ak2112

QUOTE (pedro2112 @ Jun 15 2012, 08:07 PM) QUOTE (Rick N. Backer @ Jun 15 2012, 07:40 AM) QUOTE (Tony R @ Jun 15 2012, 08:06 AM)It's a message board and people express opinions. If I post that T4E is a complete crock of maggot-infested shit then that is obviously my personal opinion. Who else's opinion could it be? Mine. I second that! I third that, except for Dog Years, which I love...and yes, I know I'm probably the only person in the known universe that feels that way about the song!

QUOTE (Xanadoood @ Jun 15 2012, 06:19 PM) Not even close. I'm shocked at the worship of this album. It's a solid album for a band that's been around for almost 40 years, but it's not even in the same universe as the 1976- 87 run..come on people.. I think it beats Snakes and Arrows, which I absolutely loved and it sure as shit beats out the musical abortion that was Vapor Trails and most of T4E. I'd have to go back to Moving Pictures or perhaps Power Windows to find an album of more solid material from an entire album standpoint. Every time I listen to this album, I like it more. The biggest take home point for me is that it's a very strong almost classic album from a band at the twilight of their career. How many bands still out there for as long as them can say that? Look at the pablum that Kiss is putting out, or Kansas, or Boston or REO Speedwagon. None of them can touch Rush.

QUOTE (CygnusX-1Bk2 @ Jun 15 2012, 03:44 PM) As someone who earns a living as an audio person I can say that part of it is the way things are recorded, part of it is mixing less than stellar recordings and finally part is mastering for iPods. I have recently been a part of an audio engineering forum that has turned me around many degrees where recording is concerned. I have been working in the digital domain since the 90's and with music especially (sound effects are my main trade) I have struggled to come close digitally to even poorly recorded analog recordings I have done on cassette 4 track. The main culprit is the digital medium itself. We've had discussions like this in the MMM section (where I moderate for some of you who don't recognize me). Digital recording is inherently flawed because of how it works, especially when all of humanity is used to hearing analog recordings. This is a fundamental recording issue but it effects things that are frequency dependent like EQ and modulation effects (phase, flange, chorus etc; oh and drums and cymbals and guitars...) because not all frequencies are "created equal" due to fixed sample rates. Higher frequencies lose out the lower the sample rate while lower frequencies are always represented much more closely t their analog equivalent. So when you play back something that wasn't recorded as well as we are used to hearing, then mixing it with other "inferior" recorded material, then smashing it to be as loud as possible there is little wonder why we don't like what we're hearing. There will always be a new technological "advances" that will take us to the next tier. Neil Young is working on a new digital format that will allegedly deal with some of this, but I will believe when I hear it. Interesting perspective but Power Windows was a full digital album (DDD) from start to finish and the album sounds fantastic, especially the Japanese 32.8P version. Steve Hoffman is remastering tons of albums from the 70's and 80's and his stuff sounds smooth, silky and full of dynamic range. I assume he uses digital equipment during most if not all phases of his work, correct? What about Donald Fagens, the Nightfly? Thats another very early full digital recording that is just flat out fantastic. In fact, I'd go as far to say it may be the finest sounding album ever released and that was way back in 1982. Something is wrong in the culture in which you work IMO. You're dead on when you use the phrase "mastering for ipods". What I find really sad is the number of folks on here that listen to the 97 Rush remasters and say they're better than the orignals. They're certainly louder...but not better. Sadly to many, louder = better. Keep fighting the good fight Sir!

QUOTE (launchpad67a @ Jun 13 2012, 03:24 PM) This a record that will probably take most people at least 5 listens to come to a honest conclusion. While I fully expected a lot of negative posts after the release of this record, I didn't expect the "i just listened to the cd and it sucks, the sound sucks, i can't hear this or that" posts. This record has a lot going on, it takes a few listens to soak in. For the love of RUSH... Just Shut Up and Listen to it !! Absolutely agree with this assessment. I'm on my 4th listen now and this record get a little better with each time. There's so much depth to it that it's going to take at least 4 more listens before I can give my own review of it and feel complete.

