Dark Matter: Official Album Thread

[tragabigzanda]

pearl jam sucks now

[hlniv]

For me, the Apple Atmos mix through AirPods has been the best listening experience. Listening in my car or through speakers at home is a lot louder and more distorted.

I've also tried this. But when R/R starts, the volume drop compared to Scared of Fear frustrates my ears. Seems like if Scared of Fear doesn't come through the same way as the rest of the album to me. Do you also experience this with the atmos/airpod combo? Or am i just not atmos-ing correctly?

This happens multiple times through the album, sometimes within the body of a single song. The part that’s supposed to explode hits the limiter and has nowhere to go.

Explain the "limiter" please

Can it be adjusted to make a more consistent atmos/airpod experience?

[WaitingForBluey]

So I'm assuming Ghanea mostly mixes for pop music, right? ...and today's pop mixes mostly lack dynamics because they don't want quiet and loud parts, pop radio serves as a background dull hum, nothing is supposed to pop out. Thus, he decided to mix DM to fit alongside the pop music dull hum?

Is that in the ballpark?

[Strat]

So I'm assuming Ghanea mostly mixes for pop music, right? ...and today's pop mixes mostly lack dynamics because they don't want quiet and loud parts, pop radio serves as a background dull hum, nothing is supposed to pop out. Thus, he decided to mix DM to fit alongside the pop music dull hum?

Is that in the ballpark?

Yes.

Everything on the radio sounds the same. So, to mix this and make it a hit/win a grammy.....it also needs to sound the same as everything else on the radio. LOUD. So, people dont change the station.

Dumb.

[DDWJMUVW]

For me, the Apple Atmos mix through AirPods has been the best listening experience. Listening in my car or through speakers at home is a lot louder and more distorted.

I've also tried this. But when R/R starts, the volume drop compared to Scared of Fear frustrates my ears. Seems like if Scared of Fear doesn't come through the same way as the rest of the album to me. Do you also experience this with the atmos/airpod combo? Or am i just not atmos-ing correctly?

This happens multiple times through the album, sometimes within the body of a single song. The part that’s supposed to explode hits the limiter and has nowhere to go.

Yeah I have to say I think the chorus in GTG does this. Should be much louder (guitars specifically).

[Farmer John]

For me, the Apple Atmos mix through AirPods has been the best listening experience. Listening in my car or through speakers at home is a lot louder and more distorted.

I've also tried this. But when R/R starts, the volume drop compared to Scared of Fear frustrates my ears. Seems like if Scared of Fear doesn't come through the same way as the rest of the album to me. Do you also experience this with the atmos/airpod combo? Or am i just not atmos-ing correctly?

This happens multiple times through the album, sometimes within the body of a single song. The part that’s supposed to explode hits the limiter and has nowhere to go.

Yeah I have to say I think the chorus in GTG does this. Should be much louder (guitars specifically).

I've also found the levels to be all over the place in the Atmos mix for this album (at least through the AirPods).

Ed's vocals seem way too low on Wreckage, but the background vocals are very loud and up front

On the title track, after solo, there's a huge jump in volume when the backing vocals come in

There's more examples that I can't remember right now, but it seems to be all over the place (the pool break sound at the start is very quiet!)

I wish is was mixed better, because overall I still think it's a better listening experience despite the inconsistent mix. It seems less "hot" compared to the non-atmos.

[lecherouslittlestump]

What is more likely?

1. The band aren't concerned with the mix and let Watt/the mixers get on with it

2. The band are all deaf/have tinnitus so they can't tell the difference

3. The band love the mix, aren't audiophiles and like the way it sounds on radio

4. The band hate the mix but were overruled

I think a mix of 2 and 3

[McParadigm]

What is more likely?

1. The band aren't concerned with the mix and let Watt/the mixers get on with it

2. The band are all deaf/have tinnitus so they can't tell the difference

3. The band love the mix, aren't audiophiles and like the way it sounds on radio

4. The band hate the mix but were overruled

I think a mix of 2 and 3

I think it’s all of the first three

[Kevin Davis]

For me, the Apple Atmos mix through AirPods has been the best listening experience. Listening in my car or through speakers at home is a lot louder and more distorted.

