doesn’t. So I dunno
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u/Inside-Succotash-128 May 08 '26
Most studios had NS10s to get an idea of how the music might translate to ‘consumer’ systems. They still do, in fact. But, they also had big ‘full range’ systems. It was really important to know what was going on in the really low frequency range (intensity and phase) when mixing/mastering for vinyl in particular. Otherwise the needle might, quite literally, pop out of the groove! 😀
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u/Selig_Audio May 08 '26
I came back to say exactly this. No one I knew mixed exclusively on NS10s (I've used mine since 1984), they were/are however great for doing vocal rides. And I'm listening to Avalon as I write this, and there is definitely bass on this record, just not 90s level bass.
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u/mrspecial Professional May 08 '26
I was talking more about that period in the 80s and early 90s where a lot of mixes had these perfect, crisp transients and not a lot of low end. I’m not saying they didn’t use mains or that there was no bass. I shouldn’t reply to comments while I’m in the middle of doing a bunch of other things because I invariably say something stupid.
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u/slazengerx May 08 '26
Exactly. Great record. Great production and mixing, generally. But like so many otherwise well-produced records of the '80s, not enough low end. (I'm talking to you as well, Steve Lillywhite.)
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u/Dry-Panda1884 May 08 '26
Never heard this one before and just listened. Was struck by how equally good it sounded at very low volume, mid volume, and at high volume.
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u/skillpolitics Composer May 08 '26
My ear is so used to crusty shit that this sounds overproduced to me. It's nice how there's a ton of space in the mix and the elements don't crowd one another... but it's got zero emotive push and pull. Dead the whole way through.
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u/suffaluffapussycat May 08 '26
Yeah I’d say it’s a very good-sounding record.
Far from my favorite-sounding record which is currently Never Mind the Bollocks.
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u/sc_we_ol Professional May 08 '26
I’ve got quite a few across genres but the 90s were some god tier mixes still hard to top, Jon brions production choices and engineering work for Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, and others are ridiculously good and some of my all time favorites. Hes totally underrated in my opinion. He’s always got little flourishes too, little mellotron, distressed drum (Matt chamberlain on a lot of those records and the drums absolutely perfect too).
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u/sc_we_ol Professional May 08 '26
If I had to pick something right now, I can’t get over cat powers the greatest and been relistening to it since she’s about to tour its 25th anniversary . Sikes and the players absolutely sonically 10/10 . To me, one of best sounding records ever made.
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u/Dry-Panda1884 May 08 '26
Brion is a towering influence on so much of the last 20 year's folk-indie world it's unbelievable.
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u/sc_we_ol Professional May 08 '26
He really is I don’t think he gets credited enough
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u/Dry-Panda1884 May 08 '26
On top of his work with like Elliott Smith, I also think his soundtracks like Eternal Sunshine also influenced a ton of indie music culture. Huge cultural force of a producer.
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u/SavesOnFoods May 08 '26
Toxic by Britney Spears. I know that’s not usually what this sub goes for but it is incredibly well made
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u/TyreseGibson May 08 '26
i know a guy who worked on it! he's gonna love seeing this
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u/DubFilm May 09 '26
I listened to it with a bunch of music students, and the task was just to write down what we heard and tell each other. I don’t think there was a single person in the room who didn’t feel awe.
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u/PracticallyQualified May 08 '26
Last time I heard this was probably through a mono speaker at a theme park or something like that. Just listened to it on a proper setup for the first time and you’re right, it’s layered yet cohesive.
Now I’m not sure if I’m more impressed by the studio monitor mix or the fact that it sounded good in a mono speaker hidden inside of a fake rock.
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u/farrellmcguire May 08 '26
So many layers, all beautifully put together. It’s fun to try to pick it apart.
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u/Imhappy_hopeurhappy2 May 08 '26
The stems of this one are pretty illuminating. My favorite part is how the electric guitar sounds like garbage, literally like it could be DI’d through a cheap audio interface with no cab simulation in certain parts. Yet it works so well in the song. I’ve learned so much from it.
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u/Erestyn May 08 '26
I played with a guy who had some of the absolute worst guitar tones you would ever hear, but they'd drop effortlessly into most tracks, then he'd tweak his FX to fit snugly or give a little extra to play with.
Of course he was one of those "tone is in the fingers" guys and could make an unprocessed acoustic guitar sound like a driven strat, but his ear for just the right tone was out of this world.
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u/deef1ve May 08 '26
Yeah, each sound needs to work in a context, unless there’s a solo part but then it’s probably treated differently.
