Who is a better producer than Trent Reznor?

Super Producah Scott Storch

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One thing about Trent is you can hear the production value increase from project to project

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He was working with a master engineer and producer. How can you say Trent going back to 1989 and not even mention Flood? Flood is THE reason for that.

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He was working with a master engineer and producer. How can you say Trent going back to 1989 and not even mention Flood? Flood is THE reason for that.

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Flood is great, but even the PHM demos recorded entirely by Trent while sweeping the floors in the right track studio (Purest Feeling) before Flood was spectacular.

Alan Moulder as well. Trent learned from the best, this is true. I'm just saying that his albums increase with production value with each release, and since he's with with Atticus and Moulder, it's basically the dream team.

NIN follows the path of Nitzer Ebb. Flood would experiment with Nitzer Ebb and follow it up with Trent and perfect it on a NIN album.

Nitzer Ebb's Belief, listen to the production and sound of that then listen to Pretty hate machine. The high hat, the sequencing, the drums, the heavy wall sound that comes in and out, etc. The only difference is the sound of voice and Trent is a better musician than Bon Harris. Belief was recorded in 88 and released early 1989. Pretty Hate Machine was released fall of 89.

What Flood learned from PHM played over to Nitzer Ebb's next album Showtime 1990 and pushed it a littler further. Showtime's opening track is Head like a Hole but heavier and darker. Nobody Knows is Terrible Lie.

While NIN was out touring and capitlizing on success, Nitzer Ebb started working on Ebbhead with Flood and Alan Wilder(Depeche Mode) released at the end of 1991. And a few tracks really pushed to more of the sound that would play out on NIN's Broken EP. Listen to Godhead and without the vocals, you could pull it off Broken easily. The sound, the lyrics and theme. On a side note, you can definitely tells which tunes Flood and Wilder worked on.

So NIN Broken is released and it sounds where Godhead left off. But Nitzer Ebb took a little break and NIN's Downward Spiral was released and the themes, sounds, everything was pushed a little more. One year later, Nitzer Ebb relases Big Hit and you can tell that one draws for Downward Spiral.


TLDR; Flood doesn't get the credit he deserves as a producer when it comes to his role in creating great albums. And if you like NIN, you should listen to Nitzer Ebb. However, many do not like Douglas McCarthy's voice which is very unique.

Listen in order:
Nitzer Ebb - Belief
NIN - Pretty Hate Machine
Nitzer Ebb - Showtime
Nitzer Ebb - Egghead
NIN - Broken
NIN - Downward Spiral
Nitzer Ebb - Big Hit

Trent has a gift and is incredible at writing scores.

I'd give the nod to Rick Rubin though. He's done almost every genre you can think of and been involved in some very iconic albums. Including:

License to Ill
Lots of Run DMC
Chili Peppers BSSM - Stadium Arcadium
Mars Volta - Deloused
NIN - Downward Spiral
Lots of Tom Petty
Some Johnny Cash Albums
Mr. Hanky the Xmas Poo
Audioslave
RATM - Renegades
SOAD - Toxicity
Kanye - Yeezus

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License to Ill
Lots of Run DMC
Chili Peppers BSSM - Stadium Arcadium
Mars Volta - Deloused
NIN - Downward Spiral
Lots of Tom Petty
Some Johnny Cash Albums
Mr. Hanky the Xmas Poo
Audioslave
RATM - Renegades
SOAD - Toxicity
Kanye - Yeezus

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That's a great list, but I'm not talking about various artists I'm mainly talking about sound production, engineering, the sound and mix.

There's no doubt Rick Rubin is amazing, and knows how to find and bring out the best in talent. But out of that list you listed, the best album by far is The Downward Spiral and Rick Rubin had nothing to do with it.

That was all Reznor and Flood.

Rubin did the remix album, Futher down the spiral but that's the extent, he has no work on TDS.

Ezrin is another good choice.

Legendary.

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Who would you put up against him?

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Steven Wilson

George Martin
Bob Ezrin
Hugh Pagdham
Glyn Johns
Alan Parsons