With ExtrasTM!
As reported by Jem on The Blog (http://www.planetfrost.com/post/56509044999/the-return-of-milliontown), the rights to Milliontown have reverted back to his good self, and in celebration, he's released it digitally on Bandcamp (http://frost.bandcamp.com/) for the bargain price of One Poorly Octopoid.
But that's not all.
Rather than repeat himself, just go and read the blog (http://www.planetfrost.com/post/56509044999/the-return-of-milliontown)!
Also: Congrats to ES (http://frostmusic.net/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=1101) :)
I have downrightloaded it. Nice! :)
Hurrah!
Wait.. that means I just bought my own track. ???
Quote from: E.S. on July 26, 2013, 01:49:43 PM
Wait.. that means I just bought my own track. ???
Welcome to the Music Industry!
Um...
Quote from: RacingHippo on July 26, 2013, 02:30:39 PM
Quote from: E.S. on July 26, 2013, 01:49:43 PM
Wait.. that means I just bought my own track. ???
Welcome to the Music Industry!
Um...
For E.S. it's a "free bonus" - for the rest of us it's what we paid money for? 8)
Listening now. Some very obvious changes. And an overall subtly fuller sound if I am not mistaken.
All the parts in the altered songs seem less squished- like they have more room to breathe. Almost sounds like a remix and I'm imagining I hear it onthe other songs too.
Absolutely agree with you, LFE. It's "fuller" and somehow rather refreshed.
Particularly noticeable on Hyperventilate and Milliontown, I thought.
Second listening coming up....
Also: Hyperventilate 2013 drums: !!!!!!! 8)
Quote from: RacingHippo on July 26, 2013, 05:09:42 PM
Also: Hyperventilate 2013 drums: !!!!!!! 8)
And all them swishy synths at the beginning.
The mixing on the live stuff sounds great to me, the bass sound is gorgeous.
And I also agree that the altered Milliontown tracks sound good too.
£6 very well spent!
From my first listening comparison, I gotta say that Milliontown benefits from the lack of whatever went into the CD mastering. The songs have a little bit more dynamic range (I'll take all I can get!) and the high frequencies are less "piercing." I can do a full frequency analysis later, since I love this sort of thing. One thing I'll be changing on my personal copy, however, is adjusting the relative volumes back to how they were for the original release. "No Me No You" is almost 2-3 dB quieter on this digital release and it just doesn't really feel right in the flow of things, IMO ;) Of course I'll be lowering the volume of the other tracks to compensate, don't wanna go and ruin it!
Also it's a shame we couldn't get some 24 bit FLACs here! :P
Quote from: vkamicht on July 26, 2013, 11:10:47 PM
From my first listening comparison, I gotta say that Milliontown benefits from the lack of whatever went into the CD mastering. The songs have a little bit more dynamic range (I'll take all I can get!) and the high frequencies are less "piercing." I can do a full frequency analysis later, since I love this sort of thing.
Yes that's basically what I was trying to say- I imagine that everything had to be remastered since some of the tracks had changed, and whatever Jem did or didn't do to master them is much better to my ears than the original CD.
In fact throughout the entire album I was swearing I could hear things that I'd never noticed before- making me wonder just how much tinkering had been done. (The exception being NMNY- I wonder if this is the only track which retained its original mastering?)
I'm assuming it was actually just the start of Milliontown, the start of Hyperventilate and the end of BLM that have actually been updated- but the whole thing had me hearing all kinds of little guitar and keys parts which were just a giant piercing mush before.
Might just be "first listen" syndrome but this seems like an absolute winner to me.
> but the whole thing had me hearing all kinds of little guitar and keys parts which were just a giant piercing mush before.
agreed. I was leery of buying it, since I already have it, and all the live versions, etc. but whoa. cool.
What does anyone think about the obvious changes then?
The new start to Hyperventilate is quite nice- not better or worse, just different!
The changes to BLM I can't quite place- it seems like there's an extra guitar solo right at the end that I don't remember being there before- sounds immensely good though! Maybe some extra vox effects right at the start.
The lack of the movie quote at the start of Milliontown doesn't really bother me either, although it seems a bit sparse there now. I am slightly miffed about the quiet few bars in the middle just before the "My worm cathedral" reprise being cut out though. I've always liked them and do miss them live.
Is it possible there's anew backwards message too? Wasn't quite sure on that.
Pedro!!
Ooh forgot to say I like the fact that the quiet bit at the end of Milliontown is now sensible volume so you don't have to turn up the speakers to hear it.
All in all, jolly good!
Here's the change in frequency response in the new Hyperventilate: http://i.imgur.com/Uk2K2ob.png (http://i.imgur.com/Uk2K2ob.png). They aren't all identical to this but share similarities.
