Genghis Khan
Ancient Mariner
It is not as bad as St. Anger in production, but than again what is? I still think, like the wiki article, that the deliberate extreme loudness takes away the clarity.
Death Magnetic
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Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
I djed a birthday not too long ago and I had several requests for metallica, as a treat I played stuff off of Death Magnetic and it sounded HORRIBLE over the speakers. It was VERY LOUD (even for a party), the distortion was abrasive and lowering the volume didn't help, I had to fade out of the song and play something else.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Lars Ulrich has commented on the fan-generated controversy over the audio quality of the group's new album, "Death Magnetic".
Several articles from both the mainstream press and recording industry web sites have discussed the album in context of the so-called "Loudness Wars," a term used by UK publication The Guardian, which claims that the music industry is trying to make recordings as loud as possible mainly to stand out on radio.
An audio clip has surfaced on YouTube comparing music from the "Death Magnetic" CD to tracks from the album used for Guitar Hero, which were prepared differently. A number of fans prefer the Guitar Hero versions.
A petition circulated by some fans asking the band to remix the CD has gathered 12,000 signatures, although they are dwarfed by the nearly a million copies the CD has sold in the U.S. since going on sale September 12.
Ted Jensen, the engineer who mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York, recently responded to fan complaints that the CD is too loud and the audio is pushed to distortion levels by writing, "I'm certainly sympathetic to your reaction, I get to slam my head against that brick wall every day. In this case the mixes were already brick-walled before they arrived at my place. Suffice to say I would never be pushed to overdrive things as far as they are here. Believe me, I'm not proud to be associated with this one, and we can only hope that some good will come from this in some form of backlash against volume above all else."
Mastering is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device, the "master," from which all copies will be produced.
Blame for the sound quality has been laid at the feet of the band itself, producer Rick Rubin and his recording engineer, Greg Fidelman.
In a brand new interview with Blender.com, Ulrich responded to the complaints by saying, "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality. It's 2008, and that's how we make records. Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds fuckin' smokin'.
"Somebody told me about [people complaining that the Guitar Hero version of 'Death Magnetic' sounds better]. Listen, what are you going to do? A lot of people say [the CD] sounds great, and a few people say it doesn't, and that's OK. You gotta remember, when we put out '...And Justice for All', people were going, 'What happened to these guys, this record? There's no bass on it. It sounds like it was recorded in a fuckin' garage on an eight-track.' And now '...And Justice for All' is sort of the seminal Metallica record that supposedly influenced a whole generation of death-metal bands. The difference between back then and now is the Internet.
"The Internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice. Listen, I can't keep up with this shit. Part of being in Metallica is that there's always somebody who's got a problem with something that you're doing: 'James Hetfield had something for breakfast that I don't like.' That's part of the ride.
"I will say that the overwhelming response to this new record has exceeded even our expectations as far as how positive it is. So I'm not gonna sit here and get caught up in whether [the sound] 'clips' or it doesn't 'clip.' I don't know what kind of stereos these people listen on. Me and James made a deal that we would hang back a little and not get in the way of whatever Rick's vision was. That's not to put it on him — it's our record, I'll take the hit, but we wanted to roll with Rick's vision of how Metallica would sound."
Several articles from both the mainstream press and recording industry web sites have discussed the album in context of the so-called "Loudness Wars," a term used by UK publication The Guardian, which claims that the music industry is trying to make recordings as loud as possible mainly to stand out on radio.
An audio clip has surfaced on YouTube comparing music from the "Death Magnetic" CD to tracks from the album used for Guitar Hero, which were prepared differently. A number of fans prefer the Guitar Hero versions.
A petition circulated by some fans asking the band to remix the CD has gathered 12,000 signatures, although they are dwarfed by the nearly a million copies the CD has sold in the U.S. since going on sale September 12.
Ted Jensen, the engineer who mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York, recently responded to fan complaints that the CD is too loud and the audio is pushed to distortion levels by writing, "I'm certainly sympathetic to your reaction, I get to slam my head against that brick wall every day. In this case the mixes were already brick-walled before they arrived at my place. Suffice to say I would never be pushed to overdrive things as far as they are here. Believe me, I'm not proud to be associated with this one, and we can only hope that some good will come from this in some form of backlash against volume above all else."
Mastering is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device, the "master," from which all copies will be produced.
Blame for the sound quality has been laid at the feet of the band itself, producer Rick Rubin and his recording engineer, Greg Fidelman.
In a brand new interview with Blender.com, Ulrich responded to the complaints by saying, "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality. It's 2008, and that's how we make records. Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds fuckin' smokin'.
"Somebody told me about [people complaining that the Guitar Hero version of 'Death Magnetic' sounds better]. Listen, what are you going to do? A lot of people say [the CD] sounds great, and a few people say it doesn't, and that's OK. You gotta remember, when we put out '...And Justice for All', people were going, 'What happened to these guys, this record? There's no bass on it. It sounds like it was recorded in a fuckin' garage on an eight-track.' And now '...And Justice for All' is sort of the seminal Metallica record that supposedly influenced a whole generation of death-metal bands. The difference between back then and now is the Internet.
