Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[Anders]

I think it's important to differentiate here. Andrew Watt and Serban Ghenea are professional guys who know exactly what they are doing. It is not definitely not shitty when looking at it from the perspective "Did they manage to make it sound exactly like they wanted to?". This is a how a lot of people want modern rock to sound and these guys managed to do that. This is well produced and mixed in that sense. There are no faults or accidents here.
Of course Andrew Watt and Serban Ghenea didn't listen to this and think it sounds bad. This is how all their stuff sounds like. This is what they are good at. The only question is if you like their style of production. I personally think it sounds like shit because I really don't like their sleek and loud style. But that is what it is: A style. A choice. The music sound full on and loud and present.

i think we needed this post about 200 pages ago, Mike

I confess I LIKE how DM sounds so far and i listen almost exclusively through decent headphones. Full on and loud and present is exactly right. Perhaps this wont be as effective on some of the more atmospheric songs, which were largely absent on earthlings - but on my way sounds great

When we talk about presence in audio, we’re usually talking about 1-5khz, which these songs have audibly traded off in favor high and low end hype.

When we talk about fullness, we’re talking about either a presentation of the overall audible frequency spectrum being presented in a way that is balanced; or in some cases we may be talking about the sound stage having depth/width/height that feels enveloping. These songs have neither of these.

Could you try to find other words to explain what you like about how this sounds?

In a quick explanation, could you say something about the five Pearl Jam records from the 90s in this context?

Sure, but first I’ll note that I saw Mike clarification on “full” vs “full on,” which is helpful.

Presence - Generally great on all those albums, with the asterisk that Ten’s gets gobbled a good bit by the reverb.

Full (EQ) - Same comment as above

Full (soundstage) - Only Vs has what I’d consider a wide/deep soundstage; and then Riot Act does too

For the EQ stuff, probably the easiest way to learn is to throw some tracks into GarageBand and start playing with frequencies, you’ll see what I mean

I always thought Yield had an amazing sound (and it’s still not my personal favorite, so that’s not why I would think that), even compared to other Pearl Jam albums. Is that just me being stupid?

[stip]

vs, yield, and riot act are the three albums I like the sound of the most, but they are all in very different places in my album rankings. the core work of the song, rather than the presentation, matters most to me. Riot Act is a great example of production elevating some uneven writing and slightly lackluster performances

[Kevin Davis]

Fun fact: We might get TWO Serban Ghenea mixed records on the 19th! He mixed every Taylor Swift record since Red and we get a new one on the 19th

Interesting — Swift’s albums in that range definitely do not all sound like this (some flirt with it but some sound markedly different). Yet Earthling, Hackney Diamonds, and what we’ve heard of Dark Matter all sound like they could have mixed and mastered using the exact same presets. Maybe Watt is the x factor, or the combination of the two of them? Or maybe they just have an “old rock band” setting?

[Ms Harmless]

I listen to a lot of fairly modern metal, and one thing in common with the lot of it is high bottom-end, high top-end, not much middle; what's wanted is an almost obtrusive intensity, perhaps at the expense of the warm enveloping full range of the best rock / "grunge" / folk styles of music (or even certain types of metal, like sludge / stoner / southern, which are all based in Blues); I do like a cold, harsh, wall-of-noise sound at times (an example from the "grunge" era might be the tinny guitar stabs on NIN's "March of the Pigs")

NOW, obviously what we have here is not even a skillfully mixed modern metal record (give me a thousand Sleep Token albums over this), but I do think some of these preferences are allowing me to at least tolerate what other people might be flat-out hating about Dark Matter so far

the drums aren't the way I want drums to sound, but they are right out in front mix-wise, a crucial quality of early PJ and why I fell in love with them... check

I have felt many of the PRAMG RAWK songs, however much I've liked them, have been weaker simply for not being distorted, aggressive enough, ever since Life Wasted... check

Yes — very common in metal music. But as you indicate, this isn’t quite that.

but one of my PJ tastes (and I have many) is closer to it than some of the modern PJ I've been lukewarm on (eg. a lot of Vs., like Blood and Go); I'm not shouting "return to form" from the rafters but I do wonder if that's a little bit of what some of these hyperbolic journo statements are getting at; it sounds to me like Watt's method probably cuts corners to achieve effects I might like, and I do think that's an undesirable difference between... that metal shit (or Dave A PJ), and this

[Tj]

To me guitar tone fell apart when Ed moved from Schecters and GibsonSg to his 62 tele. At the same time Stone was trading his Hammer and Les Paul for Teles and Strats. All those guitars while great in there own right the former produce a bigger sound and handle gain way better. I aways kind of wonder of pulling back the distortion was a attempt at moving away from a hard rock sound and to more of a alternative/pop sound. It always kind of pissed me off that the guitar tones on Animal , Go, Blood and Leash basically deserted this band by Vitalogy. I wondered if it came from the same place as having a problem with a double kick drum.

