Bernie Grundman

[Mr. Henry Gale]

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM)

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album.

Edited June 13, 2012 by Mr. Henry Gale

[Majestyk]

QUOTE

vapor trails sounded fine to me so i don't know what the hell you guys are talking about.

 

 

I listened to VT once. Liked the songs but the SQ sounded like I was putting sand paper to my ears. That was another case where I was hoping the CD would sound better than the leaked MP3's...BUT NOPE.

 

 

Edited June 13, 2012 by Majestyk

[ReflectedLight]

anyone else listening on a ihome mini reachargeable speaker?

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 13 2012, 12:16 PM)

anyone else listening on a ihome mini reachargeable speaker?

Yeah CA rocks so awesome out of those!

[Mr. Henry Gale]

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 13 2012, 08:16 AM)

anyone else listening on a ihome mini reachargeable speaker?

inb4 someone recorded this on casette. Listening through a tape deck.

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:18 AM)

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 13 2012, 12:16 PM) anyone else listening on a ihome mini reachargeable speaker? Yeah CA rocks so awesome out of those!

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 13 2012, 12:21 PM)

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:18 AM) QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 13 2012, 12:16 PM) anyone else listening on a ihome mini reachargeable speaker? Yeah CA rocks so awesome out of those! jk

[losingit2k]

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:09 AM)

My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in parts - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sounds. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine.

I think Mr. Henry Gale has a better grasp on the Sound for this album than most of the so called experts!

 

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (losingit2k @ Jun 13 2012, 12:23 PM)

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:09 AM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in parts - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sounds. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. I think Mr. Henry Gale has a better grasp on the Sound for this album than most of the so called experts!   Why is "sound" capitalized?

[ReflectedLight]

well gosh darn it sign him up for the next album.

[Godeater2112]

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 13 2012, 12:12 PM)

QUOTE (Godeater2112 @ Jun 13 2012, 11:10 AM) All I know is that this album sounds amazing to me! vapor trails sounded fine to me so i don't know what the hell you guys are talking about. Ha! Well that one I will admit certainly sounded like assholes in a blender! CA though? Not that I don't believe the audiophile take on it, but I'm frankly surprised there are complaints, didn't expect that.

[ReflectedLight]

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:25 AM)

QUOTE (losingit2k @ Jun 13 2012, 12:23 PM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:09 AM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in parts - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sounds. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. I think Mr. Henry Gale has a better grasp on the Sound for this album than most of the so called experts!   Why is "sound" capitalized? grammar police!

[malnar]

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:13 AM)

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album. The boomy bass you're hearing is the taurus pedals utilized sporadically throughout the album.

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (ReflectedLight @ Jun 13 2012, 12:28 PM)

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:25 AM) QUOTE (losingit2k @ Jun 13 2012, 12:23 PM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:09 AM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in parts - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sounds. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. I think Mr. Henry Gale has a better grasp on the Sound for this album than most of the so called experts!   Why is "sound" capitalized? grammar police! What's more offensive, being grammar police or calling people an a$$hole for disagreeing with me?

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:29 PM)

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:13 AM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album. The boomy bass you're hearing is the taurus pedals utilized sporadically throughout the album. I know what it is, but that doesn't mean that it isn't unnecessarily loud.

[malnar]

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:30 AM)

QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:29 PM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:13 AM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album. The boomy bass you're hearing is the taurus pedals utilized sporadically throughout the album. I know what it is, but that doesn't mean that it isn't unnecessarily loud. I didn't say it wasn't unnecessarily loud. I was simply identifying the 'boomy bass.' I first noticed it when Headlong Flight was released, and I found myself having to dial the bass down during the choruses and bring it back up during other parts of the song.

Edited June 13, 2012 by malnar

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:35 PM)

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:30 AM) QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:29 PM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:13 AM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album. The boomy bass you're hearing is the taurus pedals utilized sporadically throughout the album. I know what it is, but that doesn't mean that it isn't unnecessarily loud. I didn't say it wasn't unnecessarily loud. I was just identifying the 'boomy bass'. Wanna hear bass pedals utilized well? Listen to Back in NYC by Genesis. The last verse has some low end kick in that sounds absolutely powerful without blowing out your sub (unless you're listening to the recent remixes).