"The Internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice. Listen, I can't keep up with this shit. Part of being in Metallica is that there's always somebody who's got a problem with something that you're doing: 'James Hetfield had something for breakfast that I don't like.' That's part of the ride.
"I will say that the overwhelming response to this new record has exceeded even our expectations as far as how positive it is. So I'm not gonna sit here and get caught up in whether [the sound] 'clips' or it doesn't 'clip.' I don't know what kind of stereos these people listen on. Me and James made a deal that we would hang back a little and not get in the way of whatever Rick's vision was. That's not to put it on him — it's our record, I'll take the hit, but we wanted to roll with Rick's vision of how Metallica would sound."
Genghis Khan
Ancient Mariner
Here is one fan on YouTube comparing the GH vers. to the album. The GH vers. has more of a "dynamic" feel, while the album feels "compressed". The solos are quite telling in the difference.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nfqpr3ygSg
EDIT: The cymbals and other softer sounds are much clearer with the GH version.
One of the many articles I've read suggests that once fans become proficient at GH, they'll just upload the perfect versions for bit torrent downloads, only to anger Metallica.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nfqpr3ygSg
EDIT: The cymbals and other softer sounds are much clearer with the GH version.
One of the many articles I've read suggests that once fans become proficient at GH, they'll just upload the perfect versions for bit torrent downloads, only to anger Metallica.
GuineaPig
Ancient Mariner
I still can't get over how much "The Day that Never Comes" sounds like "Ghost of Freedom".
And yeah, the sound quality on the album is horrendous. It's really amazing how in 2008, with all the technology and money that goes into record production, that they cannot make something better.
And yeah, the sound quality on the album is horrendous. It's really amazing how in 2008, with all the technology and money that goes into record production, that they cannot make something better.
Dr. Eddies Wingman
Brighter than thousand_suns
Genghis Khan said:
Listened to this comparison now, good heavens ... And of course Mr. Ulrich isn't going to accept criticism. He doesn't know what that means. Of course they aren't going to remix and remaster the album, but I start thinking (at 9 AM, I don't always think):
If they had a version produced for Guitar Hero, which sounds better than the CD you can buy in your music store - why couldn't they release one "radio mix" where the sound was produced like this one, and then one "regular" version which was intended to sound good through good stereo speakers?
Could that be a possible solution to this loudness thing? That bands in general had their albums mixed in two versions, one for radio stations etc, and one for regular CD players/stereo?
Invader
Ancient Mariner
At some points I could hear the difference well, sometimes not so well. Enough of a difference for me to feel pissed, though. Especially on the drums. ESPECIALLY on the drums. Is there some secret mixing conspiracy against Lars or something? The guitars are also audibly better in Guitar Hero, but the bass and vocals are too similar for me to distinguish between them.
That interview is such bullshit, though. It just shows that Metallica aren't trying very hard any more. Or they don't even want to try.
Maybe I should download the guitar hero version if it appears on torrents. I'd be at least morally justified to do so since I bought the album, and since I mainly listen to it as MP3 anyway, it would be a huge upgrade.
That interview is such bullshit, though. It just shows that Metallica aren't trying very hard any more. Or they don't even want to try.
Maybe I should download the guitar hero version if it appears on torrents. I'd be at least morally justified to do so since I bought the album, and since I mainly listen to it as MP3 anyway, it would be a huge upgrade.
Genghis Khan
Ancient Mariner
After hearing the GH3 version of some songs, I must say that I'm very pleased with the new Metallica album, and very displeased with the mix. The music is great! There is a petition to sign for a re-mix. 12,000 votes counted so far, but that is a far cry from near 900,000 copies sold.
Petition!
I'll gladly fork out my dollars to buy a re-mixed version of Death Magnetic.
Make that 13226 petitions signed.
Petition!
I'll gladly fork out my dollars to buy a re-mixed version of Death Magnetic.
Make that 13226 petitions signed.
Genghis Khan
Ancient Mariner
Did I knock everyone speechless? No comments. The chances of the label re-mixing the album are next to nil, but maybe the next great CD that comes out will manage not to f*$k things up.
Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
So, I finally got hold of Death Magnetic and I have to say, it is worth every penny of the £9.79 it cost me. Their best effort since ...And Justice and easily their most consistent album since Kill 'em All (although I brought the Black album around the time of its release and thought similar of that). I have it playing on my Blackberry as I walk the dogs, on my car CD as I commute and my laptop as I type. A big thumbs up from me.
Say what you will of Cyanide, I think it is a stonking track. Say what you will of the choice of song title in the Unforgiven III, but you have to admit that is a brilliant track - and Cyanide, Unforgiven III and Judas Kiss has to be the best three tracks in a row on any Metallica album.
