Kevin Shirley Blows

[superreverb]

I love how Deen sounds on COH, it sounds like he does live, finally, the drums are big, and alive, cymbals wide and bright, they don't sound like cardboard boxes like they did on the last record. Just my opinion though. I really do love how the new stuff is sounding, many do, but some don't, none of us are wrong, it's all subjective I suppose.

[WalrusOct9]

I can tell you what's wrong, in my opinion, with the Journey mixes. The vocals are so narrow (I'm not a tech guy as it relates to music). When you listen to older Journey, the vocals sound like they surround you. With the new stuff, it sounds like every other rock group out there. I was thinking Human Feel sounded like a Tommy Shaw vocal. I like Tommy, but the way he sounds at times is annoying. It’s the mix.

Or that the older Journey had a better singer.

Arnel's got pipes, I have no problem with him. But in SP's range, his voice is a bit thin, and sometimes shrill, lacking the warmth that made those classic vocal tracks so successful. It's a tone issue, more than a mix issue.

I wasn't crazy about the sound of Revelation at all, but Kevin Shirley has done some albums in the past that I've loved sonically...the Black Crowes' By Your Side and Dream Theater's Falling Into Infinity are the first two that come to mind.

From a producer/mixer standpoint, I also wonder if it's a tough spot, since Neal & Jon aren't the type to just sit back and let someone else have control over the mix like a lot of artists do. I imagine it's walking on a thin rope to keep everyone happy.

[Rick]

I can tell you what's wrong, in my opinion, with the Journey mixes. The vocals are so narrow (I'm not a tech guy as it relates to music). When you listen to older Journey, the vocals sound like they surround you. With the new stuff, it sounds like every other rock group out there. I was thinking Human Feel sounded like a Tommy Shaw vocal. I like Tommy, but the way he sounds at times is annoying. It’s the mix.

Or that the older Journey had a better singer.

Arnel's got pipes, I have no problem with him. But in SP's range, his voice is a bit thin, and sometimes shrill, lacking the warmth that made those classic vocal tracks so successful. It's a tone issue, more than a mix issue.

Honestly, I think they're just impossible shoes to fill. Arnel sounds great on his own stuff and he does sound damn good on a lot of Perry's songs as well, but he does have trouble on some songs in certain areas. He can sing the parts, but they just don't sound as good. Augeri had warmth by the mile, but his range and vocal strength were an issue. I just don't think anyone can replace a singer that sang the songs Perry did because of the vocal dynamics. He was a fucking freak of a singer. I'm glad those turkey roosts weren't higher on his list of priorities.

[portland]

I can tell you what's wrong, in my opinion, with the Journey mixes. The vocals are so narrow (I'm not a tech guy as it relates to music). When you listen to older Journey, the vocals sound like they surround you. With the new stuff, it sounds like every other rock group out there. I was thinking Human Feel sounded like a Tommy Shaw vocal. I like Tommy, but the way he sounds at times is annoying. It’s the mix.

Or that the older Journey had a better singer.

Arnel's got pipes, I have no problem with him. But in SP's range, his voice is a bit thin, and sometimes shrill, lacking the warmth that made those classic vocal tracks so successful. It's a tone issue, more than a mix issue.

Honestly, I think they're just impossible shoes to fill. Arnel sounds great on his own stuff and he does sound damn good on a lot of Perry's songs as well, but he does have trouble on some songs in certain areas. He can sing the parts, but they just don't sound as good. Augeri had warmth by the mile, but his range and vocal strength were an issue. I just don't think anyone can replace a singer that sang the songs Perry did because of the vocal dynamics. He was a fucking freak of a singer. I'm glad those turkey roosts weren't higher on his list of priorities.

Agreed.

[crash]

I wasn't crazy about the sound of Revelation at all, but Kevin Shirley has done some albums in the past that I've loved sonically...the Black Crowes' By Your Side and Dream Theater's Falling Into Infinity are the first two that come to mind.

This is how I feel about Shirley productions. Sometimes his work kills but usually his mixes are small sounding to me. A good comparison is any of the Martin Birch produced Iron maiden compared to Kevin Shirley's... Birch wiped the floor with Shirley.

[Rip Rokken]

I'll use the RUSH album, Vapor Trails as exhibit A for this concept....clipping galore on this release.....horrible.

Horrible production on that Rush cd...At least the remixes on the latests best of cd was better.

Very interesting story about the production on that album. Some of it was intentional, but some was not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vapor_Trails#cite_note-5

An interesting note at the end of the article, that this past February they announced they'd be remixing the entire album! I'll look forward to that!