Octopo:MattSPL:
Just had the Jay-z version of Alicia keys 'Empire state of mind' on as loud as i dared.
Great tune but i dont like the way it was mastered, very bright, forward midrange and trebble with the bass taking a back seat.
I presume this is so it sounds louder/better on a typical car radio or mini system.
Can't be right, Jay-Z is seen as an excellent producer amongst the low slingers trade because of his excellent ability to dumb things down. Maybe he got a bit over excited about Alicia Keys' voice and dropped one.
Id say its definitly deliberate, to allow it to sound loud and clear on an average radio its bound to be heard on.
And compression used in the bass so that it can be turned up loud without over exerting bass drivers.
There is a decent amount of bass there, dont get me wrong, but its not on par with some better balanced/produced stuff of the same genre like Kelis.