metallica's black album

ec_pat5150 · 14th February 2008

what board was it tracked on?

SMT · 14th February 2008

SSL.
But I´m sure they used a lot of Bob´s 1073´s....

Chadlington · 14th February 2008

yes....That band sucked from the black album on. Still can't believe they sold out in such a blatant manner. Ironically, the album before that is a model for bad ass metal guitar sounds even to this day. Mesa Boogie's rule!

Baz · 14th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadlington

Mesa Boogie's rule!

Especially MKIV's!

Love em or hate em, there's no denying that the guitars on that album are HEV_VEE!

Love my MKIV

1/2 Normal · 14th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadlington

Ironically, the album before that is a model for bad ass metal guitar sounds even to this day. Mesa Boogie's rule!

What a different world we hear in!
I didn't like the production of that album at all but thats just me. The bass was just a load of WHOOF, guitars were thin song writing was not their worst but damn that album was a huge let down for me.

Cheers
Rob

Baz · 15th February 2008

Metallica's studio

Bob Rock's OB ain't too shabby either, eh?

allencollins · 15th February 2008

nice rack of 1081's

It's funny, they used that gear for St. Anger and that cd is
one of the worst disk's I've ever heard Sonically.

I like the black album but I still think Puppets is the best
gtr tone and overall vibe. I just think they didn't have the budget then
to really bring it to the level of the black cd. I hated the back cd
when it came out but over the years I've learned to like it.
I think out of any hard rock/metal disk it has the biggest bottom end.

allencollins · 15th February 2008

is that a sansamp? next to the primetimes?

bee · 15th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by allencollins

is that a sansamp? next to the primetimes?

Yes.

JPeters86 · 15th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by allencollins

It's funny, they used that gear for St. Anger and that cd is one of the worst disk's I've ever heard Sonically..

Not just sonically, never liked the songs as well. But I totally agree with you, they have a shitload of nice gear over there and somehow produced an album that sounded like what I drop in the toilet every morning. Bob Rock isn't too popular as well among the Metallica fans.

allencollins · 15th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPeters86

Not just sonically, never liked the songs as well. But I totally agree with you, they have a shitload of nice gear over there and somehow produced an album that sounded like what I drop in the toilet every morning. Bob Rock isn't too popular as well among the Metallica fans.

Is it true Rubin will produce the next disk?

I think they should use the same studio/engineer/producer as puppets
or RTL

JPeters86 · 15th February 2008

If I'm correct Flamming Rasmussen produced Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. But I abandoned that genre a long time ago and can't seem to find those records. I remember Rasmussen winning an Emmy for producing "One".

Kadden Heart · 15th February 2008

vh1 classic has the making of the black album on.
preceeded by cream.
kiss, etc...
pretty sweet.
they didn't show any vocal takes well enough for me to see the mics tho,...
vocal mics?
(not that the vocals were all that amazing)

heyman · 15th February 2008

Flemming was pulled back in on Justice after the band tried to work with Mike Clink(Guns&Roses).. Apparently it didnt work out and they went back with Flemming.

I think that if there was audible bass on Justice, it would have crushed.

Soundwise..my fav's in order are..

Master of Puppets
Black Album
Ride The Lightning
Justice For all
Garage Days (original)
Kill em All

The others dont count in my book..

HeavyG · 15th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1/2 Normal

What a different world we hear in!
I didn't like the production of that album at all but thats just me. The bass was just a load of WHOOF, guitars were thin song writing was not their worst but damn that album was a huge let down for me.

Cheers
Rob

For it's time, Master of Puppets was very ground breaking. That "wall" of guitars was impressive...but it sounded overcompressed. I think this made it sound "thinner" then it could have been. There is no denying the power of "Battery", "Disposable Heroes", etc. I think the Black Album took their guitar tone to the next level...it was positively huge. I love the way that album sounded...and still do to this day. The guitar on "Sad but True" is just dripping with overdrive, sustain...and kicks you in the noots. I agree with the your summary of "...and Justice for All", too. It was a well recorded album...but the bass is as thin as Kate Moss. Everything else is world class to my ears.

JPeters86 · 15th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kadden Heart

vh1 classic has the making of the black album on.
preceeded by cream.
kiss, etc...
pretty sweet.
they didn't show any vocal takes well enough for me to see the mics tho,...
vocal mics?
(not that the vocals were all that amazing)

In the music video of Nothing Else Matters you can see Hetfield singing in an SM57 and a Neumann fet 47 if I'm not mistaking. See for yourself: YouTube - nothing else matters

Farm sounds · 15th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by ec_pat5150

what board was it tracked on?

