Adele Live At Royal Albert Hall BD

ZLTFUL

Finally got around to watching this last night.

Aside from some video production miscues, I have to say that this is one of, if not THE best concert Blu-Rays I have watched.
The audio production was pretty solid but a few spots here and there where the audio track didn't match up with the video track.

My list of "must see in concert" isn't very big but Adele made the list last night.

Toolfan66

Yep, I love it...

BlueFox

If I remember correctly it sounds a lot better than her CDs. The Sade concert video is also good.

Inspector 24

'21' was terrible. Wife and I listened once, never again. It's fine on **** car and computer speakers, but upstairs or down stairs it was one of the worst recorded pop albums I've ever heard.

Still want to get the Blu Ray, I've always heard rave reviews.

PSOVLSK

Agreed that it's a great sounding Blu-ray. I must say that I was very surprised by her language. She couldn't post on the forum

drumminman

I love her musicianship, banter with the audience, and her band. She gets on stage and it's all about the music. Doesn't need laser, costumes, things that distract.

Agree re: "21", there's no excuse in this day and age to put out such a poor quality recording.

Hopefully now that she has had her baby she'll get back to making music.

treitz3

Inspector 24 wrote: »

Still want to get the Blu Ray, I've always heard rave reviews.

Okay, please allow me to clarify these "rave reviews" in my own opinion here. 21 was such a disaster (recording wise) that the only other alternative is the Blu-Ray. While it is a major step up from the CD or LP of 21, it's still a far cry from a good recording or video. Let me put it to you this way...if the CD wasn't ever released and it was just the Blu-Ray? Folks would be commenting on how bad the Blu-Ray is for production, recording, editing and video quality.

With that said, it's hard to believe that the mastering engineer for 21 won multiple distinguished awards on how he finished Adele's 21. He actually received so much praise on his mastering of that album that many industry insiders stated that "this is the way mastering should be done".

Makes me want to throw up because if ever there was a chance for beauty? 21 was it.

*shakes head in shame*

Tom

Polkie2009

Would love to get a Blu Ray of Hayley Westenra or Celtic Woman at the Royal Albert Hall.

drumminman

treitz3 wrote: »

Inspector 24 wrote: »

Still want to get the Blu Ray, I've always heard rave reviews.

Okay, please allow me to clarify these "rave reviews" in my own opinion here. 21 was such a disaster (recording wise) that the only other alternative is the Blu-Ray. While it is a major step up from the CD or LP of 21, it's still a far cry from a good recording or video. Let me put it to you this way...if the CD wasn't ever released and it was just the Blu-Ray? Folks would be commenting on how bad the Blu-Ray is for production, recording, editing and video quality.

With that said, it's hard to believe that the mastering engineer for 21 won multiple distinguished awards on how he finished Adele's 21. He actually received so much praise on his mastering of that album that many industry insiders stated that "this is the way mastering should be done".

Makes me want to throw up because if ever there was a chance for beauty? 21 was it.

*shakes head in shame*

Tom

Yes, great album, horrible SQ.

Inspector 24

treitz3 wrote: »

Inspector 24 wrote: »

Still want to get the Blu Ray, I've always heard rave reviews.

With that said, it's hard to believe that the mastering engineer for 21 won multiple distinguished awards on how he finished Adele's 21. He actually received so much praise on his mastering of that album that many industry insiders stated that "this is the way mastering should be done".

You've GOT to be kidding. I'm pretty sure you're not, but seriously? It was so bad I couldn't even enjoy the music for the music, worse than Fall Out Boy 'From Under The Cork Tree'...that I can at least turn up and enjoy through the substandard recording...

