The "M" word

[Hunger my Consort]

Ok, so.....this might be bad tact to bring up another bands album here, but I was wondering if you've had your nuts smashed by Metallica's long delayed sequel to ...Justice? I'm having a hard time putting it down. It just seems to grow and unravel.


Also.....I pump up to Hunger (Thus my username)pretty much every day since I got it 3 years ago. Bring me mooooooreeeeee pleeease....

 

[Hunger my Consort]

....Moooooooooooooooooorrrrreeeeeee.....

 

[Kristian Niemann]

Well, Ive just heard a few quick snippets but so far Im not impressed.
The production, while better then S:t Anger, sounds like a demo. Whats up with that?!?
Gotta listen more I guess....

On a different note:
One of my studio monitors blew up yesterday while recording. That must mean that the music we´re making is really HEVVI and EEEEEEEEVIL!!!! ;p
Right?

 

[Hunger my Consort]

Evil is good. Gotta sread that plague around.

Take the time to make yourselves happy first. I'm sure I'll love it.

As for the Muhtalika, I didn't really like it at first, but it's been growing on me....more hard rock than metal, but I like it's sound the more I hear it.

 

[Gadlor]

Yeah, that production is kind of a bummer. The guitars and drums clip and fuzz out way too often for my taste...maybe it's meant to sound badass, but really the tone they have in "Ride the Lightning" and "Master of Puppets" is far, far superior. Soul-crushingly heavy.

Beyond that, though, the songs are a superb turnaround from St. Anger. I really like the music on its own merit, though I'm not sure I would be as necessarily pleased with it if it had been released by another band rather than Metallica.

 

[Hunger my Consort]

lol andrew wk. Awesome.

 

[Jacob Kjær]

The production of Death Magnetic is fucked up, check this out: [ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DRyIACDCc1I[/ame]

You might wanna follow the link to listen to the high quality video.

I didn't buy the album as I am not a very big Metallica fan, but I downloaded the Guitar Hero rip, and it sounds pretty good.

 

[Kristian Niemann]

Yeah, the production/mastering is beyond fucked up. Its totally unlistenable in my opinion. I dont think theres a mastering engineer in the world that wouldve allowed that to happen. Something BAD mustve happened at the cd pressing plant.

Laaaaars, I want my money back!!!!
Oh wait...I didnt pay for it

 

[Jacob Kjær]

Oh wait...I didnt pay for it

Uhh, you are so special, can I touch you? :Smug:

The mastering engineer says that when he got the tracks, they were allready cranked up beyond good. Why he didn't call them and ask what was going on, I have no clue. No idea why they didn't supervise the mastering themself either.

The best sound quality I've had from a metal (or any genre, actually) album lately must've been Watershed. Yum.

 

[Hunger my Consort]

Mmmm...Derelict Herdes.

 

[blackrose2]

umm I guess I'm the only one, but metallica prior to black album sounds like something some amatures recorded themselves in a garage on an eight track. It's just I guess people are so used to it. Go listen to the hit song "fade to black". Or "master of puppets". Though now that you mention it for the first time I hear how death magnetic is even worse.

I think the point of the album was to go back to the "old" sound which is like a raw garage band thrashy sound. I'd say Death Magnetic is my favorite metallica album after the black one. I was surprised when lars actually decided to play the drums rather than do a one two during the whole album.

 

[Kristian Niemann]

Yes, i agree that they probably tried to get a dirtier, grittier sound but they failed miserably i think. In comparison, St Anger doesnt sound so bad actually! And THAT album is a real piece of pooh. Hell, if they couldve had the production that was on the Garage Days EP i`d be extatic! Thats real dry and raw but its awesome. I cant for the life of me understand how a band with an unlimited recording budget can release something that sounds like a bad demo. Any kid today with a decent guitar and some Logic software can make a record that sounds like DM, or better.

I dunno, maybe all the years of touring damaged their hearing to the point where they just cant tell whats good or whats TOTALLY FUCKED-UP, SUPER-OVERCOMPRESSED AND DISTORTED!!! I love Metallica too, but their last great record was released in 1988. For me it is, as they say, ovaa.

Im gonna start a campaign: Bring back Fleming!

