Author Topic: Dream Theater Finishes Smoking Barbecue!! - Album in Food Warmer!  (Read 216010 times)

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Online Zydar

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #875 on: August 01, 2018, 07:09:40 AM »
I like WDADU too, I'd much rather listen to it than TA for instance. Some great songs on it.
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Offline TAC

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #876 on: August 01, 2018, 10:07:14 AM »
WDADU has great tunes on it. I never listen to the Charlie version but I always listen to the Reunite version.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline The Walrus

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #877 on: August 01, 2018, 10:14:34 AM »
The production is far from the worst thing about that record. :P
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Offline Bertielee

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #878 on: August 01, 2018, 10:24:36 AM »
The production is far from the worst thing about that record. :P

For me, it's a tie between the production and the singing.
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Offline RMGadelha

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #879 on: August 01, 2018, 11:00:11 AM »
I'm still waiting for the next video: DT 14 - Beard Lotion

Offline ToT-147

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #880 on: August 01, 2018, 11:34:55 AM »
Is not a thing of knowing about mixing/producing/etc to properly judge if you liked an album or not, but to just listen to the damn music.. Don't understand those who REALLY care about the sound, and who's the producer, etc... it's DT, who cares about all that?..

I can understand your point, but IMO, of course the sound matters. At least to some extent.
I mean, if you compare the drums in FII to those in DT12, it just stands out that the depth of the sound is miles away from each other.
I think the worst drum sound was produced in DT12. In some songs (Enigma Machine for example) I can't stand the drums, they just sound so muddy and flat. It really hurts the whole listening experience for me.

For comparison (an exaggerated one, but still valid), it would be like the guitar solos were played without distortion (on a clean guitar). The notes and rhythm would still be the same, but the impact would be completely damaged.

The thing is that, when I listen to an album, I just only listen to the music.. Listen to the melodies, the chord progressions, riffs, solos, etc (and much more we have to pay attention to in regard to the music itself when is a prog band, you already have a lot of elements within the composition to listen to; why concentrate so much in the sound?)... I don't "compare" it with another album, at least regarding its sound.. I remember I was listening to DT12 like for the 10th time and was really into it, and starting to love more songs with each listening, when I decided to see what other people (in these forum and in yt/fb comments mostly) were thinking about the album, and found all this negative comments about the drum sound and general sound of the album, like... almost no one was talking about the music!..

Your example is not "exaggerated"; it just doesn't fit at all with what I was saying.. I wasn't talking about what type of sound each instrumentist wants for his instrument, but about how the album sounds after the mix and mastering.. So I don't get why DT fans (in general) are so critics of the production rather than the quality of music, when they actually have had at least from good to nearly excellent album productions.. Why remark all the time those few negative aspects that makes an only "good" production only just good and not better rather than the positive ones, or, once again, the content itself?..

I mean, I understand what you're saying, because I can say that it happens to me, in some extent, with WDADU, and (to name other bands) with Animations self-title album or Metallica's Kill'em All.. But with the recent DT albums?.. Not at all..
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Offline Dream Team

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #881 on: August 01, 2018, 11:44:11 AM »
Audiophiles are people too.

Offline PetFish

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #882 on: August 01, 2018, 10:38:35 PM »
The thing is that, when I listen to an album, I just only listen to the music.. Listen to the melodies, the chord progressions, riffs, solos, etc (and much more we have to pay attention to in regard to the music itself when is a prog band, you already have a lot of elements within the composition to listen to; why concentrate so much in the sound?)... I don't "compare" it with another album, at least regarding its sound.. I remember I was listening to DT12 like for the 10th time and was really into it, and starting to love more songs with each listening, when I decided to see what other people (in these forum and in yt/fb comments mostly) were thinking about the album, and found all this negative comments about the drum sound and general sound of the album, like... almost no one was talking about the music!..

Your example is not "exaggerated"; it just doesn't fit at all with what I was saying.. I wasn't talking about what type of sound each instrumentist wants for his instrument, but about how the album sounds after the mix and mastering.. So I don't get why DT fans (in general) are so critics of the production rather than the quality of music, when they actually have had at least from good to nearly excellent album productions.. Why remark all the time those few negative aspects that makes an only "good" production only just good and not better rather than the positive ones, or, once again, the content itself?..

I mean, I understand what you're saying, because I can say that it happens to me, in some extent, with WDADU, and (to name other bands) with Animations self-title album or Metallica's Kill'em All.. But with the recent DT albums?.. Not at all..