Link to said engineers awards for that album??

treitz3

Well, unfortunately I am not kidding and the links are all over the place. Tom Coyne, the senior mastering engineer of Adele's 21 even won a Grammy or two for mastering that album along with Mark Rankin. Then there is Tom Elmhirst;

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep11/articles/it-0911.htm

Here is a question asked of me on another forum about this very album.

wrote:

Tom, what exactly is the "problem" from your point of view; in other words what are the artifacts that are wrong, that are equivalent to distortion for you? And please don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to say that your system is "wrong" in any way, just trying to get to a common language, understanding of how people perceive sound, in terms of how it's recorded and reproduced.

treitz3 wrote:

I had some time to listen to up to song 5. I had to turn it off after that and put in something that sounded a bit more pleasing to these ears. I dig her music but it sounds better in the car with a boatload of ambient noise and I'll reserve listening to it again for just that. Listening to it in the car. Anyhoo, at a volume level of about 8:30 [which was about all I could stand] on the dial, I gave her CD another whirl so that I could offer my observations to you. Forgive my way of typing this out. I just started writing things down on a piece of paper and whatever hit my fancy to write down is how it's gonna be offered in this observation.

First off, it's mixed hot. There are little to no dynamics in the recording whatsoever. The bass riffs hit too hard with too much unnatural reverb or butchering, maybe both. The background singers sound fake at times. There is very little detail and things just sound congested. Nothing was really palpable. Horrible imaging when compared to a well recorded album. Impact?.....I don't think they know the definition or that it even exists. I can detect a slight noise during the recording and the noise floor on certain instruments and singers is high. The piano sounds like arse and is not at all accurate with no detail or naturalness to it at all, whether it is played by itself our during a busy passage.

In general, there is very little stereo separation and none of the voices sound natural. In fact, nothing really sounds real and it sounds as if it is restricted. There are no microdynamics, subtleties or inner detail, let alone texture to most everything in the recording. There is an unnatural balance of frequencies and absolutely no definition in the drums. At times, I wonder if they actually used a drum or if they did, what the hell was wrong with them? No natural rolloff of many instruments and speaking of the instruments, at times they are in front of Adele. I don't understand why she's so far back sometimes. The bass guitar has no texture whatsoever, you hear the notes [not very clear] but that's about all you get. One last thing. It's like there is no crescendo throughout the first 5 songs. Everything seems to be on or at the same level. Overall, a very bad recording.

Simply comparing it to the Sarah McGlachlin CD I was listening too last night, Adele's recording is a joke. Sarah's piano was very fluid, natural, had a seemingly infinite amount of subtleties, nuances, texture, rolloff and you could even hear when the pedal was lifted up and down...and this happened whether or not the piano was the only thing playing or the passage was a busy one.

Interesting read here, lots of credit went into the recording and mixing. "Dynamics", according to Tom Elmhirst, was the main issue with the song "Rolling in the Deep". Maybe Tom Elmhirst should get Burmester's CD and listen to Hugh Masekela's "Stimela" and find out what dynamics really are.

When you win Grammy's and award after award from the music industry on mastering a hugely successful selling album, other mastering engineers taker notice. While I can't find the original link to where other engineers are following the lead of these engineers, I think you can put two and two together. That is simply a shame because IMO Adele is the ONLY reason that album was a smashing success, with a little help from the producers.

Tom

Inspector 24

Here Here!

I'm glad you mentioned Sarah Mclaughlin. I've used her album 'Surfacing' for quite a while now as reference material when I change something. What else of hers would your recommend?

treitz3

Afterglow, Afterglow Live (A really fun album to watch her perform on the DVD) and even though I have only listened to it once so far, Laws of Illusion. Surfacing would have been the other album by her I would have recommended.

My wife and I are both big fans of hers and she was actually the singer of choice for our wedding/first dance song. I think the one we chose was "Push". Both her and Adele have some great talent that in no way should ever be held back by bad recordings.

Tom

treitz3

Thanks Skip. Added to the list of things to get. Much appreciated.

Tom

ZLTFUL

Sort of how I feel about Chloe Agnew at age 15 singing Ave Maria, Skip.

Polkie2009

ZLTFUL wrote: »

Sort of how I feel about Chloe Agnew at age 15 singing Ave Maria, Skip.

OMG, yes, the voice of an angel !!! That was amazing and accompanied with Orla on harp. Chloe may have even been 14 then. Wish that concert was on Blu Ray.

ZLTFUL

You and me both.

voltz

I have Sarah McLachlan "Afterglow & Solace" in 45 rpm vinyl and they excellent but they cost about $50 each

daboyz

I think the Adele concert is very good. Of course she can make a sailor blush but to me that was part of the charm.