One of the WORST CD's I have ever heard is that Doug McCleod (spelling?) blues CD, Come To Find. Forgive me if I don't have all the details correct, because the sound was so awful that I listened to only one song and then had to turn it off. I often listen to new CD's several times before forming an opinion of the sound and the performance. I tried liking that CD by giving it another chance later, but just couldn't get past the horrible mud and thud. Who cares if a signal is processed or not? If it sounds like crap, they SHOULD have processed it. Do you think that a real symphony orchestra would actually sound good in your living room? Probably not a blues combo, either, then. I don't care what all the critics in the audio press write...I can think for myself and form my own opinions. And I couldn't care less that ARC uses Mapleshade to voice their components, because most of their stuff sounds sterile and artificial anyway. If there are better Mapleshades, I would happily give them a try, if anyone cares to recommend one.
Mapleshade Recordings..GREAT or what?
I HAPPEN TO THINK MAPLESHADE CD'S ARE THE GRETEST RECORDINGS AROUND. I HAVE ALMOST WHOLE OF THE CATALOGUE. PRODUCTION QUALITY CAN BE MISS AT TIMES BUT HEAR THAT LIFE LIKE MUSIC AND YOU ARE DRAWN IN TO NO MATTER WHAT. AND YOU GET THE BEST PRICE TOO. THEM AND THE REFERENCE RECORDINGS ARE FEW OF MY FAVOURITES. I HAVE BOUGHT LOT OF OTHER COMMERCIAL JAZZ/CLASSICAL STUFF BUT NOTHING COMES THIS CLOSE. EVEN THE FAVOURABLY REVIEWED ONES. HOW MANY OF YOU AGREES WITH ME. MAY BE THIS POST WILL SPREAD THE WORD AND BUY SOME OF THEIR CD'S.