The Petra Zone

I was just browsing the Project Damage Control website (because I saw the promo video for PDC II at youtube). When I open the 'reviews'-page, there is this recording of Liar. It sounded way better than what I remembered. But when I checked it out, it turned out to be some kind of radio mix. I think this mix is way better than the album version.

Brent, are there any more of these radio mixes?

I WAS going to master the first PDC. Instead, to save time, I used this company that had the latest stuff, the standard stuff...golden ears. They ruined it by squashing the poodie out of it. It was a battle. I kept telling them DO NOTHING to the compression. I rejected SIX discs. I gave up, cause we had a deadline.

Well, radio wouldn't work for that overcompressed sound, so I did remix the singles. Dreamscape had the guitar solo parts that were chopped from the CD, Liar was remixed and some fills were put back in, and there were a couple of others that got an overhaul.

What I plan to do release those. I will put it out there at a heavily discounted price and/or include them on the next disc to get people up to speed on the journey.

What's the lesson uncle Brent? NEVER USE A MASTERING ENGINEER THAT HAS A NEW STUDIO! I am going with the industry standard people that my friends use in Nashville.

It's True, that sounds way better.. so what your saying is you mixed that quicktime version Brent?

yep.

Let me tell you guys something. Recording studio mixes on studio monitors sound nothing like the released product most of the time. There is thing called the "Loudness War". Google it. It is a war to make each CD louder, which most passive listeners assumes is better. It is this war that requires the use of compression, that makes the smallest of sounds equal in volume to the loudest. There is no subtle nuance anymore. Musically it is absurd. It causes mixes to fall apart, makes the background noise louder, and freaks out the brain. If you could hear the mixes they way that we hear them, you would love them.

When I was taught (by some Grammy, GMA, CMA engineers) this was not common practice. We thought that people would see the CD as a vehicle with enough "headroom" to reproduce gun fire, and no distortion to reproduce a two bugs kissin'. But no, we have to have loud LOUD all of the time. It will never change unfortunately. Check out the new Bruce Springstien record. SMAAAAASHED! Unfortunate.

Well mate I reckon you should have mixed that thing, I download the MP3 from the website, I have listened to Liar many times today, it's won me where as the myspace one I skipped when listening.

Myspace has the radio remix of Liar. It does not have the radio remix of Dreamscape or Lost.

oh ok, I must have heard it somewhere else. I think myspace samples at 64kb/s