Those pics of their SSl they use now, isn't the board they made the black album with. They tracked that at One on One in hollywood. It too was an SSl though... I'm sure everything went through 1073's to 2 inch as well as digital tape.

Check out "A year and a half in the life" video-dvd they put out.

heyman · 16th February 2008

They did use a Neve to track thru.. I believe 80's series.

Drums and Bass went to tape..

I believe guitars and vocals went to a Sony Digital recorder.

Beyersound · 16th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chadlington

yes....That band sucked from the black album on. Still can't believe they sold out in such a blatant manner. Ironically, the album before that is a model for bad ass metal guitar sounds even to this day. Mesa Boogie's rule!

It is also a model for drum sounds to avoid. An excellent engineer mixed that record(And Justice For All), and was forced to make them sound that way using a live 1/3 octave with a bad "smiley face" EQ by a certain band member. Bob Rock was able to convince them to let him get a good drum sound for the Black Album. It is strange to see how divided people are on this record. I am not a fan, but in my opinion the production of the Black Album is excellent and much copied on todays rock records. It was nice to actually hear the bass again, and Bob Rock can definitely deliver a big sounding record.

robertshaw · 16th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beyersound

It is also a model for drum sounds to avoid. An excellent engineer mixed that record(And Justice For All), and was forced to make them sound that way using a live 1/3 octave with a bad "smiley face" EQ by a certain band member. Bob Rock was able to convince them to let him get a good drum sound for the Black Album. It is strange to see how divided people are on this record. I am not a fan, but in my opinion the production of the Black Album is excellent and much copied on todays rock records. It was nice to actually hear the bass again, and Bob Rock can definitely deliver a big sounding record.

Metallica's 2 bands members

hated the Black Album at first. Then when then huge royalties started appearing in the mailbox they quickly changed their tune.

Money can make anything sound good.

sleestack · 16th February 2008

Yeah, it seems the die hard fans hate the black album. The casual fans, like myself, think it sounds awesome. I think its a great sounding record. Their earlier work sounds more DIY to me. Maybe more personal. Also, their eearly stuff is more metal in the way its just tons of riffs and less emphasis on songwriting in the formal sense. Which true metal fans love.

Audio Hombre · 16th February 2008

which cd did lars produce, the one where the drums are way up front? i can't remember as i'm not a fan but remember hearing it and it was sh1t. black is hands down the biggest sounding metallica that i've heard.

ITJ · 16th February 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farm sounds

Those pics of their SSl they use now, isn't the board they made the black album with. They tracked that at One on One in hollywood. It too was an SSl though... I'm sure everything went through 1073's to 2 inch as well as digital tape.

And then "Chop Shop"

scifijedi · 16th February 2008

pre black album hetfield's voice was a bit more back and vibing with the guitars,not so up front.....his voice and the guitars were working together.......he yell/sang prior to the black album,and he's an awesome yell/singer.......everybody loved it....it made metallica's sound.....
post black album he sang more and yelled less and the engineer put his voice out in front of those cheesy ass riffs like "nothing else matters".......and now it's like he's competing with bob seger.......and the guitar riffs are seriously easier to play on guitar than poison's "talk dirty to me"..........
so all of us guitar players who just learned "and justice" and everything prior were dumbfounded by the fact that metallica thought we would wanna go from "the shortest straw" to any stupid song on the black album.......we liked the challenge of the speedy riff's and that ALL died with that goofy pop sounding ,simplistic riffed black album....
all because hetfield yell's great but can't sing to good........but i remember him as a master class yeller....a monster of sorts..........it's hard to yell all the time,so people should understand his job was really hard on the throat........and it's not over till it's over..........uh,is it over? { just being positive}

heyman · 16th February 2008

I dont think that Metallica's Die hard fans(me being one of them)hated Bob Rock's ability to get great sounds..

We hated Bob's tinkering of the Arrangements.

edvdr76 · 16th February 2008

I think Metallica's "Black album" is their greatest accomplishment musically and sonically. The producing on that album is awesome. The mix is BAD-ASS!!!!
tuttSt. Anger on the other hand is Their worse album ever!!!!!

