Dream Theater: The Astonishing (now with moment of betrayal!)

[Evermind]

Now, I do hope that Faythe and other female characters are defined by things more than just their feminity or typically feminine qualities. I have very high hopes for The Astonishing in this regard - after Ayreon's The Theory of Everything unfortunately fell short in this area.

While I love The Theory of Everything to bits and pieces, this is one point of criticism I can actually agree with.

[bosk1]

I'm sure many people were already starting to come to this conclusion, but we now have what I consider to be definitive proof that all lyrics are by JP this time around.

On the deluxe boxset picture for the screenplay lyric book, it says "The Astonishing - Written by John Petrucci."

That doesn't necessarily establish that he wrote all of the lyrics.  I mean, he still may have.  But I don't think this necessarily precludes the possibility of others contributing. 

[Kix]

What I find amazing is this track is less than a day old and there's already a ton of cover videos lol. That's true dedication there

I know!! And some of them are pretty good too! I give it a week after the album is out before someone posts a cover of the whole thing 

[Nefarius]

Just to clear something up about pitch correction for people who are not into music engineering and recording... *snip*

I don't think anyone is complaining about the using of tuning in the studio, are they? Some people were simply pointing out what seemed to be an error in the process that was causing an aural glitch. We've subsequently had it confirmed that it wasn't that, but it was still a valid thing to raise.

Well, confirmed... it was said that there was no correction used.
And though I'm inclined to trust that I choose to remain ever doubting and sceptical.

Actually there are several time indices thoughout the song commenters claim to be pitch corrected where any experienced DT fan will just recognize them immediately as James doing his thing and applying his unique astonishing style.

The pitch drop at the word "tiiime" doesn't prove any correction either. I would guess it's most likely "...the tiiime" and "for music..." came from two different tracks with slightly different melodies or phrasing and that's why the word "tooone" "tiiime" takes a little dive. That the spot was overlooked in editing an album as meticulously crafted as this one sure constitutes a minor boo-boo and it will indeed be difficult to not hear it for all eternity. But the fact that correction software might actually make it sound more natural is what's most amusing for me.

So much for that quarter of a second.
The other 246.75 seconds were pretty great though.
And I'm very much looking forward to the other 2 hours yet to be heard.

Greetings...
Nef

[wideworldofmike]

Anyone else notice that if you click on the box set photos you can see a full map of the Northern Empire?

[ariich]

Well, confirmed... it was said that there was no correction used.

No from what bosk said they didn't deny using correction at all, only that the particular moment that sounded like an error in the correction process was not as such.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Just to clear something up about pitch correction for people who are not into music engineering and recording... *snip*

I don't think anyone is complaining about the using of tuning in the studio, are they? Some people were simply pointing out what seemed to be an error in the process that was causing an aural glitch. We've subsequently had it confirmed that it wasn't that, but it was still a valid thing to raise.

Well, confirmed... it was said that there was no correction used.
And though I'm inclined to trust that I choose to remain ever doubting and sceptical.

Actually there are several time indices thoughout the song commenters claim to be pitch corrected where any experienced DT fan will just recognize them immediately as James doing his thing and applying his unique astonishing style.

The pitch drop at the word "tiiime" doesn't prove any correction either. I would guess it's most likely "...the tiiime" and "for music..." came from two different tracks with slightly different melodies or phrasing and that's why the word "tooone" "tiiime" takes a little dive. That the spot was overlooked in editing an album as meticulously crafted as this one sure constitutes a minor boo-boo and it will indeed be difficult to not hear it for all eternity. But the fact that correction software might actually make it sound more natural is what's most amusing for me.

So much for that quarter of a second.
The other 246.75 seconds were pretty great though.
And I'm very much looking forward to the other 2 hours yet to be heard.

Greetings...
Nef

omg let it go lol

[Nomaniac]

Just to clear something up about pitch correction for people who are not into music engineering and recording... *snip*

I don't think anyone is complaining about the using of tuning in the studio, are they? Some people were simply pointing out what seemed to be an error in the process that was causing an aural glitch. We've subsequently had it confirmed that it wasn't that, but it was still a valid thing to raise.