Bloody good effort, if you ask me.
Say what you will of Cyanide, I think it is a stonking track. Say what you will of the choice of song title in the Unforgiven III, but you have to admit that is a brilliant track - and Cyanide, Unforgiven III and Judas Kiss has to be the best three tracks in a row on any Metallica album.
Bloody good effort, if you ask me.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
I saw them live two days ago and I finally recouped from the experience . It was amazing, they played 5 tracks off the new album, some GREAT classics, and it was just an awesome show.
The opening acts were The Sword and Down.
The Sword was AWESOME!!! They are a band from Austin, Texas and their current claim to fame is having "Freya" on Guitar Hero II. They were great, I'll definitely get their two cds Age of Winters and Gods of the Earth.
Down is the new "super group" fronted by Phil Anselmo, the only "super" thing about them is their supposed kick-ass lineup made up of Phil Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Rex Brown and Jimmy Bower, but they sucked. They have an odd brand of stoner metal (and even though I WAS stoned at the time I still didn't enjoy it), not to mention Anselmo kept calling the crowd "pussies" and cussing them out... what a douche bag.
. It was amazing, they played 5 tracks off the new album, some GREAT classics, and it was just an awesome show. They played one song off of St. Anger and Hammet forced a solo in it which was awesome lol. Also my only complaint was that they played too much from the black album with Enter Sandman, Wherever I may Roam, Sad but True and Nothing else Matters while not enough from Ride the Lightning or ...And Justice.
The opening acts were The Sword and Down.
The Sword was AWESOME!!! They are a band from Austin, Texas and their current claim to fame is having "Freya" on Guitar Hero II. They were great, I'll definitely get their two cds Age of Winters and Gods of the Earth.
Down is the new "super group" fronted by Phil Anselmo, the only "super" thing about them is their supposed kick-ass lineup made up of Phil Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Rex Brown and Jimmy Bower, but they sucked. They have an odd brand of stoner metal (and even though I WAS stoned at the time I still didn't enjoy it), not to mention Anselmo kept calling the crowd "pussies" and cussing them out... what a douche bag.
Invader
Ancient Mariner
I didn't get tickets for either of Metallica's two gigs in Finland: they both sold out in less than an hour. They would have been horribly priced, though; 69 euros plus delivery expenses 6 euros (goes for the ticket company). That's about 10-15 euros more expensive than Maiden was, and Maiden played a bigger stadium! And Metallica don't have huge stage sets etc. which are expensive to transport. Say what you will, but Metallica can still be money-hungry when they feel like it.
I have to agree with your opinion on Cyanide, Albie. I don't understand why people don't like Cyanide. But then, this album's songs seem to get very mixed opinions in general; I personally dislike The Unforgiven III, and the first three tracks are not very memorable to me whereas I remember LooseCannon (or maybe someone else, but definitely someone on this forum) call them the best three. And I like parts of (note: not the whole song) The Day That Never Comes as much as I like One, Sanitarium, and Fade to Black.
I don't remember anyone expressing any opinions on the Suicide & Redemption. What do you guys think of this track? I think it's a good instrumental song; not nearly as good as Call of Ktulu (which is maybe my favourite Metallica song ever) but on the same level as To Live is to Die.
And I still think My Apocalypse should have been the opening track.
I have to agree with your opinion on Cyanide, Albie. I don't understand why people don't like Cyanide. But then, this album's songs seem to get very mixed opinions in general; I personally dislike The Unforgiven III, and the first three tracks are not very memorable to me whereas I remember LooseCannon (or maybe someone else, but definitely someone on this forum) call them the best three. And I like parts of (note: not the whole song) The Day That Never Comes as much as I like One, Sanitarium, and Fade to Black.
I don't remember anyone expressing any opinions on the Suicide & Redemption. What do you guys think of this track? I think it's a good instrumental song; not nearly as good as Call of Ktulu (which is maybe my favourite Metallica song ever) but on the same level as To Live is to Die.
And I still think My Apocalypse should have been the opening track.
Cornfed Hick
Ancient Mariner
I did post my opinion above, though there have been many posts since: S&R is, by a wide margin, my favorite track on the [AMOLA]DM album. Some of the other songs are fine, too, but that one got my attention, and I find myself often skipping to, and repeating, that track when I play the album in my car. As the song opens, it feels like it should have vocals, but I'm glad it doesn't. I like the guitar melody at 3:50 -- reminiscent of Maiden, IMO, which may be why I like it so much. Riffs have a little Rage Against the Machine influence, too.Invader said:
I also am more of a fan of Cyanide than others.
Genghis Khan
Ancient Mariner
Cyanide kicks ass! But I like all of the songs. Even the weakest track (Unforgiven III) has good moments, especially the music. The lyrics are not so good, particularly the chorus. But at any rate it is miles above Unforgiven II. Neither are as good as the original, however.