At the PM forum in the Redemption thread:
From Nick on a similar post:
Joined: 13 Sep 2004
Posts: 117
Location: Los Angeles
Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 4:26 pm Post subject:
Murat, I would like to correct some of your misperceptions. It's important to do so in part because you are a prominent online poster and frankly, I believe your misperceptions are leading others to share them and dog this CD for the wrong reasons.
batmura wrote:
This disc is VERY loud and the mix is not to my liking.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion of the mix. It is, objectively, not the loudest mix in the world and not as loud as, for example, the previous disc. At least not according to the software that I have used with it.
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There are a lot of folks on the official Redemption forum feeling the same way.
There are a a few, yes -- there are also those that don't have a problem with it. You're acting as though everybody is hearing the same thing and there is one right opinion to have of the production. That is not the case, obviously.
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Ray does get buried in the heavier parts, which is unacceptable.
I guess it depends on what you mean by buried. It is a guitar heavy mix, by design. I'll take the blame for that, though Neil and I both though a guitar heavy mix would be appropriate. You may be interested in knowing that the label thought Ray was TOO LOUD in places. Other than the second track, which you've documented as not to your liking, where do you not hear what Ray is doing? I'm interested because I truly do not hear him being buried.
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I love Redemption, all of their albums. I just don't like their new one and I belive I am entitled to attribute it to the production job.
You absolutely are.
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PS. I believe Neil Kernon was not in the studio trying to get the best performances out of the band.
This has nothing to do with performances. You don't like the note that Ray strains to hit at 5:00 in Blink. That's fine. It is NOT a crack. It is straining. It's a high note -- the highest note he's ever sung in a Redemption song. It was a strain for him. Straining is consistent for the emotion of the song. We left it in with that in mind. His voice cracks, not because of range but just because of natural delivery that worked out that way, during the slow breakdown in Dreams from the Pit ("...all respond in *kind*") and we likewise left that in.
Neil was far more involved in this production than any producer we've ever worked with. His time and my budget both reflect that reality.
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The band recorded the stuff themselves and asked him to do handle the mix.
Neil re-recorded the guitars (rhythm and lead) and drums and had unprocessed tracks for vocals and bass. This is as much or more than any of our previous producers have had to work with.
As I've said, you're entitled to your opinion and I appreciate that you take the time to review the disc. However, when your opinion is misinformed (as above) or presented as the objective truth of the disc, I hope you don't mind that I take the unusual step of correcting misperceptions.
Saying "I don't like the mix" is something I can understand. Saying "this disc is objectively unlistenable" just doesn't make sense. Too many other people (including the label, presumably Neil and Alan, etc.) like it for that to be the case.
*****
From Ken Golden (whose system cost more than my yearly salary):
Murat:
You are simply wrong. I don't know what you listened to - mp3 or a retail version of the CD. The Redemption disc is not too loud. I compared it to the new Knight Area and Haken discs. All three were mastered by Alan Douches. In the case of Knight Area, the album was mixed by Neil Kernon immediately following completion of his work on Redemption. Playback levels for all three albums are virtually identical.
Of course all three albums sound nothing alike. The real issue is you simply don't like the approach that was taken by Nick and Neil. That is something entirely different and you are certainly entitled to your opinion. Everyone has different taste. I suspect that the finished results closely jibe with the sound that Nick was trying to achieve.
Personally I have no problem with the Redemption disc. I think it sounds fine and far better than the sonics of The Fullness Of Time that we were fortunate to release some years ago.
The production of this album is a non-issue. For some reason you are turning attention away from the music and propagating an issue that doesn't really exist . Try to focus on the music and enjoy a great album.
