Review: Siobhan Peoples & Murty Ryan

Subject: Review: Siobhan Peoples & Murty Ryan
From: radriano
Date: 15 Jan 03 - 03:08 PM

I just listened to the new CD by Siobhan Peoples (fiddle) and Murty Ryan (button accordion) titled "Time on our Hands." It's a fine album of traditional (and some contemporary) Irish tunes but what made me want to start this thread is that this recording is a perfect example of superb mixing. Mixing was done by the musicians and I say it is superb because the melody instruments are always clearly in the foreground. The backup instruments, bouzouki (Cyril O'Donoghue), guitar (Donnache Mohnihan), and bodhran (John Moloney) are always clearly present but never overshadow the melody.

Many recent recordings feature backup instruments that are mixed as loud if not louder than melody instruments. Anyone else in Mudcat land find this trend as disconcerting as I do?

Radriano

Subject: RE: Review: Siobhan Peoples & Murty Ryan
From: Declan
Date: 16 Jan 03 - 05:10 AM

I second what Radriano says on this.

Firstly its a brilliant CD. Siobhan and Murty are two of my favourite musicians and leading examples of the brilliant music scene in Ennis, I've mentioned in other threads. As for the mixing, I'm not an expert of the technicalities of these things but my view is that while good backing can enhance the music it should never overshadow or drown out the tunes. Donnacha, Cyril & John know this well, and are all subtle accompanists. Even the best producers and engineers will have difficulty in producing a good balance in the final mix if the raw material is not good, and the three lads are about as good as it gets. I don't know what it is about Ennis but I can think of about a dozen other backers who live there off the top of my head, and almost all of them are of the highest standard around.

As far as I know this is an indepedently produced CD and this is important in terms of being able to produce the sound the musicians want to get out of the album. Bigger labels tend to want to bring in well-known producers who may not understand the music, or who aim for a sound they think will be commercial, which these days seems to mean pumping up the bass, often at the expense of the melody.

Anyway go out and buy the CD. Its well worth it.