Distortion on Vocals on LaLP

[Ytsejammin]

Anybody else hear a funny sound or distortion on JLBs voice during certain songs on the new live collection? It mostly appears during "Spirit" , "Far from Heaven" and "Wait for Sleep". It appears on both the 5.1 and stereo versions.  Could this be an issue with the multi- tracks? An issue with the microphone? A mastering issue? Any body else hear this anomaly? I'm surprised something like this wasn't fixed before manufacturing. Unless , of course , it's irreparable. 

[Kotowboy]

I'd imagine they'd re-record issues like that. Is it not just some grit on James' actual voice ?

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Nope, it's an audio flaw. My guess is that the voice was super compressed, and thus sending breathings noises and other "mic singularities" to the forefront. Or, the original recording was made that way and fixing it was nearly impossible.

[Madman Shepherd]

Nope, it's an audio flaw. My guess is that the voice was super compressed, and thus sending breathings noises and other "mic singularities" to the forefront. Or, the original recording was made that way and fixing it was nearly impossible.

I'm thinking the latter.  It's a shame too because I think the vocals are near flawless on this with the exception of the breathing noises. 

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Nope, it's an audio flaw. My guess is that the voice was super compressed, and thus sending breathings noises and other "mic singularities" to the forefront. Or, the original recording was made that way and fixing it was nearly impossible.

I'm thinking the latter.  It's a shame too because I think the vocals are near flawless on this with the exception of the breathing noises.

Definitely. James LaBrie's performance is probably my favorite aspect of the DVD. His vocals on Beneath the Surface are magnificent, and it's a shame that the "breathing/distorted" sounds are way too evident to be ignored (in that one and on the other acoustic tunes).

[Robber Soul]

I guess I'm in the minority on his vocals on this release.  I was cringing a lot of the time while watching.  The only part he sounded good on was the acoustic stuff where he is not pushing his voice and is singing in a normal register.  It's the same for me as on DT12.  His voice sounds great because he's not pushing it.  I wonder if it was because it would be less of a strain for him to pull it off live?

[Kotowboy]

It's looking less and less likely that I will buy this DVD. 

[tjanuranus]

It's looking less and less likely that I will buy this DVD. 

Why it's their best DVD since Score and Probably the second best overall imo.

[adastra]

It's looking less and less likely that I will buy this DVD. 

C'mon! There are some flaws but overall it is pretty good performance! And it is only something like 20$. Unless that of course ruins you financially.

[Rodni Demental]

The only tracks with obvious 'breathyness' are Wait for Sleep and Far From Heaven, and it doesn't exactly detract from the performance as distract you a little bit perhaps, but it's a far from making the entire show a deal breaker for a few softer tracks being a bit extra sensitive on the mic. The Silent Man and Beneath The Surface I honestly didn't notice it but I suppose it could be a different story if I TRY and hear it. What I'm saying is that it's far less noticable on the latter two if it's there.

If you ask me, most all of the ADToE tracks have top notch vocal performances. There's even some slightly altered melodies and nuances in his voice, just subtle differences in expression on some of the second and third chorus' of some song's that really add to the performance. Make's some of the repeated sections in the studio versions almost feel a bit stagnant (for lack of a better word..) or incomplete in comparison.

A friend of mine who actively shows his disapproval of my constant Dream Theater listening even commented on how good he thought the tracks sounded for a live show. This really surprised me. 

[Manolito Mystiq]

It sounds like the sensivity is set too high. You get this 'effect' with a condensator mic when recording without a pop filter, much less with a dynamic mic.

I could only check 'The Spirit Carries On' and this artifact is only present when LaBrie sings at a lower volume.

[Kotowboy]

It's looking less and less likely that I will buy this DVD. 

Why it's their best DVD since Score and Probably the second best overall imo.

By jove you may be right. Tally ho, what !

[FsF]

I haven't watched the blu-ray or DVD on a proper system yet, so can't speak for them, but as far as the CD goes, the distortion can be a song ruiner to me. It's especially bad with headphones, where it occasionaly sounds like James is loudly rasping into your ear (although some might be up for that...). Thankfully it's only apparent when he goes into his 'quiet', softer register, and his regular voice sounds excellent, but it wrecks at least (with timestamped glaring examples):  The Silent Man (0:48), the last verse of Outcry (9:26), Wait For Sleep (1:14), and the whole of Beneath The Surface, which is doubly annoying since it was my favourite song from ATDOE.

If it was the odd pop or distort here and there, you could brush it off, but as is, I wouldn't even feel comfortable playing certain tracks to people, the distortion is that bad at times. I really like the sound of everything else (even if the crowd and keyboards are a little low in my eyes [ears]), but the soft vocals are pretty shocking.