I'm with you on this 100% especially about people not talking about the music.

It really does seem like people aren't listening to the music as much as they're listening to each ingredient and trying to compare it with what it "should" sound like according to some kind of magic audio recipe.

I also agree that "audiophiles are people too" except that it seems like many of them look way down on those who aren't audiophiles and try to tell them what's good and what isn't based purely on "the math" and what it sounds like on a $35,000 home theater.

Offline Anguyen92

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #883 on: August 01, 2018, 11:16:38 PM »
I think, to me, the thing about this whole "sound quality" discussion is that I'm not a trained musician or have a good grasp of hearing what "perfect instrumental" quality sounds like.  Therefore, when I read these kinds of comments that show up more often than not (this pretty much applies to any forum), I get frustrated at reading those comments.  It's probably either because I can't understand it or I can't contribute to the conversation at hand since I don't have a perfect grasp of the matter discussed (which pops up a lot so frequently that it can't really be ignored).  My thoughts mainly composes of, "this song sounds cool.  I like it when x musician does this thing like a solo or an awesome riff kicking in or the vocal melodies, or whatnot."  It's hardly ever "this song is produced beautifully.  I can hear everything clearly and the instruments are mixed well."  The only times I would say stuff along those lines is when the album sounds really really tolling to hear in the mix (a good example is sadly, Alter Bridge's The Last Hero album, still a great album though).

This is why I sorta get frustrated when I read some not so optimistic comments regarding DT12 (when it comes to the "sound" quality of it), because I can't tell if everything is produced and mixed in it optimally.  I just hear an amazingly crafted album with some great songs and memorable parts of it, especially in the lyrics and vocal melodies.  I even like Enigma Machine a lot and I read people deride that track a lot, but I just love the whimsical/playful aura of it and I place it as my 2nd favorite DT instrumental (behind Erotomania).

Offline TheLordOfTheStrings

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #884 on: August 02, 2018, 12:31:21 AM »
You don't have to be a trained musician to know if something sounds bad.
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Offline nikatapi

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #885 on: August 02, 2018, 01:27:06 AM »
You don't have to be a trained musician to know if something sounds bad.

Yeah, we're not nitpicking when criticizing DT12 drum sound. The snare sounds so out of place, especially in softer sections. It actually distracts me from enjoying the music.
On the other hand, i feel like TA was such a big improvement. 

Offline noxon

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #886 on: August 02, 2018, 01:38:04 AM »
Well, I have had the opportunity to listen to most DT albums without any outside influence - only my own experience. And DT12 was very hard to get through because of its extremely loud master. The lacks of dynamics made listening to the album a very tiring experience, and it took me a lot longer to just... break through the loudness of it, and start digesting the actual music.

Offline Bertielee

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #887 on: August 02, 2018, 02:39:10 AM »
I'm far from being a sound specialist and I can tell WDaDU and DT12 sound bad. I don't have a 35.000 dollar system, just my PC or my car. And I can tell they sound bad. For the people saying it doesn't distract them, good for them. Most of the time, it doesn't distract me, but in these cases, it does. And it's more of a fatigue that came upon me, because I've listened to these albums a lot to give them a fair chance. Now, it's just that I've been overwhelmed by how bad they sound to the point that I don't feel the urge to listen to them again.

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Offline TAC

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #889 on: August 02, 2018, 06:05:28 AM »
Oh yeah, those pictures really help.


Looks like another commercial...
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline noxon

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #890 on: August 02, 2018, 06:17:26 AM »
Well, in truth they do help. For gearheads, this is golden. Knowing exactly how the amp is set up is enabling us to turn our own gear to the same setting.

Offline TAC

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #891 on: August 02, 2018, 06:19:07 AM »
I appreciate the video for sure. These are great behind the scenes glimpses of what is happening.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline mikeyd23

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #892 on: August 02, 2018, 06:56:30 AM »
Yeah that actually is cool to see. JP has always been open about gear and settings, which is great. Some guitar players don't want people to see their settings or the mods that they make to their rig, like it's some secret, JP has never been like that. That micing configuration looks nice, especially that room mic far back.

Offline noxon

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #893 on: August 02, 2018, 07:05:53 AM »
I just tried those settings, and... well, they do pack a punch. Not something I can play with usually - at least not at home.

Offline mikeyd23

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #894 on: August 02, 2018, 07:13:23 AM »
I just tried those settings, and... well, they do pack a punch. Not something I can play with usually - at least not at home.

