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Old 3rd July 2009   #1
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New Killswitch Engage...

i really love this band for modern metal - they've had some nice mixes and smoking tunes in the past but damn this new album is completing with Death Magnetic for clipping....i don't understand, it's not like this music goes on top 40 radio - why do they think it should be maxed out so much? This music is mostly listened to by teenage metalheads and closet 30 something year old headbangers like myself....why is this shit even in the loudness race? IMO, the leader of the band Adam, who has alot to do with the mixes is a fairly talened mofo....i don't know how distortion on a master gets past a whole band, producer, manager etc...


FWIW..the songs on this record are great!
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Old 3rd July 2009   #2
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I'm also a fellow 30 something metalhead/ME who is getting sick to death of the over the top limiting, clipping and compression. I also find the new Lamb of God album hard to listen to due to it's OTT master.

Records I'm liking in that vein atm are the newer Opeth record 'Watershed' and the newer Gojira record 'The Way of All Flesh' which I find are on the lighter side of pushed master wise.
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Old 3rd July 2009   #3
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You could also check out "The Concealers" by Daath. I think that the loudest parts peak at -9 dB RMS.
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Old 4th July 2009   #4
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I haven't heard it yet, but that is sad to hear.... I mean Alive or Just breathing isn't the Loudest album out there and it sounds so raw man...just really good. (and its not the best production either when you compare it).

Hmmm i gotta go listen now...
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Old 5th July 2009   #5
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I haven't heard it yet, but that is sad to hear.... I mean Alive or Just breathing isn't the Loudest album out there and it sounds so raw man...just really good. (and its not the best production either when you compare it).

Hmmm i gotta go listen now...

i guess i'm over reacting...it's a far cry from Death Magnetic but there are a couple songs with lot's of clipping! Songs are great
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Old 6th July 2009   #6
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I just heard a few songs and I gotta say...not Death Magnetic...but BRIGHT as HELL
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Old 7th July 2009   #7
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Just got the New Album and I gotta say that I do enjoy the production..in the musical sense.

This Master is pretty squashed though...very fatiguing to listen too.

Sorta sucks cause they never had really Loud albums when Adam did the mastering.
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Old 7th July 2009   #8
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Originally Posted by KyleDiSanto View Post
Just got the New Album and I gotta say that I do enjoy the production..in the musical sense.

This Master is pretty squashed though...very fatiguing to listen too.

Sorta sucks cause they never had really Loud albums when Adam did the mastering.
Adam has never mastered any of their records. Andy Sneap mixed and mastered the first two and Ted Jensen mastered the second to last one. Did Jensen do the new one?
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Old 7th July 2009   #9
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I think the mix and mastering in this album stinks... There is audible clipping all through it... the drums sound like a carboard box, all dynamics have been removed.. For me its pretty much unlistenable and I'm very much disapointed by it... I think its a poor effort and up there with Death Magnetic..

I'm sick of albums being smashed sonically... If I want it louder I'll turn it up...
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Old 9th July 2009   #10
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Adam has never mastered any of their records. Andy Sneap mixed and mastered the first two and Ted Jensen mastered the second to last one. Did Jensen do the new one?
jensen did the new one.. Beeing a metallica fan too, listened to death magnetic, mastered by the same guy.. my ears were exhausted after listening to the new KSE record.



I really don't know why they/he don't just turn it down a couple of db's.. is it so damn hard?
We do have a volume knob that raise the volume... don't we? use it!

people has it at 1. expecting it to make their ears bleed..


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Old 9th July 2009   #11
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Adam has never mastered any of their records. Andy Sneap mixed and mastered the first two and Ted Jensen mastered the second to last one. Did Jensen do the new one?
Ah yes just checked one of my KSE cds...guess I missed the memo :(

Whatever the case may be, the new record is just FATIGUING to listen to. Alive or Just Breathing has dynamics and its not the loudest record out there.
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Old 10th July 2009   #12
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How many more times must we assume that the ME is the final decision maker on the final level of the CD?

Ted Jensen does a lot of work I'm sure most of them aren't Metallica levelled.

Its probably as loud because some A+R decided he wanted to match the level of Metallica and checked who mastered that record.
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Old 20th July 2009   #13
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I'm so glad people besides me are hearing this. I actually thought the MP3's I bought from Amazon were encoded poorly, so much so that I just wrote them an email asking if other people have complained that the new album sounds like the volume knob was stuck on 11. The song structures are cool, and the sound ideas are tight... but holy crap. Over the top.... WAY over the top. Very disappointed.

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Old 29th July 2009   #14
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I know everyone hates it here, but What do you think they would have used in the processing chain to create such a loud, even master?
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Old 29th July 2009   #15
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Originally Posted by alasdair View Post
I know everyone hates it here, but What do you think they would have used in the processing chain to create such a loud, even master?

Waves | Plug-ins | L2 Ultramaximizer


Sorry... couldn't help myself.
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Old 29th July 2009   #16
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I don't think he uses one of those.

Wouldn't matter if he did though.



Quote:
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Old 29th July 2009   #17
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BTW i remember having read from Mr Jensen, about the Metallica album, that it just came to him mixed that much clipped already...and that he asked them not to put his name on it!!!

Mr Athens, do I reckon correctly (I guess you probably know more than us about that, no?) ?

I also reckon having read from you that alot of the mixes you master actually come in LOUDER than what you'd put the master at if it was only your choice...

This is just to say that it is not always the mastering engineer's fault...
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Old 29th July 2009   #18
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It is actually clipping isnt it.. i thuoght you guys were joking at first, but i do seem to hear obvious clipping now..
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Old 29th July 2009   #19
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I actually thought something was wrong with the MP3's I got from Amazon... but it REALLY is clipping. Totally blows my mind.

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Old 29th July 2009   #20
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at least brendan obrien didnt mix it...

he tried.. repeatedly, but adam ended up taking the reigns. just like the every aspect of the record... thankfully
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Old 29th July 2009   #21
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I don't think he uses one of those.

Wouldn't matter if he did though.

I wasn't having a dig!
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Old 1st August 2009   #22
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at least brendan obrien didnt mix it...

he tried.. repeatedly, but adam ended up taking the reigns. just like the every aspect of the record... thankfully
Did Adam mix it? I was under the impression Brendan did..
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Old 2nd August 2009   #23
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I wasn't having a dig!
Not saying you were.

I don't think he uses an L2.
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Old 10th August 2009   #24
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Did Adam mix it? I was under the impression Brendan did..
brendan did a few mixes and the band did not like them so adam ended up doing it
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Old 10th August 2009   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kiljoy View Post
I'm also a fellow 30 something metalhead/ME who is getting sick to death of the over the top limiting, clipping and compression. I also find the new Lamb of God album hard to listen to due to it's OTT master.

Records I'm liking in that vein atm are the newer Opeth record 'Watershed' and the newer Gojira record 'The Way of All Flesh' which I find are on the lighter side of pushed master wise.
Gojira! Now you're speaking my language... Hey Kiljoy, have you heard their first record, "The Link"? It doesn't get enough credit in my opinion.

I'd say, tone wise, "The Link" is it for me. There just such a snappy, clear, and open sound on that record. Something reminiscent of tape too comes across on that record.

Mix wise, "From Mars To Sirius" takes the cake for me. I just find the bass and the vocals sit better on this record.

But anyway overall, they seem to get the plenty-loud-bone-crushing sound, BUT enjoyable to listen to.
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