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METALLICA: 'Death Magnetic' Sound Quality Controversy Focus Of BBC RADIO 4 Report
- Oct. 10, 2008
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"You and Yours", a British radio consumer affairs program broadcast on BBC Radio 4, has aired a segment on the fan-generated controversy over the audio quality of METALLICA's new album, "Death Magnetic". Among those interviewed for the show was Ian Shepherd, a mastering engineer and DVD author at Sound Recording Technology ( SRT). Listen to the segment in two parts below. Several articles from both the mainstream press and recording industry web sites have discussed the album in context of the so-called "Loudness Wars," a term used by UK publication The Guardian, which claims that the music industry is trying to make recordings as loud as possible mainly to stand out on radio. An audio clip has surfaced on YouTube comparing music from the "Death Magnetic" CD to tracks from the album used for Guitar Hero, which were prepared differently. A number of fans prefer the Guitar Hero versions. A petition circulated by some fans asking the band to remix the CD has gathered several thousand signatures, although they are dwarfed by the more than a million copies the CD has sold in the U.S. since going on sale September 12. Ted Jensen, the engineer who mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York, recently responded to fan complaints that the CD is too loud and the audio is pushed to distortion levels by writing, "I'm certainly sympathetic to your reaction, I get to slam my head against that brick wall every day. In this case the mixes were already brick-walled before they arrived at my place. Suffice to say I would never be pushed to overdrive things as far as they are here. Believe me, I'm not proud to be associated with this one, and we can only hope that some good will come from this in some form of backlash against volume above all else." Mastering is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device, the "master," from which all copies will be produced. Blame for the sound quality has been laid at the feet of the band itself, producer Rick Rubin and his recording engineer, Greg Fidelman. In a recent interview with Blender.com, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich responded to the complaints by saying, "Listen, there's nothing up with the audio quality. It's 2008, and that's how we make records. Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds fuckin' smokin'. "Somebody told me about [people complaining that the Guitar Hero version of 'Death Magnetic' sounds better]. Listen, what are you going to do? A lot of people say [the CD] sounds great, and a few people say it doesn't, and that's OK. You gotta remember, when we put out '...And Justice for All', people were going, 'What happened to these guys, this record? There's no bass on it. It sounds like it was recorded in a fuckin' garage on an eight-track.' And now '...And Justice for All' is sort of the seminal METALLICA record that supposedly influenced a whole generation of death-metal bands. The difference between back then and now is the Internet. "The Internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice. Listen, I can't keep up with this shit. Part of being in METALLICA is that there's always somebody who's got a problem with something that you're doing: ' James Hetfield had something for breakfast that I don't like.' That's part of the ride. "I will say that the overwhelming response to this new record has exceeded even our expectations as far as how positive it is. So I'm not gonna sit here and get caught up in whether [the sound] 'clips' or it doesn't 'clip.' I don't know what kind of stereos these people listen on. Me and James made a deal that we would hang back a little and not get in the way of whatever Rick's vision was. That's not to put it on him — it's our record, I'll take the hit, but we wanted to roll with Rick's vision of how METALLICA would sound." Part 1: Part 2:
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COMMENT | first post
posted by :
10/10/2008 12:19:46 PM
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Mettallica know what they are doing.
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COMMENT | first post
posted by :
10/10/2008 12:24:49 PM
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metallica - sorry
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COMMENT | what a palava over nothing..
posted by :
10/10/2008 12:29:47 PM
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to me, its fine. its the best album of 2008!!! stop fucking complaining..
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COMMENT | its true
posted by : inversion
10/10/2008 12:29:51 PM
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I heard the new metallica on sirus. then a song later was the new Testament. NOT JUDGING the song writing.. only sound quality. Testament sounds 10x's better. Testament does not have the budget of Metallica.. yet their album sounds waaay better. If you like Meatllica sound so be it. But since its Metallica with more money then God.. give me a good sounding CD..
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 12:30:56 PM
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I love the songs, but I can't listen to the new CD because the sound quality is so irritating. The snare drums cause an awful distortion, and it doesn't matter which stereo I play it on. I have very high quality audio equipment both in my car and at home.