I voted for the 3 21st century albums, but only because they were grouped together. Not even talking about the crappy production of the album, I still think Vapor Trails is the worst album ever made by Rush. The album just sucks all across the board, whereas Snakes and Arrows is still one of my top 5 Rush albums and Clockwork Angels has some serious momentum to be in the top 10 for sure and its light years better than Vapor Trails.

After about 7 listens to the whole album I can say that CA is not even near as bad a mastering as VT was. My only issue with the mastering of the new album is the lack of dynamic range. Go back and listen to the original US "Atomic" release of Moving Pictures if you want to hear a great mastering. Yes, overall it is kind of "quiet", but for goodness sake, thats what a volume knob is for! The only reason this album was mastered as loud as it was, was to compete with all the other loud albums being released out there, and thats just a pathetic reason to do such a thing. I hope that they do put out a 5.1 24/96 version of the album and let Steven Wilson have a go at the mixing and mastering. I have yet to hear a Porcupine Tree release (especially their DVD-A versions) that didnt sound fantastic. All that I (and many others on here) am asking for is an album with FULL DYNAMIC RANGE. That shouldnt be too difficult to do and it isnt nitpicking either. Every album used to be released like that before these damn loudness wars started. Some musicians out there (Elton John and Sting are two that come to mind in addition to Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree) are brave enough to put out audiophile quality releases and dont give a crap about making them loud just for loudness sake. I hope Rush will do the same. Come on guys. You've just made one of the best albums of your career. It deserves the highest quality sound that technology in 2012 can deliver.

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 12 2012, 06:54 PM) QUOTE (ak2112 @ Jun 12 2012, 07:48 PM) What I'm hearing is that HD tracks has merely upsampled the 16/44.1 tapes to 24/96...waste of time if this is truly the case. They wouldnt be high rez if this is fact. Where did you hear that? I heard the exact opposite over on the Stevehoffman forums. Actually that's where I got mu info as well. As a matter of fact, someone just posted the DR values from the HD tracks version and the CD version. They're almost identical. That means its been upsampled. Is is not high rez...its a rip-off!

Look, what the hell is wrong with wanting the best possible sound out of such a great album? There's no reason for such a thing.

QUOTE (ThinkingBig @ Jun 12 2012, 07:20 PM) QUOTE (Terrapin @ Jun 12 2012, 06:38 PM) For mastering a brilliant album so dreadfully... I'm sorry, but I have listened to the ACTUAL CD several times now and it really, truly sucks as regards the sonic clarity. I can almost forgive Nick R and all his enthusiasm, "conducting" prowess, but whatever multi-tracks he passed on to Bernie have been sonically destroyed with over compression. Do the boys care? I don't know. Perhaps they're thinking that having done their collective best in the studio, Nick and Bernie would sort it all out for them... On the other hand, maybe this mess of a production is par the course these days and Rush are just going along with it as a Foo Fighting, "measure of the time" Regardless, the album is a complete and utter sonic mess... Over to you Peter Collins ... Good God, the audiophiles with the golden ear who all know better than the professionals that RUSH hires. "why don't they hire me??" Enough with the "I know better than working industry professionals" crap. You don't. The "industry professionals" merely master stuff as loud as posssible these days. They DO know better, they just dont care about dynamic range anymore. Its all about being louder than the next guy. They know that by doing so, they're not going to end up with an audiophile quality album. You dont have to be a mastering engineer to be able to measure a brickwalled album. Maybe you should take the time to learn about these kind of things instead of just critisizing out of ignorance?

I doubt it will even go gold. I dont think S&A went gold either. It has nothing to do with the quality of the albums, its just that very few albums go gold or platinum anymore in these days of downloads. Sadly, only the Justin Beibers of the world sell those kind of numbers anymore. A sure sign of the coming rapture!

