Steven Wilson Steven Wilson. Is he better at surround than others? And why?

[marpow]

My first thread by myself, believe it or not, any way..............
I was listening to some Steven Wilson remixes in 5.1 and they are clearly better than many other surround discs that I have listened to. I asked my self the question, why is Steven Wilson good at what he does? He is certainly younger than others that have done mixes longer than he has. Does he have a natural talent that others do not posses? Does he have better machines, more paid money, more time to complete????
I know QQ will have a lot of opioin's that will be interesting for me to understand this big question.

 

[fredblue]

nice thread idea!
it didn't hurt that he learned from the multichannel maestro, Elliot Scheiner!
..and in some instances came to outdo the great man himself!

all just imho.. i know there are people here and elsewhere who don't care for either of their mixing work!

 

[Marplot]

I think the largest part of it is his passion. He takes on remixes for music he loved growing up so wants to clean it up and provide the instruments room to breathe and allow the music to shine.

Neither does it hurt that he is a talented musician in his own right.

 

[kap'n krunch]

one important factor is that he had all of those years mixing his OWN music to MCH, which I believe helped him immensely to then do MCH mixes of other stuff.. well , that and he is a freaking genius...

 

[GOS]

Us rookies also wonder if he chooses titles that lend themselves to a great surround (and fidelity) experience. Not saying that's the case...but it seems he can turn something that you would NEVER think would sound good into just that. An example of Hawkwind comes to mind. That is such a dense, loud mess that I would never have dreamed to have a chance at sounding good in surround...yet it does. At least, IMO it does. It's easily one of my favorites.

You could also change the question to say, why are some surround titles just not up to par with others? There are obvious reasons...but is there more? I'm not educated on the topic, so I have no way to understand why some just do not sound good. Odd....

 

[rugene]

Making his own mixes and making mixes for the albums he loved helps. Also, he must have learned from his father who was an electrical engineer that built him a multi-track tape machine. But I don't know if he is really the best, the most productive, yes.

 

[beerking]

I had never heard about the man, his music, his pure genius until I joined this site.

It is very clear that he has spent his time wisely: learning, mastering and more importantly listening.

He clearly has a passion that sings right back at you. I have stated elsewhere that he should set up a mastering programme where other mixing engineers could learn a trick or two.

Unfortunately there are some people who think they might know it all because they are producers or engineers who excel in their own field.

Producing a sure fire winner in surround, is a whole new ball game. He just gets it. He's bloody good at it. And I love being spoilt by him every time I play one of his masterpieces.

More please, Steve.

PLEASE

 

[Clint Eastwood]

As good as Steven Wilson is...he's not the only one...he's just the one RIGHT NOW...Elliot was doing this decades before SW... the year SW was born ES started his first job..and then there is Bob Clearmountain….all these guys are excellent...but on here I think SW has an advantage....there are a LOT of progressive music fans on here....more than Rock fans...I cherish titles like the Guns N Roses album much more than the almost endless supply of Tull albums...most of which I never heard of before I came on the forum...

If I could pick just one...it would be Elliot for me...but you couldn't go wrong with any of the three I mentioned....and Clearmountain's work on the Big Pink was just outstanding....and it was from a very poor source..

 

[fredblue]

there's a neat little bit in the book of the new Tull "This Was" set, where he explains how he approached remixing the album into surround and why he did it the way he did. i read that and it helped give me extra insight, he thinks in surround, he 'gets' surround.
on that release he demonstrates he can take 4 tracks and rework them into something really nice. no slur on Jakko but i wish SW had done the Moody Blues ISOTLC.. oh well.
Steven Wilson's best surround stuff is among the best surround stuff I've ever heard and probably ever will. i honestly don't think our hobby would've made it through the doldrums without him (the years after the SACD/DVD-A wars and ensuing surround flop) his impact and influence on surround music cannot be overstated imho.

 

[beerking]

As good as Steven Wilson is...he's not the only one...he's just the one RIGHT NOW...Elliot was doing this decades before SW... the year SW was born ES started his first job..and then there is Bob Clearmountain….all these guys are excellent...but on here I think SW has an advantage....there are a LOT of progressive music fans on here....more than Rock fans...I cherish titles like the Guns N Roses album much more than the almost endless supply of Tull albums...most of which I never heard of before I came on the forum...

If I could pick just one...it would be Elliot for me...but you couldn't go wrong with any of the three I mentioned....and Clearmountain's work on the Big Pink was just outstanding....and it was from a very poor source..