It's not just our imagination, Lars old friend.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 12:33:01 PM
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There is NO EXCUSE for the horrible sonics on Death magnetic. It sounds like a 5th generation dub cassette tape. Disgraceful. The songs, on the other hand, are fabulous.
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COMMENT | Lars...
posted by : reallyoldman
10/10/2008 12:35:06 PM
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I have to disagree. I listen to a lot of music in my vehicle; from Porcupine Tree to Bloodbath. Death Magnetic is a great CD and has great music on it, but it's the only one that "crackles" in my speakers. I noticed it right away, and thought I had a speaker going bad, but I was able to quickly rule that out.
I won't stop listening to the album, and I'm not going to join in the bashing. But the problem is real...
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COMMENT | Guitar Hero Sounds Better...
posted by : profmacdaddy
10/10/2008 12:41:55 PM
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You can actually hear dynamics and nuances in the bass playing. The drums aren't loud and distorted. Let's face it, the CD is very tiring to listen to because it is so loud and distorted. The drums and vocals are way too loud! When I listen another CD after Death Magnetic, I'm amazed at the differences in sonic quality. When the engineer is publicly ashamed to be associated with this album, you know that something is wrong. It's shocking how the Metallica camp defends this. While the complainers seem small compared to overall album sales, this level of dissatisfaction is unprecedented. I don't care if this is how albums are made in 2008 - it sounds like crap!! You can't tell me that Death Magnetic sounds better than Master of Puppets or Ride the Lightning. BTW, audiophile equipment is not needed to hear the differences between the CD and Guitar Hero. Listen and compare yourself.
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COMMENT | To clarify..
posted by :
10/10/2008 12:43:03 PM
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This isn't an issue of anybody trying to "make records sound louder", it's an issue of somebody in the control room not watching the levels of certain mics pushing into the red during recording. You can make an album as loud as you want during mixing/mastering, this is just a case of (intentionally?) bad engineering in the recording phase.
To be honest, I find the dryness of James's vocals to be more irritating than the drums clipping. Rather than sounding like album vocals, it sounds like someone shouting into a microphone...
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COMMENT | haha
posted by :
10/10/2008 12:46:41 PM
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Is there a proper way to mic somone pooping, then produce it so it sounds like something else?
Just Curious....
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COMMENT | So weird!
posted by :
10/10/2008 12:47:29 PM
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After all the crap they got for how awful 'St. Anger' sounded, you'd have thought they'd really make sure this one sounded great! But I agree with a few posters above, there is something odd going on with the sound. I notice it most when listening to it through headphones at work. I really can't make it through the whole CD cause it's just too 'loud' for lack of a better word. They definitely pushed everything (except the bass) into the red. It's a good, not great album, but they definitely did not get the sound right, there really is no way to dispute that!
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COMMENT | Guitar Hero Remix
posted by : profmacdaddy
10/10/2008 12:51:27 PM
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It's also only a matter of time before someone takes the Guitar Hero tracks and remixes the entire album in the manner done for the one song so far. I eagerly await this. Fans are fed up with crappy sounding CDs. Fan remixes of classic albums from many artists (including The Beatles) have been put out on the internet when bands refuse to correct sonics of an album. It will happen with Death Magnetic. Metallica could capitalize on this by reissuing the album with a bonus remixed CD. We all know the DVD version of St. Anger sounds better than the CD. Hell, I would repurchase Death Magnetic to get a listenable version of it.
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COMMENT |
posted by : Mount and Dew
10/10/2008 12:55:27 PM
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It's the best demo ever...DEMO. This record is a literal shame because it has the potential to be so great.
Look at it this way:
If the Black album had sounded like this, would it have been as good? To me, that record really set a bar for the way drums and guitars should be mixed on a record. It wasn't their best obviously, but I would credit a large portion of it's success to how well the album sounded.
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COMMENT | Sut up, Lar$
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:00:04 PM
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Lars: I don't know what kind of stereos these people listen on.
I have a Harman Kardon Stereo System in my car, buddy. Are you gonna blame it on BMW or HK itself too? DM sounds BAD. Nuff said.
Metallica...GOOD!
