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Dream Theater => Dream Theater => Topic started by: hockeydude25 on May 28, 2018, 12:00:18 AM

Title: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: hockeydude25 on May 28, 2018, 12:00:18 AM
I would say the best is either Awake or ACOS.

Worst is definitely DT12.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Fritzinger on May 28, 2018, 01:36:38 AM
Worst either DT12 or Images & Words.

Best definitely Falling Into Infinity!
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: YtseJamittaja on May 28, 2018, 03:14:11 AM
Mangini's snare sound is not near as good as MP's. He still hasn't found a good snare sound. So worst sounding snares are MM era albums and WDADU.

Best snare: from SDOIT to SC
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Elite on May 28, 2018, 04:06:19 AM
Best definitely Falling Into Infinity!

Considering FII is their best-sounding album in general, this is an easy pick.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: nikatapi on May 28, 2018, 05:45:29 AM
Worst is definitely DT12, pretty much atrocious i would say.
Best, i would say SDOIT or FII.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: gzarruk on May 28, 2018, 05:54:40 AM
I would say the best is either Awake or ACOS.

You are definitely a fan of MP’s Mapex drum kit, aren’t you? :lol (for those who don’t know, MP used Mapex for Awake and ACOS, before returning to Tama for FII).

As to Mangini not sounding as good as Portnoy in albums, that’s basically JP’s fault, as he’s producing the albums.

I’ll try to listen to a couple songs from each album today to have an objective answer to the OP.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: darkshade on May 28, 2018, 07:45:44 AM
Best:
Awake
TOT
FII
ACOS
SDOIT

Worst:
WDADU
TA
I&W
DT12
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: mikeyd23 on May 28, 2018, 08:49:44 AM
Nothing too surprising here - I’d say the best are FII and SDOIT.

Worst is probably DT12.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: TheCountOfNYC on May 28, 2018, 01:35:45 PM
Best: Awake
Worst: A Change of Seasons
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Anxiety35 on May 28, 2018, 03:09:30 PM
Best - ACOS
Worst - I&W and DT12 (tie)

MP didn't use a piccolo snare on ACOS as some have thought. He just cranked that sucker super tight to get a high pitch. I really enjoy that snare sound. It's a great tuning for prog stuff because it's a quick sound and definitive.

My second favorite would be the snare on Systematic Chaos. It had some depth to it and not as much "boing" or an after ring as other albums like FII, SFAM.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: The Walrus on May 28, 2018, 04:39:00 PM
Best is Awake, worst is DT12.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Bertie_Wooster on May 28, 2018, 06:24:06 PM
I like the drums on DT12. I also like them on St Anger.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Fritzinger on May 29, 2018, 04:08:34 AM
I like the drums on DT12. I also like them on St Anger.

I agree on St. Anger. But DT12's snare literally makes me angry.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: ChuckSteak on May 29, 2018, 05:03:24 AM
Best: FII
Worst: Any album with Mangini
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: commanderbob on May 29, 2018, 05:08:51 AM
I enjoy almost all DT snare sounds, including DT12. The on exception is ADTOE (too weak and thin for me).
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Shooters1221 on May 30, 2018, 02:42:33 AM
Best: Awake

Worst: IaW
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Dublagent66 on May 30, 2018, 04:11:47 PM
Awake snare has always stood out as my fav.  So clean and crisp.  FII is the worst.  Sounds tinny and hollow.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Herrick on May 30, 2018, 08:02:45 PM
I'm not sure what the best is but the worst is DT12 followed by Images and Words.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: RaiseTheKnife on May 30, 2018, 08:04:54 PM
Best - ACOS
Worst - I&W and DT12 (tie)

MP didn't use a piccolo snare on ACOS as some have thought. He just cranked that sucker super tight to get a high pitch. I really enjoy that snare sound. It's a great tuning for prog stuff because it's a quick sound and definitive.