Well, confirmed... it was said that there was no correction used.
And though I'm inclined to trust that I choose to remain ever doubting and sceptical.

Actually there are several time indices thoughout the song commenters claim to be pitch corrected where any experienced DT fan will just recognize them immediately as James doing his thing and applying his unique astonishing style.

The pitch drop at the word "tiiime" doesn't prove any correction either. I would guess it's most likely "...the tiiime" and "for music..." came from two different tracks with slightly different melodies or phrasing and that's why the word "tooone" "tiiime" takes a little dive. That the spot was overlooked in editing an album as meticulously crafted as this one sure constitutes a minor boo-boo and it will indeed be difficult to not hear it for all eternity. But the fact that correction software might actually make it sound more natural is what's most amusing for me.

So much for that quarter of a second.
The other 246.75 seconds were pretty great though.
And I'm very much looking forward to the other 2 hours yet to be heard.

Greetings...
Nef

Well, like I've said before, whatever that sound is/isn't caused by doesn't really bother me, and I'd rather just drop it, and like you said it's sad that such a small part can ruin a perfectly great song for some people . . . the song is great and that little funny sounding part is something that you can easily unhear if you try hard enough

Both sides of the argument need to just let it go (which I thought we had until reading this morning) and be mature about it. The people who thought it was melodyne were wrong, and the people trying to imply that these people are complaining about autotune and are not "true" fans are wrong to do that also. Everyone was just concerned for the best in this work by DT and nobody has bad intentions . . . we just need to understand that

Anyways, I will not speak about it again after this, but I'll admit I was wrong in thinking it was an aural glitch and instead it's just the singer. But I'm not trying to attack the band at all or trying to nitpick about autotune.

I agree completely with ariich, but like I said it's done so everyone just drop it!

Peace and love, I'm out!





 

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Funny, all this time that the "time" error was being debated, I couldn't hear it. Then as soon as bosk confirmed it was just how James sang it (which was my suspicion all along), I immediately started to hear the "error" people were talking about. Not that it really bothers me. Never would've struck me at all otherwise. That sort of effect happens all the time if you add a bit of grit to your voice as you're sliding down.

[Kotowboy]

I'm sure many people were already starting to come to this conclusion, but we now have what I consider to be definitive proof that all lyrics are by JP this time around.

On the deluxe boxset picture for the screenplay lyric book, it says "The Astonishing - Written by John Petrucci."

That doesn't necessarily establish that he wrote all of the lyrics.  I mean, he still may have.  But I don't think this necessarily precludes the possibility of others contributing.

I think the RS interview also confirms it.

[Tabs]

This is what I hear for the lyrics:

==========

Far in the distant future
Beyond the pages of our time
Cold-blooded wicked tyrants
Threaten the freedom of mankind
Corruption, lust and greed
Define the new nobility
Changing the course of history

Across the vast North Empire
Most people struggle to survive
Living a meek existence
While their secluded leader thrives

We are living day to day
Forced to bear the lion's share
People just don't have the time for music anymore
And no one seems to care
My friends, I've seen the chosen one
Our quest for freedom has begun
He will be the answer to our prayers

There walks a god among us
Who's seen the writing on the wall
He is the revolution
He'll be the one to save us all

My brother Gabriel is all the hope we need
Shining like a beacon in the night
Shepherd of Ravenskill
A reason to believe
Music is the gift he brings
The songbird stops to listen when he sings

========

Best guess is that the first two stanzas are a narrator's voice, the next two are the voice of "the masses" living under the oppression of the empire and the last stanza is the voice of Arhys.

