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Dream Theater => Dream Theater => Topic started by: goo-goo on November 18, 2020, 07:37:30 PM
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https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dream-theaters-james-labrie-says-his-new-solo-album-will-be-all-acoustically-driven/
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As announced today by Paul on his Twitter page:
"Thrilled to announce that after ‘ten years in the planning’ @jameslabrie from the mighty @dreamtheaternet & I have finally written an album together. It’s acoustic driven but more bombastic than stripped back. More news to follow as we progress! #LaBrieAndLogue".
So, it seems that it won’t be an acoustic calm album :tup
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Also including Marco Sfogli and his son Chance on drums, sounds like much more than just an acoustic album :tup
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Yes, and, from what I've heard from Falset, Chance is a very good drummer, no doubt!
As a Eden's Curse's fan, I'm really excited about this album!
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I really hope it’s not an acoustic album. I would be happy without the wall of sound that the last 2 records were though. I hope that’s what he means, more of a raw rock record than the very processed sound of the last 2.
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That was a great interview, but I have to say that James is just dishonest when he mentioned that the live album is 100% live. His voice has been pitch corrected so much, it feels a bit weird to say that so proudly.
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That was a great interview, but I have to say that James is just dishonest when he mentioned that the live album is 100% live. His voice has been pitch corrected so much, it feels a bit weird to say that so proudly.
Maybe they just don't tell him anymore? :-X
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Reading that Blabbermouth article it does seem like it will be an acoustic album which means it will likely be a try before you (probably don’t) buy.
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That was a great interview, but I have to say that James is just dishonest when he mentioned that the live album is 100% live. His voice has been pitch corrected so much, it feels a bit weird to say that so proudly.
Maybe they just don't tell him anymore? :-X
I was going to post that as an honest comment... maybe he just isn't aware of the level of post-production that goes on. Not because they are nefariously keeping the work done on the album from him, but just because he isn't as interested in the level of work done on the final product.
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That was a great interview, but I have to say that James is just dishonest when he mentioned that the live album is 100% live. His voice has been pitch corrected so much, it feels a bit weird to say that so proudly.
Maybe they just don't tell him anymore? :-X
I was going to post that as an honest comment... maybe he just isn't aware of the level of post-production that goes on. Not because they are nefariously keeping the work done on the album from him, but just because he isn't as interested in the level of work done on the final product.
I was half kidding and half not, it IS possible, as you say, that he isn't aware of all the studio trickery that goes on behind the scenes for these releases. I still support the man, though.
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That was a great interview, but I have to say that James is just dishonest when he mentioned that the live album is 100% live. His voice has been pitch corrected so much, it feels a bit weird to say that so proudly.
Maybe they just don't tell him anymore? :-X
I was going to post that as an honest comment... maybe he just isn't aware of the level of post-production that goes on. Not because they are nefariously keeping the work done on the album from him, but just because he isn't as interested in the level of work done on the final product.
I was half kidding and half not, it IS possible, as you say, that he isn't aware of all the studio trickery that goes on behind the scenes for these releases. I still support the man, though.
I support him as well, but that borders the level of being delusional. I've listened to the album quite a lot and pitch correction is present on all songs, in some cases obvious even to the untrained ear.
If he avoided this comment i wouldn't have a problem, but him bringing this up i feel is a bit dishonest.
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That was a great interview, but I have to say that James is just dishonest when he mentioned that the live album is 100% live. His voice has been pitch corrected so much, it feels a bit weird to say that so proudly.
Maybe they just don't tell him anymore? :-X
I was going to post that as an honest comment... maybe he just isn't aware of the level of post-production that goes on. Not because they are nefariously keeping the work done on the album from him, but just because he isn't as interested in the level of work done on the final product.
I was half kidding and half not, it IS possible, as you say, that he isn't aware of all the studio trickery that goes on behind the scenes for these releases. I still support the man, though.
I support him as well, but that borders the level of being delusional. I've listened to the album quite a lot and pitch correction is present on all songs, in some cases obvious even to the untrained ear.