Production...BAD! (Champ Chaos Style)
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COMMENT |
posted by : Mount and Dew
10/10/2008 1:02:18 PM
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To Profmacdaddy:
Yea I would probably buy it too, but we'd have to be careful. If Metallica was smart, and they are because they've shown it by having us all buy a great DEMO, they wouldn't touch the mix at all but act like they did and THEN re-issue it to cash in. Don't put it past 'em.
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COMMENT |
posted by : chabbar
10/10/2008 1:03:42 PM
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Sounds good to me.
Great album.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:04:12 PM
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death magnetic = flop
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COMMENT |
posted by : Mister Groping
10/10/2008 1:04:37 PM
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Interesting to note that BBC Radio 4 have featured this. For our friends in the States and for people who may not have heard of Radio 4, R4 is quite a highbrow radio station that appeals a lot to intellectuals and older members of the public. It's not a station that the 'fuckin' kids' listen to. For them to feature this issue is quite significant.
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COMMENT |
posted by : Mount and Dew
10/10/2008 1:05:32 PM
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It just shows the power and influence they have over their fans. They can release a record like this and we'll STILL suck it up like sheep. I'm guilty of it myself.
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COMMENT |
posted by : thaiguy333
10/10/2008 1:10:20 PM
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i think it sounds great
now quit yer bitchin'
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COMMENT | I hate to tell ya Lars...
posted by : AltrEgo
10/10/2008 1:14:00 PM
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...Justice may be some seminal album that influenced all kinds of metal bands, but that doesn't mean the sound quality is great. I spent much of my youth wondering why in the hell Metallica, a band that had previously had such a great low end, decided they didn't need any bass and tinny sounding drums on that album.
And I think I'd like a lot of the DM songs a lot better if they were instrumentals. James can't pull it off like he used to. His "trained" voice just isn't very metal.
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COMMENT | ...
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:23:36 PM
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im not a huge Metallica fan anymore, but sometimes i cant help but post here...
The reason DM sounds "weird" to people is because we've been force fed that over digitalized pro tooled to death sound that guys like Andy Sneap and Bob Rock etc. use and that most current metal bands sound like ( not knockin those producers just sayin...) To me Death Magnetic sounds like an old school production, old school 80's thrash production...just current. ( if that makes any sense) Its funny that there's an actual petition going around to fix the sound when its actually 100% better sounding than St Anger. There was no petition for that album and thats the worst piece of shit ive ever heard. I cant understand why more dont agree that it sounds almost identical to And Justice for all. Its almost like the album they wouldve put had they not put out the Black album. If you look at the history of the band, ALL their albums have a different, unique production to them (except for maybe Load /Reload Garage Inc.) but Kill to RTL, to MOP to Justice, to Black St Anger and now Death Magnetic all sond completely diffeerent from one another.) Anyway, just my opinion. If you dont like it dont listen to it i say..I find the album just ok myself, not great, but not horrible...but i certainly dont have an issue with the production side of it.
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COMMENT |
posted by : blackXmetalXcore
10/10/2008 1:28:56 PM
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haha wow
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COMMENT | ps...
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:29:30 PM
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to whoever said "death magnetic =flop"
Its been #1 on the charts for like 5 weeks and counting... That doesnt mean its good, but it certainly isnt a "flop"
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COMMENT | zimzumm=dick
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:31:00 PM
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youre at it again arent you, you sad fucker?
ive read peoples posts, i may change my mind, why? because Death magnetic sounds fucking great on my mp3, but i havent played it on a car stereo or hi-fi yet..its gotta be a major issue if soooooo many people are complaining about it.
ya see zimzumm, i can admit i may have made a mistake, can your parents?
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COMMENT | !!!
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:34:11 PM
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There is absolutly nothing wrong with the sound quality of the Metallica album.
I can only guess that the people who dont like it have something wrong with their hearing!!
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COMMENT | Death Magnetic sounds fine to me.
posted by : RiotAct666
10/10/2008 1:34:12 PM
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I own the GH3 version and Coffin Box set. the demos CD in the box set sounds great too.
