The whole "triggered snare" thing is nothing but an ego war. MP has a huge ego, and so does Prater. Problem is, Prater is also a brilliant producer. So, MP can't live with the fact that the guy who defied him constantly in the studio, at the same time delivered DT's most beloved album. So, he uses his media outlet to take shots at Prater for something as completely asinine as a triggered snare.
Point in case, Prater apparently also triggered drums in ACOS. Only that MP never noticed.
rumborak
That's a pretty weak stab at Portnoy, dude.
He doesn't like the snare, so he's mentioned it when it's relevant (like the commentary on the DVD showing them recording them album). If it weren't Portnoy, you'd think nothing of the exact same comments.
If he had made an off-the-cuff remark at some point, sure, I wouldn't think about it. But MP did it often and consistent enough that even Prater, who hardly hangs on MP's words, got inundated with it enough to feel forced to reply. And according to Lifting Shadows, Prater saw the situation before as a kind of cease-fire ("I kept my mouth shut for 15 years, why couldn't you?!").
If MP's comments about the snare really had been off-the-cuff, we wouldn't have leagues of n00bs starting threads about how they dislike Prater.
My bottom line is: If it takes a triggered snare here and there, but in return I get an awesome-sounding album like IAW, instead of something like ToT and SC, bring in the triggered snares.
rumborak