Does anyone else find Enter The 36 Chambers unappealing?

[Harry B]

That underground sound sounds perfect, that's a dope thing with indie rock and shyt like that. Some of their records still sound like they recorded it in a garage, which gives a dope sound. I don't understand this obsession with Dr. Dre 10 million dollar studio bla bla sounding music.

Some albums sound better when it's got a dirty sound, some sound better when it's crystal clear.

The Wu had that whole underground thing going on, it was dark, dirty, and on.

Just like this video

 

[ZEB WALTON]

It's not that I don't like the beats. I just don't like how it's mixed/mastered.

Well reading up on it for their 20 year anniversaary i saw some articles that even loud was like "whats up with this mix".

Ill try n dig up some of the shyt.

I know it was done on the cheap but it was literally mixed in a decent studio idk wtf happened lol.

I know when the singles dropped all the mixes kept getting better. For example the cream single has a wAaaaaay better mix.

Ill dig up some articles on that hold up

 

[ZEB WALTON]

This is from the dude who mixed the album carlos bess from the gear alut forum

Hey!! Just wanted to contribute to this post. This is a list of all the gear that I used to record and mix the first wu-tang album.

Console

Peavey Production Series 2400 With Megamix Automation (Run with a Mac SE-30)

Audio Recorders.

Ampex MM1200 24 track - Originally own by Prince. "Purple Rain" album was recorded with this machine.

The majority of the record was recorded on 2" tape except "Protect your Neck" which was record on a Tascam MS16 16 track 1" reel with Without Dolby NR

Sony APR5003 2 track 1/4" with SMPTE
Tascam DA-30 DAT Recorder
Tascam 244 portastudio 4 track was used to bounce final mixes from DAT to highspeed 4 track Cassette with Maxell MX 60 Crome Cassettes.

Speakers and Amps

Westlake Audio BBSM12
Yamaha NS10m
Aurtones C5
(2) Bryston Amps 4B
(2) OCS amps MX 700

Signal Processors

Ampex 350
API 3124
Quad 8
Focusrite ISA 215
API 550A
Pultek Custom 2 eq's
Aphex Lunch Box (2) eq's (2) Compressors
1 UREI 565 Notch Filter
2 UREI 1176
2 UREI LA-4
2 DBX 166
1 DBX 160x
2 DBX 266
2 DBX 563x The Silencer
1 Alesis 3630
Valley People Dynamite Comp/gate
Valley People Gatex
Barcus Barry BBE802 Aural Exciter

Efx Units

Tascam 122 MKII was used on "repro" as an Analog slap back delay used on the vocals. You hear it more on "Bring the Ruckus"
Roland R888
Yamaha Rev 1 (Without the Remote...HaHa)
Lexicon PCM 60
Echo Plate III
Stocktronics RX 4000A
Lexicon LXP1-LXP5 + MRC
Lexicon PCM 41 & 42
(2) Yamaha SPX90
(2) Delta Lab 1024
Ibenez AD202
Roland RE-301

The only microphone that was used was an AKG-C414 EB


At the time RZa used an SP-1200, EPS 16 Plus then Graduated to an ASR-10. We would lockup the units to tape using a Roland SBX-80

The Following machines were used for the following Tracks

1 Bring da Ruckus - EPS16+
2 Shame on a nikka - ASR10
3 Clan in da Front - ASR10
4 Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - ASR10
5 Can It Be All So Simple/Intermission ASR10 /Sp-1200 for Intermission
6 Da Mystery of Chessboxin' ASR 10
7 Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit - EPS16+
8 C.R.E.A.M. EPS16+
9 Method Man SP1200
10 Protect Ya Neck EPS16+
11 Tearz -EPS16+
12 Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber, Pt. 2 ASR 10 ( I provided the live Drums )

Most vocal Performaces were flown in using Akai -S-1000 Stereo Sampler. We would sample a lead vocal on the left with a Snare or kik on the right for reference then fly in the verses in their places.

From

Who mixed Wu Tang - Enter the 36? - Page 2 - Gearslutz Pro Audio Community

Apparently it might have been intentionl lol

 

[ZEB WALTON]

Heres the article i was talking about

Clan In Da Back: The Behind-the-Scenes Oral History Of ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ | SPIN

 

[<<TheStandard>>]

Well reading up on it for their 20 year anniversaary i saw some articles that even loud was like "whats up with this mix".

Ill try n dig up some of the shyt.

I know it was done on the cheap but it was literally mixed in a decent studio idk wtf happened lol.

I know when the singles dropped all the mixes kept getting better. For example the cream single has a wAaaaaay better mix.

Ill dig up some articles on that hold up

This is so real......I have the 12" vinyl for this & I literally will not play the album version of CREAM. It's absolutely insane how a mix can make something sound better


That said, there's a special ruggedness and beauty in the rough sound of that album that I've come to appreciate and enjoy.

 

[OnlyInCalifornia]

Op is on crack.

To me, it's the best Hip Hop album ever.

 

[The Jewnited States]

Op is talking about the mixing and mastering not the actual beats. I can understand where he's coming from. Personally I think the dirty/dustiness adds to the feel of the album

 

[Zero]

Op is talking about the mixing and mastering not the actual beats. I can understand where he's coming from. Personally I think the dirty/dustiness adds to the feel of the album

I'm 90% sure the beat skipping on the end of Bring Da Ruckus wasn't intentional but it was dope as fukk either way

 

[Notorious 1 E.Y.E.]

Nah

 

[nahnah]

That rawness adds to its appeal.

Props, was gonna post that Gearslutz link. There's some dope insights on there by engineers etc.. from that era.

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

This was before wverything was crystal clear.

It was a diamond in the ruff. The mix is ass but u cant deny the talent of it.

Can it be so sinple is still a classic if it dropped today

Cream... What is there to say about that. Best hook ever. One of besy beats ever with some of the realest verses in history

reading rza's book, he was SUPPOSED to sound like this

he went through his machines... every time he got a new one, what they did for his production, and how he used them

clear sound was out for years... he purposely made it sound gritty and unpolished cause that's how he wanted his sound

another thing he did was have a list of settings, different for each member... so ghost had his settings, meth had his... and so on... he says himself that's why they sound different on different albums.. if he wasn't there personally doing the track, nobody else had his settings


and also why future wu albums don't sound like this one.. he never did it again

 

[The Ruler 09]

I was listening to 36 the other day, I love the album still, was gonna make a thread sometime asking who people thought had the best verses, Deck was killing that shyt, but a lot of them were. shyt was gritty, raw, flavourful, hard, that was some unique music that's rarely been made quite like that again, even by Wu, love that album. To each their own though.

 

[The Ruler 09]

I prefer a gritty raw sound at times over the overly polished shyt, it depends on specifics, Wu Tang Forever is dope but a little cleaner, 36 is like that raw basement shyt, I like both for what they are...

 

[SonnyDecay]

listen to anything that was released before 36 chambers. then bump it and you'll see that there really was nothing comparable at that time.
think gafar wouldve respected you if you told him the lo fi grittiness is too much for you to handle

 

[ORDER_66]

Yeah let's just ban this man now