If he avoided this comment i wouldn't have a problem, but him bringing this up i feel is a bit dishonest.
::) Fans... :lol
I am sure they have lied to us about many other band related things.
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Well, when you think about it, his claim that everything is 100% live is probably true - it's probably true that they didn't re-record his vocals like they did for L@tM and ACoS, but that still gives room for tweaking in post-production without admitting to any doctoring. Now if he made the claim that no doctoring was done to his vocals in post-production whatsoever, then that would be dishonest. But as he stated it, he's not lying. It implies something that isn't true, but it's more honest than the claim that this live release has "over 3 hours of music"! ::)
What would be interesting to see is what his (or JP's) response would be if asked if there was any work done to his vocals in post-production at all, like adjusting the pitch.
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Well, when you think about it, his claim that everything is 100% live is probably true - it's probably true that they didn't re-record his vocals like they did for L@tM and ACoS, but that still gives room for tweaking in post-production without admitting to any doctoring. Now if he made the claim that no doctoring was done to his vocals in post-production whatsoever, then that would be dishonest. But as he stated it, he's not lying. It implies something that isn't true, but it's more honest than the claim that this live release has "over 3 hours of music"! ::)
What would be interesting to see is what his (or JP's) response would be if asked if there was any work done to his vocals in post-production at all, like adjusting the pitch.
Well, strictly speaking 100% live is presenting the audio as it was on the night of the recording. So this isn't the case.
And as i said, i love James but it's better to avoid this type of statements in my opinion, given the fact that they can draw even more attention to the performance itself, which will prove to more people that there's been significant editing in post-production.
Anyway, i might be weird, but i would prefer if he avoided this discussion altogether.
It's like JP claiming that backing vocals are 100% live.
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Well, when you think about it, his claim that everything is 100% live is probably true - it's probably true that they didn't re-record his vocals like they did for L@tM and ACoS, but that still gives room for tweaking in post-production without admitting to any doctoring. Now if he made the claim that no doctoring was done to his vocals in post-production whatsoever, then that would be dishonest. But as he stated it, he's not lying. It implies something that isn't true, but it's more honest than the claim that this live release has "over 3 hours of music"! ::)
What would be interesting to see is what his (or JP's) response would be if asked if there was any work done to his vocals in post-production at all, like adjusting the pitch.
Well, strictly speaking 100% live is presenting the audio as it was on the night of the recording. So this isn't the case.
And as i said, i love James but it's better to avoid this type of statements in my opinion, given the fact that they can draw even more attention to the performance itself, which will prove to more people that there's been significant editing in post-production.
Anyway, i might be weird, but i would prefer if he avoided this discussion altogether.
It's like JP claiming that backing vocals are 100% live.
I'm with you, he should probably avoid these statements, his singing is polarizing enough already :lol
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Well, when you think about it, his claim that everything is 100% live is probably true - it's probably true that they didn't re-record his vocals like they did for L@tM and ACoS, but that still gives room for tweaking in post-production without admitting to any doctoring. Now if he made the claim that no doctoring was done to his vocals in post-production whatsoever, then that would be dishonest. But as he stated it, he's not lying. It implies something that isn't true, but it's more honest than the claim that this live release has "over 3 hours of music"! ::)
What would be interesting to see is what his (or JP's) response would be if asked if there was any work done to his vocals in post-production at all, like adjusting the pitch.
Well, strictly speaking 100% live is presenting the audio as it was on the night of the recording. So this isn't the case.
And as i said, i love James but it's better to avoid this type of statements in my opinion, given the fact that they can draw even more attention to the performance itself, which will prove to more people that there's been significant editing in post-production.
Anyway, i might be weird, but i would prefer if he avoided this discussion altogether.
It's like JP claiming that backing vocals are 100% live.
Don't get me wrong - I agree with you. It's just I'm playing the Devil's advocate. ;)
Wait. Did I just refer to JL as the Devil? :eek
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That was a great interview, but I have to say that James is just dishonest when he mentioned that the live album is 100% live. His voice has been pitch corrected so much, it feels a bit weird to say that so proudly.