 :lol I'm assuming it was pretty darn loud based on the gain and master settings.

You have a JP2C?I've been wanting to try one out for a while, they look like killer amps.

Offline noxon

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #895 on: August 02, 2018, 07:32:40 AM »
I do, along with a few JP sig guitars (and some pedals) - it's a killer amp. Very easy to use (much more so than any previous Mark), with the added benefit of the midi and the cabclone interface being onboard. And it is just perfect for that classic Mark IIc+ sound.

Offline mikeyd23

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #896 on: August 02, 2018, 07:37:01 AM »
That's awesome, like I said, I've been meaning to try one out. From a far it does look like the best of both worlds - that classic Boogie IIC+ sound along with modern features.

Offline dparrott

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #897 on: August 02, 2018, 08:51:16 AM »
Well, I have had the opportunity to listen to most DT albums without any outside influence - only my own experience. And DT12 was very hard to get through because of its extremely loud master. The lacks of dynamics made listening to the album a very tiring experience, and it took me a lot longer to just... break through the loudness of it, and start digesting the actual music.

That's the first album where I actually had to turn down the treble while listening to it.  My treble is max for everything else and it's fine.
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Offline Madman Shepherd

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #898 on: August 02, 2018, 10:53:19 AM »
While I can understand why people may think DT12 or WDADU sound bad, I cannot understand how people let I&W off the hook.  Not just the drum sound, but the bass sounds relatively thin as well. 

For the record, I do think people put too much emphasis on sound.  For me, I've always been able to set that aside and enjoy it for what it is.  WDADU is the, I think, objectively the worst sounding DT album but even I can look past that and enjoy it.  It only takes about 30-40 seconds to just immerse yourself in it and concentrate on the music to look past it. 

DT12 is loudly mastered which can be a pain but the snare is no worse than I&W.

Live at Luna Park doesn't have great drum sound but I found myself getting caught up in this sound talk and forgetting that overall, while its not great, it's not that bad either. 

Of course, it helps that I used to (and still do occasionally) listen to underground black metal that sounds like it was recorded in a cave or forest so anything sounds better than that.

Offline gzarruk

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #899 on: August 02, 2018, 11:21:33 AM »
For the record, I do think people put too much emphasis on sound.  For me, I've always been able to set that aside and enjoy it for what it is.  WDADU is the, I think, objectively the worst sounding DT album but even I can look past that and enjoy it.  It only takes about 30-40 seconds to just immerse yourself in it and concentrate on the music to look past it. 

Completely agree with all of this. To me, the snare sounds terrible on ACOS, but I can still enjoy the song and listen to it without a problem. Why? Because it's about enjoying the music. Even WDADU is a great album if you forget about the mix quality and focus on the songs and the band performances, it's a matter of perspective, I think.
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline RMGadelha

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #900 on: August 02, 2018, 12:35:41 PM »
I'd rather listen to a new snippet, but I'm a spoiled brat. :p

Offline Kocak

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #901 on: August 02, 2018, 02:11:25 PM »
In other news, I think JM has an Instagram account now, and he's rather active.

https://www.instagram.com/jmyungimages/

As far as I know, not him.

Looks like a fan account to me.

The official DT account tags this account with pictures of JM. So it's pretty legit. If it is, JM also just confirmed that the new album will be released in 2019 a comment for one of his pictures.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2018, 10:44:12 PM by Kocak »

Offline ToT-147

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #902 on: August 02, 2018, 03:33:25 PM »
The new album will be released in a comment?.. A strange new method I must say..
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Offline pg1067

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #903 on: August 02, 2018, 05:06:32 PM »
In other news, I think JM has an Instagram account now, and he's rather active.

https://www.instagram.com/jmyungimages/

As far as I know, not him.

Looks like a fan account to me.

The official DT account tags this account with pictures of JM. So it's pretty legit. If it is, JM also just confirmed that the new album will be released in a comment for one of his pictures.

