New Live Release: BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL discussion thread

[GentlemanofDread]

I am an absolute fan of this version of Trial of Tears. Incredible!

[Kotowboy]

The overlaying of the backdrop on Scarred is a bit much.

[Siddhartha]

Things I didn´t like:

- The image of the video. It is very bright at times like when you burn a photo, and not very clear. 
- Petrucci ugly white guitar.


Everything else is almost perfect.

9.5/10

 

[bosk1]

Things I didn´t like:

...

- Petrucci ugly white guitar.

You so crazy.  That guitar is gorgeous in ANY color.

[ethebubbeth]

I concur.  The video overlay on Scarred is cheesy.  It's also a bit distracting putting the spy vs. spy video in the corner at the beginning on enigma machine.  I'd rather see the videos as extras. Otherwise, I think the cinematography is pretty well done.

I extracted the LCPM audio from the DVD and ran it through the foobar2000 dynamic range plugin.  The result of DR7 for the dynamic range belied my thoughts on listening... very compressed.  It's still a much more balanced mix than Luna Park though.  Overall I'm quite happy thus far.  It will be interesting to compare the Lossless mix on the blu-ray to the HDTracks release to see if they're different.

[Kotowboy]

The overlaying of the backdrop on Scarred is a bit much.

:/. Good job I don't like that song.

[cramx3]

I was wondering how they would show the video screen because in the two sample songs you couldnt see it at all and i thought it would be a waste to not get some of those videos on screen, but I guess it wasnt done well.  I will find out myself tonight.

[Progressive Metal Fusion]

During Trail of Tears, JLB's version of

"Hidden by disguise
Stumbling in a world
Feeling uninspired
He gets into his car
Not within his eyes to see
Open up, open up
Not much better than the man you hate "

on this DVD is absolutely stellar. Oh my god.

[Podaar]

It's true that the photography focuses on the players to the relative exclusion of the entire stage presentation. I'm not knocking that, since it's likely that the vast majority of the fans want it that way, but I would have been quite happy to have another disc with the show from a wide shot of the entire stage. It would be fun to watch it again that way.

[Jinx]

Regarding the DT vs DT video on Enigma Machine, I found that quite odd that they showed it in the corner for like 2 minutes the  jusy got rid of it 

[Siddhartha]

You so crazy.  That guitar is gorgeous in ANY color.

[RandalGraves]

If someone wouldn't mind doing so, how do songs that are on previous Blu-ray/DVD releases stack up on this new release?  I love Breaking All Illusions, but for whatever reason felt it was underwhelming live (especially on LALP).

[Podaar]

If someone wouldn't mind doing so, how do songs that are on previous Blu-ray/DVD releases stack up on this new release?  I love Breaking All Illusions, but for whatever reason felt it was underwhelming live (especially on LALP).

I've never been a huge fan of Breaking All Illusions until I saw it last night on this DVD. For me, at least, it is the absolute highlight and left me grinning with joy. A truly fantastic way to end the first set!

Trial of Tears, and On the Backs of Angels were both good but only slightly more than on other releases.

[Zydar]

I'm listening to the HDTracks files now, and I'm blown away by the audio quality and the performance of the band. Can't wait to see the Blu-Ray of this!

Illumination Theory makes me smile in my pantaloons

[aprilethereal]

Regarding the DT vs DT video on Enigma Machine, I found that quite odd that they showed it in the corner for like 2 minutes the  jusy got rid of it 

[bosk1]

You so crazy.  That guitar is gorgeous in ANY color.

  Okay...

[Kotowboy]

Anyone else see Mangini sounding a bit lost and looking at Rudess during the unison part of Dance Of Eternity where the two Johns are standing side by side ?

[SystematicThought]

For some reason, I really like the way Mangini's floor tom sounds at 1:46-1:52 in Dance of Eternity. I like the way the octobans sound as well.

Really great release from these guys!

[nikatapi]

I'm listening to the HDTracks files now, and I'm blown away by the audio quality and the performance of the band. Can't wait to see the Blu-Ray of this!

Illumination Theory makes me smile in my pantaloons

Damn i envy you, but i can't justify purchasing the album again, even though it should sound similar on the retail version.

Maybe a controversial opinion, but i think it's a shameless money grabbing move to have seriously compressed mixes for the physical releases only to sell the dynamic mix for a premium and in digital form.

