[MetallicA1987]

the album is going to be #1 for the 2nd week in a row in the US and if flying off the shelves all over the world. there is no need for a "statement."

also as i keep pointing out. people have been complaining about the Mix/Mastering of AJFA for 20 years and nothing has been done about it.

[Spiff500]

Well, yes . . . I take your collective points.

So, are we to assume that Lars has heard nothing of this? Would it not be the simplest thing in the world for them to post on Metallica.com

"It sounds better than we expected, we're a metal band it's meant to be loud"

I would guess with an online petition and the story splashed all over the web, that's the least we can expect to hear!?

I'm a realist, I'm not expecting a remaster, or some great apology, but I am curious what their opinion is!

Face it, in the pics of them reviewing the final mix/master on Metallica.com, Lars is wearing cans and appears to be concentrating. Trust me you need neither cans nor concentration to hear how flawed this is!? I would eat my shoes if he was listening to the same thing as I am.

[S3BR4]

DMRocks, on 09/21/08 10:57 am, said:

All I want at this point is a statement too.
Lucky you that you can return something. We're I live at they would laugh at my face if I were to return it opened mentioning "crappy sounding", so my CD has been sitting untouched in the same place since a week now. Happy though that it's just the retail CD, people like you who got the expensive coffin box must really be pissed off, and rightly so.

But I'd like to add, at least in my case, half my rage is about the lost money on an unlistenable CD. The other half goes to the fact that there's not a proper release I could buy of a masterpiece done by my favourite band, which I waited for by 15 years.

Well over here everything you buy online, you can return for 14 days, no questions asked. Amazon allows for returns here if
you aren't happy with the quality, which is exactly what I am.

I'm also with you that I would love to have a proper sounding release of this great album that I could buy, but sadly thats just not the case. I can't even buy the guitar hero release, because they won't release it for the PC version of GH3.

So all I can do is return my coffin, and hope that they will release a version that won't give me a splitting headache listening to it. I'd buy it in a heartbeat, even if it was a bit more expensive then a regular cd....

[pigchop]

This thread belongs on the first page - it should be given sticky status - might just stop the board from being flooded with post after post about the sound quality issue.

MetallicA1987, on 09/21/08 01:05 pm, said:

people have been complaining about the Mix/Mastering of AJFA for 20 years and nothing has been done about it.

Very true, but as many, many others have pointed out...this is not a case of people complaining about an instrument being turned down in the mix - this is about a brilliant record being allowed to become a victim of the loudness wars - an extreme victim. People are wondering if the result of Death Magnetic was by artistic design on the part of the band or something untoward further on along on the part of...?

[kabbage420]

Well it's official. James said the album turned out PERFECT. So it isn't a "fact" that there is something wrong with the album. If you don't like how it sounds, tough titties. Take it or leave it. End of story.

[insin]

kabbage420, on 09/21/08 11:49 pm, said:

Well it's official. James said the album turned out PERFECT. So it isn't a "fact" that there is something wrong with the album. If you don't like how it sounds, tough titties. Take it or leave it. End of story.

Don't come back complaining if you go to see them live and they haven't recreated your favourite "distorted as fuck" moments from the CD - Lars will need a distortion pedal to perfectly recreate the latter half of The Day That Never Comes.

Or maybe they'll say they've decided to play the Guitar Hero 3 versions live ;-)

It astounds me that, even if you're happy with the distorted mess people have put down good money for, you want people to stop asking for an even better (in your ears and everyone else's) version - it should be a win/win situation for you.

This post has been edited by insin: Sep 21 08 - 03:57 PM

[Curjax]

insin, on 09/21/08 06:54 pm, said:

Don't come back complaining if you go to see them live and they haven't recreated your favourite "distorted as fuck" moments from the CD.

Lars will need a distortion pedal to perfectly recreate the latter half of The Day That Never Comes ;-)

It astounds me that, even if you're happy with the distorted mess people have put down good money for, you want people to stop asking for an even better (in your ears) version - it should be a win/win situation for you.

