DT12 available on HD Tracks!

[cool34231a]

 

[Mindflux]

DREAM15 for 15% off hdtracks!

[PixelDream]

Downloading now. I really don't mind loud masters (Alter Bridge's new record is loud as hell but it sounds slamming to my ears). But the compression on DT12 is up to a point where I just can't listen to the record from start to finish. Maybe this will help.

[sylvinception]

Hey guys a question for you:

For the choice the format, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF or WAV ??
I'm a bit lost...

[PixelDream]

I'd say FLAC or WAV. It really doesn't matter that much.

Listening to the record now. The funny thing is that the mix still sounds very busy and compressed, but as a whole it's way more listenable. There's a bit less aggression to it. All in all I prefer this.

[Mebert78]

I know there's been some talk of being able to burn the HD tracks to a CD, but has anyone here actually done it yet?  Just want to make sure it came out sounding good on the burned disc and in your car before I go dropping another $20.

[Implode]

Hey guys a question for you:

For the choice the format, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF or WAV ??
I'm a bit lost...

They are all lossless, so the quality will be the same. The choice is dependent on which program you use to listen to music. FLAC and WAV will be the most universal, and I know ALAC is best for Apple products and software.

[slycordinator]

Though FLAC and ALAC will take up less space than the others because they are compressed file types.

[Progmetty]

ALAC won't transfer to iPods or iPads though :/

[Dark Castle]

They do for me?

[sylvinception]

Seems like you can get it outside US by paying with paypal 

Sorry but I don't see how...

Add to cart === >>>> "sorry but not available in your territory"...

[DreamTension]

I know there's been some talk of being able to burn the HD tracks to a CD, but has anyone here actually done it yet?  Just want to make sure it came out sounding good on the burned disc and in your car before I go dropping another $20.

I got a free converter program and converted Flac to 320 mp3, then burned to a cd.  Works great in the car.

[slycordinator]

ALAC won't transfer to iPods or iPads though :/

There are plenty of people using ALAC on ipads and all of the recent ipods. I think the only ones that don't support ALAC are the ipod classic and the original ipods.

[Groundhog]

I know there's been some talk of being able to burn the HD tracks to a CD, but has anyone here actually done it yet?  Just want to make sure it came out sounding good on the burned disc and in your car before I go dropping another $20.

I did this with ADTOE HDtracks release and I'm planning to do it with DT also so I can listen to it in my car stereo. Definately worth it.

I've been listening to the DT HDtracks version a couple of times and it is definately better sounding than the CD release, which is really bad IMO. Still the mix sounds loud and aggressive so I don't get why the even more compressed CD release was even necessary. I've been reading that if the mixer knows that the record will be brickwalled in the mastering he will try to compensate for it already during mixing. Meaning that the mix is already compromised even before the mastering stage. I don't know if this is the case with DT, but I do feel that even with the improved mastering on the HDtracks version the mix is still too busy, the drums sound a tad too flat and weak, and keyboards tend to get buried. Also while the bass is more apparent in the mix than before (not that hard to do really) my sub doesn't seem to have a lot to do with this record. This not a bad sounding record but still I feel it could be a lot better.

DT's sound is more energetic than that of ADTOE and I do enjoy this more, but I'm still wishing for a more live/organic/less processed sound production on a DT album in the future.

[Rob801]

Wow... my signed CD hasn't even arrived yet (will most likely tomorrow) and I find myself sacrificing my precious sleep to buy, download, import to itunes and transfer to my iphone and ipad because I just can't wait anymore (and want the better sonic experience... as much as is possible on my mobil devices at least).
I just thought I could order it in bed from my ipad and let it download while i slept instead of having to use an installer on my Mac (i'm 0bviously new to HD tracks )

[Prog Snob]

Can someone assist me with understanding these Song Analysis details that I took from JRiver?

[Lowdz]

I know there's been some talk of being able to burn the HD tracks to a CD, but has anyone here actually done it yet?  Just want to make sure it came out sounding good on the burned disc and in your car before I go dropping another $20.

I got a free converter program and converted Flac to 320 mp3, then burned to a cd.  Works great in the car.

I just burned them in Foobar without converting. Sounds nicer, richer. I'm enjoying this album so much I really don't mind giving DT money twice. And if HD tracks count for the charts I'm helping on both sides of the pond 

[marlencrabapple]

Has anyone brought up the fact that these aren't true high-def tracks? Apparently they just padded the 16/44 tracks with random data and called it a day.