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u/Heavyweighsthecrown May 08 '26
where would one get (good quality sounding) stems for that kind of stuff
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u/Imhappy_hopeurhappy2 May 08 '26
Hmm I haven’t done that in 5 years. They were either torrents or freely available from some website. I’m pretty sure it was the latter, a site where you could just search the song and download directly. I’m trying to google it but theres all these AI track isolators …if you want Toxic specifically, I can probably find the files and send you a Dropbox link.
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u/GerhardtDH May 08 '26
I thought I was smart and unique by layering in LePoulin plug-ins with scratchy IR's but apparently everyone has been doing that for like 20 years. Maybe not specifically the LePoulin plug-ins but those old fakey amp sims had a bounce and sizzle that the more sophisticated plug-ins throw out for realism.
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u/nosecohn Professional May 08 '26
Along these lines, Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera is so well put together. Not my kind of music, but I admire the skill in making it.
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u/peepeeland Composer May 09 '26
Genie In A Bottle is one of the songs I use to test systems. It’s so damn tight.
I remember an interview with her on MTV or VH1 when it came out, and she was talking about how for the music video, it was actually a cold day. And she said something like, “It was actually cold, but they made me look hot. …I mean, temperature wise.” Aaah, old school Christina Aguilera.
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u/DM_ME__YOUR_B00BS May 08 '26
Same with Katy Perry teenage dream album. It’s not my type of music but holy shit is it well made.
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u/kryptonianjackie May 08 '26
Damn this song is a masterpiece and I didn't even realize it until right now. Every time I listen I just get lost in the production of it. I don't love the genre and I know I have nostalgic attachment, but I truly think I enjoy the song specifically for just how well it's put together. Great choice. Now let's see if I still support this as the number one option after I read even a single other option.
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u/jamaphone May 09 '26
Let’s give it up for the vocal performance as well! Few artists could hold their own against that backdrop but Britney nails it!
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u/AwesomeX121189 May 08 '26
The first rage against the machine album is so well engineered it’s often used to test audio equipment that’s in development
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u/linkuei-teaparty May 08 '26
I'd also include the second one, evil empire, that sounds so good even today.
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u/Longscarf04 May 08 '26
This might sound crazy to some, but Jonny B Goode is perfect in every way to me. In my opinion, it is the greatest recording ever made. All the elements fit together so perfectly, the songwriting, the instrumental, the fidelity... Exquisite.
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u/ObieUno Professional May 08 '26
Not sure but whatever song it is, there’s a 100% chance that it was mixed by one of those “improve your mixes with these 10 simple trick” influencers on YouTube.
They really know their stuff. 👍
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u/xbuzzlightyearz May 08 '26
I don’t have an answer yet but I’m sure i’d pick something produced and engineered by Eric Valentine.
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u/nomelonnolemon May 08 '26
God is in the radio by queens of the Stone Age is probably close to perfect for a psychedelic rock experience. Not psych rock the genre, but rock that is psychedelic, for the pedants.
Though he didn’t do the final mix. So maybe not the best example.
That being said the entire songs for the dead album is a masterpiece form begging to end!
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u/GenghisConnieChung May 08 '26
I assume you mean Songs For The Deaf?
One of the first times I heard that album was on the mains (I want to say ATC’s) in the control room at Glenn Gould Studio at the CBC building in Toronto. One of the best listening experiences of my life. I fucking love that album so much.
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u/artemusbarnstorm May 08 '26
I love ATC monitors. They have the best midrange driver in the business. Great sounding monitors especially in good rooms.
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u/nomelonnolemon May 08 '26
Ya deaf lol
And ya it’s such a great song to hear on quality monitors standing in the sweat spot!
They have such a propensity to use the stereo field in interesting and unique ways. The hard panning of the drums on song for the dead is so counter intuitive to how incredible it sounds most people don’t believe me when I describe it to them!
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u/xbuzzlightyearz May 08 '26
Agreed crazy good guitar and bass tones. Drums sound punchy as hell and there are great uses of distortion and saturation all over that record.
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u/masteringlord Professional May 08 '26
I really love the mix and production of the Death From Above 1975 record he produced!
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u/BlackWormJizzum May 08 '26
Snake River Conspiracy's cover of 'Love Song' that was produced by Eric Valentine is one of my gotos for testing new speakers/headphones.
