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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2011 9:57:08 GMT
I was introduced to Jordan Rudess' music via a MIDI file and was really impressed with his stuff. (MIDI files are very handy) When you attend live concerts and the band sounds like the album ...... think MIDI!!! So doing a search, I not only found the MIDI file for real but a couple of really nice albums: 'Rhythm of Time' and '4NYC'. A kind of blend of hefty rock stuff and prog with an occasional smidgen of jazz rock. On occasions, reminds me of King Crimson and other occasions something else Intelligent rock and very 'stunt' based. 4NYC is more piano based and live so not rock based.
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funk1969
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Some things are so easily overlooked...
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Post by funk1969 on Dec 18, 2011 9:26:40 GMT
There is a reason why he was involved with Dream Theater...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2011 11:09:40 GMT
Yes, I have' Octavium' but 'Rhythm of Time' is quite different from the metal based sound of 'Octavium' at least. Dream Theatre sound very American PR to me. Almost Alice Cooper in sound and feel. Shock rock. Angry bee guitars and as loud as possible a lot of the time. I'm also not keen on vocals that are kind of 'chorused'. ie the singer plants his voice twice or three times, sometimes delayed very slightly. The Beatles started it with Sgt Peppers (Lucy in the Sky) and although it's used well there by John Lennon for effect, we seem to have a lot of rock bands using it a lot nowadays. (Maybe to cover poor vocals?) I prefer a 'clean' vocal myself. I think Rudess' album is a bit more subtle than Octavium and its grunting guitars at least. There is a reason why he was involved with Dream Theater...What? Because he's a good musician? or because Dream Theatre are a good band?
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funk1969
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Some things are so easily overlooked...
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Post by funk1969 on Dec 18, 2011 11:19:25 GMT
The Dream Theater vocalist is an outright disgrace to the band i.m.h.o. Dave Byron, Freddy Mercury, Matthew Bellamy oh yes but he is nothing more than an okay sounding Pop-vocalist.
I will look up Rudess' work. Liquid Tension Project, remember that name...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2011 11:56:59 GMT
Not 'Liquid Tension Experiment'?
Yes, I wondered about the use of overplanting the vocals. I'm not keen on too much use of that on recordings, or that blasted digital delay effect where they sing a big note that gets repeated over itself half a second to a second later and then again.
Genesis did that On 'Tonight' Tonight ........ whoa ohh ohh oohh oohh oohh with that echo effect.
Always makes me wonder why with vocals. Good masker.
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funk1969
250+
Some things are so easily overlooked...
Posts: 481
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Post by funk1969 on Dec 18, 2011 12:26:37 GMT
Sorry for that, memory blip.
Seriously Liquid Tension Experiment reminded of the joyous Focus and Jethro Tull and made me a happy proglover. (Sorry Dave;)
On the vocals, I dig old Funk and Soul and the people on a lot of those early records sounded great with very little means. Whenever I listen to Pop after the early eighties I sometimes wonder what happened to good vocals. Thankfully Indie Pop still exists...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2011 12:43:19 GMT
The invention of recording techniques being used to 'clean up' and improve recordings!! Plus those who 'overused' odd vocal recording to the point that it became commonplace with other bands who copied. The funniest vocal I heard early on was '20th Century Schizoid Man' by wonderful King Crimson. Distorted and gross, like the picture on the cover of 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. A fantastic, ground breaking album at that time. When I first heard that, I thought there was something wrong with my record player!! ;D Thing is, nowadays, vocals are 'corrected' by digital techniques so that they're in tune and then the overuse of these overlayed vocal tracks, delay and reverb to help the tone means one thing ....... Go and see them live and you get a shock!! You start to wonder if it's the same band.
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funk1969
250+
Some things are so easily overlooked...
Posts: 481
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Post by funk1969 on Dec 18, 2011 13:41:46 GMT
That King Crimson track is one of my reference tracks. If the headphone or speaker also reveals the slight hiss and vague noises it's probably studio grade.
For Pop vocals there are exceptions. Linkin Park's vocalist has quite the reach but for real vocals I turn to Jazz, Soul and Classical music. Indie is an exception that can turn out either way...
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