Couldn't agree more.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Ninjabait on May 30, 2018, 08:27:06 PM
Best
ACoS
FII
Octavarium
ADToE
SC
SDoIT/ToT/BC&SL
The Astonishing
SfaM
Awake
I&W
DT12
Worst

Never really paid much attention to this before now, so my list is totally all over the place. Also totally unsure of how to rank Octavarium and SDoIT/ToT/BC&SL but I guess where they are is fine? Maybe? ACoS is definitely the winner for me though. That 90s piccolo snare-type sound that was all the rage in grunge/alternative is one of my favorite snare sounds period.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: gzarruk on June 09, 2018, 06:31:52 PM
MP era:

Best: SC (not a popular opinion)
Worst: WDADU

MM era:

Best: ADTOE
Worst: DT12
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: pcs90 on June 10, 2018, 01:00:26 AM
The worst is easy...DT12.

As far as the best, I really like MP's snare tuning for Awake as well as the IW tour and ACOS. Super cranked.

FII has a very natural sound to it, so that'd be the runner up.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: CrimsonSunrise on June 27, 2018, 03:35:28 PM
Even though it's my favorite piece of music, the snare on ACOS has always struck me as ...off. 
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: ZirconBlue on June 28, 2018, 10:33:24 AM
Even though it's my favorite piece of music, the snare on ACOS has always struck me as ...off.


Ditto.  I am shocked to see people listing it under "best".  To me it sounds really tinny and lacks resonance.  Like the head was cranked way too tight.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Bertielee on June 28, 2018, 01:00:16 PM
Even though it's my favorite piece of music, the snare on ACOS has always struck me as ...off.


Ditto.  I am shocked to see people listing it under "best".  To me it sounds really tinny and lacks resonance.  Like the head was cranked way too tight.

The same, here. I don't like the snare sound on ACOS at all.

B.Lee
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: gzarruk on June 28, 2018, 02:07:32 PM
Even though it's my favorite piece of music, the snare on ACOS has always struck me as ...off.


Ditto.  I am shocked to see people listing it under "best".  To me it sounds really tinny and lacks resonance.  Like the head was cranked way too tight.

The same, here. I don't like the snare sound on ACOS at all.

B.Lee

Count me in as well. ACOS is one of the worst. Even Portnoy disliked it and said it was Prater’s fault.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Robo4900 on July 04, 2018, 01:05:19 PM
Best: Awake.

Worst: DT12.

Honestly, I never had much of a problem with the I&W snare. It's a goofy thing, but it adds to that whole weird '80s vibe Images And Word's production had, which I quite like. Now, granted, they probably could have got a better snare that fits the I&W sound a lot better without using triggers, but... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Anxiety35 on July 05, 2018, 07:56:08 AM
I mentioned this in another thread that I listened to Systematic Chaos the other day. I like the snare on that record. It's not my favorite DT snare sound, but I really like it. It's not ringy as FII or SFAM but it has a little lower tuning to it that gives it some depth. When MP plays ghost notes you can hear a great articulation on the snare.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: gzarruk on July 05, 2018, 08:01:12 AM
I mentioned this in another thread that I listened to Systematic Chaos the other day. I like the snare on that record. It's not my favorite DT snare sound, but I really like it. It's not ringy as FII or SFAM but it has a little lower tuning to it that gives it some depth. When MP plays ghost notes you can hear a great articulation on the snare.

I think it’s my favorite snare sound from the MP era DT. The sound, just as you described it, fits the album very well.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: PixelDream on July 06, 2018, 01:34:02 PM
I always dig MP’s snare sounds a lot. ACOS sticks out like a sore thumb but everything else is fine, especially Awake, FII and SDOIT. And just to continue beating a dead horse, MM’s snares just sound dead, also in a live setting. His cymbals too. Really don’t know how they could screw that up.. he’s a fantastic drummer, so why have such tinny sounds.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: Robo4900 on July 06, 2018, 03:32:33 PM
I actually really like Mangini's snare sounds live, and I quite liked his snare sound on Dramatic Turn aswell. IMO, it was only really DT12 that had a problem there.
Title: Re: Best and worst snare sound on a DT album?
Post by: ZKX-2099 on July 06, 2018, 10:26:35 PM
I like the self titled snare.  :-\

Gives the whole album a crisp uniqueness that I enjoy.