Agreed. I just do not understand how such a sonic abortion could have been allowed to happen again. Did the band learn nothing from VT? I just dont think they care, which is sad. Let Steven Wilson master it and it'll sound fantastic!

What I like about my fan pack CD, is that the CD case is slightly larger than a regular one, so the album art is a little larger. It's pretty much the same size as the repackaged Rush CD's being sold out of Japan. It doesnt make the DD art vinyl size, but its a little bit bigger and makes for a much better over all presentation. I'm digging it. Plus, my wife is getting one of the posters framed for me and its going to get hung in my music room for years of enjoyment!

I dont think I can really give this album a true review until several more listens. There's just so much to it and the band is clearly thrilled with it. My initial impression is that it isnt as melodic as Snakes and Arrows and I think that album is their best since Counterparts. Even if I dont end up liking CA as much as S&A, the boys are clearly killing it creatively. I'm just so happy for them and US, as their fans. True greatness of a band is measured by a groups entire body of work, not just a couple of albums and for me, Rush is going through yet another peak creatively. However, many more listens are needed for me to get a good impression of the whole. I will say that so far Carnies and The Garden are the standouts for me. I would personally love it if they played the entire album on the next tour. The biggest bummer for me is the crappy production and mastering. Why this is continuing to happen is a complete mystery to me.

What I'm hearing is that HD tracks has merely upsampled the 16/44.1 tapes to 24/96...waste of time if this is truly the case. They wouldnt be high rez if this is fact.

QUOTE (Slack jaw gaze @ Jun 10 2012, 08:04 PM) An audiophile is someone who spends a boatload of money so they can enjoy the 5 songs in the universe that don't sound bad. Have you ever heard a properly mastered album on a properly calibrated and decent stereo system? If not, you're talking out of your ass...

QUOTE (Snaked @ Jun 10 2012, 02:32 PM) QUOTE (rushgoober @ Jun 10 2012, 02:44 PM) QUOTE (Snaked @ Jun 10 2012, 11:10 AM) I have the CD now and it sounds fine on all 3 systems I've played it on. I think people forget that different albums/artists/genres require a bit of fine tuning of your systems settings. It could be as simple as tweaking the treble/bass settings a hair or as complex as a completely new EQ setting depending on what is pleasing to your ears. Those that are complaining about the mix probably haven't taken the time to play with the knobs and sliders. I disagree. The audiophile philosophy is to listen to everything flat with no equalization or messing with the treble or bass at all, other than using a subwoofer. It SHOULD sound great as is, and undistorted. If you have to mess with it to try and fix it, it's a problem either with the recording itself, or the equipment a person is listening to it through. Regardless, production is obviously quite an art form. One would THINK That over the decades that production would get better and better, that albums would sound more and more crystal clear, but really that's just not the case. It's still all dependent on the skill of the recording engineer, producer, mixer, etc. to get it right. How many modern albums sound as great as 70's Steely Dan for example? Not many. Sorry goobs, I completely disagree. As an audio professional I can tell you that every room sounds different and high end equipment needs to be tuned not only to the room but to other conditions that effect the quality of the sound itself. If you put a $10,000 system into your house and don't bother to tune it and simply listen as you say "flat" then you're basically wasting that equipment. Things that most people take for granted such as temperature and barometric pressure can effect the quality of the sound and may need to be accounted for when tuning your system. Temperature and barometric pressure? Are you seriously telling me that these factors are going to be the difference between an album sounding good or bad in a persons listening room? They may effect sublte differences in sound, but a properly mixed and mastered album will sound great on almost any system. I dont have a crazy expensive system (about 14K total, which is nothing by some audiophile snobs) but I have taken a lot of time to use acoustical treatments to my listening room, I use an SPL meter to make sure all speakers are properly calibrated to one another, and am very careful about speaker placement. I have tried to take care of the sound quality the best I know how from my end, but I can tell when an album has been improperly compressed or boosted, and this album has had that done to it. Maybe not as bad as VT, but at this point, and especially after the debacle of VT, there is NO excuse for such an audio crime. Yes, the songs themselves are great and I'm moved beyond words by the content within, but this could have been a total home run if they had people in the recording/mixing/mastering chain that knew what they were doing. They made a deliberate effort to make this a loud, ear bleeding record, so it would stand up next to all the other brickwalled messes out there. At this point, I dont think the band gives a crap about whether or not the album sounds good. They have made what may be the greatest album since Moving Pictures, and yet, they allowed it to be sonically raped. Very sad. Dont believe me? Take a look at a waverform of just about any song on the album and you'll see an almost complete lack of dynamic range. Is it as bad as VT? No, but thats not saying much. Bottom line, its a masive success musically, but a monumental failure sonically. At this point in the bands career, there is no excuse for such a thing.