What does "released in a comment" mean?  Or were you saying that, in a comment, he "confirmed that the new album will be released"?  If so, was there any real doubt "that the new album will be released"?  Were there folks thinking that they might spend all the time and effort to write and record the album but not release it?
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Offline RMGadelha

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #904 on: August 02, 2018, 05:14:29 PM »
Maybe he forgot the rest, but he mentions in said comment that the album will be released in (I actually don't know if this is allowed to be posted, so I edited it).
« Last Edit: August 02, 2018, 05:24:32 PM by RMGadelha »

Offline ytserush

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #905 on: August 02, 2018, 05:24:19 PM »
It’s sometimes nice to be completely ignorant when it comes to production, mixing, etc... I don’t hear anything wrong with the drums on any of the last 3 albums.
This!  I never noticed anything wrong that jumped out at me with the recordings. I just enjoyed the music and didn't try to pick it apart.
 Maybe I should re-listen to everything and find a new hobby by critiquing the sound production on each drum. It might be alot of fun!  :tup :tdwn 😎

 :lol

Exactly my thoughts.. Is not a thing of knowing about mixing/producing/etc to properly judge if you liked an album or not, but to just listen to the damn music.. Don't understand those who REALLY care about the sound, and who's the producer, etc... it's DT, who cares about all that?..


And this one!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlmcOPqHqjJ/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1j8nardzjrg5n


 :rollin



I can understand your point, but IMO, of course the sound matters. At least to some extent.
I mean, if you compare the drums in FII to those in DT12, it just stands out that the depth of the sound is miles away from each other.
I think the worst drum sound was produced in DT12. In some songs (Enigma Machine for example) I can't stand the drums, they just sound so muddy and flat. It really hurts the whole listening experience for me.

For comparison (an exaggerated one, but still valid), it would be like the guitar solos were played without distortion (on a clean guitar). The notes and rhythm would still be the same, but the impact would be completely damaged.

I agree with you, liran95. And that is why I never listen to WDaDU and practically never to DT12.

B.Lee

Well, at least WD&DU has that certain do-it-youself vibe in its sound that I find pretty authentic. And it still sounds better than Spock's Beard's The Light which has the same vibe.

Two of my all-time favorite albums. Both are far from sonic masterpieces. Perhaps The Light is a tad muddier but it likely didn't have the production budget When Dream And Day Unite did either. The attitude and the music more than make up for those shortcomings however.

Offline Madman Shepherd

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #906 on: August 02, 2018, 06:04:04 PM »
Maybe he forgot the rest, but he mentions in said comment that the album will be released in (I actually don't know if this is allowed to be posted, so I edited it).

John Myung is always leaking information which I heard is the real reason Kevin Moore left

Anyway, here is what the account mentioned in the comment. 

jmyungimages@archidayat the new album Dream theater will be released in february 2019 🔥

There are similar awkwardly worded comments from "him."  Check out this exchange where "John" posted a picture of a young John

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOHdiVyBXB4/?taken-by=jmyungimages

Offline noxon

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #907 on: August 02, 2018, 10:56:41 PM »
I have been skeptical about that account for a white. The grammar indicates that the it’s not a native speaker writing. Words are often missing and the order is often wrong. Plus the account writes in a manner that is far from the personality we know of JM. I mean; “jmyungimages: Who anyone want to join my birthday wishes ? 😁
#dreamtheater #progrock #heavymetal #happybirthday #wish #progmetal #progbirthday”

So I sent JM a quick email: “Is this really your account?”

His response: “No, I don’t know who put this up.”

So that settles that.

Offline Kocak

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #908 on: August 02, 2018, 11:03:43 PM »
I have been skeptical about that account for a white. The grammar indicates that the it’s not a native speaker writing. Words are often missing and the order is often wrong. Plus the account writes in a manner that is far from the personality we know of JM. I mean; “jmyungimages: Who anyone want to join my birthday wishes ? 😁
#dreamtheater #progrock #heavymetal #happybirthday #wish #progmetal #progbirthday”

So I sent JM a quick email: “Is this really your account?”

His response: “No, I don’t know who put this up.”

So that settles that.

Oops, I take my guess back. Thank you for the clarification.
The DT account should not be tagging it then.

Offline nobloodyname

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Re: Dream Theater going into the studio in 2 weeks
« Reply #909 on: August 02, 2018, 11:13:52 PM »
Well, I have had the opportunity to listen to most DT albums without any outside influence - only my own experience. And DT12 was very hard to get through because of its extremely loud master. The lacks of dynamics made listening to the album a very tiring experience, and it took me a lot longer to just... break through the loudness of it, and start digesting the actual music.

That's the first album where I actually had to turn down the treble while listening to it.  My treble is max for everything else and it's fine.

I'm intrigued by this. Why would your treble be at "maximum for everything else"? I don't think I could listen to anything I own, on any system I own, at maximum treble. It would, almost literally, be a painful experience.
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