I've also tried this. But when R/R starts, the volume drop compared to Scared of Fear frustrates my ears. Seems like if Scared of Fear doesn't come through the same way as the rest of the album to me. Do you also experience this with the atmos/airpod combo? Or am i just not atmos-ing correctly?

This happens multiple times through the album, sometimes within the body of a single song. The part that’s supposed to explode hits the limiter and has nowhere to go.

Explain the "limiter" please

Can it be adjusted to make a more consistent atmos/airpod experience?

As I understand, the limiter says that parts of the sound wave can’t exceed a certain level, so to achieve this it cuts off or reduces the parts of the sound wave that are above that level. This allows the other (quieter) parts of the song to be brought up to match what remains of the “louder” parts. So the parts of the song that in a natural setting would “explode” and make the whole thing louder (i.e. a crescendo, an addition of new instruments) are stripped of their ability to have that effect, because the parts of the sound wave that actually reflect those naturally occurring, obvious scientific dynamics (when a drumset, a guitar, and a bass enter a mix, it is louder than when just one guitar is playing by itself) have been artificially “limited” by a computer program.

Trag can probably explain it better.

[stip]

i have to believe 2 is part of any answer

[mikejasond]

I know that they are older, so I dont expect them to sound like they did in the 90s, but man I disagree that Ed sounded great in the vids. To be fair I haven't seen the new songs yet, just Daughter and Yellow Ledbetter but I didn't think either one was a great version of the song. The Youtube comments are all about how Eddie sounds just like he did in the 90s and they're amazing but I don't think he really does at all....The shades go down part was great when they added a lot of echo to his voice lol.

There WERE some nice moments. But when I was listening to Ledbetter with my mom, who knows I like Pearl Jam, but doesn't know them well, she was commenting (meaning it positively) "He's not a great singer, but he's good for his songs" and I was like T_T because Eddie is not just one of those singers that doesn't have a great voice but is perfect for their songs (like a Mick Jagger) but a legitimately amazing singer. Or at least was...

The band sounded pretty good on Ledbetter (though I have heard much better live versions of Daughter and Ledbetter, so I disagree it was some special performance) but this is one song where IMO Eddie does sadly bring them down. His vocal limitations just show so much. It just sounds like a constant struggle. He's straining the entire time. It's so rough T_T.

I do think he sounds amazing on the album but it makes me wonder how much they are artificially sweetening his voice which is a bummer. Though it was like 6am so maybe he just wasn't warmed up.

I wonder what his voice would sound like today if he hadn't been smoking for so many decades at this point. His voice is SO deep now. I don't know when that happened. If you go back to 90s or early 2000s he has a low speaking voice but nothing like it is today where its like a whole bass the whole time lol.

I don't think hes horrible now or anything, sometimes he sounds awesome, if he sings songs in his current range

[mikejasond]

(I will say that its clear the band is not warmed up. Mike fails pretty hard at playing Eruption in this video which he plays live all the time)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkiOh9LIHrI

[hlniv]

Trag can probably explain it better.

Thx - that was a pretty good explanation tho

[mikejasond]

Im listening now to Scared of Fear and I agree they sound REALLY good on this one. Which makes really exciting for the tour. It sounds like the album, which really impresses me. This is MUCH better than the Daughter and Yellow Ledbetter performances.

BUT the limitations of Eddie show in subtle ways throughout IMO. He does sing with more control. But that's good because he sounds like he's in a constant battle against his voice which wants to wildly warble and swing off pitch and he barely keeps it in check. That's what it sounds like IMO at least. And his upper notes on all songs....I don't know the quality they have, but they become yelling sometimes like his voice just doesn't have the stability up there anymore.

I know it's to be expected, he is nearly 60 and a smoker for many years, singing all the time. But I can't not be a little sad when I see the way his voice has changed.