[Prog Snob]

Maybe this was brought up already and I'm just too lazy to reread through the rest of the posts. I noticed after opening one of the new album files in Audacity, it said it used 32 bit floating point? 

[Grizz]

I know there's been some talk of being able to burn the HD tracks to a CD, but has anyone here actually done it yet?  Just want to make sure it came out sounding good on the burned disc and in your car before I go dropping another $20.

I got a free converter program and converted Flac to 320 mp3, then burned to a cd.  Works great in the car.

Convert to 16-bit 44100 Hz WAV, then burn for maximum quality on a CD.

[slycordinator]

And most recent cd burnerning software will do that conversion automagically.

[convrge]

FYI: iTunes will automatically down-convert to 16 bit / 44.1 kHz when syncing to an Apple device.

Also, you can use the iTunes plugin called BitPerfect to automatically change your computer's output settings to match the song if you're using a Mac.

[Zook]

So will the sales of this version count towards first week sales for billboard charting?

[seasonsinthesky]

Has anyone brought up the fact that these aren't true high-def tracks? Apparently they just padded the 16/44 tracks with random data and called it a day.

oi, really? can anyone post a spectrograph image of a song for proofs? that'd be mighty disappointing.

[rumborak]

I find that hard to believe given how many people reported an improvement in sound. A simple upsample would sound exactly the same.

[cool34231a]

I finally got the Dream Theater 2013 from HDtracks. I find A Dramatic Turn of Events from HDtracks sounding more pleasant, than the new album. DT2013 sounds kind of harsh. I still wish for even more dynamic version. But maybe they did it that way on purpose to sound like metal.

[7StringedBeast]

I find that hard to believe given how many people reported an improvement in sound. A simple upsample would sound exactly the same.

The reason the sound improved is more because of the more dynamic master used for them.  The sample rate and bit rate are no big deal.

[RaiseTheKnife]

I like the improved sounds of the HD tracks, but they will not play on my Apple nanno for some reason.

[Bolsters]

I like the improved sounds of the HD tracks, but they will not play on my Apple nanno for some reason.

AFAIK all iPods can only support up to CD quality (16 bit / 44.1khz) so if you've put the 24/96 files directly from HDTracks onto your Nano, it won't be able to play them. You have to convert the files to CD quality first.

[tweeg]

I just bought it and you can definitely hear the added headroom. The cymbals shimmer a lot more and there's ample room for the bass to do its thing. The snare actually sounds worse than in the CD version for some reason though. My ears are way less fatigued after listening to the whole album too.

[BlobVanDam]

I find that hard to believe given how many people reported an improvement in sound. A simple upsample would sound exactly the same.

As 7StringedBeast said, the difference is that it's a different master altogether, not the difference in sample rate. There's no reason the CD/DVD versions of the album couldn't have sounded equally good.

[7StringedBeast]

I just bought it and you can definitely hear the added headroom. The cymbals shimmer a lot more and there's ample room for the bass to do its thing. The snare actually sounds worse than in the CD version for some reason though. My ears are way less fatigued after listening to the whole album too.

It's because the snare is much clearer and punchier so you can really hear the traps rattling.

[Rob801]

I like the improved sounds of the HD tracks, but they will not play on my Apple nanno for some reason.

AFAIK all iPods can only support up to CD quality (16 bit / 44.1khz) so if you've put the 24/96 files directly from HDTracks onto your Nano, it won't be able to play them. You have to convert the files to CD quality first.

I'm assuming that includes iPads and iPhones as well... I was up till midnight trying to import the tracks from iTunes with no luck so still no DT12 for me today (I bought the ALAC format...).

Their FAQ says to:
1. Highlight the tracks in itunes that you would like to put on your iPhone/iPod.
2. Go to File > Create New Version > Create iPod or iPhone Version
3. Take the new files and transfer those onto your iPhone/iPod.
4. Sync music onto iPhone/iPod

But that option (and another I can't recall) was  grayed out and the only one I could choose was WAV... Which I can't understand. I thought the apple lossless format would be the best choice to download from HD tracks...

[Thoughtspart3]

The HD Tracks sounds great. I am looking forward to getting the other BCSL and SC.

I just am not crazy about the snare sound though.  Why did they pick that?  It sounds too low and doesn't stand out as much from the other drums.  I was just listening to Fear of a Blank Planet and was thinking "That is the perfect snare sound." 

[RaiseTheKnife]

I agree with Thoughts that the snare is not as punchy.