Death Magnetic

[memetto]

Originally Posted by doofus

I recently joined gearslutz because after a year of lurking i had found GS to be the most down to earth forum there is, not populated by a bunch of over the top whiners and drama queens.

But this thread makes me wonder.....

yea but it sounds bad

[PoorGlory]

My girlfriend said that its too loud and sounds terrible. And she doesn't know shit about audio.

[24-96 Mastering]

Originally Posted by doofus

I recently joined gearslutz because after a year of lurking i had found GS to be the most down to earth forum there is, not populated by a bunch of over the top whiners and drama queens.

But this thread makes me wonder.....

1 thread about 1 particularly distorted album... hardly an indication of increased over the top whining / drama queening of a complete forum.

what d'you think about my ipod conspiracy ?

Sorry, not a big fan of conspiracy theories. There's nothing new under the sun.
It's just down to the good old tendency of those involved in production to want a really loud record - for whatever reasoning (which hasn't changed, only that the words jukebox, compilations and radio have now been replaced with ipod, playlists and internet.)

[NoisyNarrowBand]

has anybody ever entertained the thought that rick and his posse had some listening panels with fans set up and the mega-smashed mixes won the shoot-outs big time...?!

I can't believe that there was no internal discussion about this. to many pro's with experience, knowledge and the ears to notice the obvious were involved. blaming lars, ted, rick or hell even kirk is all easy. I don't think it was that simple.

anyhow - I have the hope that a special 're-mastered' version comes out someday.

[macc]

Originally Posted by NoisyNarrowBand

anyhow - I have the hope that a special 're-mastered' version comes out someday.

It has, you just have to buy Guitar Hero

[TheArchitect]

Originally Posted by NoisyNarrowBand

has anybody ever entertained the thought that rick and his posse had some listening panels with fans set up and the mega-smashed mixes won the shoot-outs big time...?!

I can't believe that there was no internal discussion about this. to many pro's with experience, knowledge and the ears to notice the obvious were involved. blaming lars, ted, rick or hell even kirk is all easy. I don't think it was that simple.

anyhow - I have the hope that a special 're-mastered' version comes out someday.

I doubt they asked the people they believe are just going to steal the album what they thought.

[AndyUF2]

I dunno - I guess I'm the lone voice of dissent...

I like the new album, tune wise...and I liked the mastering.

Now, don't get me wrong. I agree that the Loudness War has gotten out of hand, and by and large, I also prefer mixes that "breathe" naturally.

But for the type of music and the material, I think the cruddiness and compression actually works. It's very abrasive, but for Metallica, that might just be what is needed.

Just my opinion. Flame away!

[fooman]

Originally Posted by PoorGlory

My girlfriend said that its too loud and sounds terrible. And she doesn't know shit about audio.

Mine too. I don't turn the radio off when the song comes on, she does. She's the one who has the black album in the cd holder tho...

[TheArchitect]

Originally Posted by AndyUF2

I dunno - I guess I'm the lone voice of dissent...

I like the new album, tune wise...and I liked the mastering.

Now, don't get me wrong. I agree that the Loudness War has gotten out of hand, and by and large, I also prefer mixes that "breathe" naturally.

But for the type of music and the material, I think the cruddiness and compression actually works. It's very abrasive, but for Metallica, that might just be what is needed.

Just my opinion. Flame away!

Sorry man, can't have it both ways...

[AndyUF2]

Originally Posted by TheArchitect

Sorry man, can't have it both ways...

I'm not trying to.

All I'm saying is that some albums sound good smashed, and some don't. It all depends on musical context, that's all.

[lucidwaves]

Originally Posted by AndyUF2

I'm not trying to.

All I'm saying is that some albums sound good smashed, and some don't. It all depends on musical context, that's all.

But it may have sounded better not smashed or at least less smashed and you'd never know because the damage is already done.

[hourglass]

Originally Posted by James Meeker

It must be some type of strategy to make a record that sounds so awful nobody would want to illegally download it!