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COMMENT | Blah...
posted by : ThayerIsGod
10/10/2008 1:34:20 PM
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I finally listened to this album yesterday in full and it was the first thing that stuck me. The sound sucks. I thought something was wrong with my headphones, but this confirms that it's just crappy production. Leave it to Metallica to screw up yet another album.
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COMMENT | it may have sold a million..
posted by : Totentanz
10/10/2008 1:36:35 PM
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...but is that really so good if most buyers listen once & then ignore it?
I listened once, agreed it was their best effort in 15 years, but then still have no interest in spending more time on it.
I got a recently re-mastered copy of 'Raging Steel' by Deathrow the other day, and there's no way DM is gonna force that out of my car stereo.
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COMMENT | ALBUM SOUNDS FINE
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:43:53 PM
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People are bitching just to bitch.
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COMMENT | Totentanz
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:48:21 PM
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you said it bro....
same here, listened to it, thought it was good, not great, though better than anything they've put out in years, but am now indifferent to it. No more time needed.
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COMMENT | novajova and Abominal Snowman
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:49:36 PM
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Ignorance is bliss I suppose.
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COMMENT | stop asking for remastering...
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:54:23 PM
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They already got your money. The only way the would do something about the sound is if it was not selling well and thats not the case.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 1:57:28 PM
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from a musical stand point the album is amazing. i absolutely love the music. but i must agree that the sound is horrible. i agree 100% with the guy that commented about metaqllicas new cd and testaments new cd. theres no excuse to why it sounds like this when you have the recources that metallica does
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COMMENT | Get it!
posted by : StratoBOB
10/10/2008 2:13:29 PM
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I don't care for the laudness wars! The album is great! It's a month after the release and I still can't listen anything else. The album is great! Get it!
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COMMENT | ZIMZUMM = clueless...
posted by : Underbody
10/10/2008 2:16:49 PM
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Are you really that fucking retarded??? Seriously, do you have to tell yourself to take a breath in between steps? God forbid you actually try to breathe, walk, and chew gum at the same time! That would be just downright impossible. Jesus... you are beyond the envelope when it comes to stupidity! You really are... Considering the fact that you originally predicted sales of less than 500k, the 1,045,000 that it's moved so far is extraordinary and above standard. It's blow away even your original expectations, but you just keep inflating the number to try and back your own perspective. Well, it's time to let it go! YOU'RE WRONG!
Let me spell it out for you since you obviously can't figure it out for yourself. Platinum in a month is far from a flop! 3 weeks at number one hasn't been accomplished since 2001. One hell of a feat! Go back to yesterdays thread, read it and weep like the 14 year old ignorant pansy you are! Your trends are skewed at best and don't allow for sales resurgence such as second and third singles/videos, holiday season, etc... Just admit it buddy. You're wrong... We're one month in, one single in, without the holiday season... ZIMZUMM = LOSER!
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COMMENT | it's nice to know that they are returning to the old music
posted by :
10/10/2008 2:19:33 PM
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But the sound quality is terrible. I thied it on 4 different stereos to make sure it wasn't just what i was listening on and it's still sounds bad.
The music is great but the quality hurts my ears.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 2:30:16 PM
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People are complaining about this because they are being told a problem exists. Not because one actually does.
I listen to tons of music.. genres from leonard cohen to opeth.. And There is no problem with the audio on death magnetic... And I've got a ridiculously good sounding home stereo.
I've no doubt the most trained audiophiles can find discrepancies with this... But really.. This is just a bunch of whiny bitching about nothing.
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COMMENT | St Metal
posted by : AltrEgo
10/10/2008 2:32:07 PM
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Dude, the ENGINEER himself said the sound quality was off!
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COMMENT |
posted by : Mount and Dew
10/10/2008 2:40:27 PM
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^^^^^^
Probably has a 400 dollar Panasonic Home Theater in a Box because it was highly rated by consumer reports. I have a 6,000 dollar home theater and the album sounds RIDICULOUSLY TERRIBLE on it. In fact, the better the system, the easier the flaws manifest themselves. And like AltrEgo said, the engineer of the master himself said that he was not happy to be associated with it.
