Apple Atmos

[stip]

MFC: okay, this is the first time the mix has made a song sound more inportant. real heart racing intro. and i like the flatter chorus. good transition out of chorus. not as big but more whispered moments flitting in and out. and the more subdued verse/chorus and mixture of new sounds in the outro made it feel important. gonna listen to this again

yeah, i think i like this more. less poppy where it needs to be. just a little scruffier/darker

low light: less sauce on eddie’s vocals. more vocals and background vocals than duet. highlights the beauty of the song and that this is really a lovely, understated performance by ed.

its a sweeter, less discordant piece. feels more like what jeff described as his inspiration than the album release.

lowlight: this is a clear improvement. MFC-Lowlight a strong start to the descent into the end.

seems to be a theme with these recent (recent in my listening - not sure of release order ). indifferent side A. strong side B

giving low light a second listen

okay, that was kind of magical. its not just that i like this more. it has transformed how i experience this song.

in hiding: some bonus (or clearer) moaning from ed at end of the verses.

otherwise standard drier/flatter mix. makes the main riff feel like more a part of the song rather than the song itself.

guitars really drop out of chorus - you do hear some new accents.

the mini solo after the chorus comes in really loud. too loud. the lightning bolt problem

again, i like the dryness but overall a less cohesive mix

[stip]

Push Me/Pull Me: feels more cavernous. mix is more chaotic. more space for everything. feels less coherent, but given what this song is that may be appropriate. takes what is unique and cranks it to 11

All Those Yesterdays: Okay, this one feels like it is trading atmosphere for immediacy. that speaks more to my sensibilities but your mileage may vary.

eddie’s background vocals a little more prominent in places.

the end is a little less claustrophobic - a bit more casual anthem


Overall a pretty consistent listen. Jack is flatter. the mix is drier. i like how eddie sounds just a bit more. and the sound is generally cohesive. I tend to start out enjoying the mix but end up missing the catharsis.

the uniqueness of the yield feel is lost, overall. and while this was basically a wash (each mix had pros and cons), in the end the lost of vibes probably makes the original a bit superior.

I did end up preferring these versions of MFC and All Those Yesterdays. and Low Light was (for me) transformative

[Buby]

I still think you haven't turned off head tracking

[stip]

I did. there's much less of the jumping than I heard before

[stip]

Gigaton Atmos thoughts:

who ever said: the intro ambiance is fuller, and matt is hitting a bit harder right at the start, but this mix is practically ed acapalla.

its too bad - when you hear the band the interplay sounds good.

original is significantly better

(I wish this is how Ed sounded on getaway)

Superblood Wolfmoon: ed is too forward in mix. guitars (when you can hear them) feel just a bit scruffier in a good way.

i think this has one od the low key best bridges in the catalog. not mixed well here during the solo (too much stone is lost during the solo, and the sbwm chant doesnt come together). too much good stuff during outro buried.

another significantly worse mix

Dance of the Clairvoyants: this is a little more in your face in a good way. some bonus rumbling in the chorus. background vocals a bit more present.

heading into the back half this is a good mix. cant say superior, but good. less bg vocals in the ‘i know’ part. i like this

oh no - the ‘stand back’ is way too low. there is an awareness of some music i never noticed but i cant make it out.

the end didnt come together, and thats the most important part of the song

Dance: album superior

Quick Escape: like the metallic shine on eddie. so far this is like the base but slightly brighter. it was good, but ed starts getting too forward with second verse

was josh evans just mad at the band?

i like the feel of eddie’s vocals at the end of the third verse. sounds good, but again at the expense of QE’s awesome music. and even when ed is out and its just the band the music still feels lower in the mix against nothing. sound feels a little harsher on the guitars - low end missing. the guitar underneath the solo is vaguely ominous in a good way

QE: original definitely superior

Alright: a few little drum moments at the start i never noticed. Definitely noticing new small details. once again, ed is too forward. it kinda works in the chorus, which is a more percussive chant. but the soundscape is lost.

nice to see matt get some love.

original is better on balance but there is value added here

7 oclock: this seems like a song atmos will serve well.

but ed is overwhelming guitars once again. and jeff is invisible.

though ed’s prominence actually unifies the chorus/verse in a way that is absent on the album mix.

Nice push from the first chorus into second verses.

the chorus feels more important in the atmos mix. more presence adds to the stakes.

the band disappears in the outro, but at least ed sounds really good.

this is another split. verses and parts of outro better in original. chorus and elements of outro more engaging here. the parts i already loved were diminished. the places i didnt connected more

never destination: louder and dirtier intro. nice.

standard mix issues and this is a song where eddie should be riding along the guitars instead of sitting on top.

mike has a good solo but everything else drops away and its not that kind of solo

some new details in bridge. a nice chugging guitar part stone (?) is playing

a little warmth stripped from the outro.