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u/Fit_Resist3253 May 08 '26
Genuinely curious not trying to be a dick. How do you separate “perfect engineering” and “perfect production”? They’re so interwoven for me. But I can absolutely agree God Only Knows is in my top 3 :)
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u/Dry-Panda1884 May 08 '26
Perfect production doesn't have to be technically perfect as an audio product the way the 'professional' level pop music with the most resources can be. Like 60s Beatles and Beach Boys, 70s Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac. Those are examples of perfect engineering to me.
Perfect production is more creative texture, spatial design, mixing, and effects used to compliment the substantive.
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u/Fit_Resist3253 May 08 '26
Ok I like your answer. But where we differ is that production is more all encompassing in my view. To me, what you’re describing is arrangement and vibe. And to further complicate it… is that songwriting or production?
Where does engineering meet production, and where does production meet songwriting?
I definitely don’t fucking know lol
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u/pm_me_ur_demotape May 08 '26
I don't know but Rick Rubin is a well-regarded producer who claims to know nothing about engineering.
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u/mrbarlesworth May 08 '26
Probably a song off Voodoo by D’Angelo. Russell Elevado is a legend.
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u/willrjmarshall May 08 '26
The entirety of the Downward Spiral.
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u/divineaudio May 08 '26
Came here to say this. Excellent songwriting combined with excellent sound design. What’s really impressive to me from an engineering perspective is that this was done before DAW’s and virtual instruments were commonplace.
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u/Beneficial-Context52 May 08 '26
As much as I love TDS, I’d say The Fragile is even better produced.
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u/_lowlife_audio May 08 '26
Came to the comments looking for NIN. So many unconventional and harsh sounds, all put together expertly.
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u/JAZ_80 May 08 '26
The 3 Michael Jackson albums produced by Quincy Jones come to mind: 'Off the Wall, 'Thriller' and 'Bad'. All 3 of them are amazing production-wise, but 'Thriller' is pretty much perfect.
Also, Black Sabbath's 1992 album 'Dehumanizer', produced by Reinhold Mack. Massive sound.
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u/drmbrthr May 08 '26
There’s too many to list. Us and Them is a glorious arrangement and mix. If you’ve never gotten stoned and listened to that super loud, you haven’t lived.
Somebody to Love by Queen is high on my list as well. More impressive technically than anything the Beatles ever did.
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u/Agreeable_Extreme134 May 08 '26
More than a feeling by Boston
The entire song is double or triple tracked which gives the sound that feel of size and depth. The lead singer spent over a year in his basement refining and tinkering with every song on that album until he believed he had a masterpiece. And what a debut album that was.
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u/lestermagneto Professional May 08 '26
The
lead singerfounder, main songwriter, primary guitarist, keyboardist/ genius Tom Scholz spent over a year in his basement refining and tinkering with every song on that album until he believed he had a masterpiece.fixed that for you ;), but yeah, it's a fantastic record.
His MIT masters degree really came in to play there and led to many inventions that brought to us all, like the Rockman etc.
Funny story on that record is that he had to fool his label, Epic, into thinking he was recording it in a "real studio", so while he was tinkering in his basement, he had a dummy band and engineer etc recording in Los Angeles...
Biggest selling debut of any artist up until that time of release.. so it paid off at least.
Still sounds amazing.
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u/CarefulSpecific3857 May 11 '26
Here is the story of him fooling the dumb suits at the record company into thinking the record was recorded in a big studio but delivering his “basement tapes”.
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u/Ambitious-Apricot499 May 08 '26
I think “uptown funk” is pretty incredible, and anything on Aja by steely Dan
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u/Jaereth May 08 '26
I use uptown funk a lot for funky music. Kinda like "Whatever we mix needs to at least stand up to this because this gets freaking toes tapping quick!"
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u/Fatius-Catius May 08 '26
Thriller. The answer is Thriller.
I’m not saying it’s my favorite song ever, but it’s gotta be in the running for best engineered/produced song ever.
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u/SS0NI May 08 '26
Guys I know the loudness war happened but do we really not have any examples from the last two decades?
Asking favorite track from an engineer is like the flipside of coin of asking an audiophile for their favorite track. But you can bet your ass it will be the most elevator music sounding track from the 70's recorded by the late apprentice of Great Lemon Blind Mike in the room #2 of Big Sur Studios (before the renovations, the present day room sounds HORRIBLE).