[MarkFitDT]

0h my f'ing god!! Illumination Theory is totally stunning! might be my fav DT live moment ever and James is amazing on it!! 

[Onno]

Ok, I haven't purchased this yet, but I just listened to some of the samples on the HDTracks website. Wow, that sure sounds a lot better than the Youtube videos. I can actually hear the orchestra in the encore without having to strain. I might just purchase it through HDTracks.

[Dream Team]

Shameless? Absolutely. But probably not in the band's control.

[PolarizeMe]

So I'm listening to the audio (I'll pick up the BluRay later today) and one thing that stood out to me most was the voice of the hypnotist during the beginning of Finally Free. I know during the Metropolis: 2000 tour that they ran into trouble with using Terry Brown's voice, but I had completely forgotten that sample was even used during the song on this tour much less re-recorded for the tour.

As for the performance itself, so far I've heard Trial Of Tears, Lifting Shadows Off A Dream, Illumination Theory, and Finally Free. Based on those songs, this is an excellent live recording and way better than Luna Park production and performance wise.

[Progressive Metal Fusion]

Anyone is having problem playing it on a MacBook Pro? I ripped it from the original DVD bought today, and even if I'm playing it with VLC the video quality is horrible (lagging a lot and with ultra low video quality)...while on Windows 8.1 all is perfectly ok.

[goo-goo]

Damn..27 bucks for the HDTracks version (not including the discount code).. A bit steep.

I haven't been able to access my download from Roadrunner. Sent them an email early morning and still no reply. 

[ethebubbeth]

I just bought the HDTracks release and it's just as dynamically compressed as the LPCM track on the DVD

This is unfortunate 

Here's the results from the HDTracks release:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Dream Theater / Breaking the Fourth Wall [HDTracks]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR7       -0.08 dB    -7.40 dB      6:18 01-The Enemy Inside
DR6       -0.08 dB    -7.49 dB     12:45 02-The Shattered Fortress
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.76 dB      8:48 03-On The Backs Of Angels
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.49 dB      4:46 04-The Looking Glass
DR7       -0.07 dB    -8.34 dB     15:23 05-Trial Of Tears
DR7       -0.07 dB    -8.14 dB      8:21 06-Enigma Machine
DR7       -0.07 dB    -8.41 dB      4:53 07-Along For The Ride
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.92 dB     12:29 08-Breaking All Illusions
DR7       -0.08 dB    -7.47 dB      6:47 09-The Mirror
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.67 dB      7:56 10-Lie
DR7       -0.08 dB    -9.01 dB      6:27 11-Lifting Shadows Off A Dream
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.59 dB     11:41 12-Scarred
DR7       -0.08 dB    -9.46 dB      7:48 13-Space Dye Vest
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.90 dB     19:25 14-Illumination Theory
DR7       -0.08 dB    -7.45 dB      3:41 15-Scene Two I. Overture 1928
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.20 dB      5:09 16-Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.65 dB      6:16 17-Scene Seven I. The Dance Of Eternity
DR6       -0.07 dB    -8.11 dB      9:56 18-Scene Nine Finally Free
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks:  17
Official DR value: DR7

Samplerate:        96000 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   24
Bitrate:           3013 kbps
Codec:             FLAC
================================================================================



The 16bit / 48khz LPCM track from the DVD:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Dream Theater / Breaking the Fourth Wall [DVD]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR7       -0.08 dB    -7.40 dB      6:16 01-The Enemy Inside
DR6       -0.07 dB    -7.53 dB     12:57 02-The Shattered Fortress
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.91 dB      9:08 03-On the Backs of Angels
DR7       -0.08 dB    -7.47 dB      4:45 04-The Looking Glass
DR7       -0.07 dB    -8.41 dB     15:53 05-Trial of Tears
DR7       -0.07 dB    -8.25 dB      8:34 06-Enigma Machine (with drum solo by Mike Mangini)
DR7       -0.08 dB    -8.23 dB      4:41 07-Along for the Ride
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.92 dB     12:31 08-Breaking All Illusions
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.49 dB      6:48 09-The Mirror
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.75 dB      8:11 10-Lie
DR7       -0.08 dB    -8.90 dB      6:13 11-Lifting Shadows Off a Dream
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.59 dB     11:41 12-Scarred
DR7       -0.08 dB    -9.67 dB      8:17 13-Space-Dye Vest
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.93 dB     19:45 14-Illumination Theory
DR7       -0.08 dB    -7.46 dB      3:37 15-Overture 1928
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.23 dB      5:13 16-Strange Déjà Vu
DR7       -0.07 dB    -7.66 dB      6:17 17-The Dance of Eternity
DR7       -0.07 dB    -8.57 dB     11:48 18-Finally Free
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks:  18
Official DR value: DR7

Samplerate:        48000 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   16
Bitrate:           1027 kbps
Codec:             FLAC
================================================================================

[me7]

I just bought the HDTracks release and it's just as dynamically compressed as the LPCM track on the DVD  . 

