IN THE STUDIO: Rolling Stone

Posted by wbrtech

Wednesday, October 8, 2008 at 9:57pm

You can read about what the Masto dudes have been brewing up in the studio in the newest issue of Rolling Stone. Check it out here!!!

Tue, 04/14/2009 - 12:05 — fr
Sat, 10/11/2008 - 12:28 — docalex82

This is awesome. The description here has me anticipating a killer album like nothing else, another development.

Hopefully the new producer won't entirely mix out Troy's bass like was done on Leviathan (and nearly so on other albums). I crank the low end on my stereo when I put on Mastodon. Nobody mixed out Chris Squire or John Entwistle, but that was before the music business found that they could sell more records by catering to people with tin ears who don't want "too much going on."

Troy's a solid player, really on point, and often very creative. But the mixing kills all tone and definition, and it's just plain bad production--has nothing to do with the band. The bass parts are essential, and becoming more so as the band develops, and it makes no sense at all.

The same thing is done at concerts and that REALLY makes no sense. That's why I get in the front row!--so I hear the actual amp sounds. There is a soundman conspiracy in general against all bassists except Flea.

Wed, 10/15/2008 - 18:18 — spodemaster

There certainly is a lot of spectral density in albums like Leviathan, and not much low bass, but not much bass players in the metal world play through rigs that actually produce low bass. Most bass's don't have great low response inherently with out adding a lot of EQ.

I think a lot of people engineer albums with the assumption that a majority of people don't have good bass and sub bass reproduction capabilities, so they normally filter out all of the low stuff.

Distorted Bass has lots of High frequency information in it as it is. Our ears are much more sensitive to the high frequency parts, so its hard to distinguish from the guitars often, unless a lot of low EQ is added.

Most PA subwoofers can't reproduce low bass well or loud enough, and most sound guys don't bother to try EQing a little extra bottom into the bass to compensate for our lack of hearing sensitivity to lower frequencies.

All that said I think their was some improvement on Blood Mountain, but there is some inexcusable digital clipping that crackle through on tracks like blade catcher.

Hopefully this new producer doesn't follow the LA trend of smashing all of the head room out of the album so its just one loud unintelligible mash, like so many of the new metal albums.

Some times its good to have space between instruments tones too.

Mastodon Rocks

I am the lord of all fruit

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