Mixing of new Album, Is it me or Options

[LiveRocks]

Did the person in charge of mixing/producing the album really neuter the guitars? I like the majority of the songs but the guitars seem really tempered/low & the "edge" of the songs seems taken off. Am I nuts? Well I know I am but am I wrong on the above?

[Pokey]

It's like I've been saying about Sofia for example, the early live versions of that had some pretty cool and funky guitar and taylor seemed to just jam with it really, it had a cool edgey sounds to it .. and in studio it's like the same subdued looped guitar piece over and over .. same thing happend with Life Marches On.

[LiveRocks]

What's scary is that we notice it from a normal stereo but these paid professional studio guys don't. Makes no sense.

It's like I've been saying about Sofia for example, the early live versions of that had some pretty cool and funky guitar and taylor seemed to just jam with it really, it had a cool edgey sounds to it .. and in studio it's like the same subdued looped guitar piece over and over .. same thing happend with Life Marches On.

[Pokey]

I think they notice it all right, but this is some of Jim Wirt's doing I'm sure, he seems to like Live to sound as flat as possible. Or Live like to sound as flat as possible so they hire him .. either way.

[SecretInsomnia]

we all heard the 'guitars up' version of the River, and that sounded a lot better
so it would make a difference for all the other songs as well, yeah

[LiveattheOasis]

If there has been one place where Live's music has really faltered, it has been the production. I was listening to Rattlesnake and Graze today and noticing how powerful and loud the guitar sounds; even when it is being soft it registers a deeper tone over the songs throughout. On Birds of Pray and Songs From Black Mountain, this edge/tone/power has been completely obliterated. Songs like Show, Sofia, and Where Do We Go From Here will sound much better in concert, but to the majority of people hearing them on cd and the singles on radio, they are flat and even keel. It is really unfortunate but I think Live needs to understand that they are being emasculated more in the production than any place else, yet they really seem okay with it. Just listen to even the Dolphin's Cry as compared to, say Show, and the way the guitar stays with you is incomparable to the newer material.

[Somber_Eyes1]

we all heard the 'guitars up' version of the River, and that sounded a lot better
so it would make a difference for all the other songs as well, yeah

what? Where?!

[andthelettuce]

Everything seems sort of off, honestly. I like what they did with the keyboards and echoes and everything else Railo, and that aspect of it sounds to me like what they tried to do with V but failed miserably. However, a lot of other stuff seems odd. I completely agree about the guitars being stripped from songs, and I think it's most apparent in Show. Ed's voice is also really fucked with; it sounds very shrill in the chorus of Wings, and on a few songs it sounds like there is a constant hissing noise accompanying the vocals. This happened on BOP too with Run Away. Also, they gave him a lisp. Half the lines in Show sound like he's performing at the Birdcage and it happens on Sofia. I guess it isn't a good idea to have two of your best new songs have S words all over the place when you hire someone who likes lisps. Overall though, it's not a bad job and I think the album screams "this is what we wanted to do with V!"

[seriakiLLa]

If there has been one place where Live's music has really faltered, it has been the production. I was listening to Rattlesnake and Graze today and noticing how powerful and loud the guitar sounds; even when it is being soft it registers a deeper tone over the songs throughout. On Birds of Pray and Songs From Black Mountain, this edge/tone/power has been completely obliterated. Songs like Show, Sofia, and Where Do We Go From Here will sound much better in concert, but to the majority of people hearing them on cd and the singles on radio, they are flat and even keel. It is really unfortunate but I think Live needs to understand that they are being emasculated more in the production than any place else, yet they really seem okay with it. Just listen to even the Dolphin's Cry as compared to, say Show, and the way the guitar stays with you is incomparable to the newer material.

Well, SS has the best audio recording quality among the Live albums because it's in HDCD format.