TheAlterBridgeNation.com

TTournier wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2022 8:18 pm Here is the thing I am saying, I have heard mixes that sound WAY different than the records... the BAND changes it with their feedback. we go through 6 or 7 ver. sometimes... so its not Elvis sonics you dont like, its Alter Bridge's sonics. Thats my main point.

Maybe so.
I still hear a lot of similar things I don't like in various albums produced and mixed by Elvis (unneccessary vocal effets, synthetic guitar tones, bad sounding cymbals).
I don't have issues when Elvis mixes moodier stuff, i.e. Myles solo stuff. I just think his production style isn't a good fit for hard and fast music.
Moving on (finally! )

Crumbso wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2022 7:20 am Has there ever been a consideration for releasing processed but unmixed multitrack recordings as Periphery do? You kill two birds with one stone, the band gets to put out their artistic vision exactly as they like and those who require a different experience can make it their own. It would be a wonderful learning tool, increase engagement with the material and make things very accessible for those with hearing difficulties. Plus, it would shut us moaning wannabe audiophiles up.

On a related note, I wish more bands released:
1. instrumental versions of their albums. IIRC, I think it was Tim who convinced the band to release the Fortress instrumentals on the DVD, and thanks to those, I became a much bigger fan of the album. Thanks again, Tim!
2. unmastered versions of their albums. 8 or 10 years ago, when labels started releasing HD versions of albums on sites like Qobuz and HDTracks, we got some dynamic mixes on some rare occasions, and what a difference that made! I'm especially thinking of Megadeth's Th1rt3en (from DR6 to DR11!), Muse's The 2nd Law, Kid Rock's Rebel Soul or Deftones' Koi No Yokan.
You can find all their DR numbers here :
https://dr.loudness-war.info/

Ever since then, most HD albums have had the exact same DR number as regular versions, and for me, it's just a waste of money. What's the point of buying a so-called HD version if the mastering is as bad as the CD's?
It's just me, but I'm telling you I'd happily buy a lof of my favourite albums again if I could hear them with a more dynamic mix.

On Walk the Sky album which songs have strings and synths?

cheesedip1 wrote: ↑Fri May 13, 2022 5:35 pm On Walk the Sky album which songs have strings and synths?

From memory:
One Life
In The Deep
Godspeed
Native Son
Take The Crown
Indoctrination
The Bitter End
Pay No Mind
Clear Horizon
Walking On The Sky

So, most of the songs. Although if you take it away, some of the songs wouldn't suffer much.

I don’t hear any of that in the song In the Deep.

AHart96 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:00 pm I think the production is excellent. I thought Elvis upped his game for Marching in Time, good to see that trend continue

I saw a few comments like yours, and I genuinely hoped it was true.
Sadly, it is absolutely not the case, and it sounds just as bad as anything Elvis-related post Blackbird (Fortress behind the only exception).
I don't know what you guys are hearing, but all his usual flaws are here.

Silvercreed wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:31 am I'm not a fan of the production,though. Loud and exhausting.

Exactly.

pokefan_4 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:03 am Man.. if you're complaining about the production on this song then I think there is no hope for you. It is a MILLION TIMES better compared to TLH when listening with headphones and on large speakers. I honestly didn't have an issue with WTS production. I thought it was fine. TLH was just.... a mess. This sounds about on-par with Fortress. And Fortress was a banger of an album.

Walk the Sky's production wasn't fine at all.
But to each his own, after all.
Good for you if you think this is how an album should sound.

chtimixeur wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 4:32 am I saw a few comments like yours, and I genuinely hoped it was true.
Sadly, it is absolutely not the case, and it sounds just as bad as anything Elvis-related post-Blackbird (Fortress behind the only exception).
I don't know what you guys are hearing, but all his usual flaws are here.

I don't know, I thought that, apart from having kick drum sounds that were too boomy, both MIT and ADM were pretty ok sounding. They were still loud (this is still commercial modern metal) but not overly abrasive and the arrangements weren't overly dense like in WTS and TLH.

I listened to P&K and then it went to Wouldn't You Rather and boy, did that sound bad to me in comparison (listening to a 'lossless' version on Apple Music). You do get used to it a bit, like with any album and production. But in comparison I really surprised me.

Dan Dando wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 9:15 am

I do like this fellow on YouTube. He just sits there and faces the camera, listens to the song, then gives his input. Very little of the fake shtick some folks employ on their channels.

