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RUSH Clockwork Angels

#441
After listening to it 15 or so times I think its the best thing have done.since MP. I love the affect of Nick. The mix is actually quite good if you have a hifi system that is eq'd for flat response. Everything is crystal clear on my system.


And how many of you are complaining about the mix and sound quality based on the horrible pirated MP3's out there? I'd say an awful lot since she's not out yet.
 
#442
I find it odd that anyone might be surprised at Neil's attitudes about organized beliefs. I mean 2112 is an anti-organized belief anthem, so he's been banging that drum since the git-go. Athiest? Hardly ... that's just another religion. He as pragmatic and agnostic as they get. "If you chose not to decide you still have made a choice" and all of that. "Circumstances" also pretty well laid it out ... "just one more who's searching for a world that ought to be". I think he finds overzealous self righteousness distasteful. Certain belief systems can be utilized to propagate fearful notions and manipulate folks through fear into doing and saying the dumbest things imaginable. He seems to not appreciate the misuse of such things as belief systems when they become tools for the ambitions of politically motivated power seekers. As in the arrogance of the lyic "We are the priests of the temples of syrinx".

None of this should be any kinda of shock, like I said 2112 is a mission statement for nearly everything he believes in himself. A sortof Orwellian / Brave New World take on Ayn Rand's ideas. The word "I" being outlawed and such. I think he'd laugh at the notion of being called an Athiest. That's just another commitment to an unknown.

I'm not on any early availability lists, I'll just have to wait until my local Wal Mart has the latest production of theirs before I get my mits on it. I can only hope it beats the crud that has been produced since Geddy picked up a Jazz (Moving Pictures the exception). I like Signals only because I was a synth/Hammond player before I picked up the bass, and the sounds used on Signals are really amazingly good from a synth freak POV, those Oberheims sound so wonderful ... and Subdivisions just friggin landed so squarely with me. But after Signals I lost interest. All of the harmonized vocals, and every song in nearly the same key kinda blows. As was said already, I love "screaming Geddy" and that FAT FAT FAT Ric. And give me Alex on the 335 as well!

Plus se change ...
Plus se le mem chose..

(the more that things change, the more they stay the same)

:)
 
#443
Disco Batman said:
After listening to it 15 or so times I think its the best thing have done.since MP. I love the affect of Nick. The mix is actually quite good if you have a hifi system that is eq'd for flat response. Everything is crystal clear on my system.


And how many of you are complaining about the mix and sound quality based on the horrible pirated MP3's out there? I'd say an awful lot since she's not out yet.
Click to expand...

No MP3 for me, and a great sound system... Still over compressed... If the mastering engineers would lay of the crushing limiting, we would all be happier. This is a symptom of the 'iTune' generation.

Everyone HAS a volume control!!!!
 
#444
geddeeee said:
No MP3 for me, and a great sound system... Still over compressed... If the mastering engineers would lay of the crushing limiting, we would all be happier. This is a symptom of the 'iTune' generation.

Everyone HAS a volume control!!!!
Click to expand...

I agree and I'm no fan of the Loudness War, but I won't blast the mastery of the album just because of that.

Tomorrow I will receive my Vinyl copy and I won't have to worry about it.
 
#445
Disco Batman said:
I agree and I'm no fan of the Loudness War, but I won't blast the mastery of the album just because of that.

Tomorrow I will receive my Vinyl copy and I won't have to worry about it.
Click to expand...

Agree about the quality of the album. If only they would master everything as if it were on vinyl. The over compression 'issue' just detracts from the quality of the playing, particularly the drums....
 
#447
geddeeee said:
Agree about the quality of the album. If only they would master everything as if it were on vinyl. The over compression 'issue' just detracts from the quality of the playing, particularly the drums....
Click to expand...

I agree. I was just thinking that about the guitar which seems off in the distance most of the time. The CD is very bass/vocals up front with drums/guitar too low. I like a recording to envelop me with sound, not sound like its coming from a pocket radio.
 
#450
OPBASSMAN1994 said:
After another full listen: I really rank this album as one of my all time favorites. Especially among Concept records. 4/5 in my book. 5 being Permanent Waves, Hemispheres, Farewell to Kings, or 2112 (take your pick).
Click to expand...

It's my fav since MP, There is a lot going on, and it's a powerful record, musically, lyrically, emotionally.

Like every Rush album it really takes multiple listens to take it all in.
 
#451
Disco Batman said:
After listening to it 15 or so times I think its the best thing have done.since MP. I love the affect of Nick. The mix is actually quite good if you have a hifi system that is eq'd for flat response. Everything is crystal clear on my system.


And how many of you are complaining about the mix and sound quality based on the horrible pirated MP3's out there? I'd say an awful lot since she's not out yet.
Click to expand...

99% of people out there are not listening on a system with flat response. The point of mastering is to account for this to some degree.

I'd also guess that over 90% of the listeners will be using some form of compressed audio. I have all of the past rush albums in compressed format and they don't have way too much low end!
 
#454
I'm glad that musically this album is getting rated as some of their best work since Moving Pictures. I listen to every song they released up until Signals and then I start skipping... And the further away I go, the more I skip.

Though I do enjoy most of Snakes and Arrows. I should give some of their post-hiatus work another chance as I keep hearing good stuff about it.

But am really looking forward to picking this up tomorrow.
 
#455
geddeeee said:
Agree about the quality of the album. If only they would master everything as if it were on vinyl. The over compression 'issue' just detracts from the quality of the playing, particularly the drums....
Click to expand...

So you want the bass turned down so the needle won't jump out of the groove and you want the treble cranked so that when the RIAA curve is applied by the phono stage it reduces the noise?

There's much more to vinyl than the master. The frequency response of analog is DC to daylight...
 
#457
onlyclave said:
So you want the bass turned down so the needle won't jump out of the groove and you want the treble cranked so that when the RIAA curve is applied by the phono stage it reduces the noise?

There's much more to vinyl than the master. The frequency response of analog is DC to daylight...
Click to expand...

There is also the Mid/Side aspect of vinyl mastering that gives it 'space', not the digital 'mess'....
 
#458
Interesting talk about analog/vinyl.... Apart from poor SNR, records cannot approach the fidelity of 16-bit/44.1 kHz digital. While some might prefer the sound of vinyl, there is practically no quantifiable way to demonstrate its superiority over CD. And that discussion is really a side-issue anyway, as Clockwork Angels only makes use of about 20 dB of the 96 dB range of CD audio. That's a recording/mixing/mastering issue... not an analog/digital issue.
 
#459
A bit of a side question, which is important when listening to music. What of gear do you use to evaluate the sound?
I have the following headphones, AKG 701, BeyerDynamic DT770M, Ultrasone HFi 580 and Shure SE215 & SE 425 IEM.
I always plays from iTunes/ iPod/ iPad but I use CENTRANCE DACport headphone amp/ DAC. It is a class A 24/96.
This album really shines through the AKG701 and the Ultrasone 580. Both brings Geddy's tone out, while the soundstage is up front on both cases. The drums are more detailed on the AKG. I find The Anarchist to be the "benchmark" song of this album regarding tone and mix.
 
#460
I have a modded Echo Gina 24 and have been listening with AKG K702. The album's somewhat darker/bassier sound might transfer better to the brightish sounding K701/702. Even though I can hear detail, I get the impression that a lot of the dynamics has been squashed, especially the drums. Definitely dig the vibe of The Anarchist....
 

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