...but to suggest that it may have been intentionally mixed roughly to somehow sound more live is a huge cop-out justification imo, and being intentional does not change the end result.
How is it a cop-out if they were going for a certain result and managed to achieve exactly what they were going for? I don't follow you.
Because there's no evidence that is what they were going for, so it's coming up with an excuse.
But before you jump on me for that bosky, let me very clearly state that it's a total moot point to me, because there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THE MIX. It sounds great! I just finished watching it, and I don't know where people are coming from with this at all. Whatever result they were going for, they achieved it. It sounds live, without sounding rough or too raw.
Review dump time-
I just got the basic DVD copy, but the booklet is really nice (um especially the second page of credits
)
The DVD is rated G here in Oz, so I guess they didn't notice SHIT in The Test That Stumped Them All. Oops!
BITS - Better than the studio version, JLB sounded great, the iPad sounds were a little louder than the studio version, which was nice for the atmopshere.
There was only one section with the intro organ where the keys felt a little low, but otherwise the mix was perfect. So energy, so powah! I know which version I'll be listening to in future.
6:00 - The mix was perfect here, and everyone sounded great. JLB nailed it too. Perfect performance!
TDEN - Again, I could hear JR perfectly, although he was overall a little softer than on the album for some of the really cool instrumental stuff, but I could still hear him clearly. This version didn't have as much kick as the studio version, although the bass and drums are absolutely cranked on the studio version, so that's to be expected. The BG verse vocals are definitely JLB. A great performance, although not as good as the studio version for me. JP's lip syncing was terrible. I'm glad to have a good quality live recording of this though, and I'm glad they included something off SC at least.
TITL - I skipped it for now, but I'll watch it later, as I really like that song.
TROAE - JP looked silly lip syncing to what were obviously JLB's high harmonies. JP couldn't have sung that.
I didn't like the live ending as much as the studio version, but otherwise another great live rendition. The Score version was a bit better, with MP's playing style and live tempo giving it more energy than here. But the little instrumental break before the keyboard solo sounded better here than any other version, I think, and I'm glad they're playing songs from the 12SS. TGP next tour plz.
LNF - I skipped it for now being a longer song, but I'll watch it later, as that's one of my favourites from ADTOE. I'm expecting it will surpass the studio version though.
Drum Solo - Nope, I don't do drum solos.
AFIL - Always been one of my favourites from WDADU, although the weakness of the vocal melodies/phrasing really showed here live. Overall I liked it though. With the good mix, that whole intro sounded really cool.
TSM - Oh here's that breathy vocal distortion everyone's been mentioning. It's easily noticeable, but it's not so bad once it gets into it. Definitely sounds like a recording issue that couldn't be fixed to me, so I can live with that.
I loved actually hearing JP's voice here, and it was overall an excellent rendition. The strings were a nice addition too. One of my favourite moments of the DVD so far, and a great moment from the tour captured.
BTS - I only skimmed this, as I'm not a fan of this song, but it seemed like another great performance. From what I heard, JLB sounds better than on the album. I'll actually listen to this later, because I'll probably enjoy this version a lot more.
Outcry - Don't like the song at all, so I skipped it.
Surrounded - Perfect! I liked the free tempo intro/outro with JLB and JR, and JLB did an amazing job. That was easily a Score level vocal performance, maybe better, and I'm pretty sure there's no autotune on this. That's all JLB, baby!
OTBOA - I'd already heard this one a few times from the Youtube stream, so I skipped it, but this is definitely the best recorded version of the song, and the one I'll listen to in future.
WIMH - Again it looked silly seeing JP lip snycing to obviously JLB's vocals (or maybe it was JLB mixed with JP vocals? I'll have to listen closer, but JLB is definitely in there). Aside from that, a good performance, although it felt absolutely redundant after having it already on both Score and Budokan. Waste of set time imo.
TTTSTA - Again, not really a necessary or noteworthy inclusion. It was interesting to hear the JLB backups though.