[Ms Harmless]

To me guitar tone fell apart when Ed moved from Schecters and GibsonSg to his 62 tele. At the same time Stone was trading his Hammer and Les Paul for Teles and Strats. All those guitars while great in there own right the former produce a bigger sound and handle gain way better. I aways kind of wonder of pulling back the distortion was a attempt at moving away from a hard rock sound and to more of a alternative/pop sound. It always kind of pissed me off that the guitar tones on Animal , Go, Blood and Leash basically deserted this band by Vitalogy. I wondered if it came from the same place as having a problem with a double kick drum.

damn, I feel this to my core

[Mike]

Fun fact: We might get TWO Serban Ghenea mixed records on the 19th! He mixed every Taylor Swift record since Red and we get a new one on the 19th

Interesting — Swift’s albums in that range definitely do not all sound like this (some flirt with it but some sound markedly different). Yet Earthling, Hackney Diamonds, and what we’ve heard of Dark Matter all sound like they could have mixed and mastered using the exact same presets. Maybe Watt is the x factor, or the combination of the two of them? Or maybe they just have an “old rock band” setting?

If I recall correctly Pearl Jam said in an interview that they only used Watts equipment for recording. Maybe it was similar for Earthling and Hackney Diamonds?

[Mike]

Fun fact: We might get TWO Serban Ghenea mixed records on the 19th! He mixed every Taylor Swift record since Red and we get a new one on the 19th

Interesting — Swift’s albums in that range definitely do not all sound like this (some flirt with it but some sound markedly different). Yet Earthling, Hackney Diamonds, and what we’ve heard of Dark Matter all sound like they could have mixed and mastered using the exact same presets. Maybe Watt is the x factor, or the combination of the two of them? Or maybe they just have an “old rock band” setting?

If I recall correctly Pearl Jam said in an interview that they only used Watts equipment for recording. Maybe it was similar for Earthling and Hackney Diamonds?

For contrast: Andrew Watt produced rock without Serban mixing

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Aunt_Claire_Foy]

Fun fact: We might get TWO Serban Ghenea mixed records on the 19th! He mixed every Taylor Swift record since Red and we get a new one on the 19th

Interesting — Swift’s albums in that range definitely do not all sound like this (some flirt with it but some sound markedly different). Yet Earthling, Hackney Diamonds, and what we’ve heard of Dark Matter all sound like they could have mixed and mastered using the exact same presets. Maybe Watt is the x factor, or the combination of the two of them? Or maybe they just have an “old rock band” setting?

If I recall correctly Pearl Jam said in an interview that they only used Watts equipment for recording. Maybe it was similar for Earthling and Hackney Diamonds?

For contrast: Andrew Watt produced rock without Serban mixing

I have the sneaking suspicion they didn't even use amps, guys. All these tones sound direct and amp farm'd from a Neural DSP or something or. God help us if Mike used that shitty digital Fender pedal. I had one for a week before I packed it up and returned it.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[Ms Harmless]

there will be blood!

[Thejambi]

I get amp sim vibes as well. Hard to tell because of how much drive and processing are going on in both of these songs. Either way, the guitar tones are fairly ugly from what I’d expect from them. Going back to a ballpark comparison like Mind Your Manners, the guitars are heavy but have good character.

[Mike]

I get amp sim vibes as well. Hard to tell because of how much drive and processing are going on in both of these songs. Either way, the guitar tones are fairly ugly from what I’d expect from them. Going back to a ballpark comparison like Mind Your Manners, the guitars are heavy but have good character.

Miss me already, eh?

[Ms Harmless]

I prefer all of these guitars to Lightning Bolt guitars, so I guess maybe it's a "plugin baby!" from me

[DDWJMUVW]

Wait, amp pedals?

I'd be truly shocked if they were using amp pedals (to achieve OD) and not going through actual tube amps. Maybe something with their signal chains using Wottman's equipment so that it sounds vastly different?

I really think you're hearing what was done in production/engineering/mixing and not recording.

In any event, it's nice to actually hear distorted guitars in a PJ song. First time since what, ST? I grew real tired of the bluesy crunch (and in some cases I could barely detect any semblance of overdrive). I mean, are there even guitars in Infallible? Sounds like a bunch of synths.

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[VinylGuy]

yeah, i hate the guitars on LB, i really do. Only MYM and some moments on MFS maybe...Sirens or Yellow Moon, but overall everything sounds awful there.

That acoustic guitar in SW? jesus christ

[Lmdmusic]

Is it wishful thinking to hope for 2 or 3 , 30 second song clips over the next two weeks? Or just band members dancing in the observer?