[Mr. Henry Gale]

My thing is, I don't think Clockwork Angels sounds bad. Let me make that clear. In fact, I think most will not notice any issues, because they aren't playing this out of a system that has dedicated power for bass - or a system that is beyond just your standard stereo unit (ie. Laptop, or basic stereo set up).

 

We were talking about this in another thread when discussing FLAC/LOSSLESS vs. MP3. FLAC/Lossless (or CD) is kind of a moot point for a lot of people, because most people don't have the systems to really tap into the full quality of these. So let's say you download a LOSSLESS copy of CA and are playing it through laptop speakers (or through basic headphones). You literally would not be able to tell the difference between the CD/LOSSLESS and V0 (or 320) mp3 rip. The same goes for those that put losssless on their iPod. So there is a certain level of human hearing that just can't tell the difference - especially when you don't have the power to fully juice up the lossless source.

 

Conversely, if you are playing CA (CD) in a car stereo, or again a basic CD unit, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference if you plugged in your iPod or had a 320 (or V0) MP3 version playing through those systems. So the point I'm arriving at is - the average listener (the basic consumer) is not going to have these issues.

 

But the reason I complain about this (and not because I'm a hardcore audiophile. I do care about sound, but I'm not THAT batshit crazy like those people can be) - is because I do not think just because the album sounds competent (and isn't awful like VT with clipping and distortion) - it means it was mixed great. I do not think this can be objectively true, if you look at past albums (from Rush or other bands) that sound infinitely better. So do I think CA is unlistenable? No. Of course not. Do I think it sounds good (what really matters is the music itself, and what they wrote) - yes.

 

But I don't think we can say this is a great mix. Because it's not true. The bass really is too loud and bloated in spots. And there are some other little nitpicks I have, but won't get into. And my thing is - there is no reason for any of this. It's not like the older you get, the less capable you are of mixing/mastering something. It's not like playing an instrument, where you can slow down, because your technical playing is no longer at its peak. These are studio practices, and there is no excuse for why so many producers mix this stuff this loud. I honestly ask anyone to A/B CA to Signals for instance, and tell me CA sounds great. It will sound bloated and loud - whereas Signals will sound much more crisp and clear (a clear separation and representation of the instruments and vocals).

Edited June 13, 2012 by Mr. Henry Gale

[Mr. Henry Gale]

QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 08:29 AM)

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:13 AM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album. The boomy bass you're hearing is the taurus pedals utilized sporadically throughout the album. I'm not very good at explaining technical stuff - so I often refer to it as "stuff".

[malnar]

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:39 AM)

QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:35 PM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:30 AM) QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:29 PM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:13 AM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album. The boomy bass you're hearing is the taurus pedals utilized sporadically throughout the album. I know what it is, but that doesn't mean that it isn't unnecessarily loud. I didn't say it wasn't unnecessarily loud. I was just identifying the 'boomy bass'. Wanna hear bass pedals utilized well? Listen to Back in NYC by Genesis. The last verse has some low end kick in that sounds absolutely powerful without blowing out your sub (unless you're listening to the recent remixes). I've heard bass pedals utilized well on prior Rush albums.

[losingit2k]

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:41 AM)

QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 08:29 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:13 AM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album. The boomy bass you're hearing is the taurus pedals utilized sporadically throughout the album. I'm not very good at explaining technical stuff - so I often refer to it as "stuff". Well you"Stuff" has made more sense than anyone elses here!

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:40 PM)

