I’ve been going back through a lot of the biggest pop hits from the mid-90s lately, and the vocal production is just on another level compared to today. There’s this specific "shimmer" and depth to the high-register vocals that I don't hear in modern tracks. Was it the use of specific analog consoles like the SSL, or maybe just the way they used to layer the harmonies to create that "wall of sound"? It feels like modern ballads are too clean or digitally compressed, losing that lush emotional weight that defined the era. Does anyone know the technical secrets behind that "golden era" of vocal recording? I’d love to hear some theories from fellow audiophiles who miss that big, dramatic sound!