NLOTH Mastering? / Clipping?

[dopper]

After hearing Boots, I'm afraid we're in for the same loud, compressed and distorted sound we heard on HTDAAB. Perhaps we should prepare a petition like the Metallica fans did for their latest album.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

did it work?

 

[Acrobat08]

Boots is not mastered well at all. This seems to be a problem with some albums lately. The last Depeche Mode album was mastered terribly. I can think of one track in particular that was mastered much too loud.

 

[LemonMelon]

Beats the shit out of Vertigo. Play them back-to-back, and Boots is far more dynamic and, frankly, quieter.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Again personally quite like the production on GOYB,

 

[subnet]

who has an EQ? Audacity EQ please? that will provide evidence

I don't trust the Winamp EQ, but thats another app to compare

 

[Chill Mike D]

I also think it's too loud. I know I have to crank my iPod down a good bit to keep it from blowing my ear drums apart.

 

[U2DMfan]

Show me a recent major label release that is not mastered too loud.

 

[last unicorn]

U2 like it loud now since their early albums weren't loud enough.

 

[Cask]

Well I hear the same kind kind of clipping and distortion as found in Metallica's Death Magnetic, just not as bad. But still, it is a shame that after hearing all the backlash that Metallica received for releasing Death Magnetic like that, still record labels and band are turning the volume way up with their albums. In Metallica's case it was really shame, since Death Magnetic's content was the best songs they had released in almost 20 years. Hopefully, the same thing doesn't happen to U2.

 

[dopper]

I think it's especially unfortunate with U2 since they spend so much time adding layers of guitars and programming, and they all just ending up blending into one big mess.

 

[U2jer]

Just opened Boots and Vertigo in WavePad Sound Editor, Vertigo is noticeably louder and less dynamic than Boots; pretty much a solid black mass across the spectrum. Boots has a noticeable variation in frequency levels and is mastered a little quieter.

 

[LemonMelon]

Just opened Boots and Vertigo in WavePad Sound Editor, Vertigo is noticeably louder and less dynamic than Boots; pretty much a solid black mass across the spectrum. Boots has a noticeable variation in frequency levels and is mastered a little quieter.

Thank you. I didn't want to have to find the waveform myself.

 

[Irishteen]

Vertigo is much worse than boots

 

[Tyagu_Anaykus]

U2 like it loud now since their early albums weren't loud enough.

 

[U2jer]

Thank you. I didn't want to have to find the waveform myself.

No prob, I would have done a screen capture if I knew how lol, but Irishteen did it right after I posted

 

[Chill Mike D]

None of Daniel Lanois' albums are poorly mastered, and Brian Eno's last album was also mastered well. You probably can't call either of those a "major label release", but still.

 

[Chill Mike D]

Vertigo is much worse than boots

Jesus guys, that's splitting hairs.

 

[purpleoscar]

Jesus guys, that's splitting hairs.

No it's not. It matters when there is that much clipping. You lose dynamic range which is probably the REAL reason people don't feel like going back to listen to it.

 

[popshopper]

I wouldn't be too worried yet. I'm surprised most bands don't do a jacked master for radio especially for the first single, I've seen some talk on some forums that that's the way they are heading. A LOUD master for the radio/single and a normal master for the album.

 

[Rachel D.]

I listened to "Boots" on my iPod just a little bit ago and it sounded fine. "Vertigo" is usually the one that I turn the volume down on a little.

 

[U2opra]

I thought the mastering of the 1990-2000 best of was the best from U2. When you hear One on that compared to One on Achtung Baby there is no contest - it was like breathing fresh air. But in regards to Boots their master of that definitely thrashes Vertigo or anything from their last two albums.

 

[Chill Mike D]

This is a better idea of how quiet records used to be:

GOYB may not be as loud as Vertigo, but it's still too loud.

 

[dan_smee]

there is virtually no clipping on GOYB. Sure its loud, but as stated previously, that is very symptomatic of modern radio releases. Even if it seems too loud now, it is a huge step away from Vertigo, and will only be quieter on the album

 

[U2DMfan]

No, I think Chill Mike is right, it's splitting hairs.

Clipping is clipping, if you've mastered it loud enough to clip, then you're losing dynamics that you shouldn't be losing.

So parsing the difference between degrees of clipping, I have no use for that.
Fucking master the thing properly, no clipping at all.
And that's not going to happen with a major label release. They want it loud.

The lower end can be allowed more breathing room (Boots vs Vertigo) but it's still a crappy sound. Most people won't care or notice but this does seem to be an audiophile topic.

 

[U2DMfan]

there is virtually no clipping on GOYB.

There's no reason to have it clip at all.

Once you start clipping, you know the compression is killing the sound.

Is it a huge difference? Depends on who you're asking.

 

[purpleoscar]

I guess there's always a vinyl version to avoid clipping.

 

[powerhour24]

I think the production is astounding on Boots, the master might be loud, but no its not bad compared to most modern major releases, and popshopper could be right about a loud radio mix.

 

[Am I Zoo]

Mastering ain't what it used to be --that is just a general, industry-wide problem -- but I insist that Boots does not have the cripplingly bad mastering that Vertigo does. Listened to Vertigo yesterday for the first time in over a year and was again struck by how bad it sounds -- to the point that it really kind of ruins the song. What I hear on Boots, on the other hand, just isn't as extreme. Who knows, maybe the album version will be quieter and more dynamic. But as is, it's already an improvement over the sonically wretched HTDAB tracks.

 

[U2DMfan]

Yeah, I'm not griping, it sounds good enough.

I just have an issue with how the big labels do things in general.