[Nomaniac]

This is what I hear for the lyrics:

==========

Far in the distant future
Beyond the pages of our time
Cold-blooded wicked tyrants
Threaten the freedom of mankind
Corruption, lust and greed
Define the new nobility
Changing the course of history

Across the vast North Empire
Most people struggle to survive
Living a meek existence
While their secluded leader thrives

We are living day to day
Forced to bear the lion's share
People just don't have the time for music anymore
And no one seems to care
My friends, I've seen the chosen one
Our quest for freedom has begun
He will be the answer to our prayers

There walks a god among us
Who's seen the writing on the wall
He is the revolution
He'll be the one to save us all

My brother Gabriel is all the hope we need
Shining like a beacon in the night
Shepherd of Ravenskill
A reason to believe
Music is the gift he brings
The songbird stops to listen when he sings

========

Best guess is that the first two stanzas are a narrator's voice, the next two are the voice of "the masses" living under the oppression of the empire and the last stanza is the voice of Arhys.

These lyrics look spot-on man, good job!

[Nomaniac]

Plus welcome to the forums

[Nomaniac]

Everything sounds about right to my ears, just one part I'm unsure about is whether it says:

My friends, I've seen the chosen one
or
My friends have seen the chosen one

Otherwise I agree with ya 100 percent

[Nomaniac]

You know what, I think your part makes more sense . . . nvm

[Nefarius]

omg let it go lol

It's been two posts with the second one concluding the topic for me, offering an alternate explanation, and pointing out it's only been a quarter second of a great song. I'm a singer and I'm interested in audio engineering, so it's been something I wanted to dissect, which is what people tend to do here a lot, so I did.

Though I wouldn't exactly call two posts "dissecting". There are several regular posters who persistently need two replies next to each other within one minute or less to post gems like "Yeah, kinda..." and "So what?" for the sake of attention or postcount, I'd much rather let those go.

Greetings...
Nef

[bosk1]

I'm sure many people were already starting to come to this conclusion, but we now have what I consider to be definitive proof that all lyrics are by JP this time around.

On the deluxe boxset picture for the screenplay lyric book, it says "The Astonishing - Written by John Petrucci."

That doesn't necessarily establish that he wrote all of the lyrics.  I mean, he still may have.  But I don't think this necessarily precludes the possibility of others contributing.

I think the RS interview also confirms it.

I didn't get that from the interview.  Again, not saying it isn't the case.  But I didn't read the interview to say that.

[bosk1]

omg let it go lol

It's been two posts with the second one concluding the topic for me, offering an alternate explanation, and pointing out it's only been a quarter second of a great song. I'm a singer and I'm interested in audio engineering, so it's been something I wanted to dissect, which is what people tend to do here a lot, so I did.

Though I wouldn't exactly call two posts "dissecting". There are several regular posters who persistently need two replies next to each other within one minute or less to post gems like "Yeah, kinda..." and "So what?" for the sake of attention or postcount, I'd much rather let those go.

Greetings...
Nef

I have no problem with what people are posting, yours included.  People are entitled to express any opinion, provided it is done respectfully, and I don't see anyone really doing anything that is out of line.  Your perspective is a nice inclusion, since most people have no idea how the recording and engineering process really works.  So carry on.

[RaiseTheKnife]

I hope JP registered his script with the WGA before it goes out with the box sets.  Steve Martin should put him in touch with Chris Ridenhour at APA, or better yet he can always talk to me about protecting the film rights.

[Nomaniac]

Yeah Nef, no problem at all with your opinions or your posting.

I'll cease from posting on the matter, but it's your right to do what you want, as Bosk says

Why does such a little thing as pointing out an opinion on a song's part turn into a mess anyways?

[bosk1]

It's hardly a "mess."  Nobody on here is bent out of shape over it, and the band isn't either. 

[Prog Snob]

Yeah Nef, no problem at all with your opinions or your posting.

I'll cease from posting on the matter, but it's your right to do what you want, as Bosk says

Why does such a little thing as pointing out an opinion on a song's part turn into a mess anyways?

You haven't seen a mess here yet.   

[Nomaniac]

It's hardly a "mess."  Nobody on here is bent out of shape over it, and the band isn't either. 

I mean just how some people here are fired up over it . . . I know it's nothing that's horrible, but what happened to just disagreeing with an opinion without being upset at each other?

