DEATH MAGNETIC Bass tracks + rant

Kink Rimson · #1 08-18-2009, 05:07 PM

Just found these and they're ruddy good - apologies if they've been posted before.

Suicide and Redemption

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8qUT...eature=related

All Nightmare Long

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK74t...eature=related

Broken, Beat and Scarred

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsgYy...eature=related

This fellow's got a few more if you look.

RANT: It angers me beyond belief to hear these tracks - The playing is impeccable, the tone kills, a lot of time and care has obviously been taken to achieve what we hear, and then whoever it was goes and buries the sodding thing under a mountain of guitar and drums (then pushes the whole thing to distortion, but that's another story).

I know this is 'the Metallica way' but it really angers me.

Sadly, most of my studio recording experience with metal bands has been similar - spend ages on the bass tracks, getting the best tone possible, covering up tiny little fluffs, and then all the hard work is buried. Pretty devastating come playback.

So there.

MaxMaps · #2 08-18-2009, 11:17 PM

Some time ago a player re recored all of the bass lines and over dubbed them on " ...And Justice For All" Its called Justice for Jason you may be able to find it.

Most all classic metal records have the bass track mixed in with the guitar sound, with the exception of a very few.

I would care about this if I liked metallica, however the band seems to bring in some amazing bass players and take them completely out of the recording.

queevil · #3 08-19-2009, 01:24 AM

I agree with ya. I grew up on metal but always hated and still do hate how the bass is just buried in the mix most of the time. However, their are some good metal recordings that feature the bass very prominently. One that I can think of right off the top of my head would be the Definition album from DRI. Actually if you listen to it you may think that the bass is a little too forward in some parts of the mix. The bass player is John Menor and the fingerstyle lines not only are heard very well throughout the album but they're also pretty damn good as well. Give it a listen.

GillesUnchained · #4 08-19-2009, 09:52 AM

It just goes to show how a producer can ruin a recording. Metal suffers from it because its such a guitar-dominated genre. I remember buying Velvet Revolver's first record and being so angry about how that producer buried Duff under a bunch of awful sounding, compressed guitars. I had to put on Appetite for Destruction to remind myself that Duff can play.

dmusic148 · #5 08-19-2009, 10:03 AM

Props to Rob, especially for 'All Nightmare Long.' Wow. No way I could do that fingerstyle, which I think he did.

bassist 4 life · #6 08-19-2009, 03:30 PM

i was gonna post a topic about this, beat me to it man.
the whole mixing/mastering for death magnetic was messed up because the band were on tour while it was being mixed.

bwv1013 · #7 08-19-2009, 03:35 PM

damn dude, i love this album but it would have sounded absolutely FILTHY if they would have just turned up the bass. Rob adds the "groove" factor that the rest of the band seems to be missing. that's one of my favorite things about Pantera, they always had a strong bass presence on their studio albums. oh well, old dog new tricks i guess...

metallicafan18 · #8 08-19-2009, 03:38 PM

His tone is just sick. I love that intro part for Broken, Beaten, and Scarred. Sounds like he is just playing an open note and just turning his tuning peg.

bwv1013 · #9 08-19-2009, 03:41 PM

agreed. he is KILLING it. the mix was a little better when i saw them live, but it's still pretty buried.

GillesUnchained · #10 08-20-2009, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwv1013

...that's one of my favorite things about Pantera, they always had a strong bass presence on their studio albums...

That's because Pantera only had one guitar. Even when they overdubbed, it still couldn't cover up the bass.

panazza · #11 08-20-2009, 06:13 AM

this bass tone is buried in the mix even playing alone

jmac · #12 08-20-2009, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Props to Rob, especially for 'All Nightmare Long.' Wow. No way I could do that fingerstyle, which I think he did.

It sounds to me like he is switching between pick/finger.

anthowl · #13 08-20-2009, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmac

It sounds to me like he is switching between pick/finger.

there's a vid on youtube of him playing battery fingerstyle.
the other members ask 'you can play that fast with your fingers?' he answers yes.

i assume he is all fingers here.

Kink Rimson · #14 08-20-2009, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GillesUnchained

That's because Pantera only had one guitar. Even when they overdubbed, it still couldn't cover up the bass.

Nonsense. You turn up the guitars, the bass will be covered, no matter how many guitarists in the band.

Earlier Pantera suffered with this problem. Compare CFH to Reiventing the Steel, which has a justifiably loud bass prescence. It sounds unquestionably beter, and far heavier too.

bazookachicken · #15 08-26-2009, 12:48 AM

Cheers for posting these and putting me on to them. I'm a huge Metallica fan and I hadn't realised these were around good old GH eh!!

Speaking of good bass players who get lost in the mix (I'm sure this has been posted up before as well)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGuGc2t_I7E

sonic assassin · #16 08-26-2009, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Props to Rob, especially for 'All Nightmare Long.' Wow. No way I could do that fingerstyle, which I think he did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anthowl

there's a vid on youtube of him playing battery fingerstyle.
the other members ask 'you can play that fast with your fingers?' he answers yes.

i assume he is all fingers here.

he used a pick for a lot of this. you can see it in the studio footage. there is no amount of technique to get some of that bite.

those ridiculous triplets would be a little less defined for fingers. even for rob.

sonic assassin · #17 08-26-2009, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kink Rimson

Earlier Pantera suffered with this problem. Compare CFH to Reiventing the Steel, which has a justifiably loud bass prescence. It sounds unquestionably beter, and far heavier too.

there was a lot of scoop going on. scoop snares and kicks, super scoop guitars, scooped bass. it made the vocals come through even better.

i can hear some bass on early pantera. in metal, when you follow a guitar exactly, you're bound to get a little lost unless your loud enough.

Prozactrooper · #18 08-26-2009, 02:39 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMW40UHLWyw
doesn't happen here, 2:38 gets me every time

machine gewehr · #19 08-26-2009, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxMaps

Some time ago a player re recored all of the bass lines and over dubbed them on " ...And Justice For All" Its called Justice for Jason you may be able to find it.

Most all classic metal records have the bass track mixed in with the guitar sound, with the exception of a very few.

I would care about this if I liked metallica, however the band seems to bring in some amazing bass players and take them completely out of the recording.

The person who did justice for Jason is our TB's Lokire.

I haven't seen him around for a while,but I haven't been around for a while too.You can PM him for his great great work.To this day,its still a joy to listen to his tracks.

f'nar f'nar · #20 08-27-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxMaps

Some time ago a player re recored all of the bass lines and over dubbed them on " ...And Justice For All" Its called Justice for Jason you may be able to find it.

Most all classic metal records have the bass track mixed in with the guitar sound, with the exception of a very few.

I would care about this if I liked metallica, however the band seems to bring in some amazing bass players and take them completely out of the recording.

Lokire (I think) is a member of this forum, check his stuff out, he re recorded and justice with bass and it's amazing. Check him out.