 

[deathmetalpat]

So everybody runs out and buys this Cd when it comes out and in 6 months or so the new remastered cd comes out and fans go out and buy it again.I have only liked a few songs since master of puppets anyway.Fame and money went to their head and haven't made a great album since the black/ST in my opinion.

 

[blackrose2]

Let me ask you something: did you download the tracks without buying the CD? If so you should know those tracks are purposely made of poor quality so that you will buy the album.

Unless this is the case I am confused. The sound quality is not great, but not that bad. Most people I talk to really like the album.

Though the difference between what I hear from Europe and what I hear from America is that in America the signed bands are almost always a business. They don't try to make the best album possible, instead they try to make the most money possible. This would describe metallica. They probably spend more time promoting an album than actually working on it and more dollars in advertisement than on recording. The results is in Europe you hear a lot of terrible bands getting signed on labels like nuclear blast. You are like "these guys are amatures, how did they get signed?" But at the same time a lot of really good bands and a lot of new and unique things like Therion. In America rock is dead. You can't get signed and be a serious artist, unless you already have fame or someone promoting you who is in the industry. The label and producers basically tell you what to play and how it should sound etc. It's not real music. Not real art. It's a product to be consumed.

The only thing that confused me about St. Anger was the drum. It sounds like a trash can or something. Just the sound of the set was so terrible that I can hardly listen to it. I was thinking the same thing- are they deaf? Nobody listened to that and said "hmm". Maybe its just me.

 

[Kristian Niemann]

I downloaded it, listened to it a couple of times, decided it sounded like crap and threw it away. Then I felt I really should be fair and give it some more time CUZ ITS FUKEN METALLICA MAAAAN so I borrowed the actual album, copied it, decided after a few more listens that it STILL sounded like crap, and threw it away again.

Now, the songwriting is what it is...either you like it or you dont. To me even the best moments on DM still sound like 3rd rate rip-offs of the riffs from their glory days in the 80´s.
The sound quality is what really bugs me (and about 200.000 other people). Enough has been written about this so Im not gonna repeat it. If you like the album and are not bothered by the horrible farty, clipping sound...cool! I cant listen to it because it annoys the hell out of me.

Heres an interesting recent quote by Kirk Hammett:

"Well, it's like this: There are people who just expect perfection from us. And I totally get that. And when it falls short of their standards of perfection, they're going to complain. And I totally get that, too. I do hear a bit of clipping here and there. It was more a Rick Rubin [producer] sort of decision rather than the band decision, because he thought it made it sound a little bit more lively and dynamic, and we kinda gave him the benefit of the doubt on that. And you know, to me, when I crank the album when I'm driving, it's not an issue for me. But then again — my ears are kinda fried, too, bro."

Noooooooo shit!

 

[Hunger my Consort]

Yo....the Flac files that were delivered to Guitar Hero have been mixed into a fuller sounding tho quieter album. Worth a download....cause the cure is CRANKIN the volume.

I like the album. Call their old stuff my religion....but I still enjoyed this one. That was Just your Life flips my adrenaline switch.

Also....Kristian, if you wantt o harken back to '88, with a modern twist...there's that Justice for Jason Album floating around with a brilliant base overdub. Can be hard to find, but cough*cough* I can probably e-mail it to ya somewhere. I promise you wont put it down for 3 months.

Color our world Blackened!

BLACKENED.

 

[deathmetalpat]

This is a question in a way.What type of device to you mix a record for(Ipod ,full stereo with surround sound,2 speaker stereo,or a balance between) and do you assume that the EQ will be set to a rock or boosted setting?In the eightes it was common to have a graphic EQ with most higher end stereos now mostly everything comes with presets.I have a couple of metal records that if you don't set the EQ to a off setting it doesn't sound very good.I wonder if metallica used a ipod to listen to the final mix and felt it sounded great and left it a that.

