MJ Thriller Vs Malia quality

Why the Michael Jackson Thriller isn't as good a recording as a more modern recording like those from Malia and others.

[DalstonVinyl]

Thriller doesn't lack bass, at least my UK 1st doesn't, maybe a bit too much compression and mid band energy, but bass is fully present and impactful on my turntable-based English system. And, let's also acknowledged, Boris Blank's studio is superb, probably full of Swiss equipment, some of the best gear on the planet, far in advance of American gear. Yello have been making incredible sounding records for decades. Cheers everyone!!

[papabear]

It depends on which release you have of the LP. Hifi is different now. I love the 70s and 80s sound. Having an original is better than a remaster version.

[davem]

2 years prior, Steely Dan made Gaucho. It's probably similar technology. Amazing sound/production.

[Alexandra-Rex]

Surprised to hear Boris Blank all of the sudden. Yello is one of my all time favorites, which he is half of.

[elliotthall]

It was recorded at Westlake and Ocean Way, so top notch studios. Here's a little blurb. I agree it needed more bass. Sometimes an engineer gets too cute. Bruce Swedien was the engineer responsible for recording the album, and he used a variety of techniques to achieve the desired sound. For example, he used gobos to help separate the drums, and recorded vocal overdubs for "Billie Jean" through a six-foot-long cardboard tube. Swedien also recorded wolf howls by setting up tape recorders around his Great Dane in a barn overnight, and creaking doors by renting sound effect doors from Universal Studios and recording the hinges

[matthewhilty]

IMO the MoFi version of thriller is quite a bit better on an HIFI system, but in the car the Quincy Jones version is better. I guess it's the way the artist intended. Both are good but one is better for casual listening on a less than stellar system.

[chriswright]

I could hardly believe I was hearing this. What pressing of Thriller do you have! Sounds fantastic on my turntable with amazing dynamics. I have early US and UK pressings.

[starmaniac]

Boris Blank produced that record referred to, "Convergence". And he reeeally knows what he's doing;

[uhfch]

What gets me is streaming music on YouTube, then the bass and sound quality on the ads are 10x better than music.

[GkGahee]

Quincy Jones filed a lawsuit against the studio that did the remaster for that same reason. I do belive that he was victorious. Here we are some 40yrs later wreaking his reputation as a Producer because of a bad remaster with which he had nothing to do. I'd say, he was justified in filing and winning that lawsuit.

[kurtsnyder]

Record it and get it out to the masses! 99.9 % of music is not put out for us crazy audiophiles! Paul’s trying to change that!

[jeffbrooke]

I have a decades old habit of listening to jazz as recorded by engineers such as the legendary Rudy Van Gelder. This stuff has always sounded fantastic to me and my perspective on it dates back to a time before I was aware of Mr. Van Gelder. However, as of late I have become even more aware of how pop music doesn't come close to holding a candle to this quality of work. It's amazing how some people will make a big time and money investment into their hifi gear yet, in contrast, demand so little of the quality of what they listen too. The thresholds do not match.

[timkolacny]

Thriller was originally engineered and mastered for radio and the clubs, and there is little doubt that it was incredibly well done for those ambitions. Later remasters tried to up the ante and just brick walled it to the point it lost all dynamics and musicality. Then there are a few versions mastered for more fidelity - the recent MoFi one-step being one I have - that bring out more detail, but they do so at the expense of some of the swing and funkiness that made the record such a hit in the first place. Count me as an audiophile who actually prefers the first US pressing over any of the others.

[bikdav]

That’s a great point. I’ve heard some recordings that made “trashy” systems sound great. I run into this with my systems.

[RoadFai]

The turntable is beautiful. Any info on it?

[carlosubilla]

You go listen Thriller, first press CD, and your judgement might well change.

[puglife]

I have a copy of the Original Pre emphasis cd of thriller and Off the wall. Once de-emphasized they both sound incredible. Perhaps Paul has used a later compresses remaster to test the album. Even the album Bad has a much better original issue cd which has since been butchered aka compressed, remixed, shortened and sped up.

[Psyclonus]

Which version of Thriller is being addressed?

[Whippoorwill_Hollow_Films]

I have an idea for a video that you might want to do... Why don't you demonstrate, with an oscilloscope, the difference in the wave forms between a compressed music clip and a non-compressed clip. Just a thought.

[sebastianbachert]

Thriller as US 1st pressing or MFSL 1step sound different but audiophile. Newer reissues especially on CD and streaming are heavily compressed. Go check out the vinyl versions - you won't be disappointed 😊