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COMMENT | marketing genius's
posted by :
10/10/2008 2:41:14 PM
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they will re-engineer it in a few years and all of us suckers will buy it again.......
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COMMENT | Oi Blabbermouth
posted by :
10/10/2008 2:41:17 PM
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Those "several" thousand sigs are now approaching 20,000, so it would be nice to have the exact figure.
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COMMENT | I'm Amused...
posted by : profmacdaddy
10/10/2008 2:44:08 PM
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at those who suggest that the sound problems with Death Magnetic are simply suggestive and are dependent on the sound systems and the listener's ears. The published waveforms of the audio files are indisputable proof of the album's flaws. Simply put, the sound levels are raised so high - Lars is correct that it "jumps out of your stereo." In the waveforms, however, you can clearly see that the levels are clipped, indicating that the sound levels were intentionally raised beyond the level where distortion is audible. So there is no doubt that DM contains detectable distortion and that this is not a figment of imagination. Comparison of the waveforms for the CD version of DM to the Guitar Hero version and Justice clearly shows how they should appear when there is no distortion. There are great blogs published by other engineers that explain this in more detail.
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COMMENT | Oi Blabbermouth
posted by :
10/10/2008 2:45:05 PM
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Those "several" thousand sigs are now approaching 20,000, so it would be nice to have the exact figure.
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COMMENT | Underbody
posted by :
10/10/2008 3:02:49 PM
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i fully agree with you re:zimmzumm, but i feel you are probably wasting your time and keyboard life, he is prolly jacking off as he reads your comments, pity a filter option isn't available on blabber... anyway feels as if i've added too much the bandwidth waste on this unfortunately collection of molecules...
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COMMENT | Hamster_Caster...
posted by : Underbody
10/10/2008 3:12:56 PM
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Thanks for your concern, but I'm slacking at my day job and having a great time at it! It's Friday man! :-) Have a good weekend!
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 3:50:39 PM
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What ever happened to Wozilla?
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COMMENT | underbody
posted by :
10/10/2008 3:50:53 PM
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in that case lets give the cnut some :)
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COMMENT | mtfrankenstein
posted by :
10/10/2008 3:51:45 PM
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he's logging on as zimmzumm :p
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COMMENT | production
posted by : tvspat
10/10/2008 4:13:27 PM
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it is loud and blown out in some parts but the songs are great...
I just wish they'd beef up the vocal recording...put some stank on it...like chorus or something (I dont know the technical terms)..but something to give his voice more power. Something like Master of Puppets or AJFA
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COMMENT | ...
posted by : erpbass6
10/10/2008 5:11:55 PM
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sounds great to lars cuz his ears are shot to shit after all of those years drumming
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 5:47:36 PM
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obviously the sound quality isn't fine, like some people insist on saying in this post. If the engineer himself says he's embarassed to be a part of it and BBC did a whole fucking show on it then there's something wrong!! There is obviously a problem, it's just a matter of who cares and who doesn't.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 6:00:17 PM
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COMMENT | ps...
posted by : silentscream
10/10/2008 1:29:30 PM
to whoever said "death magnetic =flop"
Its been #1 on the charts for like 5 weeks and counting... That doesnt mean its good, but it certainly isnt a "flop"
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
hmmmm its number 5 on billboard this week, 5 weeks and counting? considering its been out 4 weeks that mite be the record store floating around in your brain?
deathmagnetic = flop
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COMMENT | vocals
posted by :
10/10/2008 6:00:25 PM
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i think one of the main differences is that they don't overdub jaymz's voice, they use kirk and rob to do the harmonies. You can't beat an overdubbed james hetfield in my opinion, i just feel metallica is more about all the members and not just jaymz anymore, which i feel show in the music. Don't get me wrong i still think the album is killer, but indicative of a now fully matured hetfield. ok drunk ramble over...
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COMMENT |
posted by : Grusome
10/10/2008 6:09:46 PM
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lars is a arrogant fuck who thinks he can do no wrong and i doubt any of the other guys in the band a give a fuck about sound quality squabbles and it's doubtful rick rubin give two shit's either the album is selling and the royalties are flowing in and thats the main thing yes it is a bit tingy but hey its the way it goes i think it sounds okay the main thing is the writing and music are pretty good i was pretty apprehensive about this album but it is impressive.
