DT in the studio again!

[BlobVanDam]

Am I the only one who's uncomfortable with this whole transcribing of the screenshot and making a midi out of it?

I feel it's a slippery slope where if it gets out of hand artists might not want to release anything (studio diaries, photos, etc) for fear that people will be able to figure out things that were supposed to be a surprise or, even worse, somehow release that music "first" and then claim that DT ripped them off.

That's basically it, I'm not going to go on a huge rant or anything, just thought I'd try and voice my concerns.  I won't be listening to this until after the actual album comes out and then I can say "yeah, that's pretty cool".  But can you imagine if it's almost EXACTLY like the album?  That would definitely be a red flag if I were DT for any future releases (ie no more studio diaries or photos) and that would definitely be a bummer.

I *do* realize that there are very few fanatics like us who have the skills and passion to actually pull something like this off and that the vast majority of DT fans won't ever come across this and will be none-the-wiser.  It's just rubbing me the wrong way.

I do see your point, but I work under the assumption that they wouldn't stick anything in a video they didn't want to be seen. All we've really got is trivial working titles, a chart showing supposedly how many tracks the album will have, and a few bars of one instrument of one song.
I think of it like a nugget, or a challenge for the real diehard fans who want to go the extra mile for a bit of info, stuff you'd otherwise miss while watching it casually. And as this thread shows, it's been effective at creating some buzz and interest leading up to the album, which is a good thing.

I think you have to consider the artist.  Dream Theater don't strike me as the type to freak out about this kind of thing.  I think, if anything, they'd be impressed and amused by the ingenuity and dedication of their fanbase. 

Probably this too. I think they'd be proud to have such a dedicated fanbase that can take a blurry screenshot from a video and turn it into actual music from the album!

[robwebster]

... OK, I was wrong! I was a fool to argue with Robwebster. I mean, he has "webster" in his name. He must be a genius...


I never claimed to be the best blacksmith in Skyrim FUCK OFF YOU WANKER!


I'm sorry.

Friends?

Totes. And I'm sure you'll be a great blacksmith one day.

[TheAtliator]

I actually hope DT sees this so they continue to see the extent to which their fans go. And if they do, I would want them to know we all go this far because of the extent that they go to make incredible music and make the world a better place.

Anyway, I definitely think they'd get a kick out of this in a good way. And even if it's not in a good way, they simply won't show a shot of midi on the screen in the next video. These videos are already so meticulously edited anyway, you can tell they put in each thing on purpose.

somehow release that music "first" and then claim that DT ripped them off.

I would think these songs are already copy-writed or protected in some way, right?

[jonnybaxy]

Sorry was late at night

[tartarus250]

Am I the only one here who can't stop listening to that midi sequence?

I couldn't get it to play in any of my usual media players, so I downloaded a specific midi player for it. It let me choose different 'instruments' to play the sequence through and I was sitting listening to it over and over with all these different sounds.  I even recorded some of them and laid them all out in Audacity to make a 'song' out of them - had some bass, drums, guitar and synth all playing together and saved it as an MP3 

any chance of posting the mp3 so those of us checking in on mobile devices can hear it please

[tartarus250]

Could someone upload a Youtube video of it or something? None of the links are working for me, including Blob's.

I don't know what device you're on, but I guess it doesn't support the old midi file. Here's an mp3 link. Let me know if this works for you.
https://www.blobvandam.com/link/dt12_new_song.mp3

ignore last post and thanks muchly

[jonnybaxy]

Could someone upload a Youtube video of it or something? None of the links are working for me, including Blob's.

I don't know what device you're on, but I guess it doesn't support the old midi file. Here's an mp3 link. Let me know if this works for you.
https://www.blobvandam.com/link/dt12_new_song.mp3

ignore last post and thanks muchly

Sounds sweet, guessing its on guitar or something

[MoraWintersoul]

Sorry was late at night

Rich is awesome.

[snapple]

I can't wait.

[The Stray Seed]

So, we know by the words of JP that this album is gonna be a celebration of what dream theater truly is and represents. But DT has shown many different aspects through the years and on the other hand an album, by its own nature, needs a coherent mood/style/imprint. You can choose to be eccentric, and this is something usual for prog, but the tracks on the album must be tied together by a common thread. I think it will be quite the challenge for them to show the various aspects of DT in a single album and release a CD that works well as a whole.

[Another_Won]

Could someone upload a Youtube video of it or something? None of the links are working for me, including Blob's.

I don't know what device you're on, but I guess it doesn't support the old midi file. Here's an mp3 link. Let me know if this works for you.
https://www.blobvandam.com/link/dt12_new_song.mp3

ignore last post and thanks muchly

Sounds sweet, guessing its on guitar or something

Someone make a note of this so when it is determined which actual song was figured out, they can post it.  I'm sure they is someone on here that will know almost immediately.  It might even be good to include which songs we knew the lyrics for also.

[Lucien]

I think it will be quite the challenge for them to show the various aspects of DT in a single album and release a CD that works well as a whole.

I don't doubt DT can and will achieve that, though.

[Dream Team]

So, we know by the words of JP that this album is gonna be a celebration of what dream theater truly is and represents. But DT has shown many different aspects through the years and on the other hand an album, by its own nature, needs a coherent mood/style/imprint. You can choose to be eccentric, and this is something usual for prog, but the tracks on the album must be tied together by a common thread. I think it will be quite the challenge for them to show the various aspects of DT in a single album and release a CD that works well as a whole.

I'm pretty sure he also said this about OV and ADTOE. It also could have been a very apt description of SFAM.