SMCCUNE · 12th March 2008

Bob Rock wasn`t allowed to tinker with the arrangements on the BLACK album, it was only after that, listen to the pre Bob rock demos on youtube if you want proof of what difference he did/didn`t make. On the black the only input he had was tempo and vocal delivery style (other than producing it of course haha) basically Metallica were bored of playing fast difficult songs and wanted as much money and fame as Guns and roses and Motley Crue coz its less work (more touring but easier to play and bigger returns) I wish they`d just done a soundgarden and kept more integrity. Metallica are still an awesome live experience, Hetfields voice is back on form, Rick Rubin is the comeback king so I`m interested to see what happens (fingers crossed it won`t just sound like St Anger songs but produced like Subliminal Verses/Audioslave that would piss me off arghhhhhhhh)

Sam

JPeters86 · 12th March 2008

It's still amazing how they got such a crappy sounding record with such great equipment. I think someone should get an award for that.

PoorGlory · 12th March 2008

The black album is almost unlistenable to me. The drums sound good (considering its Lars playing them) and the bass sound is great (but too low in the mix)... even the vocals are ok. But the guitar sounds awful. It's a thin sheet of distortion. Not huge at all. I need a low/fat mix when it comes to heaviness, the black album is the opposite.

Not to mention the songs are boring and have no movement (i.e. the beginning of every song has the same feel/mood/energy as the end of that song). Riff writing? A+. Songwriting and arrangement? D-.

Metallica has been overshadowed in virtuosity, songwriting, energy, and production by countless other bands today. They are a dinosaur, and there is no way their new album will hold up to metalhead's current standards. I highly doubt the new one can top Megadeath's (had to include an "a" or else the forum puts in a smiley to make it look like Mega

) latest in terms of respect in the metal community, not sales figures. Modern rock radio and clueless mall-shopping fanboys will gobble it up, but of course these are the same people who listen to bands like Hinder and Seether and other awful garbage like that.

CorkyTart · 12th March 2008

For the people who say Metallica sold out on the Black Album, I sure wish I could sell out that way.

14th February 2008	#1
ec_pat5150 Gear interested Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NC Posts: 11 Thread Starter	metallica's black album what board was it tracked on?

15th February 2008	#13
Kadden Heart Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Orlando/San Fernando Valley Posts: 796	vh1 classic has the making of the black album on. preceeded by cream. kiss, etc... pretty sweet. they didn't show any vocal takes well enough for me to see the mics tho,... vocal mics? (not that the vocals were all that amazing) __________________ "can we make the guitar louder,..and the snare, and kick,..and maybe the bass to, oh and the vocals, and maybe bring up the cymbals a little bit"

15th February 2008	#14
heyman Lives for gear Join Date: May 2005 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 2,660	Flemming was pulled back in on Justice after the band tried to work with Mike Clink(Guns&Roses).. Apparently it didnt work out and they went back with Flemming. I think that if there was audible bass on Justice, it would have crushed. Soundwise..my fav's in order are.. Master of Puppets Black Album Ride The Lightning Justice For all Garage Days (original) Kill em All The others dont count in my book.. __________________ Best quote ever....! Posted by Infernal Device.. "Guitar Center.... Even the good news is in the moan zone."

16th February 2008	#26
edvdr76 Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bell, CA Posts: 804	I think Metallica's "Black album" is their greatest accomplishment musically and sonically. The producing on that album is awesome. The mix is BAD-ASS!!!! tuttSt. Anger on the other hand is Their worse album ever!!!!! __________________ myspace.com/esgarsmusic myspace.com/cheesgar "You can NEVER, fix it in the mix"

12th March 2008	#29
PoorGlory Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,775 1 Review written	The black album is almost unlistenable to me. The drums sound good (considering its Lars playing them) and the bass sound is great (but too low in the mix)... even the vocals are ok. But the guitar sounds awful. It's a thin sheet of distortion. Not huge at all. I need a low/fat mix when it comes to heaviness, the black album is the opposite. Not to mention the songs are boring and have no movement (i.e. the beginning of every song has the same feel/mood/energy as the end of that song). Riff writing? A+. Songwriting and arrangement? D-. Metallica has been overshadowed in virtuosity, songwriting, energy, and production by countless other bands today. They are a dinosaur, and there is no way their new album will hold up to metalhead's current standards. I highly doubt the new one can top Megadeath's (had to include an "a" or else the forum puts in a smiley to make it look like Mega) latest in terms of respect in the metal community, not sales figures. Modern rock radio and clueless mall-shopping fanboys will gobble it up, but of course these are the same people who listen to bands like Hinder and Seether and other awful garbage like that.