Maybe they just don't tell him anymore? :-X
I was going to post that as an honest comment... maybe he just isn't aware of the level of post-production that goes on. Not because they are nefariously keeping the work done on the album from him, but just because he isn't as interested in the level of work done on the final product.
I was half kidding and half not, it IS possible, as you say, that he isn't aware of all the studio trickery that goes on behind the scenes for these releases. I still support the man, though.
I support him as well, but that borders the level of being delusional. I've listened to the album quite a lot and pitch correction is present on all songs, in some cases obvious even to the untrained ear.
Would you mind giving us some examples? I've listened to the album once and didn't notice anything and I would say I'm relatively familiar with pitch correction. Not that I don't believe you but I would disagree that it is "obvious"
Also it should be noted that James has admitted in the past that they use pitch correction on live albums. He never tried to hide it.
He doesn't sound like he did in 92 but he still sounds damn good for a guy nearing 60 that sings in ridiculous keys.
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Fatal Tragedy BOOTLEG VS OFFICIAL RELEASE Live Vocal Comparison:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkUlZHxjMY0&feature=youtu.be
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Fatal Tragedy BOOTLEG VS OFFICIAL RELEASE Live Vocal Comparison:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkUlZHxjMY0&feature=youtu.be
You realize this doesn't take into account they used one night for the audio and used both nights for the video. So some vocals may be off from the video, and may look like an overdub or pitch correction.
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This reminds me of when Rudess appeared at NAMM showing some Omnisphere choir sounds and saying they had been exploring the "gothic domain" quite a bit (2009, of course), and then the internet went nuts thinking DT had become Nightwish :lol
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Also it should be noted that James has admitted in the past that they use pitch correction on live albums. He never tried to hide it.
I'm a professional in the music and audio industry and pitch correction is basically a standard in most non-classical/academic musical releases these days. Call it whatever you want, but it's the norm and we kinda have to go by it.
Also, people get way too emotional about pitch-correction in Dream Theater. I've seen videos of JLB where's he's being absolutely pitch-perfect both in the studio and live, so I know what he is really capable of. Sure, his voice/his age/his tone/whatever is not the same as it was, but he's still a phenomenal performer and I'd rather have a pitch-corrected documentation of that instead of a weak performance that could've happened for many reasons like a cold/tired voice because of constant touring/just an off night or whatever.
I really don't understand why people actually take the time to do an A/B comparison between the "real" performance and the "official "performance, which is clearly a "hey guys! look! They pitch-corrected JLB! He NEEDS to leave Dream Theater!" and a bunch of people that actually invest energy and time into that idea. Man, to me that feels so off to me. Just enjoy the damn performance for what it is.
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Also it should be noted that James has admitted in the past that they use pitch correction on live albums. He never tried to hide it.
I'm a professional in the music and audio industry and pitch correction is basically a standard in most non-classical/academic musical releases these days. Call it whatever you want, but it's the norm and we kinda have to go by it.
Also, people get way too emotional about pitch-correction in Dream Theater. I've seen videos of JLB where's he's being absolutely pitch-perfect both in the studio and live, so I know what he is really capable of. Sure, his voice/his age/his tone/whatever is not the same as it was, but he's still a phenomenal performer and I'd rather have a pitch-corrected documentation of that instead of a weak performance that could've happened for many reasons like a cold/tired voice because of constant touring/just an off night or whatever.
I really don't understand why people actually take the time to do an A/B comparison between the "real" performance and the "official "performance, which is clearly a "hey guys! look! They pitch-corrected JLB! He NEEDS to leave Dream Theater!" and a bunch of people that actually invest energy and time into that idea. Man, to me that feels so off to me. Just enjoy the damn performance for what it is.
To play Devil's Advocate, it can be difficult to enjoy the performance if the performance itself is not enjoyable. And while I get that correcting stuff is the norm now and has been for a long time, it's not really a true representation of the live performance if tons of mistakes are having to be corrected. Call me a purist, but I believe a live release ought to feature the live performance, warts and all.