That said, this is a really great performance. This would be an awesome awesome opener. I can't wait to see all these Dark Matter songs live

[WaitingForBluey]

What is more likely?

1. The band aren't concerned with the mix and let Watt/the mixers get on with it

2. The band are all deaf/have tinnitus so they can't tell the difference

3. The band love the mix, aren't audiophiles and like the way it sounds on radio

4. The band hate the mix but were overruled

I think a mix of 2 and 3

I think it’s all of the first three

This isn't new territory for the band. They fired Tchad Blake from the Binaural project because they weren't happy with how some of the heavier songs were not sounding aggressive enough... they wanted it loud and punchy... After working with Adam Kasper on Riot Act (a brilliant and balanced recording), they agreed to work with him again, with the added caveat of "now make us rawk more"

The band are clearly thrilled with the results and think this sounds exactly as they wanted it to

[Oversize]

i may not have any song below a 4. this may be the only pj album where id say that (due to the vitalogy non-songs)

I think I'd have to keep RR, SS and Running in the 3 star territory. Solid songs, just not top-tier for me.

I absolutely LOVED Dark Matter as a single, but I keep wanting to skip it when I go through the album.

I think and EP of SoF, Wreckage, Won't Tell, Upper Hand, Stevie, Got to Give, Setting Sun would have been killer. Not that the others are filler. I do like them. I just find myself eagerly anticipating each of these songs.

[mikejasond]

It's still wild how this took an album I loved (Gigaton) and make me think its just meh because this is SO good. I thought Gigaton was such a great late-game effort for the band. But this album could have come out 20 years ago. I mean, not exactly, their music sounds different now. But this sounds like a band that's still active. Not like an aging rock band past their prime. This sounds like an album that is just a good Pearl Jam album no matter when it came out.

[RockPusher]

Fun song!

Sweet and damn, what a great bassline

[oneway23]

It's still wild how this took an album I loved (Gigaton) and make me think its just meh because this is SO good. I thought Gigaton was such a great late-game effort for the band. But this album could have come out 20 years ago. I mean, not exactly, their music sounds different now. But this sounds like a band that's still active. Not like an aging rock band past their prime. This sounds like an album that is just a good Pearl Jam album no matter when it came out.

Was thinking about this the other day.

If you had told me in 2018 when the creative nadir that was Can't Deny Me came out that Pearl Jam would have two fantastic albums in them, my heart would have hoped, but, my brain would have likely hand-waved the notion.

If you had told me when Gigaton came out, good as it was, that Pearl Jam had a modern-day, late-era classic like DM left in them that was even better, I would have fallen out of my chair.

The fact that it actually happened is still almost too much for my brain to process.

[Jaeti]

For me, the Apple Atmos mix through AirPods has been the best listening experience. Listening in my car or through speakers at home is a lot louder and more distorted.

I've also tried this. But when R/R starts, the volume drop compared to Scared of Fear frustrates my ears. Seems like if Scared of Fear doesn't come through the same way as the rest of the album to me. Do you also experience this with the atmos/airpod combo? Or am i just not atmos-ing correctly?

This happens multiple times through the album, sometimes within the body of a single song. The part that’s supposed to explode hits the limiter and has nowhere to go.

Yeah I have to say I think the chorus in GTG does this. Should be much louder (guitars specifically).

I've also found the levels to be all over the place in the Atmos mix for this album (at least through the AirPods).

Ed's vocals seem way too low on Wreckage, but the background vocals are very loud and up front

On the title track, after solo, there's a huge jump in volume when the backing vocals come in

There's more examples that I can't remember right now, but it seems to be all over the place (the pool break sound at the start is very quiet!)

I wish is was mixed better, because overall I still think it's a better listening experience despite the inconsistent mix. It seems less "hot" compared to the non-atmos.

Yes, the Ed vs. Backing volume on Wreckage through Apple Music is out of whack. Even in the verses, I think, he's too quiet. Today I played it through Spotify over the bluetooth speaker in my kitchen and realized it isn't always like that. Truly is a pain that it's this hard to figure out my favorite way to listen to this wonderful thing.