You almost got me there, I double checked in fear I could make such a ridiculous mistake.
I can't listen to modern metal productions anymore / Compression and Loudness ...
- Thread starter smy1
- Start date
You almost got me there, I double checked in fear I could make such a ridiculous mistake.
TomAwesome
I LIKE JUICE!
I'm a little late to the thread, but I don't quite understand how this kind of really bad mastering can continue to be the preferred way of doing things. As time goes on, there are more and more albums that I just can't listen to. One of the best fairly recent examples I can think of off the top of my head is the Dimmu Borgir album In Sorte Diaboli. By the time the first track was over, my ears were screaming. I forced myself through a few more tracks since I was curious about the music, but I was unable to come close to finishing it. I've never given it a second listen.
I guess more than the loudness and lack of dynamics, what gets me is compression/limiting that's done badly so the attacks and releases sound really awkward and unnatural. One thing that really irks me is when the snare or kick noticeably knocks down the volume of the whole track just for a brief moment, so as the drums continue it makes an annoying oscillating effect on the rest of the track. Do most people seriously just not notice the audio being destroyed? For the general public, I guess it's a little more understandable, but the musicians who demand "louder" tracks really should know better.
I guess more than the loudness and lack of dynamics, what gets me is compression/limiting that's done badly so the attacks and releases sound really awkward and unnatural. One thing that really irks me is when the snare or kick noticeably knocks down the volume of the whole track just for a brief moment, so as the drums continue it makes an annoying oscillating effect on the rest of the track. Do most people seriously just not notice the audio being destroyed? For the general public, I guess it's a little more understandable, but the musicians who demand "louder" tracks really should know better.
Nope, I adore that album, and have never had trouble listening to it...the only album that comes to mind as being noticably fatiguing is Immortal's "Sons of Northern Darkness," and I think that's because of Tagtgren's affinity for annoying guitar tones.
Dude... I LOVE that record, but "Awesome" is money here. That record is SQUASHED. I can't really crank it like I can "Death Cult..."
Chryst Krispies
Vanilla Gorilla
Hahaha, I know - I just mentioned that particular album cuz it's really more of a thrash-black album than all KVLT-y, given it's high budget, (relatively) big-name producer, and the year it came out.
Eh, like I said, I've never had a problem. And it's a pity that the music on DCA is about 4 million times inferior to In Sorte or Puritanical, IMO...
Eh, like I said, I've never had a problem. And it's a pity that the music on DCA is about 4 million times inferior to In Sorte or Puritanical, IMO...
I like all 3 of those records for different reasons, I think.
Chryst Krispies
Vanilla Gorilla
Does anyone else think that some shit sounds BETTER when it's mastered louder???
Shit like Meshuggah , and other weird industrial/super tech obnoxiously ill metal bands that really grind???
I feel that sometimes it adds to the flavor...
Maybe it's just me?
Shit like Meshuggah , and other weird industrial/super tech obnoxiously ill metal bands that really grind???
I feel that sometimes it adds to the flavor...
Maybe it's just me?
TomAwesome
I LIKE JUICE!
Eh, like I said, I've never had a problem. And it's a pity that the music on DCA is about 4 million times inferior to In Sorte or Puritanical, IMO...
Eh, I disagree. I thought both DCA and PUM both sounded really good. Then again, I only listened to ISD about .6 times, so if I got through the crippling ear fatigue, maybe it would sound pretty good.
As far as leaving everything else alone and turning the overall level up a bit, yeah, louder music does tend to sound better on some level. It's just when you start squishing it all to hell to get all of it sounding loud that things start getting messed up.
:Smokin:
it's not just you, but even with stuff like meshuggah, i don't like the waveform to look like a candy bar if i load it into my DAW
Not me. Meshuggah was my favorite band up until the last couple of years. For me, Destroy Erase Improve is their best sounding album and it is not mastered hot at all by today's standards. I really love the production on the None EP as well even though its outdated in ways. I think their new stuff sounds terrible. I have not even bought Obzen yet. I've heard a couple tracks on Myspace and it just does not sound good to me. Their older productions seemed so clean and alive. I've been struggling with them after the release of Nothing, which was a horrible disappointment for me.
Black neon bob
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- Jun 2, 2005
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Heh.. these are my thoughts exactly.
Even though i like the material on obzen and nothing, especially obzen does not really do it for me when it comes to the mix and how it's mastered.
Destrot Erase Improve is so much more dynamic, is easier to listen to and has this vibe to it thanks to the sound and the mix that i just cant seem to let go.. i dont think their latest stuff sounds terrible, no.. but it does not top Destroy Erase Improve for me personally.
Chryst Krispies
Vanilla Gorilla
Yeah but this all sounds to me like a music thing and not a mix/master thing.
I agree with you all on D.E.I as being my favorite album of theirs but I think it's a better album musically.
I thought the Nothing remix was killer.
The mastering has nothing to do with it for me.
DEI is amazing musically, but i can guarantee that if they recorded that album now, it would sounds a shitload worse...and conversely, obzen would sound a lot better if mixed in 1995
Black neon bob
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