Just got to Milliontown. Love that Jem removed the fake-deeper-voice filter off his vocals. :)
Ooh. Lots of subtle changes going on here! Some are a little jarring when I'm so used to the old versions, but I have no doubt they'll grow on me, and some are genuine improvements. It's great that this wasn't just a straight re-release, all the little tweaks make it quite fun to listen closely to the new versions and try to spot the difference between these and the older ones. I do miss the movie quote in Milliontown though! I'm not catching all of the changes mentioned so far, but I've spotted a few of the more obvious ones - more listens required!
So far I really love the added dynamic range on Hyperventilate (first listen right now, actually). My readings have it at almost 1dB of added dynamics! The bass doesn't get lost anymore, cymbals lost a bit of that "phased farts of satan pitch shifted up 2 octaves" compression, kick is punchier (though Jem always does wonders mixing his kicks). I hope the rest of the songs are like this! And also here's hoping that Frost* 3 will be even less compressed!
Agree completely! If he'd sold this as a remaster I'd have been very happy with the results- seems to have happened almost by accident.
Can anyone confirm that I am not going insane and that there is extra guitar at the end of BLM? Or has it just been turned up?
The phone box is on the other side (can't see on my iPad whether its a mirror image but I don't think so)
Wow, well spotted Owen! You're right, the image has been flipped. Other than the text ('Telephone' on the box, and the album title) it does look more-or-less like a straight mirror image though. I didn't even notice it, to be honest, til I saw your post.
(http://www.steventhomson.co.uk/images/mtown.jpg)
Quote from: Steven on July 29, 2013, 11:34:16 PM
Wow, well spotted Owen! You're right, the image has been flipped. Other than the text ('Telephone' on the box, and the album title) it does look more-or-less like a straight mirror image though. I didn't even notice it, to be honest, til I saw your post.
(http://www.steventhomson.co.uk/images/mtown.jpg)
I wonder if they reversed the charges as well!
Quote from: Brom on July 30, 2013, 09:35:35 AM
I wonder if they reversed the charges as well!
::)
Quote from: LivingForever on July 29, 2013, 09:20:26 PM
Can anyone confirm that I am not going insane and that there is extra guitar at the end of BLM? Or has it just been turned up?
If you're talking about the one in the last 30 seconds up until the very end, then no, it's always been there. There are so many tiny improvements, though I'm not sure if I can hear them all. I've picked up on the obvious ones and in general I feel the album is better balanced (less compressed), as a few others have mentioned.
Overall a well worth investment and obviously a great way to support the band directly. It'll be fun comparing this to the upcoming re-recorded album and again with the originals.
Also, props to E.S. and his incredible mix of The Other Me. That thing is seriously catchy!
+1 for that. I vaguely remembered it but once I heard it all I realized I hadn't. Was it a video?
Quote from: Erethism on July 30, 2013, 11:17:03 AM
a great way to support the band directly.
Word. To me, this is the most important thing :)
Much more space in the mix. Bass fuller. More dynamics. Some tinkering done in the mix without doubt. Can't believe no one's mentioned the scraping guitar at the end of The Other Me yet.
Or the dog barking in Hyperventilate.
I caught the guitar in The Other Me, but a dog in Hyperventilate? Where? :p
A dog?
Barking?
In Hyperventilate?
Hang on..........
I was going to go all TA on the reversal of the cover picture, sure that the door handle would now be on the wrong side.
But from what I can establish from Ye Olde Internette, it would seem as though the common K6 edition of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's iconic design comes in both handednesses of doors, apparently. See, for example:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Lightmatter_phonebooths.jpg)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lightmatter_phonebooths.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lightmatter_phonebooths.jpg)
(why won't that image show here on the forum?)
Bah, foiled again >:(
[** Edit: image magicked by a hippo **]
[** Edit: hmmm, you're a better man than me, even if you're a hippo :P]
I thought arch-villains were supposed to say "Curses! Foiled again!"? Or are you not there, yet? ;)
Quote from: owen on August 01, 2013, 08:55:55 AM
I thought arch-villains were supposed to say "Curses! Foiled again!"? Or are you not there, yet? ;)
Correct; I'm more of an awning or garden arbour sort of villain; I'll find myself an arch to stand under later ... 8)
heh
There's a load more stuff in the right handed box, I notice. Left handed discrimination. There should be a law >:(
Doh! Am I the only one who hadn't realised that there was a bonus Frost* report included with the Bandcamp bundle? :o :-[ Just found it by accident and very good it is too. Looking forward to the DVD now. 8)
Quote from: D S on November 09, 2013, 12:54:23 PMLooking forward to the DVD now. 8)
You weren't before?? ;)
Quote from: JakeWorrell on November 09, 2013, 01:44:53 PM
Quote from: D S on November 09, 2013, 12:54:23 PMLooking forward to the DVD now. 8)
You weren't before?? ;)
My mistake - looking forward to the DVD
even more now! ;D
Any news on when the DVD is likely to be ready? Last I'd heard they were hopeful for a release before Christmas but that is creeping up on us at a scary rate already...
I think ever since the hacking incident it's difficult to know when things will happen. It was probably a blessing in disguise from Jem's point of view though, peace at last! ;D