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Yeah, I get you, but you're also running a business and you're not gonna sell a lot of copies of a release that's gonna get thrown into the ground by the fans for having a mediocre vocal performance (talking about JLB, of course).
Also, maybe we're taking it lil too far? I have watched fan-filmed performances of the two nights in London and JLB sounded as good as he possibly can in this day and age. I have no issues with them pitch correcting parts that felt off when they were not as bad as people point out they were. Fatal Tragedy was not so good, but boy he slayed in Beyond This Life (which is a much harder song to perform). It's not like they re-recorded the whole thing, so it's all good to me (yes, I'm deeply staring at the overly hyped Live at the Marquee right now).
It's all about balance, and I don't really think this has to do with being new or old fashioned; but just getting out the best product you can with the resources you have available.
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I really don't understand why people actually take the time to do an A/B comparison between the "real" performance and the "official "performance, which is clearly a "hey guys! look! They pitch-corrected JLB! He NEEDS to leave Dream Theater!" and a bunch of people that actually invest energy and time into that idea.
I've seen those videos and the associated comments and I can't imagine what they think will happen? Like what's the best scenario here? "People are gonna see my video and they're going to write to John Petrucci [who sat in the mixing room when they pitch corrected those parts, along with probably everyone's parts] to fire James, and he is actually going to do it, and then I'll finally be able to listen to DT now that the singer I don't like is gone!" I can realize how stupid this is when I type it out, so why can't they?
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It's all about balance, and I don't really think this has to do with being new or old fashioned; but just getting out the best product you can with the resources you have available.
Agreed. But if you go back a few posts in this thread, this all came up because JL made the announcement during the interview that everything on DM is 100% live. Had he not said anything, nothing would probably be said about it.
I really don't understand why people actually take the time to do an A/B comparison between the "real" performance and the "official "performance, which is clearly a "hey guys! look! They pitch-corrected JLB! He NEEDS to leave Dream Theater!" and a bunch of people that actually invest energy and time into that idea.
I've seen those videos and the associated comments and I can't imagine what they think will happen? Like what's the best scenario here? "People are gonna see my video and they're going to write to John Petrucci [who sat in the mixing room when they pitch corrected those parts, along with probably everyone's parts] to fire James, and he is actually going to do it, and then I'll finally be able to listen to DT now that the singer I don't like is gone!" I can realize how stupid this is when I type it out, so why can't they?
Yeah, "Mr.DreamTheater2" had been screaming that from the mountain tops for years. And no matter how you try to reason with him (and I tried on his blog at one point), he insisted on continuing. As if being a completely anonymous stranger and hitting JP over the head verbally with a sledge hammer is gonna really get JP to come around to his way of thinking.... ::)
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It's all about balance, and I don't really think this has to do with being new or old fashioned; but just getting out the best product you can with the resources you have available.
Agreed. But if you go back a few posts in this thread, this all came up because JL made the announcement during the interview that everything on DM is 100% live. Had he not said anything, nothing would probably be said about it.
I really don't understand why people actually take the time to do an A/B comparison between the "real" performance and the "official "performance, which is clearly a "hey guys! look! They pitch-corrected JLB! He NEEDS to leave Dream Theater!" and a bunch of people that actually invest energy and time into that idea.
I've seen those videos and the associated comments and I can't imagine what they think will happen? Like what's the best scenario here? "People are gonna see my video and they're going to write to John Petrucci [who sat in the mixing room when they pitch corrected those parts, along with probably everyone's parts] to fire James, and he is actually going to do it, and then I'll finally be able to listen to DT now that the singer I don't like is gone!" I can realize how stupid this is when I type it out, so why can't they?
Yeah, "Mr.DreamTheater2" had been screaming that from the mountain tops for years. And no matter how you try to reason with him (and I tried on his blog at one point), he insisted on continuing. As if being a completely anonymous stranger and hitting JP over the head verbally with a sledge hammer is gonna really get JP to come around to his way of thinking.... ::)
Oh, I am fully convinced that this person needs a psychiatrist. (and I'm not kidding).