:)

That's what I said about the last one...

ryan

[diogo_c]

Originally Posted by George Necola

let's hang someone ;)

[AndyUF2]

Originally Posted by lucidwaves

But it may have sounded better not smashed or at least less smashed and you'd never know because the damage is already done.

Oh, of course - that certainly may be true. But judging on the finished product alone, I don't think, for this context [note emphasis] it's as horrifyingly bad as everyone says.

Metallica is the Hillary Clinton of Metal...extremely polarizing, no matter what side of the spectrum you're on.

[TheArchitect]

Originally Posted by AndyUF2

I'm not trying to.

All I'm saying is that some albums sound good smashed, and some don't. It all depends on musical context, that's all.

I disagree. Nothing sounds good to me smashed and gets turned off. Its aggravating to my ears.

To be honest I think a lot of people do the same thing. They just can't articulate why.

[ianshepherd]

Originally Posted by AndyUF2

I don't think, for this context [note emphasis] it's as horrifyingly bad as everyone says.

I think if you listen to the "Guitar Hero" version in comparison to the CD, you'll change your mind. The files are out there if you look.

As far as context goes, how about comparing it to other Metallica albums ? My colleague Simon Murphy is a fan and brought the CD in, so we did some comparisons this morning :

Death Magnetic - CD vs. PS3 Guitar Hero

Interested to hear people's comments.

Ian

[Fleaman]

Originally Posted by chk027

I don't think it can hold AJFA's jock strap! Matellica had fn balls back then, they are just an old tired act rehashing the same shit, with some guy that yoodles instead of kicking some aiss.

Weren't the Drum tracks mostly all punched in/pieced together on AJRA? I seem to remember Lars would never or could never pull off the fills live, certainly the times I've seen it live or on live video.

Then after watching 'Some kind of Monster' I could see how Lars could NOT have pulled it off live.

[chk027]

Originally Posted by memetto

as a die hard 'tallica fan i bought the cd and came back to my studio.

wanting to believe that the video and single and the songs streamed in the web site were downgraded in order to prevent copying.
So i still have this hope that i have an -okay- metallica album in my hand.
I'm loving its cover and the old logo coming back on the cd. Like the RTL days.

Well, i put the cd and started listening. My smile slowly vanished to a .
Since everything sounds like clipping i checked my levels. I mean - did i left something on ????-(whatever that thing was, maybe the -shiterizer- )

Seeing that my levels were okay and no "shiterizer" was active , i shuffled the songs.
I believe they are good songs but i just can not listen them for 8 mins, can't endure that distortion (in a bad bad baaad baaad bad bad way).

Somedays ago i gave it one more chance, during a morning walk on sea side. I guess in a secret secret secret cunning way it sounds -kinda- okay in IPOD earbuds !!!! (of course i'd go deaf if i'd have turned the volume up more than %70)

D'you think this is a strategy ? Ipods are what people are listening music with. I guess especially in USA. I'm livin' in istanbul and even here everybody has some earphones attached to their heads and they are probably less than average sounding stuff.
Maybe this is Lars' clever new plan to reach the "kidz" in their ipods !?????
not us in their treated studios with classy reference monitors.

or just maybe they all gone deaf with all the diezel amps

what d'you think about my ipod conspiracy ?
will Lars rule the world now ?


See ya

Mehmet

Lars BLOWS!

[chk027]

Originally Posted by Fleaman

Weren't the Drum tracks mostly all punched in/pieced together on AJRA? I seem to remember Lars would never or could never pull off the fills live, certainly the times I've seen it live or on live video.

Then after watching 'Some kind of Monster' I could see how Lars could NOT have pulled it off live.

All I remember from the live shows is the mosh pit and flying through the air and the intensity. The only time you would really hear the music is when the song started, you scream the title of the song punch the guy next to you laughing and all jacked up, then the pit rolls, song ends, everyone stops to check their teeth, repeat the cycle.

I always thought that Lars faked it like Milli Vinilli, so it doesn't surprise me.

I still liked AJFA it was an cd everyone could agree one, like appetite G&R, put it in and there was a automatic party....I liked them but they were not even close to my favorite metal band.