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COMMENT | Sound Quality
posted by :
10/10/2008 6:11:18 PM
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The vinyl version sounds fine.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 6:12:28 PM
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Are you really that fucking retarded??? Seriously, do you have to tell yourself to take a breath in between steps? God forbid you actually try to breathe, walk, and chew gum at the same time! That would be just downright impossible. Jesus... you are beyond the envelope when it comes to stupidity! You really are... Considering the fact that you originally predicted sales of less than 500k, the 1,045,000 that it's moved so far is extraordinary and above standard. It's blow away even your original expectations, but you just keep inflating the number to try and back your own perspective. Well, it's time to let it go! YOU'RE WRONG!
Let me spell it out for you since you obviously can't figure it out for yourself. Platinum in a month is far from a flop! 3 weeks at number one hasn't been accomplished since 2001. One hell of a feat! Go back to yesterdays thread, read it and weep like the 14 year old ignorant pansy you are! Your trends are skewed at best and don't allow for sales resurgence such as second and third singles/videos, holiday season, etc... Just admit it buddy. You're wrong... We're one month in, one single in, without the holiday season... ZIMZUMM = LOSER!
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
please show me the post where I said it will sell 500k!
I said since day one it will sell a million to the fangirls then sink like the titanic and nuthuggers laughed saying it would sell 4 million.
As I predicted it will sell les then st crapper in the usa.
week1. 490k
week2. 322k
week3. 140k
week4. 88 k
1,040000
week5. ??? 50k
week6. ??? 30 k
week7. ??? 20k
week8. ??? 15k
1,155000
next 6 months 10k a week
1,395000
another 6 months 5k a week
1,515000
next 2 yrs 2k a week
1,707000
please show me how on earth dm is gonna sell mr then st shitter in the next 3 yrs!
death magnetic = flop
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COMMENT |
posted by : Grusome
10/10/2008 6:16:18 PM
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lars is a arrogant fuck who thinks he can do no wrong and i doubt any of the other guys in the band a give a fuck about sound quality squabbles and it's doubtful rick rubin give two shit's either the album is selling and the royalties are flowing in and thats the main thing yes it is a bit tingy but hey its the way it goes i think it sounds okay the main thing is the writing and music are pretty good i was pretty apprehensive about this album but it is impressive.
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COMMENT |
posted by :
10/10/2008 6:17:05 PM
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give it a couple of years, then they'l prolly attach a dvd and bonus track to it then bump up the sales, or am I being a little pessimistic?
having said that, if they admitted to it and re-issued in the future I would prolly buy it again, suppose you could get it illegally, cause you already have the original.
All in all I have a good sound system and the distortion/clipping only seems to be really apparent in a few places, then again you can say the same about the justice album too...
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COMMENT | also
posted by :
10/10/2008 6:23:34 PM
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i have heard the GH3 version and I feel although it sounds alot different, it seems to be lacking what the cd version is overdoing, i think an 'in between mix' could sound sooo sweeet.
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COMMENT | did anybody,,,,
posted by :
10/10/2008 6:32:05 PM
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noticed the same problem with Soilworks latest album when the first song starts? or is it just me? same thing with the Metallica album, but you notice it right when the first song starts Sworn To A Great Divide ( digital distortion )
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COMMENT |
posted by : Meshuggah44
10/10/2008 6:47:29 PM
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lars ulrich continues to prove that he is an idiot
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COMMENT | Metallica.
posted by : chabbar
10/10/2008 7:20:59 PM
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Great album.
Great band.
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COMMENT | Guitar Hero III Version > Shit CD version
posted by : JJJB
10/10/2008 7:28:58 PM
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PERIOD
It's sad that Lars can't hear the difference. He's probably lost a lot of hearing ....all kidding aside.
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COMMENT | Frankly...
posted by : IceFront
10/10/2008 8:07:41 PM
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even I can hear the prodution sucks
and Ive got 80% ear damage due to 20 years as amateur drummer (yes, I use earplugs).
