[patalp]

He uses Ultimate Ears UE-5 Customs. I was reading his detailed rig list on his website and this caught my eye. The Official John Petrucci Web Site
"In Ear Monitors
Ultimate Ears UE-5"
Just thought some of you might find it interesting

 

[EYEdROP]

His Picasso Ibanez is the best guitar Ive ever played. Im sure those IEM'S sound great too.

 

[eruditass]

now im going for 5's instead of 10's

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EYEdROP /img/forum/go_quote.gif His Picasso Ibanez is the best guitar Ive ever played. Im sure those IEM'S sound great too.

That may be true but right now he is plying EB/MM guitars, it seems that lately those are in vogue now...

Also as a side note the recordings from them are far from being audiophile quality, and he is present in all recording sessions, so not sure if i woudl trust him so blindly in his audio preferences....but musically I love him, and what he does...

 

[raelamb]

Actually the "sonics" on "Systematic Chaos" were absolutely spectacular. As far as I'm concerned the best recorded and mixed Rock record of the year. Kudos to engineer Paul Northfield on a wonderful job done.

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raelamb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually the "sonics" on "Systematic Chaos" were absolutely spectacular. As far as I'm concerned the best recorded and mixed Rock record of the year. Kudos to engineer Paul Northfield on a wonderful job done.

Really? ROFLMAO!!!!!!!

This is IMO one of the worst, whomever consider this a good recording has no clue of what a good recording is. This is a good example of an over emphasize bass album, among other many defects....and I own all the DT albums, DVDs, and bootlegs, they have no single well done recording among their albums, period...a real shame, as I really love the music!!!!...

Just listen Live at the Semper from Jean Luc Ponty, a live album, or maybe a Govt Mule album, or the Deep Purple live at the BBC SACD mastered by Steve Hoffman, or maybe the Dio "Holy Diver" that is nothing spectacular neither, and let me know if you can even compare those to the Dream Theater albums...man gimme a break!!!!

Engineers nowadays are becoming deaf.....

 

[TheMarchingMule]

I'll have to agree with Sovkiller, although in a lighter way. I personally cannot stand Dream Theater in the first place, mainly because they sound like kids after hearing Tool, but also their albums are of poor mixed quality; it's like all the instruments are being fed through one tube, and it's just so messily blended together it's like a distorted/contorted wall of sound in the end.

So in short, they are FAR from well-mastered albums.

 

[raelamb]

Oh boy, a fight

Ok, I am a "member of the trade" as well, so let's get down to brass tacks. First of all there's recording, mixing, and mastering. 3 vastly different processes. At least 3 different engineers have mastered DT records over the years, "Systematic Chaos" being done by my dear friend and controversial Vlado Meller. Vlado makes the loudest and most compressed masters of anyone and he's proud of it. His records are meant to compete on radio, not for Head-Fi enthusiasts and he is the engineer of choice of Rick Rubin, Rich Costey, Kanye West, and many of today's "hitmakers".
The engineering and mixing on this record was done by Paul Northfield, who has done these chores often for Rush, Marilyn Manson, Hole, and Suicidal Tendencies. This is the FIRST time he has worked with DT. To dismiss their entire catalogue with one whole sweep of criticism of pretend audiophile grandeur is a disservice. This is my test disc for all my headphones and gear, and I make my living off my ears. DIO as a point of reference? Please!

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raelamb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh boy, a fight Ok, I am a "member of the trade" as well, so let's get down to brass tacks. First of all there's recording, mixing, and mastering. 3 vastly different processes. At least 3 different engineers have mastered DT records over the years, "Systematic Chaos" being done by my dear friend and controversial Vlado Meller. Vlado makes the loudest and most compressed masters of anyone and he's proud of it. His records are meant to compete on radio, not for Head-Fi enthusiasts and he is the engineer of choice of Rick Rubin, Rich Costey, Kanye West, and many of today's "hitmakers". The engineering and mixing on this record was done by Paul Northfield, who has done these chores often for Rush, Marilyn Manson, Hole, and Suicidal Tendencies. This is the FIRST time he has worked with DT. To dismiss their entire catalogue with one whole sweep of criticism of pretend audiophile grandeur is a disservice. This is my test disc for all my headphones and gear, and I make my living off my ears. DIO as a point of reference? Please!

I'm not dismissing any catalog, I'm saying that all DT recording sucks, which is true if you compare them with others, the engineer may be good, but someone mess it up later on along the line.
So IMO Vlado screwed the recording big time then, and even after telling us that the recording was done compressed and too loud, do you still insist, that it is a good recording...OMG...controversial to say the less.

The result, the CD we listen to, of that album, sucks, not sure where the problem was, but it sucks...period, as all of the DT albums, anybody with a mediocre ear, can tell you that. Holy Diver, as a recording, is a masterpiece in comparison to these crappy recordings...Sorry but if you use that as a reference for setups we do not have anything to discuss any further...

... A suggestion, do yourself a favor and switch over to another well mastered album, as that one is simply is not even right to begin with, I'm not saying that is a was a mediocre recording, I'm saying it is a bad recording that is different, a horrible recording....

You can tell me that you made you life out of your ears, the same way many engineers do today, and you cansee the results on those hot mixed mastered albums out there...to make your living out of something doesn't mean you are good, most fo the times the ones who are good at something do not make the living out of it, and do it just for hobby...

 

[eruditass]

he's trying to say SC sounds good, despite the rest of their catalog.

i havn't listened to it since i had lowish fi gear and not much experience. couldn't get over the bad song writing. too bad they are wasting their fostex.

 

[skudmunky]

Much as I love Dream Theater I agree that the albums are mastered quite poorly. A good balance of sound, especially in the later few albums where the bass is actually audible underneath Petrucci's guitar, but the hot mastering really takes its toll. I cringe every time the drum roll in the middle of In The Name Of God comes around because the toms are clipping so hard. Makes me sad

But heck, the music is good.

 

[AnGeLiCbOrIs]

Ha! This thread went OT fast...

IMHO, DT's best produced albums are 'Awake' and 'Images and Words'. It's a real shame since they are over 10 years old.

On the other hand, Symphony X has gotten better and better at mastering their recordings. Kudos, I say.

 

[Trippytiger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raelamb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Paul Northfield, who has done these chores often for Rush, Marilyn Manson, Hole, and Suicidal Tendencies.

Look, that's not exactly a glowing recommendation. Have you heard Rush's Vapor Trails? It's a great album, but it sounds so bad that it's kind of a poster child for the atrocity that is modern CD mastering. Hell, read the article!

 

[raelamb]

Ok. If this is a conversation strictly about mastering I'm not arguing. I also am not into the super hot level and compression thing (especially since I have a tomahawk to get enough level out of the ipod)

But Northfield is a great mixer and did not do "Vapor Trails" by the way.

 

[YtseJamer]

Their last album sounds really good but the production on the last couple of albums that they did with Kevin Shirley was so so.