This is an underrated song. original mix is better but this one has moments

Take the Long Way: there was a chance here to fix the bass issue that was left on the table. mike’s cool punctuation riffs are muted. and the BG vocals seem less prominent

While this is the song i like the least on gigaton, I think Mike and the background guest vocals are excellent- best part. and both are dialed back

Take the Long Way: original superior

Buckle Up: usual mix issues, so some of the quirky charm is diminished. plays a little more like a straightforward song, and the core elements are lovely. there are definitely songs on albums like binaural where similar choices were made and i prefered the atmos mix. but if you didnt connect to the studio version this may be an improvement

Comes then Goes: stays more present and in the moment. feels slightly more self-recriminating and less reflective. like he is blaming rather than processing. the slightly more prominent guitars at the end bring this home.

and yet, given how long and one note this song is, i may prefer this. i can get lost in my own thoughts in the original (which is likely the point).

(side note - ive always thought this would be even better if the chorus was saved until the very end - like an outro)
(second side note - on balance this is arguably eddie’s best lyric)


Retrograde: like the bonus ambiance at the start. no huge differences so far besides louder eddie: but there is a charming unhurriedness to the original mix. the extra presence undercuts that a bit and feels like it’s forcing the song to be bigger before its ready.

does it nail the outro? not especially. its fine - but it probably needs to be more since the verses are louder - and this feels more like something receding than arriving. elegy rather than prophecy.

having said that, the final moments are really good. new details and the intensity finally rises to the new baseline

slightly worse than original

river cross: ohh, this places you right in the moment. flips the plea/meditation ratio in the prayer

this is doing something a little different but i love it. is it better? maybe. that could just be the excitement of a rediscovery moment.

but also, weirdly. it feels like a mix that speaks more to 2025, which is a different moment than 2020 even if the core song is still a response to despair

with those qualifiers, im going to say this mix is better



on balance this is the weakest mix so far. eddie is way too high in the mix and it generally buries what is there rather than uncover new details (josh greatly improves on this as he progresses). its a good thing this was a great vocal record for ed (this would be rougher on an ST or Backspacer where eddie is much screachier, even when the song doesnt always call for it)


Overall: Who Ever Said, Superblood, Dance, Quick Escape, and Take the Long Way are worse. Retrograde and Buckle Up to a lesser extent

Alright, Seven Oclock, and Never Destination are overall not as good but each mix has moments that enhance the original.

Comes then Goes and River Cross feel subtly transformed in ways that really landed with me. they are doing something just a little different but I was compelled.

[stip]

And the moment everyone was waiting for - Atmos Lightning Bolt!

this is an album where i love the songs and think they are almost universally done a disservice by the mix, so primed for atmos?

getaway: ohhh, this is good. just as in your face but a much better balance across everyone.

guitars could be louder in chorus. jeff is the star of this song. some of what I assume is mike is highlighted more - outside the chorus. wish the siren guitars at the end were louder

overall an improvement but not perfect .

Mind Your Manners: man this starts loud after getaway. but once the song kicks in its a bit more muted than the original, which is maybe my favorite mix on the albums.

two songs in the overall balance here is pretty good. there are some small details or moments i love i wish were more prominent.

definitely a less clean mix

my father’s son: this is really well balanced. i wish i liked these lyrics more. the music feels like it should have been on binaural

no notes. strong mix. no revelations anywhere so far. just flattering all around

Sirens: less bombast in a good way. a slightly subtler mix of of a not particularly subtle song. again, ed less out in front, which makes the whole performance feel rich and smooth.

as an aside I have ways loved how over…whelmed is cut in two in the melody.

the real question will be the solo, which is distracting in the original mix, be better?
i think its one of his weaker solos generally but feels less like it is inserted into the song and more a part of it.

the ending in the original mix is lovely. stone’s whale song accents are more subdued than i would prefer but still quite pretty

3/4 so far with one tie (mym)

Lightning Bolt: I LOVE this song - but the opening verse has never worked for me - eddie is too loud. and while this atmos mix does a great job balancing everyone it isnt up to the challenge here. 2/3rds of the way through it works itself out, though

i love Mike’s double solo after the first chorus.

the second verse is the closest pearl jam ever came to covering REM - so good!

(this song deserves a better chorus, or at least a better central image)

the transition into and start of the third verse always makes my heart leap.

okay, the original mix is almost orgasmic. this one holds itself back a bit too much

the fade before the solo is the single greatest producing crime in the catalog.

studio mix edges this out where it counts but this is more consistent.

Infallible: better balance between verse and chorus. the chorus loses some of the pop excess. which is good. but the verse loses just a little of its quirky menace. its just a little more straight rock.

this is a good song. but its not great. it could have been. not sure exactly what it needs.

it needs a better bridge. its too much of a placeholder since the song doesnt go anywhere new afterwards (just more). marker kind of has a similar bridge, but it has a sublime outro.

i do like the segue into the ominous warning.

i think this mix edges out the original mix.

