It's really hard to talk about it like a professionnal but there are huge differences sometimes and I too regret some choices sometimes
WDADU has a low general volume and sub-bass, I guess it's pre-wall of sound era, and it reminds me of the sound of tapes I had as a child
Images & Words Apart the snare sound that sometimes go crazy RATATA because of triggers, I really can't imagine this album with another sound, I like how each instrument has air and is heard.
That takes me to a change of seasons, which is if I remember well in the same kind of sound but with less or without the triggers ? And I wonder if I don't prefer I&W's sound ^^
Awaked is solid and more balanced over frequencies, I have the strange feeling that JP is a little drowned in the mix
FII is a little strange, it lacks lows, and maybe even some mids, it's a little killing the groove and to me it sounds like it's played on a far away speaker
Scenes and Six degrees are really well mixed modern albums
Then began the wall of sound era to me, all the following albums lack air to let us hear clearly the instruments.
Obviously it's not terrible yet on TrainoT or Octavarium, but it's crescendo and nowadays when you compare D/T CD and Bluray, it feel like the CD is a demo version for subwoofers with no speakers...
It's really hard when it's not your job, but I wanted to share my feeling about it, loudness war in production is killing dynamics and space for multiple tracks to express their tone range.
That's terrible for complicated prog because it kills the groove at first and then the enjoyment of hearing a three voiced harmony (since it's crunched into a blur).
I think they have nothing to lose mixing it lower and less compressed, it's not a mainstream U2 album or RNB, it's a niche band