 

[Hunger my Consort]

Well...due to the lack of an on-site equalizer with most modern stereos...as you mentioned, it's a tough question. Personally, If you have an iPod, I've found this approach best: iTunes>create an equalizer setting that you enjoy. I've found in iTunes 10 Channel EQ'er, the average best for metal is:

1st @ approx. 70% - Bass
2nd @ approx. 60% - Bass
3rd @ approx. 70% - Bass
4th @ approx. 90% - Guitar (lead mostly)
5th @ approx. 80% - Guitar (Rythm mostly)
6th @ approx. 50% - Vocals / Guitar noise
7th @ approx. 40% - Vocals / Noise
8th @ approx. 75% - Drums
9th @ approx. 65% - Drums
10th @ approx. 75% - Snare

However, I have separate EQ's for most bands and even ones for individual Albums if they're on my frequent playlist...which, is mostly Old Metallica, Therion, Demonoid, Carcass, Mastodon, Yyrkoon and System of a Down...tho lots others muchly appreciated too. If you load songs onto your iPod, you can actually apply your EQ settings onto your iPod's playlist/songs. Just don't pick another EQ setting via your iPod...make sure you apply it through iTunes. Also handy, is that you can burn the applied settings to a disc burned through iTunes, and if you test it back to back with the original CD on the same stereo, you'll notice the difference is still there and with significant presence. I've even gone so far as to burn off remixed versions of my favourite CD's.

Prime example: Couple months ago I FINALLY got ahold of '...And Justice for All' with the Base Added...sounded orgasmic....But, when added my EQ settings and burned off again, it makes that last orgasm seem like a cloud of dust, if you get my drift. It sounds soooo great.

So...hopefully that will assist you. And I suggest to anyone not already creating your own personal settings to do so. An easy way to bring out your favorite parts of your favorite albums, and once you do a couple you'll find it only takes moments to really work out and save a new EQ setting.

***Note: The most recent version of iTunes I noticed had the EQ removed!!!!? It was on my friends Mac, and I use a PC at home for my music, so maybe it's a mac thing only. Regardless, I'm not updating my iTunes for awhile.

 

[deathmetalpat]

If you have an older cd that was never remasted besides being quieter the music is thinner on an Ipod.I agree with you metal settings with a bit more lead vocals.I have read that most metal cd's are mastered by setting the mix to a low volume and only hearing the snare,lead guitar, and lead vocals.I did not know a personal EQ was an opition on newer verisons of itunes,since I buy cd's and load them instead of downloading them.I have a couple of metal cd's were the bass comes in much to much or the vocals are too low,this is the sign of a badly mastered cd for me.

 

[Hunger my Consort]

Hey Pat,

Just to clarify, the EQ in iTunes is just to manage what's already in the file...you aren't doing a mixdown of separate instrumental tracks, just the range of frequency's from the mp3, wav, AAC, AIFF, or whatever format you got running with iTunes. I buy CD's too, download to sample here and there, but mostly like to own a collection in retail form. As for my vocal settings, I tend to lower them that much because it reduces dead noise(crackle/fuzz)...and good metal doesn't need unintentional noise, it makes enough of its own. Vocals seem to be able to take the hit harder, as far as adjusting the EQ goes. By lowering the 7th below the middle(50%) mark, I find it makes the overall feel of the album sound like it's recorded in a vacuum, devoid of disruption....and I feel like I'm there too! I haven't heard a cd yet that the vocals died as a result of lowering it to the 20-50% range.

Granted our forum's venue here, I'll throw a Demonoid example out. Wargods is the song. The riff at 1:53 and again at the outro happens to be one of my favourite strings of sound I've ever heard. Natually I wanted to hear it as rich as possible. It all comes down to personal preference, of course, but 'Personally' I've found these following settings a great way to boost the CD as a whole. Using said riff as a demo try this, and toggle it on and off:

1st(32) -- Around 3rd-4th notch down.
2nd(64) -- Little higher than the previous.
3rd(125) -- Same as the first.
4th(250) -- Almost cranked, mybe first notch down.
5th(500) -- Same as previous, maybe little lower.
6th(1K) -- Dead middle(default)
7th(2K) -- 4th line from the bottom.
8th(4K) -- 3rd notch down.
9th(8K) -- Around the same as last.
10th(16K) -- Same again.

And...sweetly enough, while I still have my ordered copy of the ROTA CD, if you were to burn is off with these settings and play in a generic cd player, you'll still hear a world of difference. Just my 2cents...hope it's actually helpful for some people, as this simple run-around worked wonders for my music life.