It's just a pity that ES and Bob are not as prolific now. Of course not forgetting the folk at Dutton Vocalion.

 

[fredblue]

It's just a pity that ES and Bob are not as prolific now. Of course not forgetting the folk at Dutton Vocalion.

ain't it a pity! though ES and BC aren't spring chickadees anymore, we can't rely on them! SW represents the new wave of surround talent! more young blood is what we need! *licks lips* mwaaaahaaaahaaahaaaa!

 

[JonUrban]

I think that Steven understands that a surround mix is a surround mix, and not some homage to the stereo mix, which is after all, a stereo mix.

You don't have to change a song or the intent of the artist by opening up a song in a way that could not be done when it originated. The main point of a surround mix is not to have the oboe in the rear left, but to spread the tracks across a larger soundfield than was available to the original stereo engineer so that everything can breathe and be heard.

Some dislike his use of the center speaker for vocals, but in doing so it allows the other 4 channels to come alive with the instruments and sounds that complement the vocals and create a very enjoyable listen. I like this a lot. Having the lead vocals come from all 5 speakers (phantom center/center) to me mucks up a surround mix.

 

[colman]

If only SW could be allowed to remix the Genesis 70s catalogue, that would be a delight, and I’m sure he wouldn’t compress or process that material nearly as much as Nick Davis did on his surround remix from about 10 years ago..

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I think that Steven understands that a surround mix is a surround mix, and not some homage to the stereo mix, which is after all, a stereo mix.

You don't have to change a song or the intent of the artist by opening up a song in a way that could not be done when it originated. The main point of a surround mix is not to have the oboe in the rear left, but to spread the tracks across a larger soundfield than was available to the original stereo engineer so that everything can breathe and be heard.

Some dislike his use of the center speaker for vocals, but in doing so it allows the other 4 channels to come alive with the instruments and sounds that complement the vocals and create a very enjoyable listen. I like this a lot. Having the lead vocals come from all 5 speakers (phantom center/center) to me mucks up a surround mix.

I LOVE the use of the center channel for vocals

 

[GOS]

I LOVE the use of the center channel for vocals

I like it too...as long as it's not too loud.

 

[beerking]

For Instance:

Clutching At Straws (better musically than the other two..imo) misses his influence, by some degree.
After comparing the other two releases of his mixing, its like night and day between them and the somewhat conservative mix on Straws...sigh.

 

[sjcorne]

It's just a pity that ES and Bob are not as prolific now. Of course not forgetting the folk at Dutton Vocalion.

Keep in mind that DV isn’t actually doing the mixing, they’re just doing an incredible job remastering some great old Columbia quads by people like Larry Keyes and Don Young, who I’d say are the greatest surround mixers of all time. Those two completed almost 100 (!!) quad mixes in the span of five or so years (1972-77) and they are, for the most part, consistently excellent.

As for SW, my favorite thing about him is the music I’ve been introduced to: his own work, XTC, Marillion, King Crimson, Tull, etc. I really was not a progressive music fan before I became active on the forum, but now I am.

That being said, I ultimately prefer Scheiner’s surround work. His mixes often strike me as a bit more daring than SW’s and I think he’s tackled a wider range of musical genres. Still, SW is an amazing guy to have around for our unique hobby.

 

[beerking]

Keep in mind that DV isn’t actually doing the mixing, they’re just doing an incredible job remastering some great old Columbia mixes by people like Larry Keyes and Don Young, who I’d say are the greatest surround mixers of all time- those two completed something like 120+ quad mixes in the span of 6 or so years (1971-77) and they are for the most part consistently excellent.

As for SW, my favorite thing about him is the music I’ve been introduced to- his own work, XTC, Marillion, KC, etc. I really was not a progressive music fan before I became active on the forum, but now I am.

That being said for 5.1 I prefer Scheiner’s work, his mixes often strike me as a bit more daring than SW’s and I think he’s tackled a wider range of genres. Still SW is an amazing guy to have around for our unique hobby.

Yes and what a superb, faithful job they are doing at DV.

 

[fredblue]

I LOVE the use of the center channel for vocals

somebody agrees with you! Sir Elton, no less! EJ said, the way Greg Penny mixed his vocals in the Centre channel, it was like looking in a mirror! too cool, man!

 

[rugene]

Yes, Elliot Scheiner must be very good but mostly unknown for a prog fan that I am, and I must admit that I really enjoy the surround mixes on Queen hits. His surround mixes on this one are different from SW, certainly more impressive.