I have to re-visit this thread every time it gets exhumed. Sea Change... in my top five.
It's almost like Beck though; "I need to do one serious masterpiece to secure my spot on the wall." This is his "Liberty Leading the People." His "Raft of the Medusa." He nailed it, IMHO.

Most of what you hear on "End of the Day" is indeed Clav through a Boss DM-300 then verb, usually the Oceanway chambers. But I was responding specifically to the sound in this moment of another song, which is as I described.

There's something very satisfying about hearing that the synth part on such an iconic song is a 17 year old soft synth freebie. Not that basically the rest of the album wasn't made with the most high end stuff. But that's a neat little tidbit.

was responding to another post. Not yours. And to confuse things, I didn't see that you had responded to that post.
But still. Nice to know that I was righjt about the d6 but seriously. Thank you for responding!
Thank you so much for participating here. It's so cool to get the "inside" info on one of my favorite records of all time.

Were you a part of the sea change 2.0= Morning phase album? It's also a great sounding album, but the album does Not have the same depth/3D image to me. Might just be me not trying to bash at all here. It's great sounding. But Was it mixed in the box? Or was something else done differently in mixing it? Maybe I'm just biased towards my first love

I believe Morning Phase was mixed by Tom Elmhirst on a Neve VR at Electric Lady.
Not sure where it was recorded. Possibly multiple places.

Sea Change was recorded and mixed by Nigel Godrich at what is now called United Studio B (then it was Oceanway.)

Maybe Justin can add some more info............

I have one question. Was Sea Change all analog or did it go into Pro Tools at some point???

I think both of those records sound amazing in their own way.
They are sort of like cousins sonically.
Both are benchmarks in my mind.

Sea Change and Mutations are my favourite Beck albums, for sure. Great stuff.

Yes, I was involved with Morning Phase and most of Beck's other LP's. Wasn't mixed in the box, no.

All of the facts you presented are correct. Sea Change was tracked to tape, then some overdubs and all mixing were done in PT. Mutations was all tape. Morning Phase was all PT. So essentially: Mutations was the last "all tape" session, then from Midnite Vultures forward (with the exception of Sea Change as described), all the albums were recorded in PT. But the interesting thing is: Mutations, Sea Change and Morning Phase were all done at Oceanway/United B, so at the very least you have the through-line of the same room, same mic collection, and same players, recorded as a live ensemble.

Justin

I saw Beck perform for the first time in Belfast last year. I wish that gig had lasted a few hours and covered a lot more of his material. It felt painfully short, but was a very enjoyable show none the less.

I second the Gordon Lightfoot comparison. Seriously, paper tiger is one of my benchmark sounds production wise. My question would be, how is level so high and yet the sound so natural? I’m sure it’s a bunch of things

You'd have to ask Bob Ludwig.

Thanks for chiming in Justin

I was thinking about Radiohead and their recordings last night. I've seen them live three times now (back-to-back nights in Toronto as well when they only played about 3 of the same songs across each set!) and I definitely appreciate their live sound and energy. They're touring veterans, and it shows.

However, I can't help but think that Nigel Godrich is an X-factor in the Radiohead sphere (they don't call him the sixth member for nothing, though I suppose Clive Deamer is maybe the sixth member now ). The way that Nigel is able to get away with using compression and insane amounts of EQ is pretty astonishing. The result is records that sound quite modern in the sense that they can compete with hip hop records in terms of their weight and punch, yet the instruments retain a natural character. Just listen to the drums on Nude, for example. Of course, all those nice mics and good miking techniques, world-class consoles, and tape go a long way ... but he knows how to make it all work to great effect.

Anyway, just a small random musing. Nigel continues to inspire me.

Thought I'd take a chance and see if Justin still reads this thread.

I purchased a P-Bass about 11 years ago and Justin's sound on "End of the Day" played a big part in my decision. It's one of my favorite songs and the bass playing and sound is incredible.

So Justin, if you happen to see this, just wondering if you would share your recording chain for that song. Was it through an amp and DI? Would love to hear any specifics on how it was recorded.

Thanks!

Hi,
Thanks Doug. That song is my '98 Guild Starfire -> mid 90's B-15R -> Fet 47 (no DI) -> into a chanel of the Delcon console formerly at United B a.k.a. Oceanway B. That's abut it.
Regards,
Justin

I love it every time this thread gets revived.

Was Nigel using compression and EQ to tape???

Oh man. This whole time I thought you were playing a stock off the shelf P-Bass. I thought for sure I read that somewhere years ago. Thank you for clarifying Justin.

There may be a small portion of us that nerd out over details such as these, but it's really amazing to have it documented.

Appreciate what you've added to this thread over the years and your reply. Even though I bought the wrong bass. Lol.

Your musical talent continues to inspire.

Thanks again.

Yeah, a bit. 1176 and console eq.

Most welcome. P-bass on certain songs, but others too. A variety, as always. The Starfire was used the most. Cheers, man.

One of the best albums ever created, IMHO.
After 19 years, it still gets better. I put it away for a few years, and then I'm amazed all over again when I re-introduce it into my CD player. I've had seven cars since this was released, and one of the things I have to do with a new car is check how Sea Change sounds on the system.
And maybe the coolest thread on GS.

Normally I’d feel guilty reviving an old thread but this one just keeps coming back. Like many of you I just keep coming back to this album. Love Vultures and Morning Phase too.

I’m currently obsessed with these drum sounds. Obviously so much of it is the amazing players. That’s a given but this is Gearspace!

I know the snares were Supraphonics and/or Gadson’s Pearl’s with muffling.

The toms sound pretty open. Any idea what kit and sizes were used? Reso heads on or off?

On my first listen, 'Golden Age' seemed pretty open...fat splat kinda sound.

Lost Cause is a beautiful song.

Im late to the party on this thread, but what an awesome read. Such amazing info. Dont have to wonder as much anymore. I want to add that i saw the Chicago Theater show of this tour and it was one of the greatest concert experiences of my life. Flaming Lips were openers and Becks band for that tour. Unreal.