[Fleaman]

Originally Posted by chk027

I always thought that Lars faked it like Milli Vinilli, so it doesn't surprise me.

LOL.

I still liked AJFA it was an cd everyone could agree one, like appetite G&R, put it in and there was a automatic party....I liked them but they were not even close to my favorite metal band.

I did like AJFA, but kinda moved on from the hard rock metal thingy long before most of my friends did. Even so, I liked Mega more. What sealed the deal for me was Nirvana.

(lol, that would be Megadeath....but spelled as the band the icon comes up!).

[octatonic]

Saw this on TPDRI.com and had to post it.

Funny as hell.

[macc]

Bwahahaaa!

[te-problematique]

I think it's entirely reasonable that this album got market tested before being released and that this was the mix that passed. hell they probabaly made a bunchof different ones then focus grouped them. This is a major record with lots of dollars, the record company would want to mitigate as much risk as possible. Also there'd be no risk of it being leaked through those channels, they can afford lawyers remember.

[TheArchitect]

Originally Posted by te-problematique

I think it's entirely reasonable that this album got market tested before being released and that this was the mix that passed. hell they probabaly made a bunchof different ones then focus grouped them. This is a major record with lots of dollars, the record company would want to mitigate as much risk as possible. Also there'd be no risk of it being leaked through those channels, they can afford lawyers remember.

You better pray thats not true. If it is you all better get day jobs because your audio careers are over. It takes no talent at all to produce crap like that

[Fleaman]

Originally Posted by te-problematique

I think it's entirely reasonable that this album got market tested before being released and that this was the mix that passed. hell they probabaly made a bunchof different ones then focus grouped them. .

And if they didn't normalize the levels....

[chk027]

Originally Posted by Fleaman

LOL.



I did like AJFA, but kinda moved on from the hard rock metal thingy long before most of my friends did. Even so, I liked Mega more. What sealed the deal for me was Nirvana.

(lol, that would be Megadeath....but spelled as the band the icon comes up!).

They had some great stuff when they started......I forget when metal died, I think it was the early 90's, it like disappeared and my whole audio collection became obsolete

I was like what the??? Grunge..... AIC is/was great stuff as well....


That picture of James above is absolutely the funniest hypocritical thing I have ever seen, fcking embarrassing!!!! And just for the record I never liked those fn posers! did I spell that right???

[te-problematique]

Oh not that I support that at all, it just wouldn't surprise me. They want an album which the fans will love, I imagine they'd run it past the fans who are used to radio/tv squash, our business sucks more by the day

[Dog Boots]

The mastering sounds like crap, yes - but so does the mix anyway IMHO. I mean, what's with the hi-gain guitar sounds!? - thin and wimpy...weak. And of course played with Kirk's horrible tone (the part of the tone that's in the playing, I mean)

As someone else suggested a few pages back - try listening back and forth between Death Magnetic and

Strapping Young Lad: Alien
Soilwork: Stabbing the Drama
Meshuggah: Obzen
...or something

It's embarrasing. Sure - neither of them are anywhere near as loud, but so what? Why not turn it down a bit - it's not like there's a valid counter argument or anything...

[ianshepherd]

Originally Posted by te-problematique

I imagine they'd run it past the fans who are used to radio/tv squash, our business sucks more by the day

The good news is that all of this is driven by the fans, and they all love the less compressed, dynamic "Guitar Hero" version. I'd post a link to a thread on their forums, but people keep discussing illegal downloads of the GH mix, and the mods delete the threads. BUt just keep an eye out here and you'll see that people love it.

Metallica Forum

Ian

[bcgood]

I just checked out the Metellica forum. Wow, this is interesting. The fans are definitely not happy with the sound of the mastered CD and are becoming aware of what limiting is. Because of the completely different sound in Guitar Hero the fans have a reference point which they didn't have in the past. Guitar Hero in this case is also hopefully future masters hero for helping to finally kill the loudness wars. Hey, a music fan cane hope can't he?