I recommend watching it indeed.
He talks about the production issues at 12:35.
"There's been loads of complaints, and I join that group of people about the production on Alter Bridge records... But they don't wanna know."

chtimixeur wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2022 4:32 am

AHart96 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 9:00 pm I think the production is excellent. I thought Elvis upped his game for Marching in Time, good to see that trend continue

I saw a few comments like yours, and I genuinely hoped it was true.
Sadly, it is absolutely not the case, and it sounds just as bad as anything Elvis-related post Blackbird (Fortress behind the only exception).
I don't know what you guys are hearing, but all his usual flaws are here.

Silvercreed wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:31 am I'm not a fan of the production,though. Loud and exhausting.

Exactly.

pokefan_4 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:03 am Man.. if you're complaining about the production on this song then I think there is no hope for you. It is a MILLION TIMES better compared to TLH when listening with headphones and on large speakers. I honestly didn't have an issue with WTS production. I thought it was fine. TLH was just.... a mess. This sounds about on-par with Fortress. And Fortress was a banger of an album.

Walk the Sky's production wasn't fine at all.
But to each his own, after all.
Good for you if you think this is how an album should sound.

We've heard a hundred times from Tim and the band that the albums sound the way they want. If you don't like the sound, it's really not on Elvis at this point.

Of course it is.
That's his job, and that's what he does for a living.
The band may give him instructions or agree with his recommendations, but in the end, he's the one turning the knobs.
Ann pretty much all his albums have the same issues.
But I'm beating a dead horse, here. Nothing's likely to ever change with AB, because as the Youtuber above implied with his sentence, they're in total denial.

"There's been loads of complaints..."

Mainly just by a handful of people...

axlar wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 3:36 am

"There's been loads of complaints..."

Mainly just by a handful of people...

More than a handful on this site alone. Which is quite a lot considering the active users ratio.

I've been following the online coverage on Facebook/news outlets. There are so many articles with at least one person, but often more, mentioning the production issues.

For me, it's good enough here, that I can enjoy the song. But there are still absolutely obvious issues.

I’m sorry, but Alter Bridge’s albums have always sounded flat and lifeless (during the studio versions of songs). The one exception being their first record.

Their music comes off better in a live format, instrument wise.

I listen to a lot of rock, and when it comes to flat and lifeless sounding studio albums AB is always one of the worst offenders. Sorry.

I’m beating a dead horse though. I’ve always felt that way.

cheesedip1 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 4:41 am I’m sorry, but Alter Bridge’s albums have always sounded flat and lifeless (during the studio versions of songs). The one exception being their first record.

Their music comes off better in a live format, instrument wise.

I listen to a lot of rock, and when it comes to flat and lifeless sounding studio albums AB is always one of the worst offenders. Sorry.

I’m beating a dead horse though. I’ve always felt that way.

I'll have to disagree there. I've not been impressed with AB's live sound since the early days. Very muddy and rhythm guitars on the whole. I actually had to move to a different box for the Albert Hall preformed because the mix was so poor.

Well their live sound still usually sounds better than the album sound. Damn loudness wars, ruining the CD dynamics.

I must have some kind of Stockholm Syndrome or something, but Elvis is my favorite producer by far. Sure, he has some big misses (Cauterize, Walk The Sky), but overall his work is great. A Dying Machine is my favorite produced album of his, and of albums in general. If I had the money, I'd definitely ask him to produce my album. I'm probably the only one that feels this way though.

maximzub wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 2:21 pm I must have some kind of Stockholm Syndrome or something, but Elvis is my favorite producer by far... If I had the money, I'd definitely ask him to produce my album. I'm probably the only one that feels this way though.

Not at all! Or maybe the two of us are the only ones who feel that way (at least within the AB fanbase). I just don't get all the hate.

Here's the thing... I love Walk The Sky. Like, LOVE Walk The Sky. The longer I live with it, the more I feel it may be my favorite AB album (and that feels blasphemous to say when Blackbird (and Fortress (and ODR (and ABIII))) is out there). But, like... I can't name a single second of that album I don't like. There's not a single song on it that I even remotely want to skip. It feels like a greatest hits album to me, just one incredible song after another. I love the songwriting, I love the addition of some new sounds and hearing them go out on a limb to try some new things. And I've never been accused of being an audiophile, but I've never really noticed the glaring production issues that so many seem to lament.

Well, a few months ago, I finally moved up in the world and got some half decent earbuds (Pixel Buds A-series, which is to the higher end Pixel Buds Pro as a PRS SE is to a full blown PRS - maybe not the very top of the line, but still something far better than the dollar store AirPod knockoffs I had before). And.... I still don't hear it.

Are there differences? Sure.
Are there big glaring negative differences? Ehhh... maybe?
Are there big glaring negative differences important enough to negate the incredible songwriting and performance? HELL no.