This is unfortunate 

Thanks for reporting. I was close to falling in the same trap.

[Implode]

So then it's not worth it to buy both, but is it still worth it to buy if that's all I'm getting?

[johnpetruccisbiceps]

I am really happy with the sound on this album. It sounds live and energetic, which is a great combination with how refined all the guys' playing is - a really rare combination for any band, in my opinion. Sometimes I take DT for granted but a release like this makes me appreciate them again!

[adamack]

Okay so I just got done watching BTFW on my computer with headphones, and it was so incredible that some parts drove me to tears (in a good way.)

I wanted to try to watch the show in order, but I just HAD to skip to Finally Free first, as it is a top 2 DT song for me and I was excited about the orchestra.

During Finally Free, there were 3 different points when my eyes teared up due to the sheer audible rush of astonishment. That doesn't happen to me often.

That said, Finally Free is unquestionably my favorite single song on the DVD,  and probably my 2nd favorite overall live DT moment. The first being Octavarium at Score.

There were many other great highlights on BTFW.

OTBoA sounded amazing, as James led the crowd to sing along with the choir parts.

Space Dye Vest was another standout moment. Just hair-raising...so much emotion.

The Shattered Fortress was really cool, considering that is not a top DT song for me. Jordan's solos were sick! Also, MM actually stood up (like Portnoy used to sometimes) during the hard instrumental part. Very high-energy

Overall, I enjoyed this show way more than Luna Park. I actually liked the Luna Park set list a lot better (since I am a huge ADToE fan), but Fourth Wall just sounded better to me. LP was extremely dry, whereas BTFW actually sounds like a live show.

MM's snare sounded huge on Fourth Wall, and Jordan was higher in the mix than he was on Luna Park. Those 2 things were HUGE fixes, as they were 2 of my main gripes from LP.

James sounds awesome again, as to be expected. It is difficult for me to judge the bass, as I had very bass-driven headphones on. I will reserve any opinion about the bass until I hear it properly.

[RoeDent]

The title of this thread needs changing now, doesn't it? It's not "upcoming" anymore. It's here.

[GentlemanofDread]

*Blows lantern out*
I mean.

Really enjoyed the DVD, probably prefer this over Score for setlist alone.

[me7]

- I thought that On The Backs Of Angles sounded phenomenal. JLB had the crowd singing along with the choir parts. Hair-raising!

ADTOE has some amazing songs. The album just suffers from the bad production.
OTBOA and BAI on this release show the true potential of the material written in those sessions.

[genome]

I've just finished watching the first half. I'm enjoying it so far, the performance is stellar, especially on Breaking All Illusions and Trial of Tears. I'm disappointed in the mix though, listening through a nice set of studio monitors (set to Stereo and not 5.1 as I think it defaults to). As has been pointed out it's very compressed and doesn't really breathe as a mix, although that does give it a big live sounding feel. I do kind of like that even if it's a little fatiguing on the ears.

I can barely hear Myung, in a dense rock mix he should be on an even level with the kick drum. But the kick is way, way louder than the bass, and I can't think why. Petrucci's tone is odd, it lacks girth and bite and seems to be all mids. No complaints with Rudess, he's nice and clear, and JLB sounds awesome.

The funny/strange thing is, the drums sound FANTASTIC (dat snare, man) but I'm wondering if it's not helping the overall mix. They seem to overbear things a little in the levels/liberal use of reverb. It's like the sounds and tones don't really blend or fit/lock in together, which is odd, because they did at the concerts I went to.

It's not enough to ruin my enjoyment at all, there's just several oddities in the way it's been mixed that lead me to believe it was either rushed or there were problems in the live capture. I could be wrong.

[dream416]

Still waiting for the BlueRay from Roadrunner as well as the download link for the audio files .