QUOTE (Majestyk @ Jun 10 2012, 10:18 AM) QUOTE Too bad it's not an audiophile quality release like almost every PT album is. This new album is a brickwalled mess. So you have heard the CD, right? Or even better, the LP? You do have enough sense to not be basing your opinion on the leaked MP3's, right? Yes, I have the actual CD...got my fan pack a couple of days ago. Also I haven't looked at a single waveform; I don't need to in order for it to be obvious how brickwalled this album is. It sounds great at low volumes, but if I crank it up, it causes ear bleeding levels of distortion. Like i said, I love the songs, but the sound quality sucks. It's hard to just ignore a poor quality recording no matter how good the music is...

QUOTE (ArrowSnake @ Jun 10 2012, 07:55 AM) Am I the only one to get a Porcupine Tree vibe from this album? It sounds a bit like Deadwing or Fear of A Blank Planet to me... Which is a good thing of course! Too bad it's not an audiophile quality release like almost every PT album is. This new album is a brickwalled mess. It's like they don't even care about sound quality anymore. They learned nothing from the VT incident. Very sad, especially since the music itself is so awesome.

QUOTE (Ovningskora @ Jun 7 2012, 06:49 PM) Mine. Here we are: 1. Hemispheres 2. A Farewell to Kings 3. Caress of Steel 4. Signals 5. Grace Under Pressure 6. Clockwork Angels 7. Vapor Trails 8. Permanent Waves 9. Moving Pictures 10. Fly By Night 11. Test For Echo 12. Power Windows 13. Snakes & Arrows 14. Hold Your Fire 15. Counterparts 16. Presto 17. 2112 18. Roll The Bones 19. Rush ..Yeah, looks about right How about you? 2112 nearly at the bottom? Pure insanity.

Just on my second listen and it's what I was expecting more or less. I love the music but once again, it's too damn loud. Not as bad as VT, but come on guys. Have they learned nothing from Steven Wilson about how to record a audiophile quality record. I'm just happy the music is so fantastic. If they make another album, I hope they ditch the producer and Chycki and hire Wilson. Problem solved!

QUOTE (presto123 @ May 9 2012, 03:45 PM) Crystal clear production anyone? If anybody talks about waveforms anymore I will completely ignore them. I'll believe it when I hear it. Since the same exact people who did S&A are in on this record, I wont hold my breath hoping for an audiophile release. I hope the guy's description is accurate but lets wait and see (or more accurately....hear!).

Its impossible to tell based on only three songs, but so far, I've only really liked Headlong Flight. Since I think S&A was their best album since Counterparts, I'll say no, but I hope I'm proven wrong. Sadly, what I can say with some confidence, based on the released single, is that CA will be the same compressed brickwalled mess that both VT and S&A were. Very sad, but it seems like Geddy, Alex and Neil like their albums to be loud without any dynamic range. A real bummer IMO.

Dont waste your money. They're all brickwalled to hell and have no dynamic range. Now, if you like albums that are mastered so loud they make your ears bleed, then the Sector remasters are for you. If you want the best sounding versions on CD, look for the original unremastered CD's.

Its not going to matter who the producer is if they let Rich Chycki get his hands on the mixing and engineering side of things. They need to make an audiophile grade album WITH great songs. S&A had the latter but not the former.