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u/tallgeesegrease May 08 '26
I have a few from the last 2 decades, in my opinion of course:
Random Access Memories- Daft Punk
An Evening with Silk Sonic
Curly- Terrace Martin
Breath of the Wild/Tears of The Kingdom OST- Legend of Zelda
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u/Miklonario May 08 '26
The engineering on Random Access Memories is honestly more interesting to me than the songwriting
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u/tallgeesegrease May 08 '26
Certainly not my favorite Daft Punk album but I can't deny the production is incredible and so expertly done.
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u/Much_Cantaloupe_9487 May 08 '26
Was just thinking the same thing. This whole thread isn’t wrong, per se, but the biases are frightening.
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u/stonelore May 08 '26
I've only heard it on the radio over the years but Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind may be the one. And I'm saying this as not a huge fan of that style of rock.
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u/Phoenix_Lamburg Professional May 08 '26
That whole first record is one banger after another. Any song on there could have been a single (and there were at least 5? Maybe 6 that were?)
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u/PooDooPooPoopyDooPoo May 11 '26
One of the many Eric Valentine engineered records mentioned in this thread.
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u/unpantriste May 08 '26
not my favourite song by any means but All Night Long by Lionel Richie is almost perfect
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u/TFFPrisoner May 08 '26
Tears for Fears - Sowing the Seeds of Love has to be up there
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u/CriticalSovereignty May 09 '26
Woman in Chains is an absolute masterpiece, but there isn’t a song on there that isn’t. That’s what you get with 3 years, an unlimited budget, and perfectionism so deep it broke up Roland and Curt for 2 decades.
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May 08 '26
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u/Just_Cover_3971 May 09 '26
Every time I hear it I think, “I hate everything about this song (besides Hayley’s voice), so why/how is it so effing good?” Great example of “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
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u/bananagoo Professional May 08 '26
"The Perfect Drug" by Nine Inch Nails.
For me, personally.
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u/johnnynumber5 May 08 '26
I'm am not a huge nin fan so I've never listened to this song but my pick was going to be Closer. There are so many levels of sounds mixed in, and just when you think the aura is full he adds more in.
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u/Siberian_Noise Professional May 08 '26
Steely Dan - Aja. Sometimes the obvious answer is the right one
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u/ObieUno Professional May 08 '26
It was recorded and mixed by two of the best to ever do it: Bill Schnee and Al Schmitt.
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u/skillpolitics Composer May 08 '26
Impossible question.
I've recently been really impressed by Cameron Picton's "My New Band Believe" Target Practice, Opposite Teacher. Incredible work.
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u/Strict_Tangerine6240 May 08 '26
Album: Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd. My favorite track: High Hopes - also by PF. The composition, layering, musical phrasing, lyrics - it’s so well done.
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u/no_offence May 08 '26
Album... agreed. People have been saying this is the benchmark for decades.
Song... I would go for Sheep, from the Animals album, instead (although I love High Hopes).
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May 08 '26
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u/BlackSchuck May 08 '26
Seal's third album Human Being is my pick for this post. Nice one.
He does tend to have like 16 producers an album
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u/TMuff107 May 08 '26
"Madhouse" off of Kimbra's album The Golden Echo is really enjoyable and piss clean
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u/ChampionshipOk1358 May 08 '26
So this is a bit strange but the OSTs to Yakuza games, particularly 0, are what hit me the most in recent years.
Everything's pristine without being shallow, everything at its right place... it's really neat.
This track even became a reference one for me lol :
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u/PoxyMusic May 08 '26
I did a consulting job for a portable speaker maker who needed help with their multiband compressor/limiter setting. These were some songs I used to punish the speaker.
Radiohead: House of Cards
Lyle Lovett: Road to Ensenada (there’s a crazy low bass note In the chorus)
Ry Cooder: Paris, Texas
Courtney Barnett: Pedestrian at Best
Beck: Wow
Led Zepplin: Whole lotta Love (for the dynamic range)
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u/shake-it-2-the-grave May 08 '26
I feel like the ‘single best engineered/produced song” needs to be genre-specific because if you take any answer and then analyse those mix/production choices in the context of another song from a different genre, it would be catastrophic.
Eg. Best ever = [insert pop blockbuster hit] but then give that production treatment to [legendary jazz piece] and suddenly those mix choices are objectively bad (catastrophically over-compressed and more).