Maybe it's a case for Dr. Moore (now I'm kidding).
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It's all about balance, and I don't really think this has to do with being new or old fashioned; but just getting out the best product you can with the resources you have available.
Agreed. But if you go back a few posts in this thread, this all came up because JL made the announcement during the interview that everything on DM is 100% live. Had he not said anything, nothing would probably be said about it.
That's the main thing. I don't have an issue with pitch-correction as it's expected to be done on a live album (even though it's more present in this release).
What i don't appreciate is James saying that what you hear is 100% live while it's not.
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It kind of is though, his vocals may be pitch corrected and it may sound better than some shitty bootleg but he probably means there’s no overdubs or anything, nothing has been added or re-recorded in the studio. It’s as performed on the night but cleaned up so it doesn’t sound like a bootleg like, I would guess, pretty much every live album.
I was at night one of London and it’s the first time I’ve ever felt that JLB pretty much ruined the show for me. I have seen DT a ton of times before though when he has ranged from good to outstanding and some of the outstanding shows were relatively recent with I&W and DT12 tours, he sounded incredible. I do wonder if my use of earplugs for the first time ever made a difference to how he sounded this time. Never used plugs before but developed tinnitus a couple of years ago so was trying to avoid it getting any worse.
Anyway, I definitely wouldn’t want a live album of how JLB sounded to me on the night so I’m glad that he sounds ok on the release.
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I saw night two in London. I thought he sounded great and like how it has sounded on the videos so far.
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I do wonder if my use of earplugs for the first time ever made a difference to how he sounded this time. Never used plugs before but developed tinnitus a couple of years ago so was trying to avoid it getting any worse.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was the ear plugs. They actually helped you hear everything more accurately aside from the crisp highs being a bit muffled, assuming you use the cheap foam ones like I do. I say that because I remember in particular the very first rock concert I saw was Rush - my favorite band at the time. While I didn't know the setlist (this was 1988), I knew their whole catalog backwards and forwards. But it *still* took me a good minute to ID what song they were playing every time they began another one because the aural onslaught on my ears was so intense - it was that loud! I walked out of that concert with my hearing seriously muffled and ringing in my ears.
After only 3 more shows I started wearing ear plugs and I never go without them. Not only does it make it more comfortable for me and protect my hearing, but I can hear everything much better than if I didn't use them. I would imagine the same is true for you now that you are starting to use ear plugs.
Not sure if you were one of those guys that would argue that the band sounded better in person than what the audience videos posted on YouTube showed, and that it must be the cheap quality of the recording that was the problem, but if you were, now you can see that those audience recordings, even if shot with amateur equipment, don't lie and what they capture is what actually happened, even if you don't remember it that way. I'd wager at least some of the other DT shows you attended were in reality not as good as you remember, in part because the loud volume probably masked the flaws (besides the hype/excitement of being at the show).
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I do wonder if my use of earplugs for the first time ever made a difference to how he sounded this time. Never used plugs before but developed tinnitus a couple of years ago so was trying to avoid it getting any worse.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was the ear plugs. They actually helped you hear everything more accurately aside from the crisp highs being a bit muffled, assuming you use the cheap foam ones like I do. I say that because I remember in particular the very first rock concert I saw was Rush - my favorite band at the time. While I didn't know the setlist (this was 1988), I knew their whole catalog backwards and forwards. But it *still* took me a good minute to ID what song they were playing every time they began another one because the aural onslaught on my ears was so intense - it was that loud! I walked out of that concert with my hearing seriously muffled and ringing in my ears.
After only 3 more shows I started wearing ear plugs and I never go without them. Not only does it make it more comfortable for me and protect my hearing, but I can hear everything much better than if I didn't use them. I would imagine the same is true for you now that you are starting to use ear plugs.
