Nah, come on guys. The bass being super-low in the mix has been a mainstay complaint for decades at this point. But, IMO they improved that for ADTOE and DT12.
I wouldn't say "decades," but it HAS been a standard complaint for awhile. TOT through Black Clouds were the prime offenders, IMO. Not that you couldn't hear the bass, and there are certainly leads where it stands out on all of those albums, but it is comparatively very low in the mix on those albums for the most part.
I disagree. It is cranked on ToT, the majority of SC, and BCASL with an asterisk, and just right on 8V. If people aren't hearing it, it's likely a combination of not being able to differentiate it from the guitar when it's doubling (especially when JM is using a distorted tone), or having low end equipment that doesn't cover the full frequencies, and doesn't have good clarity of separation, which especially becomes an issue on highly compressed albums.
The mix on 8V is clear, and does every instrument equal justice. The bass isn't over bearing, but it's definitely not low enough to have any issues hearing JM at all, much less consider it super low. So many standout JM moments that I have no problem hearing even under the heavy guitars, like dem octave bass slides during the verse of PA. And there are more parts than I could list where the arrangement puts JM front and center without even competing with the guitars at all. It's generally not a heavy riff oriented album where the bass blends in.
On ToT, I don't know how anyone can not hear the bass. It's so in your face, beginning to end. I can hear all of the tasty fills all over the neck in SoC and ITNOG, and in the rest it is so fat doubling the guitars that you can't miss it. You could not want that bass any louder.
Mostly the same deal on SC. JM's rumbley bass shines through, and he's a star on ITPOE and TDEN. There are moments where he's not as loud, but they're the exception rather than the rule, and still definitely audible.
BCASL however, has the bass EQ'd into a very low frequency that from what I recall is difficult or impossible to hear on cheaper speakers without low end, but will rattle your sub if you've got a system that supports those frequencies. I do still consider that a serious mixing/mastering problem, as it is not correctly designed to sound equally good on lower end equipment, but for the most part, it's definitely there! It just doesn't play nicely with all equipment. That is the worst of the bunch in that regard though, and I see why that issue affects many.
JM's bass is just as low or lower on BMUBMD and TEI than any of the albums people complain about with apparent lacking bass. Other than that, I can hear the bass well on all DT albums. Is it always perfect? No, but the bass volume is the least of the mixing/mastering issues on the RR era DT albums, and has almost never been "super low".
I suggest you all either get better audio gear, or better ears.
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