Distorted as fuck moments. That's funny.

This post has been edited by Curjax: Sep 21 08 - 03:57 PM

[kabbage420]

insin, on 09/21/08 05:54 pm, said:

Don't come back complaining if you go to see them live and they haven't recreated your favourite "distorted as fuck" moments from the CD.

Lars will need a distortion pedal to perfectly recreate the latter half of The Day That Never Comes ;-)

It astounds me that, even if you're happy with the distorted mess people have put down good money for, you want people to stop asking for an even better (in everyone's ears) version - it should be a win/win situation for you.

Nah, it sounds fine. If there is a version that sounds better, that would be great. I'm not about complaining. Not my style.

[UncleN00b]

kabbage420, on 09/21/08 04:49 pm, said:

Well it's official. James said the album turned out PERFECT. So it isn't a "fact" that there is something wrong with the album. If you don't like how it sounds, tough titties. Take it or leave it. End of story.

Without links, this is fake. Anyone can quote members of the band out of thin air. :rolleyes:

[King Ghidorah]

MetallicA1987, on 09/21/08 01:05 pm, said:

also as i keep pointing out. people have been complaining about the Mix/Mastering of AJFA for 20 years and nothing has been done about it.

This is a VERY different situation than what happened with AJFA.

[UncleN00b]

King Ghidorah, on 09/21/08 05:21 pm, said:

This is a VERY different situation than what happened with AJFA.

Yes it is.

AJFA has clarity and dynamics. EVERY Metallica album has clarity and dynamics. That INCLUDES St. Anger.

DM is fucking ruined. Period. There are no dynamics. There is no clarity. It's a bunch of great music turned into horrible noise.

This post has been edited by UncleN00b: Sep 21 08 - 04:25 PM

[itsawhatnow]

MetallicA1987, on 09/21/08 01:05 pm, said:

also as i keep pointing out. people have been complaining about the Mix/Mastering of AJFA for 20 years and nothing has been done about it.

The band has been knocking it for twenty years too. Pretty bad actually. And they do it AGAIN? Worse even! Thats what calls for a statement.

+1 being spam in a thread like this? Bullshit.

[VanHendrix]

UncleN00b, on 09/21/08 06:24 pm, said:

Yes it is.

AJFA has clarity and dynamics. EVERY Metallica album has clarity and dynamics. That INCLUDES St. Anger.

DM is fucking ruined. Period. There are no dynamics. There is no clarity. It's a bunch of great music turned into horrible noise.

I agree with this entirely, and that's why there's a problem

[Mattowarrior]

VanHendrix, on 09/21/08 05:05 pm, said:

I agree with this entirely, and that's why there's a problem

I agree that there are even dynamics on Saint Anger. Maybe a few clipping parts but not the whole album. But this is apples and oranges with regards to discussion of the new one in my eyes.

[Tomor]

insin, on 09/21/08 03:54 pm, said:

Don't come back complaining if you go to see them live and they haven't recreated your favourite "distorted as fuck" moments from the CD - Lars will need a distortion pedal to perfectly recreate the latter half of The Day That Never Comes.

Or maybe they'll say they've decided to play the Guitar Hero 3 versions live ;-)

It astounds me that, even if you're happy with the distorted mess people have put down good money for, you want people to stop asking for an even better (in your ears and everyone else's) version - it should be a win/win situation for you.

Distorded as fuck moments, LMFAO!

[ericcartman03]

UncleN00b, on 09/21/08 04:24 pm, said:

Yes it is.

AJFA has clarity and dynamics. EVERY Metallica album has clarity and dynamics. That INCLUDES St. Anger.

DM is fucking ruined. Period. There are no dynamics. There is no clarity. It's a bunch of great music turned into horrible noise.

Yes this is the problem that people don't wuite understand. Eventhough each album had something different about it, they all had dynamics and little hidden intricacies that are not heard on DM. Imagine if AJFA was as loud as DM you would not hear the ghostly gasping during the heavy part of intro riff! Stuff like that. This album is their best musically to me, but if they would remix, it could definately go in history as their best overall!!