My thing is, I don't think Clockwork Angels sounds bad. Let me make that clear. In fact, I think most will not notice any issues, because they aren't playing this out of a system that has dedicated power for bass - or a system that is beyond just your standard stereo unit (ie. Laptop, or basic stereo set up). We were talking about this in another thread when discussing FLAC/LOSSLESS vs. MP3. FLAC/Lossless (or CD) is kind of a moot point for a lot of people, because most people don't have the systems to really tap into the full quality of these. So let's say you download a LOSSLESS copy of CA and are playing it through laptop speakers (or through basic headphones). You literally would not be able to tell the difference between the CD/LOSSLESS and V0 (or 320) mp3 rip. The same goes for those that put losssless on their iPod. So there is a certain level of human hearing that just can't tell the difference - especially when you don't have the power to fully juice up the lossless source. Conversely, if you are playing CA (CD) in a car stereo, or again a basic CD unit, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference if you plugged in your iPod or had a 320 (or V0) MP3 version playing through those systems. So the point I'm arriving at is - the average listener (the basic consumer) is not going to have these issues. But the reason I complain about this (and not because I'm a hardcore audiophile. I do care about sound, but I'm not THAT batshit crazy like those people can be) - is because I do not think just because the album sounds competent (and isn't awful like VT with clipping and distortion) - it means it was mixed great. I do not think this can be objectively true, if you look at past albums (from Rush or other bands) that sound infinitely better. So do I think CA is unlistenable? No. Of course not. Do I think it sounds good (what really matters is the music itself, and what they wrote) - yes. But I don't think we can say this is a great mix. Because it's not true. The bass really is too loud and bloated in spots. And there are some other little nitpicks I have, but won't get into. And my thing is - there is no reason for any of this. It's not like the older you get, the less capable you are of mixing/mastering something. It's not like playing an instrument, where you can slow down, because your technical playing is no longer at its peak. These are studio practices, and there is no excuse for why so many producers mix this stuff this loud. I honestly ask anyone to A/B CA to any Signals for instance, and tell me CA sounds great. It will sound bloated and loud - whereas Signals will sound much more crisp and clear (a clear separation and representation of the instruments and vocals).

Awesome post. You put it more eloquently than I could have.

 

Except, you can tell the difference between lossless vs mp3 in the car or on a portable device--you just need high end speakers or headphones to do so.

 

I have Infinities in my car and I can tell the difference between mp3 and lossless, but before I got those speakers and in other people's cars the difference was less earth shattering.

 

The reason so much contemporary music is mixed/mastered so poorly is because most people don't listen to it dedicated settings (IE hi-fi system vs on an ipod on a train, etc) and therefore can't tell the difference.

[losingit2k]

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:25 AM)

QUOTE (losingit2k @ Jun 13 2012, 12:23 PM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:09 AM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in parts - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sounds. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. I think Mr. Henry Gale has a better grasp on the Sound for this album than most of the so called experts!   Why is "sound" capitalized? So you would have something to post!

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:44 PM)

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:39 AM) QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:35 PM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:30 AM) QUOTE (malnar @ Jun 13 2012, 12:29 PM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:13 AM) QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 08:11 AM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 12:09 PM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in spots - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sound. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. True. It's hard to listen to in my car (even my vinyl rip) because of my sub. I have a feeling most people listening to this are just listening on basic stereo units. So they aren't hearing the full power of the music (I know that sounds cheesy). But seriously, if you have a sub and the proper set up, you start to notice how some albums are way too loud.   I just had to turn my subwoofer to - 10 to even it out. What's really annoying is, not every song has this problem (and sometimes the boomy bass just comes in certain spots, so not through out the entire song). So you would have to keep adjusting your settings. Just too much hassle. I just basically turn off my subwoofer when listening to this album. The boomy bass you're hearing is the taurus pedals utilized sporadically throughout the album. I know what it is, but that doesn't mean that it isn't unnecessarily loud. I didn't say it wasn't unnecessarily loud. I was just identifying the 'boomy bass'. Wanna hear bass pedals utilized well? Listen to Back in NYC by Genesis. The last verse has some low end kick in that sounds absolutely powerful without blowing out your sub (unless you're listening to the recent remixes). I've heard bass pedals utilized well on prior Rush albums. Oh I agree for sure, I just was mentioning the first thing that came to mind.

[marblesmike]

QUOTE (losingit2k @ Jun 13 2012, 12:47 PM)

QUOTE (marblesmike @ Jun 13 2012, 11:25 AM) QUOTE (losingit2k @ Jun 13 2012, 12:23 PM) QUOTE (Mr. Henry Gale @ Jun 13 2012, 11:09 AM) My biggest gripe with this album - is just the bass. I really do feel it's a bit muddy/bloated in spots. Especially if you have a subwoofer and a really nice set up. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you are using a laptop, or driving in the car. But if you have a nice set up, the bass is really overpowering and annoying in parts - as it will bleed into the vocals in a couple spots. But outside of that boomy bass, I don't really have any issues with how this album sounds. Some have said the vocals sound too low in the mix, but I think everything else (instruments, vocals) all sound more than fine. I think Mr. Henry Gale has a better grasp on the Sound for this album than most of the so called experts!   Why is "sound" capitalized? So you would have something to post!   I was just messing with you, jeez man.