Great Southern Trendkill mix/production

If I remember correctly they recorded this album at home themselves with Terry Dates assistance? Correct? Going off my super shitty memory of a Dimebag interview I think I read while still in high school, which was like 70 years ago, right after the Japs bombed Pearl.
 
I don't think it had to sound that nasty in order to suit the band. Say what you will about the music, but the production on 'Reinventing the Steel' suited the band quite well, and didn't rape the listener's ears to accomplish it either.
 
Really dude? I'm being serious ... you actually prefer the sound of RTS over Trendkill?

I just can't help but feel that album could have been more exciting to listen to with a bit more filth piled onto the mix ... dunno

I think the right combination of songs / sound really do serve to enhance the other
 
I know someone who loves the Trendkill mix the most because it's nasty, but he is also into NIN and old Marilyn Manson, whereas I'm more a "Metal" guy and prefer Vulgar and RTS.
 
I'm actually glad this album splits people's opinions, it would be a sad depressing realisation to discover that we all look for the same things in a metal mix and all hear mixes the same. I guess it's what makes metal and production/ mixing the rich varied passionate playing fields that they are. I noticed no one tried to defend. The Practice What You Preach mix. :-D
 
I don't think it had to sound that nasty in order to suit the band. Say what you will about the music, but the production on 'Reinventing the Steel' suited the band quite well, and didn't rape the listener's ears to accomplish it either.

I agree with the first part, completely.
If an album sounds harsh because of an excess of certain mids and/or highs, it just doesn't sound good, period. That is not 'vibe', that is just shit sounding and complete ear rape.
However, I completely disagree on RTS.
I think ALL of Pantera's albums from 1990 to RTS (I can't comment on the earlier stuff's production, I don't own those albums and don't care to own them either) sound like poop, just that RTS was the least 'poopy' sounding of the bunch.

Someone should have just told Dimebag to use a goddamn tube amp instead with some mids happening.
I never have, and never will, understand people's fascination with that guitar sound that Dimebag went for on rhythms, nor the sound that Metallica was going for on ...And Justice For All and other similarly super scooped and lifeless guitar sounds.
Quite frankly vastly prefer the super muddy and muffled sounding guitars like on Kyuss records for example. It might not sound 'good' per se (although for the genre it ACTUALLY fits, unlike Dime's sound, because in thrash and groove metal you actually need some mids for some power and punch), but at least it doesn't feel like my ears are being attacked by a swarm of bees
 
I think Vulgar's guitar tone was stunning. I think they got caught up in making every album more nasty to stand out. The only problem with that approach is that at some point you either have to become 8-bit noise, or dial it right back to the beginning (RTS). Whilst I prefer RTS's mix over trendkill I still don't think it touches Vulgar's. But again, if we all agreed then there would be no discussion and no point to this forum. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the guitar on 101 live panned down the middle? What the f...!
 
Ears went un-raped in 1996 when I first listened to the album on headphones.

Ears were not grated in anyway last night when I listened to the songs. Though '(Reprise) Sandblasted Skin' made me want to go to the Dollar Store and thrash.

Also of note I was listening to the album on my Sony stereo w/subwoofer in my living room while I was on my laptop sitting about three feet away eating cherry Twizzlers bites and drinking some hot tea.
 
I agree with the first part, completely.
If an album sounds harsh because of an excess of certain mids and/or highs, it just doesn't sound good, period. That is not 'vibe', that is just shit sounding and complete ear rape.
However, I completely disagree on RTS.
I think ALL of Pantera's albums from 1990 to RTS (I can't comment on the earlier stuff's production, I don't own those albums and don't care to own them either) sound like poop, just that RTS was the least 'poopy' sounding of the bunch.

Someone should have just told Dimebag to use a goddamn tube amp instead with some mids happening.
I never have, and never will, understand people's fascination with that guitar sound that Dimebag went for on rhythms, nor the sound that Metallica was going for on ...And Justice For All and other similarly super scooped and lifeless guitar sounds.
Quite frankly vastly prefer the super muddy and muffled sounding guitars like on Kyuss records for example. It might not sound 'good' per se (although for the genre it ACTUALLY fits, unlike Dime's sound, because in thrash and groove metal you actually need some mids for some power and punch), but at least it doesn't feel like my ears are being attacked by a swarm of bees

I could not disagree more with just about everything stated here . Dimebags guitar sound especially off the Vulgar album was one 'the reference' guitar sounds of the 90's . Without it many of the producers including Sneap and Richardson would not have been driven to the guitar sounds you have heard from them . I dont know how old you are ? but at the time Terry Dates work with Pantera was considered far from 'poopy' and pretty cutting edge ! I think it still stands up well .
 
Pantera wouldn't sound right or have the impact it had without Dime's tone. That tone was what made you recognize Pantera as Pantera, and not Pantera as Everything Else: The Band.
 
If I remember correctly they recorded this album at home themselves with Terry Dates assistance? Correct? Going off my super shitty memory of a Dimebag interview I think I read while still in high school, which was like 70 years ago, right after the Japs bombed Pearl.

This is correct. Terry Date didn't do anything beyond phone support on this album, and that's why it sounded like shit then and sounds like shit now.

VP tracked this on a Mackie 24/8. Not sure where he mixed it, though. I just remember being really pissed off that they went without Date on this one, because it hurt so bad to listen to it. Another instance of "we don't need no producer" gone haywire. One of the least listened to cd's in my collection. Most of the songs suck, too.
 
I dont know how old you are ? but at the time Terry Dates work with Pantera was considered far from 'poopy' and pretty cutting edge ! I think it still stands up well .

Exactly. The "Vulgar" tone is legendary. There were actually a lot of solid state sounds out there in the 90's. Colin Richardson recorded Disincarnate with Valvestates when they were new. Scott Burns was publicly stating that the Valvestates were the heaviest amps ever, too. Cannibal Corpse used to use solid state Crates live and in the studio. I saw them on "The Bleeding" tour and those Crates sounded fat and clear.

Talking shit about Dimebag's guitar playing in any way, shape, or form is a hint that maybe someone isn't a real metalhead.
 
If I recall correctly, Chuck Schuldiner was using Valvestates for the last few Death albums as well. You gonna tell Chuck how to do his job? I didn't think so.

The fact that metal music sounds fucked up and wrong is a big part of why it's fun to listen to. If the tones sound wrong and maladjusted to you, that is a reflection of the people playing the music (and hopefully the people listening to it).
 
If I recall correctly, Chuck Schuldiner was using Valvestates for the last few Death albums as well. You gonna tell Chuck how to do his job? I didn't think so.

The fact that metal music sounds fucked up and wrong is a big part of why it's fun to listen to. If the tones sound wrong and maladjusted to you, that is a reflection of the people playing the music (and hopefully the people listening to it).

nicely put Mark !