14th February 2008	#2
SMT Gear maniac Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 226	SSL. But I´m sure they used a lot of Bob´s 1073´s....

14th February 2008	#3
Chadlington Gear nut Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: NY Posts: 117	yes....That band sucked from the black album on. Still can't believe they sold out in such a blatant manner. Ironically, the album before that is a model for bad ass metal guitar sounds even to this day. Mesa Boogie's rule!

15th February 2008	#6
Baz Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Vancouver BC, Canada / San Diego CA ,USA Posts: 1,021	Metallica's studio Bob Rock's OB ain't too shabby either, eh?

15th February 2008	#7
allencollins 3 + infractions, forum membership suspended. Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Rosedale Cemetery Singing Beach, MA Posts: 4,873	nice rack of 1081's It's funny, they used that gear for St. Anger and that cd is one of the worst disk's I've ever heard Sonically. I like the black album but I still think Puppets is the best gtr tone and overall vibe. I just think they didn't have the budget then to really bring it to the level of the black cd. I hated the back cd when it came out but over the years I've learned to like it. I think out of any hard rock/metal disk it has the biggest bottom end.

15th February 2008	#12
JPeters86 Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 2,224	If I'm correct Flamming Rasmussen produced Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. But I abandoned that genre a long time ago and can't seem to find those records. I remember Rasmussen winning an Emmy for producing "One".

16th February 2008	#21
sleestack Lives for gear Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 1,243	Yeah, it seems the die hard fans hate the black album. The casual fans, like myself, think it sounds awesome. I think its a great sounding record. Their earlier work sounds more DIY to me. Maybe more personal. Also, their eearly stuff is more metal in the way its just tons of riffs and less emphasis on songwriting in the formal sense. Which true metal fans love.

16th February 2008	#22
Audio Hombre Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,880	which cd did lars produce, the one where the drums are way up front? i can't remember as i'm not a fan but remember hearing it and it was sh1t. black is hands down the biggest sounding metallica that i've heard.

16th February 2008	#24
scifijedi Gear maniac Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 208	pre black album hetfield's voice was a bit more back and vibing with the guitars,not so up front.....his voice and the guitars were working together.......he yell/sang prior to the black album,and he's an awesome yell/singer.......everybody loved it....it made metallica's sound..... post black album he sang more and yelled less and the engineer put his voice out in front of those cheesy ass riffs like "nothing else matters".......and now it's like he's competing with bob seger.......and the guitar riffs are seriously easier to play on guitar than poison's "talk dirty to me".......... so all of us guitar players who just learned "and justice" and everything prior were dumbfounded by the fact that metallica thought we would wanna go from "the shortest straw" to any stupid song on the black album.......we liked the challenge of the speedy riff's and that ALL died with that goofy pop sounding ,simplistic riffed black album.... all because hetfield yell's great but can't sing to good........but i remember him as a master class yeller....a monster of sorts..........it's hard to yell all the time,so people should understand his job was really hard on the throat........and it's not over till it's over..........uh,is it over? { just being positive}

12th March 2008	#27
SMCCUNE Gear Head Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: England Posts: 50	Bob Rock wasn`t allowed to tinker with the arrangements on the BLACK album, it was only after that, listen to the pre Bob rock demos on youtube if you want proof of what difference he did/didn`t make. On the black the only input he had was tempo and vocal delivery style (other than producing it of course haha) basically Metallica were bored of playing fast difficult songs and wanted as much money and fame as Guns and roses and Motley Crue coz its less work (more touring but easier to play and bigger returns) I wish they`d just done a soundgarden and kept more integrity. Metallica are still an awesome live experience, Hetfields voice is back on form, Rick Rubin is the comeback king so I`m interested to see what happens (fingers crossed it won`t just sound like St Anger songs but produced like Subliminal Verses/Audioslave that would piss me off arghhhhhhhh) Sam

12th March 2008	#30
CorkyTart Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: In a house Posts: 1,378	For the people who say Metallica sold out on the Black Album, I sure wish I could sell out that way. Last edited by CorkyTart; 12th March 2008 at 02:36 PM.. Reason: xxx

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