[BlobVanDam]

My only concern with an album that shows everything about DT, is that it might not show anything new for DT, and won't have a lot of experimenting. I'm hoping it's something that manages to sound like DT, but yet sound nothing like anything they've done before. I don't want an album as safe as ADTOE again.

[cyberdrummer]

I think the rhythmic experimentation facilitated by MM, which has been hinted at by the band, should ensure the album won't be as safe as ADTOE.

[The Stray Seed]

So, we know by the words of JP that this album is gonna be a celebration of what dream theater truly is and represents. But DT has shown many different aspects through the years and on the other hand an album, by its own nature, needs a coherent mood/style/imprint. You can choose to be eccentric, and this is something usual for prog, but the tracks on the album must be tied together by a common thread. I think it will be quite the challenge for them to show the various aspects of DT in a single album and release a CD that works well as a whole.

I'm pretty sure he also said this about OV and ADTOE. It also could have been a very apt description of SFAM.

Good point, but neither of them was self-titled, if you know what I mean.

@Blob: I agree with what you said, and I still don't know if the drumming alone may ensure there's enough experimentation in the album.

[Lucien]

I think the rhythmic experimentation facilitated by MM that has been hinted at should ensure the album won't be as safe as ADTOE.

THIS.

[BlobVanDam]

I think the rhythmic experimentation facilitated by MM that has been hinted at should ensure the album won't be as safe as ADTOE.

I definitely get that feeling too, and just having a completely fresh member included in the writing process is bound to add something new over ADTOE. The comments about the self titled album representing everything about DT worry me a bit though, given that ADTOE didn't exactly thrill me either.
I'm hoping it doesn't mean it's going to sound too familiar, and means it's going to represent their core elements well while still progressing.

[Kotowboy]

Don't you think that Turn Of Events was purposefully safe though ?

Kind of a " we've been through a lot recently but we're still the DT you know and love ".

[dparrott]

I'm still waiting for JP to bust out some atmospheric guitar soundscapes.  That's something they haven't really explored yet.  That combined with JR would be 

[Marion Crane]

I think SFAM is a perfect example of what DT is and represents. 

[Zydar]

Didn't JP say in the Score documentary that 8VM is the essence of what DT is all about? Could be that it was their newest one, so they automatically felt that way.

[BlobVanDam]

Don't you think that Turn Of Events was purposefully safe though ?

Kind of a " we've been through a lot recently but we're still the DT you know and love ".

Yes, but for me it was safe to the point of being a little too familiar, and I'm hoping the next album isn't purposefully safe too.
I want a DT album that gives me something I don't get from any other DT album, that gives me a reason to listen to this album, instead of making me want to listen to SFAM.

Let's see what the addition of MM brings to the table!

[JPX]

I'm still waiting for JP to bust out some atmospheric guitar soundscapes.  That's something they haven't really explored yet.  That combined with JR would be 

Did you miss the album where they wrote a song called The Count of Tuscany?

[JPX]

My only concern with an album that shows everything about DT, is that it might not show anything new for DT, and won't have a lot of experimenting. I'm hoping it's something that manages to sound like DT, but yet sound nothing like anything they've done before. I don't want an album as safe as ADTOE again.

Well JP did use the term "completely break new ground" in the press release so that makes me hope that we'll get some familiar stuff and some new sounding stuff.

[dparrott]

I'm thinking of something more complex than a solo backwards guitar.

[BlobVanDam]

My only concern with an album that shows everything about DT, is that it might not show anything new for DT, and won't have a lot of experimenting. I'm hoping it's something that manages to sound like DT, but yet sound nothing like anything they've done before. I don't want an album as safe as ADTOE again.

Well JP did use the term "completely break new ground" in the press release so that makes me hope that we'll get some familiar stuff and some new sounding stuff.

Oh did he? Maybe my mind focused on the wrong bit! Maybe I'll just wait until I actually hear the album before I make any more judgement, hm?

[hefdaddy42]

I would take anything the band members said about the new album like that with a grain of salt.  They always say things like that about every new album.

[BlobVanDam]

I would take anything the band members said about the new album like that with a grain of salt.  They always say things like that about every new album.

I think the self titled thing has me placing more importance on their comments than I should. I should be thrilled about a DT album that has it all!

[JPX]

I would take anything the band members said about the new album like that with a grain of salt.  They always say things like that about every new album.

I agree, but I think it is a legitimate statement this time given the introduction of Mangini. My hope is that he brings a new element to the writing akin to when Jordan first joined.

Either way I'm excited but I would like something truely "progressive" from Dream Theater this time around.

[MoraWintersoul]

I would take anything the band members said about the new album like that with a grain of salt.  They always say things like that about every new album.

And that goes for every band in existence, even for those bands whose members' tastes and opinions match yours, which renders any sort of prediction based on their statements impossible. I totally agree with JLB on the subject of everything about DT, but then he said Octavarium is one of his fave DT albums and that the recording of SC was the most fun he's had in the studio since Awake, and the majority of both albums makes me want to gauge my eyes out

[JPX]

I'm thinking of something more complex than a solo backwards guitar.

How do you achieve something that is both "complex" but also "atmospheric soundscapes"? They seem to be two different things?

[bosk1]

I'm thinking of something more complex than a solo backwards guitar.

What is "solo backwards guitar?" 

[?]

Every band keeps saying "this is our best album", "there's something for everyone", etc. every time a new release is coming out. I try not to let my expectations grow too high so that I can be positively surprised if the record turns out to be really great. That said, it can be hard at times

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

I'm thinking of something more complex than a solo backwards guitar.

What is "solo backwards guitar?" 

It's when you play the guitar with the string side turned toward you. Very hard to do.