Pendulum is an incredible atmospheric song with no atmosphere in the original mix.
more dynamics here, though eddie is too up front. this song needs distance. or it could fade him forwards and backwards. especially on the easy left me a long time ago… part.

this is sharper, and less bright (the original mix practically glares). but it needs either a smokey mysteriousness or a brittle coldness and it doesn’t quite have either.

an improvement but it doesnt elevate the song to a classic

swallowed whole: this should sound exactly like into the wild. still doesnt. but once it gets into the rushed meditation of the chorus it sounds good.

the music ramps up nicely. but eddie’s performance is just slightly too static.

from the lightning bolt fade out it IS a run of near but not quite greats.

Let the Record’s Play: this is a fun, underrated stomp of a song. fairly straightforward - no noticeable differences

Sleeping By Myself: this song is practically reviled by some. I love it so much. such a brave little song about heartbreak that captures the feeling of just really needing a hug.

solo is still too loud and a little too obvious, though


yellow moon: overall balance a bit better. this is an immaculate song (except for mike again being too loud) when you hear it on a still night.
(which this isnt)

future days: piano is fortunately quieter (but still shouldnt be here). there is more of an echo on this song. it gives this grandeur but it calls for intimacy.

though i did kind of get a little chill going into that first chorus. I am warming up to this once its more than eddie and the guitar. definitely richer. and if next mix is aiming for subtlety might as well go for it.

while neither mix is what i think it should be, I do prefer this one.

i know it can be divisive, but I do really like and basically love this song (also the lullaby i would sing to mia. Ellie got stuck with dream a little dream, but i supplemented with tom waits’ ‘tell me’ which is the best of the three

overall I like this mix a fair bit more, but its subtle. just a more favorable version of what it was doing. better balance. less shine

[lvc]

ed is too forward in mix.

Evergreen content.

[B]

Just playing catch-up here, are all the albums mixed for Atmos? Do you have to have Apple music to access them?

[Buby]

Gigaton Atmos thoughts: on balance this is the weakest mix so far.

There's a learning curve to account for. I think mixing for Atmos is hard, or at least tricky.
Gigaton, being the 1st PJ album to receive the Atmos treatment, makes sense that it's the weakest.
Ten & No Code came out next with a noticeable improvement.

[stip]

riot act, backspacer, and S/T await the treatment

[Farmer John]

Riot Act is probably their most "in the room with the band" sounding album, so a nice Atmos treatment with that one would be sweet

[epilogue]

There's literally no need for anyone ever to touch Riot Act. The mix is perfect.

[Happy Trees]

It's hilarious how Stip thinks the opening section of "Evacuation" that appears once or twice afterwards as a bridging "theme" and makes up like 5% of the song, is a standard "chorus" in the context of a typical song and therefore the worst chorus in the Pearl Jam catalog.

[stip]

It's hilarious how Stip thinks the opening section of "Evacuation" that appears once or twice afterwards as a bridging "theme" and makes up like 5% of the song, is a standard "chorus" in the context of a typical song and therefore the worst chorus in the Pearl Jam catalog.

I’m sorry, but are you suggesting ‘time for evacuation…’ is not a chorus?

Let’s be generous, in that case, and agree that evacuation, remarkable composition that it is, manages to simultaneously contain Pearl Jam’s worst chorus and worst bridging theme, each occupying the exact same moments in time.

[stip]

There's literally no need for anyone ever to touch Riot Act. The mix is perfect.

only a handful of these songs have been better, but even imperfect attempts have regularly uncovered or amplified moments I hadnt previously noticed or appreciated - and sometimes the flaws make you appreciate the originals more.

after decades of hearing these songs anything that helps you revisit them with fresh ears is appreciated

[Happy Trees]

It's hilarious how Stip thinks the opening section of "Evacuation" that appears once or twice afterwards as a bridging "theme" and makes up like 5% of the song, is a standard "chorus" in the context of a typical song and therefore the worst chorus in the Pearl Jam catalog.

I’m sorry, but are you suggesting ‘time for evacuation…’ is not a chorus?

Let’s be generous, in that case, and agree that evacuation, remarkable composition that it is, manages to simultaneously contain Pearl Jam’s worst chorus and worst bridging theme, each occupying the exact same moments in time.

And yet it still accounts for like 20 seconds of the song.

If you're that offended by it, you need to branch out more.

[stip]

It's hilarious how Stip thinks the opening section of "Evacuation" that appears once or twice afterwards as a bridging "theme" and makes up like 5% of the song, is a standard "chorus" in the context of a typical song and therefore the worst chorus in the Pearl Jam catalog.

I’m sorry, but are you suggesting ‘time for evacuation…’ is not a chorus?

Let’s be generous, in that case, and agree that evacuation, remarkable composition that it is, manages to simultaneously contain Pearl Jam’s worst chorus and worst bridging theme, each occupying the exact same moments in time.

And yet it still accounts for like 20 seconds of the song.

If you're that offended by it, you need to branch out more.

I am not offended by it, I just suffer from intermittent periods of intense dislike that bridge okayish verses

[Farmer John]

Attn: Stip

S/T is now out in Dolby Atmos

[Buby]

The added reverbed vocals on Comatose are heavy.
I like it though.

[Buby]

Overall it’s a very pleasant spin.
I can’t remember the last time I played Avocado all the way through.