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u/iamafrog May 08 '26
Giving Jack some love I genuinely think Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter might be the best produced pop song of all time. Not at all my genre but something about the production of that really does it for me
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u/EmergencyNaive7012 May 08 '26
This wont be popular but imo its gotta be something off Loveless - My Bloody Valentine. Absolutely game changing album that secretly influenced so many damn musicians. They really are the catalyst for why every young alternative band wants to be shoegaze in some way right now. If I had to pick Id say either Soon or Only Shallow
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u/ramalledas May 08 '26
It's interesting how little impact it had on release (read the reviews of the time) but how it grew so big over time. Also interesting how it also influenced bands who had influenced MBV before, like the Cure
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u/EmergencyNaive7012 May 08 '26
Definitely. I wasn’t alive until the album was like 11 years old, but my understanding is that if you were DEEP into certain music scenes or you were a musician yourself, it was pretty well known.
Both of my parents liked it independently before they even met. My dad was a touring musician and my mom was just a big music nerd and they both found it.
I’ve also read that it’s influenced people you both would and wouldn’t expect. I was really excited when I heard that it had a big effect on Elliott Smith who is one of my favorite artists as well. I really am forgetting where I read it but one of the members of heatmiser described how they all listened to the album together and immediately felt a shift in their approach to music as a whole.
I love the cure part too, it was awesome seeing robert smith in that shoegaze documentary! Another big one people might not be aware of if they’re not “into shoegaze” is the Smashing Pumpkins. Billy Corgan openly admits he was at times just trying to be MBV in his own way. He even hired Alan Moulder to produce a good amount of their stuff for this exact reason!
All in all, its a hugely massively influential album, and while it may not be the highest fidelity thing ever made (which you know, is kind of the point) I do think it’s probably the singular most unique album in terms of the FEELING that is created from the intersection of production and songwriting.
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u/Cy_Fiction May 11 '26
You’re right about Loveless having a big impact at the time. I was alive and a shoe-gazer and we were all about this record at the time
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u/alexhamilton May 08 '26
Refused - The Deadly Rhythm
The entirety of The Shape of Punk to Come is a well engineered and produced record. It was released in 1998 and informs punk/hardcore record production to this day. I suppose they hit the nail on the head with the title.
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u/xckbrm May 08 '26
There’s two things I always think about whenever I think about the Shape of Punk to Come.
1) the absolute audacity to title an album like that
2) the unbelievable amount of foresight as they’ve been proven 100% correct over time.
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u/MrsPetrieOnBass May 08 '26
I've always thought Ooh Child by Five Stairsteps was fantastically engineered in a "sum of the parts turned out great" way.
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u/UsuallyMooACow May 08 '26
Funky Town! Goofy song but every time it comes on I’m blown away by how great the mix is, for two totally different sounds. It’s like 2 songs in 1
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u/freestuie May 08 '26
It really is. I only really “listened” to it for the first time when it came on the radio a couple of weeks ago. I was struck by the two distinctive parts that sound so different in isolation but seamless segue into each other.
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u/Dream514 May 08 '26
Id say anything from Aja by steely dan, they were very particular about which mics to use for different things down to the most minute detail. They were audiophiles about engineering their music before audiophiles were a thing. Id also add Folk Singer by Muddy Waters and suprisingly Call me Maybe by Carly rae jepsen, super well engineered.
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u/BarbersBasement May 08 '26
Gee, I wonder what responses you'll get? Dark Side of the Moon? Abbey Road? Kinda Blue? Mezzanine? Rumors? Aja? Random Access Memories?
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u/keep_trying_username May 08 '26
Objectively dark side of the moon was great for it's day but I never got the hype. Audiophiles went bananas for it, so maybe they can hear something I don't.
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u/takegaki May 08 '26
Of course they do, they have magical ears. They can hear the difference in a signal over a coat hanger vs $1000 cable, even though they completely null in a software comparison.
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u/TripticWinter May 08 '26
One of the songs off of Random Access Memories. I would need to listen to the album to remember which one.
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u/Uniturtlegames May 08 '26
Fat Lip - Sum41 is underrated as far as production and engineering go on a "pop punk" song.
Honestly all of Sum41's discography is underrated as far as production and engineering go, they're like the Radiohead of pop punk music
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u/Long-Garlic May 08 '26
Engineering? Not one song, but probably the entirety of DSOTM. That album just sounds incredible - depth, mixing, just set the standard.
Production? Probably Good Vibrations. That arrangement is just incredible. If not that, maybe some Quincy Jones Jackson stuff. Hard to say just one.
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u/Da_Toppest May 08 '26
Everytime I hear "Video Killed the Radio Star" I can't help but gush over the production. Boston's self-titled album and just about anything by Abba are up there too, though.