Or maybe I'm just misinterpreting. Anyhow none of my business, if they want to do what they want I have no problem with that. Just sharing my .02 cents on it all

[Nomaniac]

Yeah Nef, no problem at all with your opinions or your posting.

I'll cease from posting on the matter, but it's your right to do what you want, as Bosk says

Why does such a little thing as pointing out an opinion on a song's part turn into a mess anyways?

You haven't seen a mess here yet.   

[bosk1]

It's hardly a "mess."  Nobody on here is bent out of shape over it, and the band isn't either. 

I mean just how some people here are fired up over it . . . I know it's nothing that's horrible, but what happened to just disagreeing with an opinion without being upset at each other?

Or maybe I'm just misinterpreting. Anyhow none of my business, if they want to do what they want I have no problem with that. Just sharing my .02 cents on it all

Nobody is "fire up" over it.  In fact, the posts have mostly stopped, except for yours.

[Nomaniac]

Well whatever. I disagree . . . with all due respect of course.

Anyways, I'm up for getting over with it. Everyone else is. So what's next on the agenda?

[jsbru]

The posts about the drum sounds are far worse than the ones about Melodyne, but those have been going on for years.

[Nefarius]

For something completely different and much more important... I just pre-ordered my astonishing bling box.
EUR 267.54 (including shipping to Austria) may be three times what the previous box sets were. But I had a PayPal account and wanted to have my very own mini NOMAC, so what the fuck.
I seriously hope it's sturdy enough to smash the gift of music into as many tone deaf heads as possible.

Oh, and could someone please make a completely useless app with a hovering NOMAC that makes some crazy ass noise when tapped? And maybe call it iNOMAC?

Greetings...
Nef

[jakepriest]

The posts about the drum sounds are far worse than the ones about Melodyne, but those have been going on for years.

Well one word being auto-tuned/melodyned or whatever that half the people here notice can hardly relate to a drum sound that made an entire album unlistenable for quite a few people.

[Lowdz]

Bet they don't get this worked up about stuff at the Kanye forum. 
To me it just sounded like a Labrie-ism with some chorus, but I'm glad not to be an audiophile. I'd listened to it 3 times before reading about it maybe being melodyne dandy it didn't stand out as a mistake to me. It just sounded like James.

Anyway, I'm enjoying the song and it'd whetted the appetite further for the whole thing, which I guess is the idea 
I liked the snare sound, it sounds like a snare and not a tom like last time.

And Brent, loved the Dream Thetan quip 

[Nomaniac]

For something completely different and much more important... I just pre-ordered my astonishing bling box.
EUR 267.54 (including shipping to Austria) may be three times what the previous box sets were. But I had a PayPal account and wanted to have my very own mini NOMAC, so what the fuck.
I seriously hope it's sturdy enough to smash the gift of music into as many tone deaf heads as possible.

Oh, and could someone please make a completely useless app with a hovering NOMAC that makes some crazy ass noise when tapped? And maybe call it iNOMAC?

Greetings...
Nef

iNomac . . . classic!!!

Awesome for you man!

[jsbru]

Well one word being auto-tuned/melodyned or whatever that half the people here notice can hardly relate to a drum sound that made an entire album unlistenable for quite a few people.

I never knew drums had a specific sound other than "drums" until I started posting here. 

Sad fact:
I couldn't hear the alleged Melodyne effect after about 10 listens last night, but on listen 11, I finally heard it.  And now I can't unhear it as hard as I try.

This forum is bringing me down to it's collective insanity! 

[Nomaniac]

I never knew drums had a specific sound other than "drums" until I started posting here. 

Me neither. Now I can't help but notice it every time

[bosk1]

Bet they don't get this worked up about stuff at the Kanye forum. 

"Yo, James, Imma let you finish.  But first I wanna show that I have the most pitch corrected voice of all time!"

[Lowdz]

Bet they don't get this worked up about stuff at the Kanye forum. 

"Yo, James, Imma let you finish.  But first I wanna show that I have the most pitch corrected voice of all tiiiimeeeee!"

Ftfy