Lars can hear the production issues just fine. But the album still sells so whay remaster before the salesfigures starts to stagnate. They'd be pretty stupid to do that. This way they'll double the salesfigures.
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COMMENT | while....
posted by : EDUMETAL
10/10/2008 8:24:06 PM
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everybody is talking about the sound quality, at the same time, everybody is talking about metallica, spreading this curiosity and listening the album... thats all they want. besides the sound quality, this is the best material metallica pressed in 20 years...
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COMMENT | Holy shit
posted by : IceFront
10/10/2008 8:41:22 PM
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I just hear the GH3 REMASTERED [FLAC] thats downloadable at as torrent.
Its way much better. THATS a version Im satisfied with.
I recommend EVERYBODY to dl that torrent. Thats how the cd could be.
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COMMENT | yeah!
posted by : tvspat
10/10/2008 8:53:45 PM
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That's it! Overdub the vocals!
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COMMENT | Pound for pound
posted by :
10/10/2008 8:56:57 PM
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It sounds like shit!!! Nostradamus is 100 times better
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COMMENT | wow
posted by :
10/10/2008 10:18:18 PM
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i didn't take the time to read all the posts, so i'm sure this is a lot of repeat opinions.
i don't even know where to start with this. the record is absolutely fantastic, especially compared to expectations. however, if this is how records are made in 2008, how come nothing else that has come out in 2008 has such horrible sound quality? if it sounds "fuckin' smokin'" in lars' car, what kind of audio equipment does he use?
yeah, the internet is at fault for the bad sound quality of this cd. this isn't just some people having a problem with what they are doing because they are metallica. metallica is one of the greatest influences on the best metal of all time because they are responsible for some of the best metal of all time. this is a lot of people who love music having a problem with horrible sound quality that is just unimaginable, especially compared to what other cd's that have come out in 2008 sound like.
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COMMENT | Metallica must hate Bass...
posted by :
10/10/2008 10:39:30 PM
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...for most of the great albums (Black excluded), you really can't hear the bass very much, and this album, one of the better albums of the last decade for them (which doesn't say too much) definitely has clipping and sound issues.
I love hearing bass, and wished Metallica did too. I would love to buy their first 4 albums remixed with some enhanced bass.
For all those that talk about album sales as an indicator that the sound is fine, I wouldn't have bought it had I known this is how it sounded. I hope we get to downloand a Guitar Hero version of it so I can replace this crappy CD version.
MHO
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COMMENT | Here's Zim Cum in another Metallica thread.
posted by :
10/10/2008 11:24:02 PM
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Death Magnetic=Diamond
Zim Zum=H.I.M. Fanboy and twinkle toed, fairy who follows Metallica around like an 18 year old groupie.
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COMMENT | Clipping doesn't exist if not heard?
posted by : cogx
10/11/2008 3:10:52 AM
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Clipping should not exist if music is properly recorded and mixed. Some people claim not to hear the clipping on Death Magnetic and as unlikely as that would seem, fine, the point is conceded, their brains are unable to process that auditory information. Some people are color blind. It doesn't make them bad people, just very slightly disabled. It's not cool to make fun of the disabled.
Here's the thing, though. Reading the binary data from the CD into a software program, it is a mathmatical fact that there is clipping on DM. It is irrelevant what stereo a person has or what speakers they have. The clipping exists, thus the people recording and mixing the album either felt it was fine to do that way or they are incompetent.
Some people will always choose to believe that a tree that falls in a forest with no one around to hear it means it didn't actually make a sound. Different strokes, I suppose.
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COMMENT |
posted by : gunnarcannibal
10/11/2008 4:28:13 AM
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Yeah. I think I would like them to remix it. I don't think it is a tragedy but I still think we all wish Metallica's best albums sounded as clean and huge as THE BLACK ALBUM does... Of course I'm still waiting for that And Justice For All remix...so. I've been listening to Death Magnetic non-stop since it came out regardless and it is selling well...but I can totally see where people are coming from...it isn't bitching...it is just sad because Metallica needed this album to be PERFECT in order to silence the bashers...but now the bashers have a legitimate argument...you can defend any artistic choice but when it comes to the sound itself, you can't fuck with that...but anyway...it most likely will never be re-mixed...I don’t really like the guitar hero mix either…at the end of the day though…you can’t fuck with those riffs.
