Segue Myles Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 VT is a bad recording. But like the best punk rock, the raw and abrasive nature truly suits the songs. SA sounds OK, only issue (and I still really hate this aspect) is the number of effects in Geddy's vocals. He sounds at times like he is singing into a fan (did anyone else do this?!). CA is unforgivably dense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goose Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 How come everyone complains about the production on Clockwork Angels but Presto and Hold Your Fire get a free pass? The production on those albums makes them sound so wimpy. The guitar is like something out of a cheesy 90s jingle. I'm much rather the loud production of Clockwork Angels than the wimpy fluff production on Presto or Hold Your Fire. Because they're still listenable. The clusterfuck brickwalled thick sound on CA with too much going on in almost every song is so tiring to listen to after only a couple songs. I can't do it, still haven't sat through all of CA (or S&As...or VT) start to finish. It's exhausting. I'm not sure why you feel that way, I listen to Clockwork Angels and get excited. The bass tone is incredible, the drums are powerful and the guitar sounds like real guitar. I can't stand the production on Presto or Hold Your Fire because the elevator music production disables me from taking any of it seriously.http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/853/808/6f3.jpg So I suppose you like listening to a jackhammer as well? :) No. I just like funny Star Wars memes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnoble Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 How come everyone complains about the production on Clockwork Angels but Presto and Hold Your Fire get a free pass? The production on those albums makes them sound so wimpy. The guitar is like something out of a cheesy 90s jingle. I'm much rather the loud production of Clockwork Angels than the wimpy fluff production on Presto or Hold Your Fire. Because they're still listenable. The clusterfuck brickwalled thick sound on CA with too much going on in almost every song is so tiring to listen to after only a couple songs. I can't do it, still haven't sat through all of CA (or S&As...or VT) start to finish. It's exhausting. I'm not sure why you feel that way, I listen to Clockwork Angels and get excited. The bass tone is incredible, the drums are powerful and the guitar sounds like real guitar. I can't stand the production on Presto or Hold Your Fire because the elevator music production disables me from taking any of it seriously.http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/853/808/6f3.jpg So I suppose you like listening to a jackhammer as well? :) The problem occurs with the sonic frequencies overlapping. When that happens you start to get noise. If you listen to any well produced album in "any" genre you should be able to pick out each of the instruments and nothing gets muffled or buried in the mix. That's what happens when Geddy plays with an overdistorted bass tone that competes with Alex's distorted (and often layered) guitar tones. Wall of noise. Fans can bitch about Presto and RTB being tinny sounding but you could at least hear everything clear as a bell. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irenicus Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) Listened to CA yesterday-not heard it for a while. Production for me sounds great, clarity with the instruments, drums sound meaty and the bass is a little more upfront than on recent albums.Playing proper audio through a decent hi-fi set up helps too.Clarity with instruments? I own the arguably best dynamic high-end headphones with easily the best stereo-imaging and soundstage on the market (Sennheiser HD 800) driven by what's considered the best DAC on the market (Benchmark DAC2) and I'm baffled by this statement. I have a CA vinyl rip which is an improvement over the CD version, but it's still a muddy wall-of-sound mess. Granted, original VT is worse, but that's not saying much exactly. I really don't know how anyone can talk about clarity with CA, especially compared to old Rush like Permanent Waves or Moving Pictures. Now THAT is clarity, my friend. Edited October 20, 2015 by Irenicus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeaveMyThingAlone Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 IMO, the 3 worst Rush recordings are Vapor Trails, Hold Your Fire, and Presto. Clockwork Angels is a close 4th... Presto is a shame because there are some great tunes. I really want to be able to blast it and listen to Alex's guitar but it's so distant. Raising the volume just exasperates my frustration... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleMoon Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 How come everyone complains about the production on Clockwork Angels but Presto and Hold Your Fire get a free pass? The production on those albums makes them sound so wimpy. The guitar is like something out of a cheesy 90s jingle. I'm much rather the loud production of Clockwork Angels than the wimpy fluff production on Presto or Hold Your Fire. Because they're still listenable. The clusterfuck brickwalled thick sound on CA with too much going on in almost every song is so tiring to listen to after only a couple songs. I can't do it, still haven't sat through all of CA (or S&As...or VT) start to finish. It's exhausting. I'm not sure why you feel that way, I listen to Clockwork Angels and get excited. The bass tone is incredible, the drums are powerful and the guitar sounds like real guitar. I can't stand the production on Presto or Hold Your Fire because the elevator music production disables me from taking any of it seriously.http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/853/808/6f3.jpg So I suppose you like listening to a jackhammer as well? :) The problem occurs with the sonic frequencies overlapping. When that happens you start to get noise. If you listen to any well produced album in "any" genre you should be able to pick out each of the instruments and nothing gets muffled or buried in the mix. That's what happens when Geddy plays with an overdistorted bass tone that competes with Alex's distorted (and often layered) guitar tones. Wall of noise. Fans can bitch about Presto and RTB being tinny sounding but you could at least hear everything clear as a bell. Exactly. I think people get confused about guitar distortion/overdrive and sonic distortion. They're two different things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irenicus Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 IMO, the 3 worst Rush recordings are Vapor Trails, Hold Your Fire, and Presto. Clockwork Angels is a close 4th...Hold Your Fire has objectively a brilliant production perfectly matching the style of music on that album. Presto at least has clarity and dynamics as opposed to original VT or CA, but admittedly the sound is too thin and sterile for a band like Rush. Would work for some pop/rock/new wave bands though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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