It just makes me sad that so many miss out on such a fantastic album. And the overwhelmingly negative reaction from the fanbase, I'm sure hits the band's (and Elvis') radar and has an influence on what they do or don't do on the next album. And after hearing P&K, there's nothing really wrong with it but it just feels so... standard. Like what you'd get if you threw all of their other albums into a computer and told an AI bot to create an Alter Bridge album. It's still great, but I don't know, it just doesn't hit like WTS does.

I don't know how to say this without sounding like a dick, but I wish people would stop being such babies about the WTS production. They're missing out on a ridiculously great album.

maximzub wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 2:21 pm I must have some kind of Stockholm Syndrome or something, but Elvis is my favorite producer by far... If I had the money, I'd definitely ask him to produce my album. I'm probably the only one that feels this way though.

Not at all! Or maybe the two of us are the only ones who feel that way (at least within the AB fanbase). I just don't get all the hate.

Here's the thing... I love Walk The Sky. Like, LOVE Walk The Sky. The longer I live with it, the more I feel it may be my favorite AB album (and that feels blasphemous to say when Blackbird (and Fortress (and ODR (and ABIII))) is out there). But, like... I can't name a single second of that album I don't like. There's not a single song on it that I even remotely want to skip. It feels like a greatest hits album to me, just one incredible song after another. I love the songwriting, I love the addition of some new sounds and hearing them go out on a limb to try some new things. And I've never been accused of being an audiophile, but I've never really noticed the glaring production issues that so many seem to lament.

Well, a few months ago, I finally moved up in the world and got some half decent earbuds (Pixel Buds A-series, which is to the higher end Pixel Buds Pro as a PRS SE is to a full blown PRS - maybe not the very top of the line, but still something far better than the dollar store AirPod knockoffs I had before). And.... I still don't hear it.

Are there differences? Sure.
Are there big glaring negative differences? Ehhh... maybe?
Are there big glaring negative differences important enough to negate the incredible songwriting and performance? HELL no.

It just makes me sad that so many miss out on such a fantastic album. And the overwhelmingly negative reaction from the fanbase, I'm sure hits the band's (and Elvis') radar and has an influence on what they do or don't do on the next album. And after hearing P&K, there's nothing really wrong with it but it just feels so... standard. Like what you'd get if you threw all of their other albums into a computer and told an AI bot to create an Alter Bridge album. It's still great, but I don't know, it just doesn't hit like WTS does.

I don't know how to say this without sounding like a dick, but I wish people would stop being such babies about the WTS production. They're missing out on a ridiculously great album.

maximzub wrote: ↑Thu Sep 14, 2023 2:21 pm I must have some kind of Stockholm Syndrome or something, but Elvis is my favorite producer by far... If I had the money, I'd definitely ask him to produce my album. I'm probably the only one that feels this way though.

Not at all! Or maybe the two of us are the only ones who feel that way (at least within the AB fanbase). I just don't get all the hate.

Here's the thing... I love Walk The Sky. Like, LOVE Walk The Sky. The longer I live with it, the more I feel it may be my favorite AB album (and that feels blasphemous to say when Blackbird (and Fortress (and ODR (and ABIII))) is out there). But, like... I can't name a single second of that album I don't like. There's not a single song on it that I even remotely want to skip. It feels like a greatest hits album to me, just one incredible song after another. I love the songwriting, I love the addition of some new sounds and hearing them go out on a limb to try some new things. And I've never been accused of being an audiophile, but I've never really noticed the glaring production issues that so many seem to lament.

Well, a few months ago, I finally moved up in the world and got some half decent earbuds (Pixel Buds A-series, which is to the higher end Pixel Buds Pro as a PRS SE is to a full blown PRS - maybe not the very top of the line, but still something far better than the dollar store AirPod knockoffs I had before). And.... I still don't hear it.

Are there differences? Sure.
Are there big glaring negative differences? Ehhh... maybe?
Are there big glaring negative differences important enough to negate the incredible songwriting and performance? HELL no.

It just makes me sad that so many miss out on such a fantastic album. And the overwhelmingly negative reaction from the fanbase, I'm sure hits the band's (and Elvis') radar and has an influence on what they do or don't do on the next album. And after hearing P&K, there's nothing really wrong with it but it just feels so... standard. Like what you'd get if you threw all of their other albums into a computer and told an AI bot to create an Alter Bridge album. It's still great, but I don't know, it just doesn't hit like WTS does.

I don't know how to say this without sounding like a dick, but I wish people would stop being such babies about the WTS production. They're missing out on a ridiculously great album.

TenaciousBe wrote: ↑Sat Dec 23, 2023 3:54 am Not at all! Or maybe the two of us are the only ones who feel that way (at least within the AB fanbase). I just don't get all the hate.

I have never seen a triple post on here before. You have managed the impossible.