Not sure if you were one of those guys that would argue that the band sounded better in person than what the audience videos posted on YouTube showed, and that it must be the cheap quality of the recording that was the problem, but if you were, now you can see that those audience recordings, even if shot with amateur equipment, don't lie and what they capture is what actually happened, even if you don't remember it that way. I'd wager at least some of the other DT shows you attended were in reality not as good as you remember, in part because the loud volume probably masked the flaws (besides the hype/excitement of being at the show).
I was one of those guys but my argument wasn’t necessarily that the recordings lie just that those recordings aren’t reflective of the experience of seeing them live. Yes, the recording may be accurate but, like you say, when you are there in person, the aural onslaught and excitement masks those imperfections and you don’t hear them so much. Therefore when you see them in concert he doesn’t sound as bad as he does on the recordings because the things you mention mask it.
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That was a great interview, but I have to say that James is just dishonest when he mentioned that the live album is 100% live. His voice has been pitch corrected so much, it feels a bit weird to say that so proudly.
Maybe they just don't tell him anymore? :-X
I was going to post that as an honest comment... maybe he just isn't aware of the level of post-production that goes on. Not because they are nefariously keeping the work done on the album from him, but just because he isn't as interested in the level of work done on the final product.
I doubt LaBrie is unaware of this.
I really don't understand why people actually take the time to do an A/B comparison between the "real" performance and the "official "performance, which is clearly a "hey guys! look! They pitch-corrected JLB! He NEEDS to leave Dream Theater!" and a bunch of people that actually invest energy and time into that idea.
I've seen those videos and the associated comments and I can't imagine what they think will happen? Like what's the best scenario here? "People are gonna see my video and they're going to write to John Petrucci [who sat in the mixing room when they pitch corrected those parts, along with probably everyone's parts] to fire James, and he is actually going to do it, and then I'll finally be able to listen to DT now that the singer I don't like is gone!" I can realize how stupid this is when I type it out, so why can't they?
Yeah, "Mr.DreamTheater2" had been screaming that from the mountain tops for years. And no matter how you try to reason with him (and I tried on his blog at one point), he insisted on continuing. As if being a completely anonymous stranger and hitting JP over the head verbally with a sledge hammer is gonna really get JP to come around to his way of thinking.... ::)
Is he the same guy who makes all those YouTube videos? Ravenskill Militia? That guy really has it in for LaBrie. Strange.
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I saw night two in London. I thought he sounded great and like how it has sounded on the videos so far.
I thought he sounded as rough on night two as the first night. And the same as on every occasion I've seen DT since about 2008.
I listened to Untethered Angel last night, from the official release, and thought he sounded as I remembered. I suspect you'll listen to it and think he sounds great.
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Yeah, "Mr.DreamTheater2" had been screaming that from the mountain tops for years. And no matter how you try to reason with him (and I tried on his blog at one point), he insisted on continuing. As if being a completely anonymous stranger and hitting JP over the head verbally with a sledge hammer is gonna really get JP to come around to his way of thinking.... ::)
Is he the same guy who makes all those YouTube videos? Ravenskill Militia? That guy really has it in for LaBrie. Strange.
Correct.
I was one of those guys but my argument wasn’t necessarily that the recordings lie just that those recordings aren’t reflective of the experience of seeing them live. Yes, the recording may be accurate but, like you say, when you are there in person, the aural onslaught and excitement masks those imperfections and you don’t hear them so much. Therefore when you see them in concert he doesn’t sound as bad as he does on the recordings because the things you mention mask it.
Understood. But it's interesting how the ear plugs make it easier to hear everything more accurately. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to each individual.
I saw night two in London. I thought he sounded great and like how it has sounded on the videos so far.
I thought he sounded as rough on night two as the first night. And the same as on every occasion I've seen DT since about 2008.
I listened to Untethered Angel last night, from the official release, and thought he sounded as I remembered. I suspect you'll listen to it and think he sounds great.
Interesting to get two points of view from the same show. That begs the question of whether either of you wore ear plugs or not.
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That's an interesting question, Scott. I can confirm I was wearing earplugs both nights.
(I can tell you tinnitus ain't no fun, kids! Too late for me but perhaps not for you :biggrin: )