[sidsel_roine]

Registered just for this subject.

Thank God I'm not the only one who put his headphones on and just said "What's wrong with this CD?"

Death Magnetic has opened my eyes to the whole LOUDNESS WARS phenomenon going on, and it sucks. If the music sucked, who cares right? But these songs are so damn GREAT they deserve to be presented in their full glory, and not some COMPRESSED MESS.

I downloaded the GH3 rip and I'm listening to that version of DM exclusively. Someone tell me this isn't Bizarro world.

[waynelaw30]

It's not bizarro world...though it should be.

I imagine that quite a few of us have learned more in a week about sound engineering than we ever thought we would.

Anyway, welcome to the struggle.

[Pepsolman]

I have no problem with sound as I am 70% def in both ears... AJFA was too quite for me so I sent a letter to Mettllica to turn up the production sound... Sorry it took 20 years they said. I am now the head of DCS (def clipping socialists) group and am trying to promote the wonderful sounds of DM!!!

[ericcartman03]

waynelaw30, on 09/21/08 09:50 pm, said:

It's not bizarro world...though it should be.

I imagine that quite a few of us have learned more in a week about sound engineering than we ever thought we would.

Anyway, welcome to the struggle.

I know, isnt it funny how when something like this happens we actually can research and understand as a consumer within days. If the problem is exactly how it is described, then this is a huge, dumb ass mistake on someone's part and we got a great musically composed album that sounds like a aound wall of mess!

[waynelaw30]

Yep. Don't know if it's a mistake or not.

Rubin and his merry crew of "engineers" have gotten away with this before.

I really hope this is addressed at some point.

[Kojak1970]

havarleo, on 09/19/08 02:16 pm, said:

+1

Or maybe +3, as I bought the CD, Coffin box and the 5-LP version right away... Stupid me! :banghead:

Sifting through the thread, I just had to comment on this...

I've bought every Metalica release the day it came out sing "...And Justice For All". ALL of them.

Now I am supposed to get Death Magnetic for buying the tickets to see them in Seattle on the 1st of December. I think I'll redeem those when something is done about the sound issue. However, I bought the tickets on 9/11, so technically, I still have purchased every Metallica record the day it came out (or the day before. Horray for technicalities! *lol*)

For what it's worth, +1 and I've already signed the petition.

This music is too good to let it sound that way.

[Kripin Deth]

Is it time to give up yet?

The album is a critical and commercial success. They're back from Europe. They've thanked the fans for support. It's clearly NOT like they got back, read the internet and went "OHM! WFT?? Check the CD! Kill Fidelman!"

[tags]

Kripin Deth, on 09/22/08 05:25 am, said:

Is it time to give up yet?

Still just been 10 days since release, so I'd say no. I only bought the digipack, but if I had bought the 5LP set I would've been unbelievably pissed off right about now. They promised an audiophile listening experience, and they took a giant dump on everyone who bought it. I was only going to listen to mp3 rips of my digipack anyway, and now I'm listening to the GH3 rips instead... I can live with that. But for the people who bought the 5LP set... damn. There should be some justice done there.

[jake_hetfield]

I would say, that if I were one of the guys in Metallica, I would be really P*ssed about what happened when I heard the CD.

I wouldn't want people to hear my work like that - I would want them to hear it as it was meant to be. I would care more about the music reaching people than the sales figures.

By now we know that metallica is in it for the music and not the money. That is the only reason I can think of for Metallica to make a statement. I totally agree with you that if they were doing this for the money, it would be crazy to make a statement now, since it would probably badly affect the sales of the record. A statement may even force them to release a new version. But the question is, do Metallica really care about the actual income of the sales? They have already got what they care about: Top sales! Noone can take that away from them. I think they care about their album sounding well, I really do. That is why they should do something about it... If that forces the record company to make a new shipment of records, would that really be bad for metallica?

They are the only ones who can make somthing about this. If they go official, the record company has to do what they say.