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u/GawaGuwa May 08 '26
Crazy nobody here has mentioned Heroes by Bowie. I highly recommend watching the interview with producer (who also did the background harmonies together with Bowie) Tony Visconti dissecting the multitrack and reminiscing over the magic that went into that session
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u/Fremtidsgorilla May 08 '26
Shakira - Hips Dont Lie. Seriously go listen to it on your best system. Do it.
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May 08 '26
A really good song to use for alternative rock is You Get What You Give by The New Radicals. It really is a superb mix
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u/TheNetworkIsFrelled May 08 '26
IGY by Donald Fagen from The Nightfly is pretty well engineered.
I use it for setting up new systems.
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u/bakelit May 08 '26
Not sure if it's the number one, but I fee llike Lovefool by the Cardigans doesn't get talked about enough in production/engineering discussions.
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u/vwestlife May 08 '26
"How High the Moon" by Les Paul & Mary Ford, 1951. First use of overdubbing and tape flanging effects in pop music. It created the modern art of audio production.
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u/Redditaurus-Rex May 09 '26
The entire Blood Sugar Sex Magic album for me. Every instrument sounds great, they sit together perfectly, and way it’s mastered just brings out so much energy in the music. I also just love it as an album, how’s it’s produced and flows from track to track.
And a special mention needs to go to the drums. All time great drum tracking.
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u/stuffsmithstuff Professional May 09 '26
Phoebe Bridgers’ “Garden Song” is pretty amazing production-wise. That use of the Goodhertz plugin to smother everything but the vocals in a layer of lo-fi combined with the layering on the fingerpicked line is just absolutely delicious.
In terms of engineering, I’m so into “Mexican Chef” by Xenia Rubinos. Not my style of production really, but the pieces are exactly where they need to be. Drums are like a machine gun (snare production unffff) doing battle with the slightly overdriven doubled vox. Everything sounds like it’s in a tight chamber. It serves the song perfectly.
BUT I don’t have favorites or “perfects” for this kind of thing so I could probably keep pulling examples out of the swamp that is my brain lol
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u/janky_koala May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
I love Freedom ‘99 90- George Michael. It’s the perfect pop song.
Edit: typo
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u/willncsu34 May 08 '26
Man I don’t know about all time but the last album and EP from Woods sound amazing to me. Like something right out of the 70’s.
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u/whoisgarypiano May 08 '26
This is kind of a left field answer, but my favorite vocal recording of all time is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas from The Carpenters. I’m sure it’s nostalgia because I grew up hearing this song every winter, but it’s also a really good cover that damn near outshines the original.
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u/deny_evaade May 08 '26
For me it's we don't talk about Bruno from the encanto movie. I was genuinley shocked when I heard it (the actual in movie version not the sound track version) and immediately looked up the mixing engineer. There's something about the use of space and all the overlapping vocals being coherent that I love and the bass mix is perfect to me.
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u/benhalleniii May 08 '26
Next time your sitting in front of a Pair of big monitors, try “kickstart my heart” by Motley Crue.
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u/Applejinx Audio Software May 08 '26
Because I've not seen it cited yet and it should've been: Rumours.
If you know, you know. Original vinyl, if possible (even more IYKYK)
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u/Pewsel May 08 '26
The Noose by A Perfect Circle. The way it builds is stellar and each element is treated beautifully. When the full drum kit comes in it's breathtaking.
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u/EphriamOttobre May 08 '26
Too many, and this is cliche, but Game of Love through the HE6SE is pure audio nirvana with some of the best production ever.
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u/Unique_Membership_16 May 08 '26
My favorite is from the band UltraFunkSupreme, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VJxLX4NNIQ
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u/KS2Problema May 08 '26
As much as I deeply admire both songs you cite ("Good Only Knows" and "Suzanne") and the Miles' album, In a Silent Way - coming up with a single answer to the OP question seems like trying to fit the universe through a keyhole.
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u/Dry-Panda1884 May 08 '26
Those are just my choices! The keyhole forces everyone to offer one answer, then we can compare what was squeezed through.
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u/randyclark May 08 '26
Africa by Toto. Carnival by Natalie Merchant. Thank you by Dido. Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty. All great songs for testing audio in a room.
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u/DirkBelig May 08 '26
Journey - "Don't Stop Believin'" The way various instruments weave in and out of the mix to be a hook is a masterpiece of arranging, engineering and mixing.
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u/freestuie May 08 '26
Les Fleurs by Minnie Ripperton is stunningly produced. Wichita Lineman is up there too.
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u/LokeeSounds May 08 '26
Mezzanine - Massive Attack