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COMMENT | jesus
posted by : Harry Bulsac
10/11/2008 8:50:21 AM
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oh my fucking lord give it up dickwads. It sounds fine, just shut the fuck up already you miserable fucking cry-babies!
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COMMENT | ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
posted by : JJJB
10/11/2008 10:15:59 AM
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No idiot....IT doesn't sound "fine" but the GHIII version DOES.
That's THE point.
And Tinman ...I love Priest but Nos TURD amus isn't even in the ballpark of DM GHIII. Sorry
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COMMENT | A few thoughts and ideas.
posted by :
10/11/2008 10:18:27 AM
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If it sounds good to Lars ok but what version does he have. Is it the one we all bought? That makes a difference. I love the album, I am not so bothered by the sound. I think it could use a little clarity however. For a reissue/remix why not do what Lamb of God did with Sacrament : put out a version that the fans can strip down and mix how they like. I think that would be very cool and you could listen to whatever your preference. I'd be on board for that because I would love to just listen to the bass tracks. It's an idea and a positive one.
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COMMENT | ^^^^^^^^^^^
posted by : JJJB
10/11/2008 2:44:47 PM
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Yeah I wonder If Lars is listening to an actual
STORE BOUGHT/Warner Bros./promo CD or a completely different CD that someone MADE for him ??
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COMMENT | zimzumm
posted by : Underbody
10/11/2008 4:54:14 PM
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You are such a fucking liar! I've been going back and forth on this for MONTHS with you! You've said on several occasions that it would not go platinum! YOU DOUCHEBAG!
p.s.
Death Magnetic will out sell St. Anger by Christmas time and I'll be calling you out when it does!
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COMMENT | OHHHHH ZIMZUMM!!!!
posted by : Underbody
10/11/2008 5:18:23 PM
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Couldn't find the 500,000 comment... but I found another.
COMMENT |
posted by : zimzumm
8/21/2008 2:28:11 PM
less then 1 million sold , guarenteed!
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COMMENT | Head In Sand
posted by : doug62069
10/11/2008 5:19:48 PM
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OK Lars, time to get the ol' noggin out of the sand, buddy. "A few people" complaining? BBC 4's broadcast, a Rolling Stone article (following a positive cover story 2 weeks ago) going out to half a million readers, a petition that's gained 10,000 signatures, and two noted professionals (Ted Jensen wishing to distance himself from the project, Kevin Shirley on his blog)... yeah, the sound is GREAT! And that's how you make records in 2008!
Distortion Magnetic= best material in years, mistake in the remix.
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COMMENT | crappy stereo
posted by :
10/12/2008 8:39:43 AM
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"I have a Harman Kardon Stereo System in my car, buddy. Are you gonna blame it on BMW or HK itself too? DM sounds BAD. Nuff said."
Dude, H&K blows. When my 4k AV processor needed a repair, myu dealer loaned me an H&K receiver and the sound it put out was so fatiguing I could not stand it. The CD sounds great on my BOSE system in my audi - and I think Bose sucks too. It sounds awesom on my Antehm statement D2 AV Processor, ROtel amps, and Bowers & Wilkins nautilus speakers ($15k total equipment). I agree with lars and any audiophile will tell you that sometimes speaker/amp/processors just cant reproduce certain frequencies properly. It is all about the quality of your gear man.
A bit of advice for the people who dont like the sound - turn down the treble and up the bass. People typically have the treble jacked and create a fatiguing sound.
A note on that blabbermouth post with the side-by-side album v. GHIII comparison - the album sample was a more compressed sample than the CD is. The tracks played on SIRIUS also are more compressed than the CD. I think those came from the first DLs that were at a lower sampling rate. They sound very different than the tracks I have even on my junk computer speakers - which, by the way, I believe are the source of 90% of the complaints. Talk about junk equipment. People really need to chill the F-out if they are building their complaints on how the album sounds on their computer speakers. It is a little fatiguing on my $50 computer speakers.
Best album since JUSTICE!
I BECOME YOUR NEW GOD NOW!
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