TSCO - The first moment where I actually noticed the lack of crowd, because I could see them ALL singing along. THE CRYING GIRL! Overall another great rendition, although not as good as the Score or LSFNY versions. JLB's performance is about equal to Score, maybe slightly better in areas, and it doesn't surprise me that they included it given that it's a live staple. I loved JLB's extra vocals at the end.
I hate to say it, but MM was not as good on this song as MP imo though. This is one of the few spots where I felt MM didn't have the feels. Coming out of the guitar solo, I was expecting the hard hitting hi-hat, the snare fill, then for the song to ramp up to 11, but it fell a bit flat with MM imo. A bit too clinical for this style of song. But I still enjoyed the song a lot, and it doesn't hurt to have documented the song with the new line-up.
BAI - I skipped this one too, as I'm not a big fan of the song.
Metropolis - JLB sounded better here than on Score, and this was another great performance. Nice to see the wizard hat make an appearance to add a bit of fun. Hello, Myung, so glad to see you my friend, it's been a while!
I loved the jazzy improv section. That section of Metropolis has had a lot of cool variations over the years, and this was no exception.
An excellent inclusion, although the video overlay was really weird at the start. I just saw "DRUGS" over the screen, and it gave me a good laugh.
And now to rate the band-
JLB - Sounded great, and all of the ADTOE songs sounded much better vocally here, probably because he was more comfortable with the music. He sounded very live, and powerful. Better than Score? In many ways, definitely. Maybe in every way. He sounded in top form.
JP - His tone was very throaty, but I didn't find it too loud. Playing wise, JP is always on.
JM - I could hear him, but I don't have much to say here. JM always plays solid, but I couldn't see a lot of him.
JR - I could hear him just fine, and he was even louder than the album in spots, with only a few points where he was lower. He was shown a lot too, so I was happy with that.
MM - Very entertaining to watch, and he was shown a lot, which made the video very enjoyable. The overhead toms were a bit too low, otherwise it was a good mix. I notice he is a light hitter though, and that affected the sound a bit for me at times. He didn't have a powerful bass/snare sound, and it sounded a bit weak sometimes. From watching, it felt like MM playing at 100% intensity is like MP playing at about 50% intensity. MP is a hard hitter though, and there were only a few songs where I felt this came into play. Overall it was a great showcase of MM's talents.
Overall, a very good live DVD, and well worth it. I was only listening on basic Logitech PC speakers for now because I wanted to crank it, but I had no major problems with the mix. I could hear the keyboards throughout, and there were only a few isolated sections where it felt a bit too low. I don't know what the complaints are about there, tbh.
The only time I had an issue with the crowd volume was TSCO where what I was hearing wasn't matching what I was seeing, but overall I prefer a softer crowd, so I actually prefer this. Perhaps it didn't capture the vibe of the crowd, but it doesn't detract at all to me.
I barely noticed JM in the mix, or in the video. I definitely would have liked to see a lot more of him. I was taken aback when I saw him do the Metropolis bass solo, because you don't see him much.
The video quality was very good. A lot of good overhead shots, and it showed a lot of MM's crazy playing. My only criticism (which is admittedly biased), is that it didn't show a lot of shots of the overall stage, including the screens. As I said, this is biased though, as I was hoping to see more of my work, but I thought Budokan did a perfect job of this. Fairly minor nitpick.
For video quality, I'd put this second, behind Budokan. Much better video and vibe than Score, and obviously better video than the rest. Budokan had a smooth, cinematic look, whereas this has a more live feel, so there's a bit of personal preference in there too, but Budokan looked a million bucks, and is still the benchmark.
For audio mix, I'd also put this second behind Budokan. Score was a little trebley and overcompressed, and JLB sounds much warmer on LALP.
Setlist was overall pretty good, although my lower ranking of ADTOE is a factor here. Same with Budokan if you weren't into ToT.
For band performance, everyone was on, and I'd probably actually rank it as their best in that regard.
I haven't checked out the bonus songs yet, but I'll be doing that right now.
I'd probably give the show a 8.5 - 9 / 10. Not perfect, but damn amazing!
Topic: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review (Read 29782 times)
